Reality’s habit of asserting its prerogatives can be disconcerting, to say the least. Suffice it to say, elements of a very real nature have precluded a fresh Pearl today. It also made the search for an appropriate re-blog fairly extensive, but, no worries; so are my archives. Though it took more time & effort to find one, it seems worthwhile, as this one is fairly decent, though it didn’t see much traffic. Those who did so seemed to enjoy it, so, here ’tis once again, to garner a bit more attention before sliding back into obscurity.
As winter has made a return engagement the past two days, I should be able to go fresh by tomorrow; that isn’t a promise, though, as I’m too old to predict much of anything with certainty. Let’s just say, I will return, tomorrow if possible… Y’all take care out there, & try to enjoy the time we humans have left, which could be a much shorter time than any of us believe….which isn’t a prediction, just an observation….
….. And, then, I woke up…. only to find the same white screen staring me in the face, with, again, absolutely no idea what to put on it, to relieve the vast, frightening, vacant blankness….. I am faced with what is becoming my signature struggle, to come up with something catchy, or startling, or any other adjective that would lend itself to getting people to read this, and to providing some sort of incentive for them to come back for more….
It seems that much of the traffic I end up with are folks who are attracted by the title, which as y’all know, has nothing at all to do with what is in these Pearls…. It also seems likely that those who haven’t been here before, and drop in because of what the title promises, might be disappointed to find that, for example, Papal edicts do offer wholesale…
Good morrow…. Events out in the BBR today are legion… Well, not exactly, but, ’tis enough to keep me busy from now until I’m done with it. This leaves me not enough time to complete the Pearl started yesterday, so, I’m re-blogging again, simply because I can. This Pearl is a pretty decent one from 2014,which didn’t get much traffic, though it’s not shabby at all. I gave up trying to figure out why that happens, but, will give it another chance today to see if it won’t do better. I’ll be back tomorrow, come hell or high water. Until then, I hope you enjoy today’s interlude…. Have a good Saturday, in any case….
It’s one of those Heyoka days, as the Sioux used to say…. I think it was the Sioux, or one of the other tribes from the Midwest plains, who had the Heyoka concept in their pantheon of beliefs…. Heyoka most easily translates as “opposite” or “contrary to an extreme”…. A Heyoka woman, in their tribe, would always say yes, when she meant no, & no when she meant yes; she would walk backwards, talks backwards, and generally behave in a manner that was completely reversed from normal…. As can be imagined, it made for some interesting times around the old tipi….
I’m up at the usual time, but, so is everyone else, which isn’t all THAT unusual, just odd… The cat is happy, anyway, to have all her human toys awake and available to torment play with; for her, it’s cat heaven. I’m unused to having anyone around while…
As I suspected, events yesterday precluded using any time to Pearl; hence another re-blog from the archives. I’ve gone all the way back to 2012 to find one worth doing over; this one seems to work. It got some good traffic, and some Likes, too; having perused it quickly, I can say there’s good reason, as it’s not bad for early work. I’ll try to work on one for tomorrow, but, as related, busy week going on. I do hope you enjoy the mess I’ve chosen for your morning whirl through my head; it’s still better than a poke in the eye with a stick..
On that odd, but, probably true note, I’ll leave you to your fate. See y’all tomorrow, with as much fresh material as I can squeeze out of today…. Blessed Be my friends….
Ffolkes,
What an odd sensation I’m experiencing this morning! I am awake, almost fully, it seems, but every bone and muscle in my body wants me to go back to sleep….. I can barely hold my head up from what feels like fatigue (after almost 10 hours in bed….), but my mind is alert and ready for the day, so to speak. Weird…. I’m typing while leaning on my right arm, and my back is bowed, all because I’m tired, or feel that way. I know I shouldn’t be tired, but, there you go…. More gifts from an aging body, I guess, and not one I’m going to worry about, or give in to. Not that I’m bursting with creativity or anything like that this morning…. I’m just tired of giving ground, and I’m not ready for my rocking chair yet….
