From this perspective, it’s clear the vicar was nude….

Posted on July 10, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
This picture was taken somewhere in the North Atlantic Ocean, during a trip around the British Isles…. It may just be my favorite picture, of all I took on that trip…. The color, the composition, it just speaks to me, in a lot of ways, bringing with it memories of that time, along with appreciation, for the picture’s potentiality for cogitative stimulation…. The first thought that always occurs to me is how it is impossible to tell, just from the picture, whether this was taken at sunrise, or sunset; it could easily be either one….. Not bad, for an old fart with his first camera, eh?….

Today’s Pearl will be odd, as if, A) you hadn’t heard THAT before, and, B) just as if it could be anything else, when one considers the source, to wit: me, in all my strange glory…. What do you mean, that isn’t glory, it’s dirt? I’m not going to even bother to think about THAT statement; no way that could be true…. I mean, if that were true, what was all that….. well, never mind. I think, upon reflection, we should just skip right on by this little episode, and chalk it up to the early hour, even if it’s a late early hour, for me…. It’s getting harder to drag myself up each day, but, that, too, is nothing new, is it?….

Age, pain, bozoid tendencies…. I’ll tell ya, ffolkes, it makes for an “interesting” life, one you would think would offer plenty of material for a writer….. and maybe it does, for a writer whose mind is normal… My own idiosyncracies tend to color my perceptions, as they do for all of us…. mine just have a greater effect on me than most ffolkes suffer; maybe it has to do with all the spikes, thorns, and broken glass covering the material my head produces. It does get a bit iffy trying to handle it without injury, especially given my known habit of beating myself over the head with certain types of information, so it is more easily assimilated…..

I’m wandering again, aren’t I? This is what happens when I sleep late; I wake up foggy, (normal for me…), but, start writing anyway, as I’ve found the process of creating these introductory sections eventually wakes me up enough to get through to the end of a Pearl…. Well, so far, anyway….. Apparently, once I’m relatively awake, I can do this in my sleep…. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether it helps, or hinders to write while somnolent; I DO keep getting them done, so, I suppose that’s something….

Well, now, there’s a pretty mess, eh? It seems I turned the picture, which is somewhat undefined by itself, into yet another reason to ramble and blather my way through the first section, all without ever coming to any conclusions, but, without haring off into uncharted regions of my mind, or anyone else’s, for that matter…. What did I just say? Let me go back a second, & analyze that last sentence…. Okay, yep, it’s as I thought…. I’m reaching the point of incoherency, so we have to stop now, or someone will get hurt…. and it’s most common for me to be that someone…. So, instead….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you’re a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind.” — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Okay, well…. that explains THAT….. Onward, ffolkes….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I may have mentioned I’m up pretty late, (or not…. I am now, though, right?…. Mentioning it, that is…. I’m up late… there, now you know….), which precludes a FRESH rant, especially given the news of late, which has way too many subjects that would be suitable…. In today’s state of mind, picking one could be as hazardous as writing one…. So, here is a reasonably priced discussion of some esoteric minutiae for your reading pleasure…. Oh, and keep your neurons fired up and ready with this one, ffolkes, it’s a bit deeper than usual, even if it doesn’t touch on anything particularly volatile…..

From 10/21/2012:

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

— Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) — Just So Stories (1902) “The Elephant’s Child”

I first read the phrase “feeding the Elephant’s Child” in a Robert Heinlein novel, many years ago, and enjoyed it as a metaphor for reading/learning, before I knew from whence it originally came. Once I did know (a moment of illumination whose exact placement in time is hazy….), I liked it even more, from an aesthetic standpoint. The above little ditty is brilliant doggerel, astute observation, and deep insight, all presented in a simple, straightforward style, with a powerful, basic lesson for any would-be philosopher, or any one who wishes to encompass reason as their modus operandi, so to speak. Besides which, I find that another piece of Bob’s advice fits well with this one, to wit: “Life tastes better in big bites….”

“Never wear anything that panics the cat.” — P. J. O’Rourke

I like this, a lot. It summarizes perhaps one of the most elemental rules of getting along in the Universe, in essence saying, “You can learn a lot by watching what happens around you…” It is the perfect companion to the concept of learning as presented above, as it contrives to speak to both sides of Reality, i.e., how you approach reality (the clothing you choose to show to the cat….) and how reality will change to react to your approach (the cat’s opinion of your clothing….) It also gives one a subtle warning about how the wrong clothing can produce unwanted consequences, and we all know how an offended cat is likely to respond…. as Mark Twain once remarked…. “A man who carries a cat by the tail is learning valuable things. He will never again be dim or doubtful. Chances are he’ll not carry the cat that way again, but, I say, if he wants to, let him!” You can’t say fairer than that….

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” — Buddha

One can always trust the Buddha to state the most profound thoughts in the simplest way…. I often wonder how he came to such a complete understanding of Murphy, whose presence is acknowledged in all of what the Buddha stated, but whose ministrations seem to have passed by the Buddha’s existence…. either that, or Murphy shows him a lot more respect than he does anyone else alive. At times, it seems that what the Buddha states, such as in this statement, is, in at least one respect, an answer to a question that is raised when Murphy intervenes in our lives…. in simpler words, he explains why Murphy is able to affect us as he does, by cutting through the bullshite we perceive to the truth of what is real….. SIGH…. one of these days, enlightenment will slap me upside the head, and I’ll be able to see Murphy coming…. I hope…

There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.” — Bob Dylan

Often I feel as if not only is life a joke, but it is our duty and purpose on this plane of existence to codify that joke, to put it down on paper, or on screen/disc, to free ourselves from the prison of sobriety, achieving an understanding that everything in this silly universe is here for our amusement, and we have been taking it, and ourselves, seriously for entirely too long….. So seriously, we have begun to offend those parts of the universe that just want us to relax and enjoy ourselves, and the time is growing nearer when we will have to admit that the joke is on us, for not being able to change our inner selves enough to be able to handle the humor of our situation…. See, the universe thinks death is funny…. not because it is cruel, but because death is just another part of life, and it doesn’t care about one more than the other…. See, now, isn’t it funny how you never noticed that?…..

I once read a science fiction novel, whose title and author escape me completely; in all it was very poorly written, with prose that did not live up to the good ideas contained in the plot line. However, it was a great plot line, in all….Specifically, there was one chapter I liked, which had a super-genius taking on the task of finding the solution to a mathematical treatise, an equation so complex and advanced that no civilization in the galaxy had ever been able to completely solve it.

