Yesterday, after posting, I was fortunate to be able to contact a friend via Skype, with whom I held a great conversation, for almost two hours.
Since she is perhaps the most grounded person I know, as well as possibly the smartest woman in the entire world (no joke), the time spent had the result of putting me into an excellent mood, & sending me out to foray in the BBR. Soon after arriving home, my demons attacked, & I spent the remainder of the day getting back to the grounded position I’d found earlier. That, naturally, kept me out of my chair & away from the computer, so, no fresh Pearl for today. To carry us over until I can get it done, here is one from late 2012, that got some decent traffic, but, deserves more…. It will have to do for now, as I’m still engaged in skirmishes with my own psyche; it will pass, as it always does, but, in the meantime, please enjoy this blast from the past, one with a pretty hefty level of mandatory cogitation made necessary by its content… Enjoy, ffolkes, & I’ll be back as soon as I’ve buried these demons….
Ffolkes, It’s a long road to Tipperary, so it is said…. It is certainly taking me long enough to get there. Of course, I’ve been somewhere near there every night, it seems, in dreams, but it just isn’t the same. I’m guessing that the fact that traveling to Ireland is so much on my mind has to do with wanting so badly to be able to do so, or, for that matter, to be able to travel ANYWHERE!….. I’m going stir crazy sitting here in one place for so long. I’ve traveled enough in my life to know that it is perhaps my greatest joy, if one doesn’t count my children, or love. Take those out of the calculation, and it wins, hands down, as my absolute favorite thing to do…. and don’t even go there…. I know what you’re thinking, but this is a family blog, and children will…
“A man is a very small thing, and the night is very large and full of wonders.”
~~ Lord Dunsany, The Laughter of the Gods ~~
Morning glorious….
Hajime…. For more than six years now, I have used the creation of this blog as a means of finding my inner balance. The process I developed over that time has furnished me with a routine upon which I could depend to produce a product I considered worthy of publishing for peer review, while simultaneously providing me with a means to organize my thoughts into the mold it most favors, in order to maintain the balance so essential to the peace sought so diligently by our inner self.
Since the real world, which I call consensual reality, seldom provides any of these for us, ( in truth, it often works in the opposite direction, making it hard to find any such means….), it has worked pretty well, such as it is. Of course, I am the sole judge of how well it works, & I am, deliberately, inconsistent in judging its efficacy, thus, most probably, detracting from its efficiency to some degree. But, as the closing introductory quote from Ralphie notes, consistency is just as well left out of the issue. By my standards, writing has worked well to keep me relatively sane, by public standards, if not my own, or, those of others less familiar with my personality); as proof, I offer a simple statistic, to wit: I have yet to kill anyone. Given the almost hourly occurrence of homicidal urges that come to me as I perceive the world, that’s not bad.
In truth, it occurs to me, much of my life has been a long struggle to keep myself from killing people; there are just so many of them who deserve killing, by almost any standard! Oligarchs, politicians, priests, pimps, corrupt cops, the list, to me, seems endless. Each of those categories of humans, on a consistent basis, exhibit the worst traits of humanity…. Fear, cowardice, the ability to lie, or deny reality, without guilt, shame, or the slightest degree of compassion; most of my fellow humans, to my mind, seem to abrogate their very humanity at every turn, refusing to use the intelligence they have been imbued with by nature, and denying their own connection to the rest of creation, insisting they are so special, the rules of the universe do not apply to them.
Moreover, the most basic flaw our species demonstrates regularly, seems to not even enter their perception. This flaw, as I see it, is the ability to deny their own nature, such that their entire approach to reality becomes their own worst enemy. We humans seem to have the unfortunate ability to make the assumption we have the power to alter reality at our whim, a belief not shared by that reality. Moreover, we are so convinced of this false power, we make the automatic assumption we are thus better than the rest of reality. This sense of entitlement, false as it may be, will, in the long run, prove to be a fatal flaw, for it is leading us inexorably to an ignoble end…. which is another simple deduction people refuse to make….