Though I am experiencing symptoms which indicate healing is taking place, ’tis not always a comfort; healing can be more than just a bit uncomfortable. Since it is enough to distract me from concentrating on anything outside my physical state, writing fresh material becomes problematic. However, I have the advantage of a VERY large archive of material, some of which, though not shabby, received little attention, other than from a couple of readers who never miss a day. This one only got two likes, which tells me nothing, as there doesn’t seem to be a pattern I can identify to such numbers. But, it also means not very many ffolkes came by that day, so, I’ll use it today to keep from missing the day’s post entirely.
As noted, it’s not bad, so, enjoy… I hope to be back soon, but, only time will tell when that will actually happen. Until then, be strange, stay alert, and seize every day you can….
In spite of massive outpourings of attempted distraction, perpetrated by my own unconscious mind, I made it here, only to find myself confronted once again by the specter of a blank mind…. Vague, terrifying echoes of past Pearls, wherein I spent hours, nay, days, it seems, searching and searching, desperate and panicked, yet always managing to, somehow, find enough blather within to fulfill the minimum required standards…. It’s a gift, though not one most ffolkes will acknowledge… I, on the other hand, lost all pride years ago, and realize that there is nothing shameful at all in admitting one’s faults…. In fact, with the right spin, those faults can be turned into assets, of a sort….
Of course, one must never try to profit from using personal faults as tools; that borders not only on the immoral, but on creepy, and I’m not going there, no sir…. Naturally, you…
Though feeling a bit better, my curmudgeonry continues to rear its disturbing head; I only left the house yesterday once, to take a walk, & nearly lost it at a mundane, the only one who crossed my path. Fortunately for us both, I kept walking, allowing him to live, though it required immense effort to withhold my hand from burying my knife in his throat…. SIGH…. I suppose it’s for the best….
Needless to say, I’m not in the mood to write; anything I produce today would have to be heavily edited, to tone down the rage at the machine, which, while liberating, can also be infuriatingly maddening, indicative of the inner fire burning as if fueled by high octane gas. Since I have no desire to spend so much time in such an unproductive state of mind, nor to suffer the concomitant passionate anger, we’ll sublimate the urge to work it all out on the keyboard, by re-blogging another archived Pearl today.
This one is pretty decent, but, since it apparently got overlooked by all but my most faithful readers, I’m giving it another shot at fame today. I think, perhaps, I should be able to put out something fresh tomorrow; time will tell, but, it looks good for that. I’ll leave this missive on that positive note, & merely wish you a day you may enjoy; hopefully, reading today’s Pearl will aid in finding such peace…. If not, oh, well; I’ll try again tomorrow…. See ya, ffolkes; wish me well in my quest to refrain from killing random mundanes….
“Hey, mister….”
“Yeah?”
“Got any change?
“Only this little jar of entropy….”
No, that’s not quite right….
“Hey….”
“Yeah?”
“What’s new?”
“My socks….”
No, that’s not very good, either….
“Hey, buddy…”
“Yeah?”
“Got milk?”
“No.”
Ah, that’s better…. now we can go on….