The genius/hero of the book shut himself up in his room for three weeks, working on the problem. At the end, he was thinking so hard he entered a trance-like state, computing while nearly dead…. after a week of this, he suddenly opened his eyes, gave a look of astonishment, and burst into uncontrollable laughter for approximately 25 minutes. When he could finally control himself, he simply said, “It’s a joke….” and would never discuss it again….

In a pearl such as this one has grown to be, there comes a time when I have to decide whether to continue on, to try to reach the conclusion that was nebulously hovering somewhere in my mind as I began, or to admit that I have once again wandered into uncharted territory, and might find it a bit tricky to find my way back to clarity. This is that time…. and I’m leaving it up to Smart Bee, as always…. If I don’t find a proper pearl to carry on the tenuous chain of thought I’ve created, then we’ll take the first one that will appropriately wrap it up as a lost cause….. all within a specified number of attempts…. so, here we go… You’ll know in a moment what will happen….

“In a word, neither death, nor exile, nor pain, nor anything of this kind is the real cause of our doing or not doing any action, but our inward opinions and principles.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap xi

There, see?…. That didn’t take long at all…. and I managed to find the perfect pearl to cover both bases…. In this case, we will use it as an ending quote, since it sort of summarizes a lot of the discussion, after a fashion. It could conceivably also be used as a springboard for further discussion, but this has gone on long enough, and I wouldn’t want to lose anybody due to an injudicious application of excess verbiage, culminating in tedium…. Of course, we may have reached that point some time ago, but, hey, who’s counting?…. Any who, I hope you enjoyed this little foray into not very much….

🙂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being late means not having the time to go search for anything from other authors to fill up the empty spaces between lines; this can be a good thing, or not, depending on a lot of factors, which we won’t go into now…. Suffice it to say, it’s usually easier to find one of my own to go with whatever is taking place, and today is no exception to that observation/rule…. I wrote this in October of 2012, during the period of time after my retirement when I was in my deepest depression, and living under the most trying circumstances I’d experienced in many years…. I guess it goes to prove that poetry comes out of human experience in a more compelling fashion when that experience is a test of their endurance, or stamina, or however one describes the effort of standing up to the crap life sends our way, every day…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is one of my best….

Seeing is Conducive to Belief

Folly sits so comfortably upon my fevered brow
one would easily believe that I would know how
to look at Life with a jaded, weary eye
seeing enough, and more, to know Why.

Such seems the case, as I will it to be,
an open book of a face, it looks so like me;
what’s known to be so, needs no close attention
familiar sights require no minding, nor mention.

The eye is drawn at once to the stark and new,
and sent back to sleep by successful review.
Once we find evidence we feel we understand,
curiosity languishes, dismissed at command.

Ancient sages knew the insidious value of illusion,
preachers and pundits know the power of confusion.
Each pair of eyes contains its own point of reference,
each mind sets its own standards of preference.

Seeing is believing, for those who live in thrall,
accepting what is perceived is all they ever recall.
Unknown to them, reality follows another set of rules,
Deeper, more dangerous, and no place for fools.

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even though I’ve managed to get caught up to schedule fairly well, by dipping into the archives instead of going fresh, I’m still feeling rushed from being behind all morning…. An old-school pearl should fix that, and takes no time at all…. as long as Smart Bee is cooperating today…. Let’s go see what it’s got for us, shall we?…. No parameters, we’re going with pure impulse for this one…. Good luck! Buena suerte! We might need it….

“Actually officer, if you factor in the earth’s rotation, we were all speeding.” — Smart Bee

“And don’t tell me God works in mysterious ways, Yossarian continued There’s nothing mysterious about it, He’s not working at all. He’s playing. Or else He’s forgotten all about us. That’s the kind of God you people talk about, a country bumpkin, a clumsy, bungling, brainless, conceited, uncouth hayseed. Good God, how much reverence can you have for a Supreme Being who finds it necessary to include such phenomena as phlegm and tooth decay in His divine system of Creation? What in the world was running through that warped, evil, scatalogical mind of His when He robbed old people of the power to control their bowel movements? Why in the world did He ever create pain?” — Joseph Heller, Catch22

“The universe is as it is because if it were any different, we wouldn’t be here to observe it.” — Stephen Hawking

“I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.” — Pogo, character in “Pogo,” comic strip by Walt Kelly

“I am not a wimp.” — George Bush

(Sorry, George, but, yes, you are a wimp, and I have to say, I don’t mind telling you….. If you have to say it, it’s proven…. Q.E.D.)

“… as sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul…” — Aristotle — Nicomachean Ethics, Bl. I, Ch. 6, 10966, lines 29-30

“Facts are not truths; they are not conclusions; they are not even premises. The truth depends on, and is only arrived at by a legitimate deduction from all the facts which are truly material.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Well, there you go…. That went well, and quickly, just as planned…. Damn it! Now I have to keep a watch out for Murphy; things have been going WAY too well thus far….. Watch my back, would you?…. I’ll go try to finish up….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, ffolkes, as I stated in the intro, it turned out quite interesting…. Better behaved, all in all, than I’d expected, so, since I’ve already thus been rewarded by the Universe for my perseverance, I’ll take my leave without further ado, or fuss…. See y’all tomorrow….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
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.

gigoid the dubious

Even duct tape won’t help now….

Posted on June 15, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Staring into the abyss is not easy without coffee, but, that’s what I’ve been asked to do today…. Well, perhaps that’s a bit dramatic, but, it does give you the “look and feel” I was trying for, if you’ll pardon the retreat into Appledom…. I’m pretty sure, since that phrase has been legally identified by some court or another, it’s okay to use it in general speech….

If not, well, screw ’em, because it’s already done, and I’m not about to start again, just because Apple doesn’t like me using their words….. As we’ve been known to say on previous occasions, when just such a complaint has arisen, fuck them if they can’t take a joke…. hard, or soft, your choice, I don’t care….

There, the first nonsensical paragraphs are done, now we get to the plain speech paragraph, which is MUCH easier, believe me…. When I come up with an easy-peasy kind of subject, which talking about Apple always makes so simple, producing such literary flotsam becomes almost automatic…. But, then, by now, just about anything at all wouldn’t surprise MY readers in this space….

In spite of the difficulties we face each day (Damn! There’s another of those royal “we”‘s! Gotta watch that….) to get this intro done in a timely fashion, without it becoming an ordeal beyond all endurance, I think I’ve managed to endow my audience with more than just a few formats and/or incarnations, if you will, of this introductory section, enough so that they’ve learned not to expect anything in particular, but just wait to see whatever manifests on any given day…. It’s also safer that way, in a physical sense…. less chance of explosions….