I have wandered around in my mind now for some time today, trying to find a way to succinctly state my feelings & thoughts, trying to explain, to myself as much as y’all, why I haven’t been writing much. I suppose I should take a shot at summarizing, so we can get on with the rest of this mess….
I don’t see much hope for humanity. The flaws in our nature, which we refuse to acknowledge, or attempt to abrogate, are killing us. If we cannot change the paradigm with which we now live, we are ALL going to die, and not comfortably. I suppose the angst and lack of balance I have been experiencing for the past year or so, since regaining a bit of clear-mindedness I had misplaced is a direct result of my sorrow at such an outcome. As a species, we show a lot of promise; it’s unfortunate our own nature prevents us from reaching out to grasp that promise, and make it our own. Instead, we fuss, we fight, we act as if the lies and delusions, upon which our entire culture is based, are real, and will help us live, when, in fact, all we can ever expect, if we don’t change, is ongoing conflict, and misery for the major portion of humanity.
My angst thus, is a persistent sense of sorrow, and anger at those humans who refuse to acknowledge the problems our own nature creates for us…. Since I, too, am human, my feelings cause me to want to strike out, hard, at those who will not see the truth of reality, and how our choices, to live in fear and delusion, have brought us to the brink of extinction. I’ve managed thus far to control those urges, human as they are; I’m having a hard time doing so these days, as there just doesn’t seem to be much reason NOT to follow the injunction of nature, so aptly described by H. L. Mencken, when he said, “Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
I have to admit, the temptation is great. However, I see I have, without realizing it, ranted in the intro again. So much so, I’ve made the rant I had started superfluous, & will proceed to delete it, in favor of finishing the rest of this now overlong mess. I can’t say I’m sorry for having done so; if naught else, it was rather cathartic for me, so, we’ll let it go, as is, & trust the chips to fall in convenient places. Since I can’t think of any easy, comfortable method for getting us out of the intro, I’ll just stop here, & hope for the best. I hope you enjoy today’s interlude….
Shall we Pearl?
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series (1841) “Self-Reliance” ~~
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Today, I feel like listening to the Dead (go figure). Here is the second set (over two hours long) from their 50th Anniversary/Farewell Tour in 2015. Though Jerry, Robert Hunter, & Pigpen are long gone, the music and culture lives on…. Enjoy!….
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Fare Thee Well Grateful Dead, 7/5/2015 Second Set
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I can feel poems percolating, but, none are ready to leak. Here is one from last year, written during the time I was attempting to regain some balance after more than a year of fighting the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, so kindly foisted upon me by the ignorance & cowardice of the medical industry in this country. Needless to say, it’s a bit more intense than my usual fare, & I hope you enjoy it….
Augmentation: Inner Aye
Distant, peals of thunder, vividly.
Closer, a patter of rain, falling gravidly.
Between the light and the darkness of fear
find merely the remnants of one lonely tear.
Do not hate us, though we have not sinned;
eager for courage, upon whom all hope is pinned.
Tales of insolence, hatred, or fallen virtue
fill us up, not down, in such pristine foreign venue.
Capable hands severed, able hands tied;
the future is angry, all but now denied.
Multiple times, warnings sounded across the pale
nobody heard, nobody came to tell the tale.
Gifted by time, salience fails in epic rhyme;
watchmakers watching, each a separate crime.
Logical solutions refuse to emulsify
forever pretending to cruelly crucify.
Blood will fly alongside pertinent composure,
never seeking, never finding tea, or closure.
Falsely laid trails on mountains of gold
imply no happy endings, no fortunes told.
Ages past have no time for repetition;
further chances only lead to perdition.
Destiny feels a shameful portion of guilt,
for a thousand sand castles, never built.
~~ gigoid ~~
3/2/2016
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Naked Pearls
Esoterica
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“A person needs a little madness,
or else they never dare cut the rope and be free.”
~~ Nikos Kazantzakis ~~
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“Every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do.”
~~ Voltaire ~~
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True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written;
in writing what deserves to be read;
and in so living as to make the world
happier and better for our living in it.
~~ Pliny the Elder ~~
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It is something to be able to paint a particular picture,
or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful;
but it is far more glorious to carve and paint
the very atmosphere and medium through which we look,
which morally we can do.