You may be asking yourself just what the hell this is all about, which would be a completely understandable, even logical reaction…. It won’t get you any closer to finding out, but, hey, it’s logical, and that’s something these days…. To explain…. The three little conversations above are another experiment, designed purely to see it it would be a feasible method for getting these silly introductions out of the way with a template, or possibly a new routine, like the “Who’s on first?” thing, that whatshisname and his partner used to do on stage…. !!! What was that name?…. His partner’s name was Lou…. Aha!!… Abbot…
So, there I was, yesterday, cruising along, just as if I knew what I was doing, when, not all of a sudden, but, slowly, insidiously, disease-based curmudgeonry struck, hard. I found myself, in the morning, after posting, scrolling through Facebook, getting more angry & frustrated the more I scrolled. The apparent cause was seeing all the smarmy religious posts the slaves to modern life plaster all over my news feed, along with stupid political memes, often accompanied by the latest lies coming out of their chosen idiot’s mouth, or whiny pleas for emotional support at having to face life alone, or for experiencing ‘bad stuff’ that is obviously their own fault. Oh, the few folks there who are actually my friend, or relative, whom I know to be rational, post now & again, but, most of it merely displays one or more delusional beliefs, or some other symptom of our society’s sickness It got to me, I had to post a sentiment from Bertrand Russell, to wit: “It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.” — Bertrand Russell I accompanied this with a short statement explaining why I will not be there much any more, for there is no evidence of rationality to be found there, aside from a few notable exceptions among my friends & relatives…
This attack of curmudgeonry extended into other areas, whereupon I revolted altogether, & turned off the computer for much of the rest of the day… thus missing going to a couple places I normally go to vent, by ranting in the comments…mostly on sites exploring political issues. I just couldn’t face it…
This morning, my curmudgeon status has continued; I’m in a rotten mood… but, have realized it is partially due to the insidious bowel disease I’ve had for 40 years or more, which often strikes this way, bringing me to a state of misery before i even realize I’m suffering symptoms…
So be it. I will go now, after posting, & deal with it the best I can… It may be a day, or two, before I can pull it together enough to post a fresh Pearl. Today, I have this Pearl from a few years ago, which didn’t get much traffic, & deserves a second chance; it’s not too shabby, at all…
I hope you enjoy it…. I doubt I’ll be cruising around, making a lot of comments for a day or two; to those whose sites I generally go to comment, my apologies for submitting to my angst & misery; it will pass, & as Arnie said so often, I’ll be back….
Shadows danced over the walls, cast by flames from the logs flickering in the ancient hearth. Savory smells of onions and meat filled the air, as the stew simmered in the pot hanging over the fire, stirred slowly by the old woman in a tattered, grey dress. Though she had lived alone for many years, she showed no surprise at the loud knock on the wooden door, only shrugging her bony shoulders as she walked across to open it. Wind and snow blew in the door, pushing into the room a huge, heavily bearded man, in grimy buckskins, carrying a long, evil rifle, and a large pack on his back.
Following the giant into the single room of the old cabin, a dire-wolf, all black, large as a small pony, eyes gleaming with intelligent ferocity, stopped in the doorway to peer behind him, into the darkness, then trotted through…
Hajime…. Bon jour, mes amis…. Sorry for hopping between languages; just thought I’d give a precursor for what follows, which, today, jumps around more than just a bit. Probably a matter of the jigs & reels I was listening to while putting it together. All in all, it came out fairly well; y’all will have to determine for yourselves whether ’twas worth the effort to keep it in one piece, a not inconsiderable task today. That may sound a trifle obscure, but, that’s just as well; what follows will match that without seeming to try….
I’m rushing a bit, not because I’m late, but, because I can feel the pressure building, & wanted to get posted before having to deal with whatever emotional/internal battles may materialize. Either that, or a poem is about to leak out; I can never tell beforehand which it may be,. Whatever occurs, I’ll deal with it better if I have this done; duty is a matter of ‘needs must, Mr. Wyndigate”, so to speak, & I’ve learned to pay attention to these little warning bells my unconscious mind sends me; I figure I should honor the politeness, if nothing else. Go figure, eh?
I will note my mood feels indestructible today; this is a clear result of having had the opportunity yesterday to spend a couple hours visiting with my son, daughter, and almost two-year-old granddaughter, Zoey. They brought her to see me for the first time since five days after she was born; the sheer delight of her shiny little persona was a lift to my spirits seldom matched in my experience. She’s a sharp little lass, with a delight for life that is plain. When she is with her dad (my son, Cory) she grins non-stop; the only frown she wore came when compelled to leave the playground, & it disappeared at my first ‘quack’…. A sheer delight, which will carry me on a higher plane for some time….