Even the explosions have reached the point of becoming mundanely routine, I suppose…. That’s what happens after the first several hundred of them….. I don’t know if it is normal to be so blasé about such volatile material, but, it’s certainly normal around here, and I’m not about to start justifying or explaining at this point…. Nobody but a regular here would understand anyway, so, it’s all moot…. Of course, if we ever get to the point where the blog is starting to get some more attention from a wider audience, I suppose I’ll have to consider a few changes, to meet the demands of the public eye….

Don’t hold your breath on that one, though, because I’m pretty stubborn, and not about to make too many changes, just to suit readers…. My curmudgeon training wouldn’t allow that anyway, as it is catering to the wishes of others, and that sort of pandering is NOT going to happen on my watch…. People are responsible for their OWN minds, and beliefs, and I don’t allow any BS in that respect….

I am responsible for what I say, and what I believe, but, not for anyone else’s words, or their ideas….. and trying to blame me for what someone else may think, even about my own words, is not only NOT going to alter my behavior, it could conceivably piss me off…. Whomever THAT happens to fall upon may just end up regretting they ever spoke…. or, for that matter, regretting they were ever born….

Hmm…. I see that I’m beginning to show symptomology of a need to rant, which isn’t surprising, as I’ve not indulged myself in that respect for a week or more, not in any detailed, fresh sense…. Soon, I’m sure…. For now, though, I’m going to go with my impulses today, which are random, and not well understood, even by me…. In fact, I really don’t know, at this juncture, just WHAT will happen from now on…. I have deliberately avoided thinking about it…. So, whatever occurs below will be as much of a surprise for me, as it is for you….. The only thing I know for sure is that the Wise Old Pine Cone took another day off, having overindulged himself radically at the ball game a couple of nights ago; he’ll be back in a day or so, with new pictures of new adventures to share…. For now, though….

Shall we Pearl?….. In fact, let’s begin with a two-fer….

“Zen Buddhists do it because they don’t want to do it because they want to do it.” — Smart Bee, showing off

“We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), Huckleberry Finn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In lieu of a fresh rant, which is not imminently forthcoming (Don’t ask why; the answer would be TMI…. I say that just as if we had not already reached a point of no return in that regard….), here is an older rant, from some time in 2012, on a typical issue, i.e., the BRC and their shenanigans…..

“He who imitates evil always goes beyond the limits of the example, whereas he who imitates what is good, always falls short.” — Confucius

Perfect! If ever a quote could be applied to fit one group of people, this one would; it fits the folks who occupy elected office in this country like the proverbial glove.

Ooh! Ooh! Here’s another one…

“Ignorance: When you don’t know something and somebody finds it out.” — Jethro Burns

Okay, that’s a good start…. Now, we all know that politicians lie to us…. It’s what we’ve taught them to do, by our calm acceptance of all the other lies they’ve told, from the very beginning. We expect them to lie… then, when we catch them at it, there is this huge public outcry, as if it had never happened before. Sometimes, the behavior of the American public toward the political beast reminds me of a shark…. to wit: no memory of the past to slow down their willingness to rush into dangerous situations….. For millions of years, sharks and dolphins have lived together in the oceans. For just about all that time, whenever a shark attacks a dolphin, it gets killed, unless the dolphin is injured in some way, or, it is a baby inadvertently left alone. Always, if things are even, the shark dies, because the dolphins are faster swimmers, but, more importantly, they’re smarter.

After millions of years, you would think the sharks might learn to let them alone, but, they don’t, which is evidence of their lack of ability to learn. The American voting public has the same problem…. they never learn to expect to be lied to, and always seem surprised to learn that their elected officials are, shall we say, less than perfectly honest? It, quite frankly, drives me nuts…. What is it about people that does that to them? Why are they so UNwilling to use the mind that (presumably) sits between their ears, rather than just carrying it around from toilet to toilet, which is all most folks seem to do with it? (Almost forgot it was a question….) I wish I knew….

“There is one way to find out if a man is honest–ask him. If he says yes, you know he is crooked.” — Groucho Marx

I’m starting to feel a bit of anger, actually, (Surprise!) and I have a hard time not letting it out on the voting public, the idiots. But, it really isn’t all their fault, as the people who run for office are the ones who are actively imitating evil, and, obviously, exceeding the limits of their example. And the voting public can’t help never being able to quite reach the good for which they reach. This is why I get angry about it…. The folks who run for office tell the public they are going to work for the people when they are elected; we all know they are lying, but we elect them anyway. Now, how stupid is that? Pretty stupid, in my book…..

On the one hand, the stupidity displayed by the politicians is deliberate, in its adherence to principles of theft and prevarication; on the other hand, the stupidity displayed by the voting public is, perhaps, not deliberate, but at minimum, misguided, and, ultimately, just as evil, in placing its trust in evil people. In the dispassionate view held by the universe, stupid is as stupid does, and the sentence of death is the same for both types of stupidity, deliberate and unconscious. It (the universe…) doesn’t care about why, it only looks at results….

What can be done about this? Not a damn thing…. Not only do I find that most people are unconsciously stupid, but they are stubborn about it, even when it is clear how being stupid is hurting them. Rather than use their minds to find a new way of dealing with these issues, they retreat into platitudes and dogma, and run right back out to vote for another idiot who promises them manna from heaven, or, more accurately, from Washington D.C. If confronted with their idiocy, they become even more stubborn, as they are unwilling to accept they might have been wrong, usually refusing to either examine any evidence of being wrong, or, denying its existence altogether.

The politicians, who choose to live in stupidity, by lying and cheating and stealing from their own people, don’t even WANT to choose otherwise. Why should they? They’ve got it easy, with a ready supply of host bodies on which to practice their symbiotic parasitism, a body that not only accepts all their lies, but encourages them to even further depredations with their complete acquiescence with whatever the politicos want. All the politicians have to say is that the public is in danger, from this, that, or the other…. The public will then allow them to do whatever they choose, as long as they’re fooled into feeling safe from whatever fictional fantasy they have been told is dangerous…..

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift; the rational mind is faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” — Albert Einstein

It’s an interesting spectacle to observe from the sidelines, but it arouses in me a strong feeling of sadness, with the anger underlying, as I watch, day after day, as so many millions of foolish people get taken advantage of by a few assholes. It definitely makes me want to buy a gun, even though I would only use it if pressed; I have a feeling I may get pressed some day, if I continue to make noise about all this.

I’m fairly well protected thus far by a lack of notoriety; the BRC and the PTB aren’t going to worry about me until I have an audience a lot larger than a couple of hundred folks, of which perhaps fifty regularly read my work. If what I am saying began to gain popularity, and was being read by millions, I’d be in danger; until then, I’m as safe as I can make myself with the tools at hand… which, if I say so myself, are not entirely inconsequential…. If I said any more, I’d be giving away my precautions, and that wouldn’t do, so, just rest assured… I am ready to deal with anything short of assault weapons, with what I have on hand…..