To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau, “Where I Live” ~~
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“The world is full of cactus, but we don’t have to sit on it.”
~~ Will Foley ~~
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“He knows not how to know who knows not also how to unknow.”
~~ Richard Burton ~~
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“The only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing at all, for sure.”
~~ Socrates ~~
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Although today’s missive is extensive, it feels a bit underdone, if obese. But, so be it; I’m done, & not willing to either start over, or edit. Instead, I’ll trust the process, as I’ve learned to do so well, & let it go without further ado. In fact, I’ll even go so far as to end it swiftly, rather than drawing it out to resemble the intro. I’ll be back as soon as I have enough to say; it won’t be long, I’m sure, as I’m a naturally voluble study in contradictions and subtle notes of irony. Go figure, eh? See ya, ffolkes; that’s a promise I hope to live long enough to fulfill….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
For three days now, two issues have prevented my finishing a fresh Pearl. One, SB is being VERY rude, hiding any good pearls behind a ton of poor ones. Second, I’m suffering from a severe lack of ambition, in regards to Pearling at all. This is, naturally, what happens in the midst of demonic wars for sanity, so, there’s nothing to be done for the nonce, but, to go with the flow, & try not to become homicidal. I guess staying out of mundane territory helps, but, sometimes, ya gotta eat, and the only food is out there in the BBR. Ah, well, such is life for those of us who think, and feel, too much…. So be it.
This Pearl is pretty good; it’s from right about a year ago, & shows off several good sections. It got a lot of views & likes, so, there must be something about it that fills the bill for today. In any case, it’s what I’ve got, and it’s all I’ve got.
At this point, I can’t say when a fresh one will be done; all I know is, I’ll keep at it until it is. Until then, try to enjoy this one, & wish me luck in the wars…. I’m gettin’ tired, but, there seems to be fewer demons with each attack, so, that’s progress, I guess….
See y’all later, ffolkes… Gonna go look for my mind….
“Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened.”
~~ Terry Pratchett. ~~
The Road Goes Ever On….
Hajime….. The process here at ECR has become a bit choppy, in terms of how smoothly it progresses. This, in turn, may, or, may not have an effect on the Pearls. Either way, I don’t really care, as long as they’re done. Quality, as you know, is NOT job 1 around here; we leave shit like that to Ford. I do make every attempt to make it as good as I can, but, hey, I’m human, and definitely bozoid, so, I know better than to expect reality to match my expectations…. Hell, I’m damn close to having none, anyway, what with the state of affairs on this sad old ball o’mud…..
Without going into THAT subject, which would, no doubt, keep me here relatively indefinitely, we’ll go for…
Thanks to demon wars & a sore ass, there’s no fresh Pearl as yet. However, I found this one, from 2013, which only got a couple views & a like from one of my two most faithful Gentle Readers. It’s not a bad example of the genre of the time, so, we’ll use it today to sublimate my urges; it’s got some decent semi-ranting going on, & some damn fine pearls. There’s also one of my better, if less serious poems, which I see I’ll need to re-format… I suppose that makes it fresh, to some degree.
I’ll be back, that’s a for sure; when is a query yet to be answered. Until then, stay loose, ffolkes… it’s marginally better than the alternative….
Ffolkes,
Shhh!…. Quiet! Don’t make a sound….. I’m writing this in stealth mode, so please, don’t, whatever you do, read this aloud. I’m trying to avoid letting Murphy know I’m up…. When I booted up this morning, I found that he had left a calling card, of sorts, when I discovered Smart Bee had once again started its funky corrupted file activity, refusing to de-minimize from the task bar. Murphy, the asshole, has left me with this glitch a number of times in the past, always bringing the Pearling process to a halt, as I have to then waste time uninstalling and reinstalling the program. But, I got that done quickly and silently today, and have somehow managed to get started without any further nonsense from him…..