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for now; a lot is going on inside the old brain-pan, so, I’ll let it simmer a while, then deal with the dish it turns out. Y’all are free to watch, though it’s not always pretty. If not, you may also feel free to just get on with it, as I intend to do here, and, now. We’ll do that by applying one of the more ruthless techniques I’ve learned in this process. What technique? Well… this one….
Shall we Pearl?
“I think, therefore I am… dangerous, that is…”
~~ gigoid, in good company ~~
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This morning, I’m going back to my roots. Oh, not ALL my roots; just the Irish part. Here is a collection of traditional Irish music as played in the public houses & taverns. I hope you enjoy it’s vivacity, and the variety of styles…. If not, well, ‘s okay; nobody’s perfect….
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Traditional Irish Pub Music
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This one goes hand in hand with today’s music…. It’s a poem I wrote during the time I was living in retirement poverty, waiting for my SS to be approved, & dreaming of the places I wanted to escape to….. Enjoy!….
Days and Nights of Eire
Comforting, a dream creeps oft into my mind
On the elven hills of Eire lives the vision I find.
Elegant, gracious, everlastingly draped in beauty
Just payment of simple homage lives as joyous duty.
Fairies and druids walk abroad in ghostly parade
Gracing each hearth with its own welcoming shade.
Castles and heroes yet live in tale and song
Proving love for the land in each heart strong.
From cold of winter into glorious young spring
Brown, and gray, to emerald green songs to sing
Soft rains always follow winter’s great tempest
Eire dons its emerald coat from east to west.
Old and strong, connections call out in dreams
Nothing that was known remains as it seems.
Immersion in ancient runes and battle hymns
Offering sanity in place of grievous whims.
Time and place can tell a much different tale
Judgment should never be a final sale.
Yet something solid and real calls me to go see
Where dreams of loving beauty may actually be….
~~ gigoid ~~
11/3/2012
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I’m not certain exactly what happened here in the final, old-school section of today’s Pearl. It started off in one direction, took an immediate turn, then hared off to another, unidentifiable path. All in all, I’d say it works, if one isn’t too picky about where some of it might have been before it got here. I suppose I’d call this one “Odd notes on process & program”…. Then, I’d call it a day, I think….
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“Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.”
~~ Sigmund Freud ~~
*******
“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
~~ HAL 9000 ~~
*******
Oops! ‘Twasn’t supposed to do that…. We’ll begin again….
********
“Ah said, pay attention, boy!”
~~ Foghorn Leghorn ~~
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“Get a life!”
~~ Saturday Night Live ~~
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“Remember that opportunity is a dare – not a door.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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“Art is discipline. It’s not breaking rules, it’s creating new ones.”
~~ Callan Williams ~~
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” ‘He deserves death’.
‘Deserves it! I daresay he does.
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life.
Can you give it to them?
Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment.
For even the very wise cannot see all ends.’ “”
~~ J. R. R. Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings ~~
********
“There are many things worth living for,
few things worth dying for,
nothing worth killing for.”
~~ from Tom Robbins’ “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” ~~
********
“Reality is only as the mind perceives it,
where yesterday will never arrive and
tomorrow has long since gone.”
~~ Subtle Bee, doin’ his thing ~~
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Okay, then. That was fun…. sort of. Leelu has been very patient with me today; it took longer than either expected, or hoped, & she’s been very good at waiting for attention. That, in itself, requires a lot of mindfulness, as most of her communication is sub-lingual, & needs close attention to catch the clues her cat persona gives me to work with; as such, they are subtle, and fast…. I hope y’all enjoyed today’s interlude, if for no other reason than providing a few moments of either head-scratching, or chuckling; either works for me. I’ll try again tomorrow, with one warning… I’m working on a rant to end all rants (literally, if not figuratively….), which I hope to have done by then. If not, well, stay alert, for it’s a massive treatise, so far, & threatening to grow. For now, I’ll just say, adieu, & hope y’all remain in a place of love & comfort; it’s the best we can expect, mostly. Ta then, ffolkes; I’ll return, as reality allows….