“Many, if not all, of my presidential opponents are certifiable idiots.” — Miriam Defensor Santiago — The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1993

See? I’m not completely alone! Actually, if you pay close attention, you will note this was uttered by a politician, about their peers, so it really doesn’t count as support of what I’m saying here. What, exactly am I saying here? Hmm, okay, since I’ve already written about 1200 words or so on this, it’s a good place to wind it up…. so, here goes…

Ffolkes, you are being lied to, daily, and hourly, by those who have been elected to office to look out for your interests. I hate to tell you, but those folks never intended to do anything of the sort. So, it would be a good thing if everybody in this country would OPEN THEIR FUCKING EYES AND GET A DAMN CLUE!!!!!….. I don’t think I can say it any clearer than that….. That’s all, for now…..

“Ignorance kills daily. “– Smart Bee

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It’s been a while since I posted this poem by Emily D….. It is one of my favorites of hers, though I’m not sure exactly why…. Maybe it’s the length, which is about four times her usual measure….. with Emily, the more, the better, in my book….

I measure every grief I meet

I measure every grief I meet
With analytic eyes;
I wonder if it weighs like mine,
Or has an easier size.

I wonder if they bore it long,
Or did it just begin?
I could not tell the date of mine,
It feels so old a pain.

I wonder if it hurts to live,
And if they have to try,
And whether, could they choose between,
They would not rather die.

I wonder if when years have piled–
Some thousands–on the cause
Of early hurt, if such a lapse
Could give them any pause;

Or would they go on aching still
Through centuries above,
Enlightened to a larger pain
By contrast with the love.

The grieved are many, I am told;
The reason deeper lies,–
Death is but one and comes but once
And only nails the eyes.

There’s grief of want, and grief of cold,–
A sort they call ‘despair,’
There’s banishment from native eyes,
In sight of native air.

And though I may not guess the kind
Correctly yet to me
A piercing comfort it affords
In passing Calvary,

To note the fashions of the cross
Of those that stand alone
Still fascinated to presume
That some are like my own.

~~ Emily Dickinson

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I had not originally planned, when I got up today, to go with older material… It just sort of worked out that way. To forestall any whining from the peanut gallery about cheating, here is a fresh old-school pearl, randomly chosen, for no good reason at all, at all…

“In the beginning was the word. But by the time the second word was added to it, there was trouble. For with it came syntax…” — John Simon

“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.” — Alan Watts

“It is a difficult task, O citizens, to make speeches to the belly, which has no ears.”– Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Marcus Cato

“Ignorance is no excuse.” — Smart Bee

“It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.” — Voltaire

“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before,” Bokonon tells us. “He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way.” — Kurt Vonnegut, “Cat’s Cradle”

What though the field be lost?
All is not lost; th’ unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield.

— John Milton (1608-1674) — Paradise Lost, Book i, Line 105

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All things considered, this will do…. Of course, one must remember, this is the place where Peruaosophy comes from, where the very first axiom gives the root/core idea that, to me, MUST be understood, if one wishes to get through all this with a minimum of fuss, to wit: “Axiom #1 — I think I am. That’s close enough.”

For today, it certainly is….. See ya, ffolkes….. More pictures tomorrow, I promise…. which I don’t do lightly….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
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.

gigoid the dubious

In defense of inconvenient innuendo….

Posted on June 4, 2014 by gigoid

Dear ffolkes,
gigoid is under the weather again, hence this reblog of an old Pearl, which he sincerely hopes y’all will enjoy…. Tomorrow’s another day….
“An agreeable companion on a journey is as good as a carriage.”
— Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 143

gigoid

10/20/12, aka 10/21/12 ~~ Time, or the labeling of same, is mine to dictate, so, today is tomorrow…. the missing day is banished from memory. So Be It….

Ffolkes,
It seems my unconscious mind has taken a hand in directing my conscious life as well…. but, in this case, it seems to work fairly well, all in all, so I’m going to leave it alone for the time being. I know that sound mysterious, but saying this precisely this way is merely withholding details that would be unenlightening, and at the same time, counter-productive to discussion. Suffice it to say that I am here now, sitting down to write, with more than average clarity, and a degree of unusual comfort…. Thank goodness for coffee, eh?……

I know, I know, that was a less than illuminating paragraph, but, believe me, you really don’t want any more details, so let’s just get…

View original post 2,144 more words

Revolutionary changes are imperative, it seems….

Posted on May 29, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

I don’t know about y’all, but, I’m starting to bore myself, a bit…. It’s hard to do, as we all tend to NOT get bored according to our own choices, but, I’ve gone beyond the normal, past the strange, into the overbearing…. and, apparently, my readership has noticed, as well. Site traffic at ECR has fallen off again, and this time, I think I know why…. I’m probably making myself crazy even paying attention to the site stats, but, in all honesty, my ranting has gotten old, to me, and, no doubt, to those familiar with my writing….

I write a lot, I know, so I always take that into account; a lot of people don’t read fast, and can be intimidated, I’m sure, by the sheer amount of what I’ve created each day…. I average about 2200-2500 words a day, and I know it can be a lot to take in, since not all of it is what can be called easily digested (I hope…). I had hoped that the content, and the relative importance of that content to each and every person alive, would draw folks, and ffolkes, in to read, but, I suppose, after a while, even the most compelling stuff gets old….

That, I think, is where I’m at…. at least, to some degree, enough so to affect my readership, and enough so I am no longer sure it’s what I should be doing here…. Of course, since this is a relatively new idea around here, I also have nothing in the way of replacement material, should I decide to forgo all ranting, or at minimum, avoid such depressing subject matter for a time, to give it a rest, so to speak….

It’s hard to decide, when it’s all so new to me…. Like many ffolkes my age, I am not dealing as well with CHANGE as I formerly did; it tends to make me grumpy….. Or, maybe it’s that I no longer want to put up with changes that I didn’t personally authorize or initiate…. It plays into it, I’m sure… I AM human, after all, so my own likes, dislikes, and preferences are going to play into whatever I decide to do…. Hell, being human, those are the PRIMARY reasons for almost ALL that I do…. as it is for all of us bald monkeys….

I know what I WANT to do…. which is probably a good thing. What I’d like to do is to alter the format some, to include images, and possibly videos; either one of those would enhance the experience here at ECR quite a bit, as well as make it more palatable for those readers who don’t read as fast, depending (as most modern folks do….) on shorter, more intense bursts of less information, more colorfully arranged….