Which, of course, brings us back to the usual difficulty encountered at this time of day, the Mystery of the Blank Screen, and…
I’ll be busy today, avoiding Facebook, Twitter, & the world at large as far as possible. Don’t ask why, or, I may tell you, & then we’d be here most of the day. Rather than even go there, I’m re-blogging this Pearl from 2014, one that didn’t get a lot of traffic, but, deserves some air time… I’m working on a fresh Pearl, in my own way, & should have one for y’all soon. In the meantime, be real, be safe, be happy, & be strange. All will help….& goodness knows our species can use the help….
Attribution is not required for an Unarguable Truth
If you feel you MUST argue it, well, bring it on…..
~~ gigoid ~~
The most excellent picture, which highlights the absolutely perfect form displayed by these two small warriors, is from The Daily Yell (London Daily Telegraph) Animal Pictures of the Week, 10/3/2014. Notice the strength of the stance, with four legs firmly gripping the limb, perfectly balanced, and the formidable knife-like spikes on the forearm and hand sections, held in perfect position to strike…. Their sifu would be proud…. *modest smile* Perfect tong long tong long bu…. preying mantis style kung fu, straight from the source….
One might think, given the week I’ve had, I’d be more, or less, insane…. In either case, more, or less, it would seem I’ve made a case for the newest format here on ECR, even if it is…
“A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone.”
~~ William Wordsworth ~~
George Orwell’s Home, London….
Hajime…. Nearly a week has passed since the last fresh Pearl of Virtual Wisdom was posted. In that week, I’ve seen this country, and the world, edge ever closer to either a civil war, or a world war, take your pick, as both scenarios are receiving some attention in the available news, whether fake, real, or just out there. Since there is little, at this point, I can do about any of that, beyond what I already have done to prepare myself, I find myself rather bored by it all, sort of Oscar Wilde-ish in my impatience with the tedious nature of most of my species. The very worst of human behaviors are on full public display, as the ignorance of the American people is played out on the world stage in the most appalling manner. SIGH… ah, well, bell curve, is all I can say….
I am working on a rant, but, even the degree of angst I’ve built up watching the nonsense going on all around me isn’t quite enough to have it ready, given the physical and emotional wars I’m waging on a daily basis. Suffice it to say, the rant may get outrageous, so, we’ll save it until it’s fully developed, to savor any potential impact it may produce. In the meantime, over the past four or five days, in the few moments per day allotted to me for sitting in a chair, I’ve managed to string together the basic elements of a fresh Pearl, which I now present for your viewing/reading pleasure. Of course, only you can decide whether it produces the desired effect, but, I’m sure you’ll let me know, if only by completely ignoring it. What the hell, I’ve blogged here on WP for more than six years now; I know better than to worry about how many will see what I produce; basically, it’s a crap shoot, & I never did figure out the odds on craps..
All that said, with the standard lack of purpose or justification, I’m going to be a trifle rude, & drop y’all right here, so I can get this finished & posted in a timely manner. Lots still to do out in the BBR today, laying in supplies for the coming month/times, & generally avoiding the rain as much as possible. Not that I mind the rain; I spent four years living in the state of Washington as a boy, & the rain is just a part of life, one you learn to enjoy, or suffer all the damn time. I like to control my suffering, so, I choose to enjoy the rain. It’s not hard, it’s just cold. So be it. And so be this intro, which I now declare done. Watch this….
Shall we Pearl?
“I am not an Athenian or a Greek, I am a citizen of the world.”
~~ Socrates ~~
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French composer Camille Saint-Saens
Camille Saint-Saëns
Today, I feel like some classical music; by my personal experience, one cannot choose better than this man’s work, no matter what particular type of orchestral arrangement wishes to hear. Here are two plus hours of violin concertos, to ease your way into the day…. Enjoy!….
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Camille Saint-Saëns Violin Concertos
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Stray Cats
The veils that billow and fold
between dreams and reality
may sometimes part,
showing the visions of one to the other,
blending, bleeding as one,
only to bring us up short,
closely jammed against immovable fate.
Still, we keep our watch,
seeking to find the vision
that brings with it the mark of reality’s regard,
a humble mind, and a compassionate heart.
Events of broad impact draw us away again,
distracting with shiny glitter and tinny music,
leaving our feelings raw and bruised,
the victim of universal disregard.