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.
I’m up, & alert, but, Smart Bee is, apparently, still asleep. Since there is not, now, enough time to cudgel SB into compliance, nor time enough to actually create anything new, we’ll go with one from the archives… This is a pretty good one, all in all, as I didn’t rant, much, but, found some decent stuff to include. It will do for today. Tomorrow, there will be a fresh Pearl for your morning consumption; as long as I’m still alive & kicking, & the internet is still functioning as expected. Until then, stay alert; being alert adds speed when ducking…. See ya….
Ffolkes,
Well, hell…. Hellooo! Anyone in there? I know there is nobody OUT there yet, as this is not yet posted; the apparent issue is that there is no one in here, either…. I’ve been up almost an hour, have even had a few sips of coffee, so there is no reason for this vast featureless plain I see in my head, void of anything to draw the eye or the mind, currently serving as my sole source of imagination. If I were into horror fiction, I could easily build up a lot of tension, just gazing out over a landscape, empty of hope, empty of life….
I’m pretty sure I know the problem here…. I’ve been thinking a LOT the last couple of days, trying to make decisions about all the stuff I’ve been planning to do when my Social Security benefits begin. That day is fast approaching, and…
One might think, given my age, I would know better. In fact, I do, but, it doesn’t prevent me from making poor decisions… My latest foray into public turned overly social on me (forgot the date….), so I ended up socializing too long with my old friend Jack. Now, I can only use two words to explain why there is no fresh Pearl today, which are, hung over…. Go figure, eh? I’ll be back tomorrow. Here, to sublimate, is a quite extensive Pearl from 2014, with a bunch of older Pearls included in the package from that day’s post. I hope you enjoy it; if not, well, c’est la vie, & we’ll try again tomorrow. See ya, ffolkes; I’m gonna go somewhere & groan for a while…. Ugh….
“The velocity with which time flies is infinite, as is most apparent to those who look back.”
~~ Seneca ~~
(B.C. 3-65 A.D.)
Today is a day pregnant with possibilities…. I have high hopes that when I return from my outing today, my life will have undergone some significant alterations, at least in one or two respects, and, all I can say is, it’s about damn time….. I feel as if I’ve been stuck in a rut for months, and have an opportunity to break free of whatever it is that has been keeping me from LIFE….
Hence, the quote from Seneca seems to me to be most appropriate, encouraging us, as it does, to look forward, to see what there is to see, and to learn, rather than wasting precious time trying to hold on to something in the past, expressing the advantage of keeping our eyes…
I’ve been watching the crisis here in California at Lake Oroville, whose dam has been neglected long enough it’s threatening to break enough to flood a large area northwest of Sacramento potentially affecting several million people in a wide area… Also don’t much feel like working today, so, I have sublimated by going WAY back into the archives, for a very old-school Pearl from about a month after beginning here on WP. Though it’s a pretty decent Pearl, with some rather fine pearls, it got no traffic, so, I’m giving it a second shot at fame today. I hope you enjoy it; it’s short, simple, but, not altogether unworthy of note… I shall be back tomorrow, I suppose… actually, you may count on it…. See ya. Be well, & stay alert….
Ffolkes, Picking out today’s Pearls turned out to be a marathon. Just couldn’t find the right stuff to lead off a lazy Saturday. So, we’ll have to wing it…. Hmmm…..nothing is rising to the surface. Even stirring the contents briskly has nothing sticking to the spoon. I suppose we could take a few moments here for an advertisement disclaimer, but, it being Saturday, I don’t much feel like diving back in to the oyster beds to find where I left it. I could go nonsensical; that’s always fun. But Lewis Carroll did that already, and I don’t much feel like trying to out-Jabberwock a dead author. I suppose I should find a newsworthy event to share, or comment on the current political scene, but I also don’t feel like putting on the necessary high-top boots for wading around in that filthy pool. It stinks, also, and I’m out of nasal…
gigoid 