In essence, what I’m saying here is this: I think I need to put my message into a format that is more acceptable for consumption by today’s readers…. The old fashioned, reasoned, logical, even philosophical approach to passing information is just that…. old fashioned…. Modern readers like their information in smaller bytes, so to speak, with more pictures and less text to read….

I suppose what I need to acknowledge is that the modern politicians, with their Twitter feeds, and Facebook presence, are getting the message out better than I can do with my ranting, because they are framing their words in pictures, (InstaGram, or Pinterest work for them….), or creating modern memes that draw attention for a short time, but manage to pass on the necessary information…..

Information is becoming three dimensional; soon our phone calls will include holographic images of the person to whom you are talking, just as if you were in the same room. Anyone who wishes to pass information to the public is going to need to learn how to frame their message in ways that will draw attention, and hold it long enough to inject the information into the person being addressed…. My method of ranting will have audiences limited to those who prefer the old fashioned ways, or who like their information in bigger bytes…. er, bites….

Any who, I will be thinking about this…. I will also be going out into the world, with my camera, to start recording pieces of Consensual Reality to use here, to frame the message I need to put out to people, using fewer words, and more pictures…. I want to use my own pix, for two reasons…

One, I LIKE to take pictures… and two, if I use my own pix, I don’t need to worry about attribution, which will make it much easier…. It can sometimes be hard to remember who is responsible for a picture I’ve found, and saved, as the attribution isn’t always present; I’ll stick to my own, mostly, and avoid the worst of that issue….

For today, let’s see what kind of trouble I can create, by keeping in mind the need for more art, and fewer words…. though, if this intro is any indication, it’s going to be tough as hell to stop writing so much…. I just got good at this rambling, blathering style, and can go on like this almost forever… which, as I say, wouldn’t be good for the blog…. So, instead, we’ll employ emergency method #4 again…. Hang on tight for a moment….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Reason is not measured by size or height, but by principle.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xii

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The Constitution of the United States guarantees every individual the right to make a damn fool of himself — in public or private, however he chooses.” — Solomon Short

This pearl will be the first of its kind…. Below you will see pictures ( provided I have done this correctly….), all taken with my own camera, during various trips to here and there…. After each there will be a (hopefully) short comment on some facet of life suggested by the photo…. That will, in turn, be followed by a pearl, that will hopefully speak to the picture and comment…. In short, these will be Visual Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, designed to expand, and augment the process of Pearling to a point where it’s more fun than the previous versions….

That’s the plan, anyway…. Let’s see how it comes out, shall we?….
First, imagine yourself standing on one of the ice floes you see in the foreground…., or, better yet, you’re swimming in that frigid water…. Feel the cold that surrounds you, making your breath almost freeze as it leaves your body, forming a thick cloud of icy vapor in front of you with each tortured breath….. Now, imagine standing on the glacier you see further down the stream, literally freezing your butt off….. Now, once you’ve come to understand the true nature of cold, you will realize why I call this picture, “The Corporate Heart”…..

“He knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” — Old Testament — Proverbs ix, 18
This one needs no introduction; it’s self-explanatory…. Suffice it to say, my father taught me ALL of these, and I still try to live my life by these rules…. If the rest of the men in the world would use only HALF of these, that world would be an entirely different kind of place, one with some degree of rationality, and consequently, some degree of peace…. If you don’t think so, just try using these rules as a standard by which to judge those you see in a political office, and see how many of them they break, on a regular, daily basis…. it will shock many people….

“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.” — G.K. Chesterton
Irish morning? Or, Scottish evening? It could be either one, and is a good illustration of how perception can be uncertain, if one doesn’t know all the pertinent information regarding those perceptions…. But, we get a new one, every day, to keep on trying to get it right…..

“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.” — Horace
Time passes, and none may stop its progress…. and, Life treats us all the same…. badly. It is how we react to that abuse that determines the course of our lives, so, learn to enjoy what you see, and be honest and true in what you do…. I guarantee, it makes it all better than if you don’t do either of those simple tasks….

“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.” — the 14th Dalai Lama, interview in “TIME”, 11 April 1988
I’ve spoken previously of my feelings about Duty…. This picture, to me, defines that concept…. and I’m not really sure why…. I guess it’s because he is out there, all alone, dressed up in a silly costume, playing the pipes, which will only increase his solitude…. yet, he plays on, to complete the duty he has chosen to assume…. That’s the way it works, ffolkes, and any other way of looking at it is incorrect….. Dig it….

“Do not confuse “duty” with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.” — Lazarus Long

Well, there you have it, ffolkes, the first of its kind….. I hope you enjoyed it…. I certainly enjoyed putting it together, and I don’t feel all ragged out from ranting, so, that’s good, too…. See you down the page….

“We can be knowledgeable with other men’s knowledge, but we cannot be wise with other men’s wisdom.” — Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I need some Emily….

I had no time to hate, because

I had no time to hate, because
The grave would hinder me,
And life was not so ample I
Could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love, but since
Some industry must be,
The little toil of love, I thought,
Was large enough for me.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since I created a new-style pearl above, and to avoid a rant here, I’ll go with the archived pearl I had already picked out for this morning’s effort…. Enjoy….

From 1/14/2014:

The following old-school variety will be a unique pearl, put together using a method of timing and selection heretofore untried…. I’m not even sure of my ability to describe exactly what parameters I’ll be setting, as the search for these connected aphorisms has taken place on three separate occasions, none of which were related in any elemental way…. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I have no idea how this will turn out, but, usually, when we try new techniques like this, it seems to work out pretty well, so, I’m confident this will do the same…. Enjoy!..

“The doctrine that the earth is neither the center of the universe nor immovable, but moves even with a daily rotation, is absurd, and both philosophically and theologically false, and at the least an error of faith.” — Roman Congregation decision against Galileo

“To command the professors of astronomy to confute their own observations is to enjoin an impossibility, for it is to command them not to see what they do see, and not to understand what they do understand, and to find what they do not discover.”– Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

“Kids, the seven basic food groups are GUM, PUFF PASTRY, PIZZA, PESTICIDES, ANTIBIOTICS, NUTRA-SWEET and MILK DUDS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Okay! That, I think, will give you a clearer idea of where we are headed with this, so, make sure you’re safety harnesses are fully fastened, and you are hanging on for dear life to the soft, fluffy stuffed animals provided by your friendly flight attendants…. Hang on, ffolkes, these last four could get rambunctious….