Now, in the twilight of years, the music is fading,
and the glitter has all gone….
yet the memory of visions remains sharp and clear,
melancholy reminders of reality’s promises,
unkept…..
~~gigoid~~
4/12/2013
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Naked Pearls
Notes on Life at Large
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“Death tugs at my ear and says: “Live, I am coming.”
~~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. ~~
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“We should consider every day lost
on which we have not danced at least once.”
And we should call every truth false
which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
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“Perfect valor is to do unwitnessed
what we should be capable of doing before all the world.”
~~ Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld ~~
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“Sure, understanding today’s complex world of the future
is a little like having bees live in your head.
But there they are . . .”
~~The Firesign Theater ~~
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“If you understand, or if you don’t.
If you believe, or if you doubt.
There is a universal justice
and the eyes of truth are always watching.”
~~ Enigma ~~
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“My life is light, waiting for the death wind,
Like a feather on the back of my hand.”
~~ T.S. Eliot ~~
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“What I tell you three times is true.”
~~ Lewis Carroll, “The Hunting of the Snark” ~~
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Well, there you go. I can’t think of anything else this needs, so, I’ll forgo any tricks, traps, or distractions, & merely say, see y’all soon. Not sure when a fresh Pearl will next appear, but, I can guarantee it will, as long as I survive long enough. Until then, be well, and happy as you may… In the infamous words of the Terminator, I’ll be back….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
‘Twas yet another busy day in the BBR; combine that with Smart Bee’s unfortunate habit of taking a vacation just when needed, & today’s fresh Pearl again bit the dust. To my credit, I did spend a little time commenting, but, these days, my chair time is severely limited…. By now, y’all realize what’s coming, so, I’ll just get on with it…. This one is pretty good, as an example of a complete, classic style Pearl, with a bit of everything…. Of course, it’s all from my head, so, take it as you will. Me, I’m gonna stay out of the rain, and see if I can’t finish the Pearl for tomorrow….
Not bad for someone in the midst of demonic wars, eh?….
Thirty-some minutes later, I woke up, and tried again…. It’s pointless for me to get upset now; the damage is done, and mostly cleaned up, so no further time needs to be spent on this morning’s major flare-up of Murphyism, or in this instance, my own bozoid tendencies interacting with Murphy’s due diligence…. Hmm… that’s even more obscure than I intended, and is perfect proof that this entire process may not be a good idea today…. At the rate things are progressing, by the time I can finish a Pearl, or even a pearl, I’ll have lost a limb, and the house will be on fire….
I can’t chance it, ffolkes…. I’ve just completed the final clean-up task to be accomplished, and reality is up in active arms against me. Every action is being challenged, somehow, by another little piece of the environment, or maybe it’s by the coming…
Yesterday’s trip into the Big Blue Room turned into a marathon, during which I pushed my limits for walking up over 3 miles, while managing to get almost everything I’d planned done. Murphy, apparently, stayed home. I did get a little done on a new Pearl, but, not enough to post, so, y’all will have to settle for another blast from the past…. Today, we’ll go back only a couple years, to a time Pearls had grown quite large, with five sections, & an almost daily rant. This one, while a good representative of that period, didn’t get much traffic, so, it’s a good one for today. I do hope you enjoy it, & I’ll try to get a fresh Pearl done for tomorrow…. In the meantime, stay strange; it’s still pretty cool out there….
“Ordinary people know little of the time and effort it takes to learn to read.
I have been eighty years at it, and have not reached my goal.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) ~~
The picture is one almost everyone has seen by now; I got this copy from the London Daily Yell (Telegraph), in their Pictures of the Day feature. It shows the Grand Canyon, filled up by a fog that completely covers the floor of the canyon, as seen from one of the vantage points somewhere in Arizona, or Colorado…. Great shot, but, I couldn’t help thinking about how strange it must be to be on the floor of the canyon when it happens…. Talk about eerie!…. I bet the Indian ghosts who live there have a great time, running about, scaring the tourists….
There…. I’ve started a Pearl with an intro that doesn’t rant……
The Road Goes Ever On….
gigoid 