“All riches come from iniquity, and unless one has lost, another cannot gain. Hence that common opinion seems to be very true, “the rich man is unjust, or the heir to an unjust one.” Opulence is always the result of theft, if not committed by the actual possessor, than by his predecessor.” — St. Jerome (340?-420)

“Heroes as great have died, and yet shall fall.” — Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Iliad of Homer, Book xv, Line 157

“The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children’s games from the beginning, and will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who grow up. And one of the games which it is most attached is called, “Keep tomorrow dark,” and which is also named (by the rustics in Shropshire, I have no doubt) “Cheat the Prophet.” The players listen very carefully and respectfully to all that the clever men have to say about what is to happen in the next generation. The players then wait until all the clever men are dead, and bury them nicely. Then they go and do something else. That is all. For a race of simple tastes, however, it is great fun.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

“History is a lie commonly agreed upon.” — Nietzsche

I rest my case…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Considering the relative newness of today’s process, it didn’t go too badly…. Now I get to see how it posts…. and, I’d best get to it…. See you, tomorrow, ffolkes, if I last that long…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
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.

gigoid the dubious

Clueless Bob gets trundled away….

Posted on May 18, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Today, you get a two-fer…. Here’s a re-blog, of an older Pearl that gives an idea of my last two days in my personal hell…. I’ll be back tomorrow…

gigoid

Ffolkes,
A lot of literature has been written throughout history on how much difference a day can make. It has also been noted that one day can make very little difference, especially for physical ailments of a chronic nature. Let me tell you, one day in the life of someone in pain is much more than just a day; there are hours within such days that last for months, and waiting for a pill to take effect (if it is going to….) can take decades, subjectively speaking…..

Having spent much of yesterday in such a state, I’ll vouch for the fact that it is no fun. But, it is life; as such, must be accepted and dealt with one way or another, and I refuse to spend all my time either worrying about it, or giving in to it. So, I am up, and determined to put as much of…

View original post 1,014 more words

Total addiction to pillaging…..

Posted on May 18, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes
Two days down, one more to go, I think…. By tomorrow, I’m hoping this tweak will have resolved itself, and I can return to a normal day’s Pearl…. For now, since I am stuck in the house, here is a travelogue from my trip to the British Isles last year….. It’s a nice way to take myself out of the place my head is in for a while…. Enjoy, & I’ll be back tomorrow with a fresh Pearl….

gigoid

Ffolkes,
All of my life, I’ve read stories and books set in Ireland, or by Irish writers, and have always felt an attraction to the country, possibly due to being part Irish myself (at least a quarter, with one grandparent’s family from there….). Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I stepped onto Irish soil; the earth didn’t shake, but I did feel welcomed, by the people, and the land…..Even now, as I write, sentimental fool that I am, it is bringing tears to my eyes, to know I’ve fulfilled a life-long dream, if only partially and incompletely. I guess it isn’t often one gets the chance to connect with their inner soul…..

Whew! Sorry, took me a minute to regain control…. it’s what I get for trying to write before I’ve had any coffee. I’d best wait a bit, so I don’t do anything to embarrass myself any…

View original post 523 more words

Simple truths are always welcome, but seldom seen…

Posted on May 11, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Reblogging just seems like the thing to do today, as I don’t have any real creative urges bursting to get out…. which sentence goes to show the wisdom of this decision….. Given the state of my mind/body this morning, it’s for the best, believe me…. Most people forget, as do I much of the time, that the mind/body is one entity, not two, and the state of one is going to affect the state of the other…. So be it… I’m just glad I have an old Pearl like this one to put out today…. Enjoy….

gigoid

Ffolkes,
In the bitter cold, his hands felt like wooden clubs, and the skin on his face and nose felt as if it were being ripped off in broad strips. Silently, he crossed the yard in back of the old two-story house where he had lived his entire life, heading swiftly toward the stand of trees just past the rear boundary. Not sure if the other would be there yet, he slowed his pace, slipping between the trees without a sound, until he came to the meeting place, a small clearing among the massive trunks of the ancient trees, empty of life, waiting. Standing outside the circular clearing, he watched, and listened; his breath forming small clouds in front of his face as he waited. “Nothing will stop him now,” he thought, “If he won’t listen to me, he’ll really do what he said he would do, and life itself…

View original post 1,484 more words

Of course it’s soap; we needed radio….

Posted on May 3, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Somnochirgraphy or no, this may turn on us, so I’d advise wearing the Kevlar-lined cold weather gear, not the lightweight stuff…. You’ll recognize the symptoms, I’m sure, if it does go wonky on us, so I’m leaving you here as a sentry, to guard our back trail, as we work on finding today’s pearls…. One can’t concentrate adequately when distracted by having to watch out for the stray bander snatch, or worry about whether or not their vorpal blade is sharp enough to penetrate the armor we’ll face later on….

Okay, break time; coffee’s ready…. Somnochirographism, as you may or may not remember, is the word I coined a few days ago, to describe the typing I found myself doing in my sleep…. It is a word drawn from the Greek, I believe, with parts that follow the same rules as other coined words, to wit: Somno meaning “sleep”, and chirography, meaning “writing”, thus matching another word common to our species’ perverted nature, somnambulism, or, sleep walking….

As may be surmised from the opening paragraph, somnochirographism is no simple problem; the effect on people can be drastic, and daunting, to say the least…. not the least of which is knowing that one has developed a completely new perversion, er, condition….. Moreover, it’s a bit of a facer to realize, not only is this condition new to society, it is new to reality; in fact, since I coined the word, and I made up the condition, one might be able to convince SOME folks that it isn’t a real condition at all, merely another figment of an overactive imagination….

Not only that, but, the word was coined PRE-INJECTION OF COFFEE!….. Now, I realize that a claim like that is liable to create a bit of a stir among the not-so-faithful; that’s okay…. My readers, bless their souls, would never hold that against me, even though they know it adds time and energy to the process of digging ourselves out of the hole we tend to fall into; no, they’d just smile and nod their heads, and go on to the next section, because they know that, eventually, we’ll find our way back to, at least, a semi-current point in reality, from whence we may proceed to regain what little dignity to be found in a post-apocalyptic world….

Actually, to be honest, today’s Pearl may just turn out a little odd, even for me…. I can’t seem to shake off the post-slumber-mode yawns, or get my eyes all the way open…. Add in the right thumb’s insistence on letting the strained ligament voice its complaints in a loud, abrasive tone, which translates into a sharp, stabbing pain, like a needle into a nerve, in the base of the thumb, every time I type another letter (it doesn’t seem to care that it isn’t being abused…. it just hurts every time it moves….), and the overall shape, tone, and nutritional content of this missive could conceivably take a turn for the dark side, if I’m not careful….

All whining aside, ffolkes, it looks as if I’ve rambled incoherently long enough to fulfill the obligatory intro section requirements; five complete, if strange, paragraphs is two over the minimum, so, we’re good to go in that respect….. Now, if I can find even a shred of intelligence in me somewhere, and persuade it to help out, we may just get through this without having to kill any of the hostages…. or, maybe not. We’ll see how it goes, I guess…

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Every one wishes to have truth on his side, but it is not every one that sincerely wishes to be on the side of truth.” — Whately

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a couple of days I’ve been collecting headlines from the news…. As you know, I use them as a springboard for ranting, or for discussions of some idea or another that is stimulated by the article’s contents…. I’ve found, in the last two days, so many egregious examples of all that is wrong with this world, I can’t make up my mind as to which to use to as a jumping-off point…. So, I’ll let y’all create your own angst, and anger, and even your own rant, by letting you read them (I did….) and figure out how each one represents another nail in humanity’s coffin….

There are a lot, so we’d best get on with it…. I might make a comment or two along the way, but, mostly, just realize HOW FUCKING CRAZY the world is getting out there, ffolkes, and be alert…. As you know, the world can always use more lerts….

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/GOP-presidential-hopefuls-met-with-donors-on-sly-5442909.php

(Politicians, meeting shadowy corporate interest lobbyists in the dark…. why, who would believe it?….)

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ryan-holds-meeting-with-black-members-of-Congress-5443187.php

(More than just a little arrogant, don’t you think? Plus, why is it still an issue? Why does a white conservative Congressman feel he needs to abase himself before a token organization, one whose very existence hearkens back to the day when racism was the law of the land? Gosh, do you think they (rich, white men….) are finally cluing in to the fact they are NO LONGER the demographic majority in this country?….)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/world/europe/us-and-germany-fail-to-reach-a-deal-on-spying.html?_r=0

(This might fit better in the international group, but, it came first, on the front page…. When you read this article, you’ll note that our beloved leader didn’t even bother lying to Ms. Merkel…. he just said they’d stop listening to her…. but, nobody else was mentioned…. Golly, y’think they’re serious about not wanting to offend anyone with their data collection? Nope, I don’t think so, either….)

http://blog.sfgate.com/hottopics/2014/05/01/judge-rules-state-farm-does-not-have-to-pay-for-exploding-corpse/?cmpid=hp-hc-bayarea#20571101=0

( !!!!!! At first, I didn’t even WANT to know about this, but, it IS another example of how business interests always come first now, ahead of what may be right for an actual flesh and blood person….)

And, finally, a quick synopsis/summary of the day’s international headlines, as seen from the eyes of the editors of SFGATE, on the left coast of the USA…. What do you suppose those editorial idiots use as parameters for picking which stories will be written? Given the nature of the stories I found, it seems that at least ONE of those parameters is that there must be blood, or death in the story, or it isn’t news….

http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Ukraine-strikes-at-east-2-helicopters-shot-down-5447270.php

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Toll-up-to-19-dead-in-car-bomb-in-Nigerian-capital-5447483.php

http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Attacks-in-Egypt-kill-4-including-police-soldier-5447351.php

http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Seoul-subway-trains-crash-scores-injured-lightly-5447451.php

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Nigeria-police-276-abducted-girls-still-missing-5447560.php

Well, there you have it ffolkes, yet another NOT-A-RANT, structured for your convenience, perfectly set up for rapid, accurate consumption, and ease of comprehension…. Too bad it makes such an ugly reflection of Reality, isn’t it?….

“It’s not that we don’t have enough scoundrels to curse; it’s that we don’t have enough good men to curse them.” — G. K. Chesterton, ILN, 3/14/08

“There is a case for telling the truth; there is a case for avoiding the scandal; but there is no possible defense for the man who tells the scandal, but does not tell the truth.” — G. K. Chesterton, ILN, 7/18/08
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve used this in the past, because it is one of my all-time favorite poems, by one of my favorite poets…. This is deeper than it seems, and is as close as they came in Ogden’s day to criticizing the monied elite… something that only poets may get away with…. It is just as apropos today as it was when it first appeared, pre-1960 or so….

Bankers Are Just Like Anybody Else, Except Richer

This is a song to celebrate banks,
Because they are full of money and you go into them and all
you hear is clinks and clanks,
Or maybe a sound like the wind in the trees on the hills,
Which is the rustling of the thousand dollar bills.
Most bankers dwell in marble halls,
Which they get to dwell in because they encourage deposits
and discourage withdrawals,
And particularly because they all observe one rule which woe
betides the banker who fails to heed it,
Which is you must never lend any money to anybody unless
they don’t need it.
I know you, you cautious conservative banks!
If people are worried about their rent it is your duty to deny
them the loan of one nickel, yes, even one copper engraving
of the martyred son of the late Nancy Hanks;
Yes, if they request fifty dollars to pay for a baby you must
look at them like Tarzan looking at an uppity ape in the
jungle,
And tell them what do they think a bank is, anyhow, they had
better go get the money from their wife’s aunt or
ungle.
But suppose people come in and they have a million and they
want another million to pile on top of it,
Why, you brim with the milk of human kindness and you
urge them to accept every drop of it,
And you lend them the million so then they have two million
and this gives them the idea that they would be better off
with four,
So they already have two million as security so you have no
hesitation in lending them two more,
And all the vice-presidents nod their heads in rhythm,
And the only question asked is do the borrowers want the
money sent or do they want to take it withm.
Because I think they deserve our appreciation and thanks,
the jackasses who go around saying that health and happi-
ness are everything and money isn’t essential,
Because as soon as they have to borrow some unimportant
money to maintain their health and happiness they starve
to death so they can’t go around any more sneering at good
old money, which is nothing short of providential.

~~ Ogden Nash ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the blogs I follow is posted by a teacher, one Ivon-san, who has an appreciation for the beauty to be found in the world, and for the mindfulness that can be found everywhere, if one leaves themselves open to find, and use it…. He recently posted the poem below, in the format you see, with the drawing of the warrior embedded in the text…

I think the poem is, perhaps, the finest expression of the state of being one seeks as a “Warrior of the Light” that I’ve ever seen, taking into full account how the flaws in our nature can be used to find our strengths…. I’ve included a link to the post on Ivon’s site, as well as reproducing here the most excellent picture, with the accompanying powerful text message…. Enjoy!….

http://ivonprefontaine.com/2014/04/30/every-warrior-of-the-light-paulo-coelho/

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In spite of, or, perhaps, because of the handicaps under which this morning’s Pearl was constructed, it came together quite efficiently….. The whole shebang took only an hour and a half, rather than the usual 3 or so hours; since it’s done, I’m not going to look in the horse’s mouth, but will just accept the gift as it is intended, or, as it is found…. That might be somewhat indulgent, but, hey, I’m retired, so, I’m allowed… Regardless of any such inanities, the silly thing IS done, so, I’m outta here, with the hope you enjoy today’s effort…. See you tomorrow, given half a chance…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
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.

gigoid the dubious

Vast featureless mountains of personal data…. with a side of fried gravy, please….

Posted on April 13, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Since there IS no routine, this section of today’s Pearl will be a struggle, even more than usual for around here…. I say there is no routine because there isn’t one, not anywhere in my life…. Sad, but, true…. This, I think, is a direct result of one of the aspects of reality about which we can do nothing; we can’t change some things, and, as Epictetus reminded us, knowing what those things are is valuable in making decisions…. All this really means is that, once more, I’m at a loss as to what should go here to start the day….

Much of today’s effort took place yesterday…. The rant in section one is a consequence of watching one of those little news videos that are always on the strip next to the articles being shown…. After watching it, my angst level shot through the roof, which added to the time it took to deal with it, as after ranting for a while, I had to make the repairs to the roof, before night fell, bringing with it the demons who infest the darkness…. One doesn’t wish one’s roof to be an open invitation for them to enter….

Was that fanciful enough? No? Ah, I see…. no set-up for it. Okay, I’ll remember that…. Any who, where was I? Oh, yeah, nowhere…. Here I am, yet again, deep into three relatively weird, uninformative paragraphs blathering about nothing in particular, with a bit of nonsense and fantasy woven through them indiscriminately as the only thing to show for the time spent…. which is just as pathetic as it usually is, to my eye…. Maybe it looks different from out there, but, to my jaundiced eye, it all seems tacky, if strangely compelling…

Compelling, however, doesn’t get the windows washed, nor does it get the baby rescued from the bath water. And, really, none of any of this matters a whit, a snit, or a tiny little bit, not to the iconic forces of nature who determine how our days progress; if Reality wants to take a dump in your vicinity, well, it’s too late to charge a dime to let them into the room with the porcelain throne….. You may as well just toss in your towel, and take your lumps… I know what it’s like to be on Reality’s bad side…. As Tommy Toilet has been known to say about rectal itch, it’s no picnic…

Speaking of picnics, I think now would be a good time to try to escape from this section; it’s getting a bit thick in here, and there’s no telling what might happen if I don’t at least make an attempt to regain control, even if I have to wrest it from Murphy’s cold, dead hands…. In hopes of receiving some encouragement along those lines from Mother Nature, I’m going to stop now, and get on with today’s creation of another fine mess…

Shall we Pearl?….

“YOW!! What should the entire human race DO?? Consume a fifth of CHIVAS REGAL, ski NUDE down MT. EVEREST, and have a wild SEX WEEKEND!” — Zippy the Pinhead

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Was There A Time

Was there a time when dancers with their fiddles
In children’s circuses could stay their troubles?
There was a time they could cry over books,
But time has set its maggot on their track.
Under the arc of the sky they are unsafe.
What’s never known is safest in this life.
Under the skysigns they who have no arms
Have cleanest hands, and, as the heartless ghost
Alone’s unhurt, so the blind man sees best. ~~ Dylan Thomas ~~

Yesterday, I watched a video news report online, put there by a company called the Bloomberg news network… A reporter claimed to have uncovered evidence, using services and data supplied by a free online security utility site, called Ghostery (which I fully intend to check out….), which found that the NSA, (yes, our old friends at Homeland CyberSecurity…..) have not only known about the Heartbleed code flaw recently discovered, that makes all internet users vulnerable to identity and data theft, for TWO FULL YEARS….. Not only did they know about it, they HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY EXPLOITING THE FLAW, using the conveniently provided back door into sources of data on the internet FOR THAT ENTIRE TIME….

The agency has apparently done this without ever notifying ANYONE in the public, or in the halls of government the flaw was there, much less letting anyone know how they were using it to discover unauthorized data, steal data. The site mentioned in the news blurb, Ghostery, (found here: https://www.ghostery.com/en/ ), shows the code that powers the net, and allows people to see where they’ve been, who is tracking them, how others track them, and manage the amount of data that is vulnerable…. According to what the reporter found, the NSA allegedly has known about Heartbleed for over two years, as the code shows them using the back door repeatedly to access data to which they had no right….

Why am I NOT surprised? Oh, I don’t know…. Maybe it’s all the evidence laying right out in public for people to see that makes me jaded to learn about this…. It fits right in with the other psychopathic behaviors the agency displays, such as spying on their own citizens, the leaders and citizens of other countries, and whomever else their paranoid little minds can conceive of who might, in some fantasy world of their own, present some risk to their insane world view, and their insane need to control EVERY FUCKING THING THEY PERCEIVE…..

It outrages me, on a regular basis, to be living in a society in which shadowy, cowardly, self-serving, avaricious sociopaths control the rest of the populace through the use of economic oppression, and the time-tested political skills based on using fear of the unknown, and the elusive, ambiguous threat of terrorism, which, in reality, exists only in the minds of those who do not know how to use their power of reason, to see that the most serious threat to their own liberty is their own government, and the insane assholes who use their money to control it….

When I look at the way our modern government functions, at the sheer effrontery, the unmitigated gall with which they lie to the public, and at almost all the actions of those who call themselves our leaders, I am incensed…. It enrages me to have to admit the dream of our Founding Fathers has been usurped, corrupted and perverted by the clandestine corporate snakeheads who control all the money and resources, enforced by their paid minions, aka political gigolos, with the full knowledge and support of the clergy of all religions, and the military and police myrmidons, who find in public police work a way to act out their aggressive, bullying natures with official sanction….

In short, I am BEYOND angry, because the people like myself, in this country, and in the world at large, who DON’T have any desire for power over others, live with less freedom today than the original colonists had in the England they fled, to find and make their own way in a new world, free of the oppression of those who would control their every act, and their every thought, if they could….

Those Founding Fathers placed a responsibility in our hands, which we have shirked, so long we are now at the point of being unable to organize, or to gather enough people to fight back…. There are not enough people alive today who are willing to make the sacrifices that were made on their behalf, not enough people willing to accept Thomas Jefferson’s challenge, to nurture the Tree of Liberty by the sacrifice of the blood of patriots.

People in today’s society would rather just stay indoors, nodding their heads, docilely going along with whatever the talking heads on TV tell them to do, which is to waste half of their available, active neuronic connections playing with their smart phones, which makes them FEEL as if they have some control over the world…. when, in reality, these little mini-computers are merely a complicated hammer, which is currently in use as a tool in the project the pundits have going, to dismantle the US Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the United States….

And they’re doing it right in front of our faces, ffolkes…. If you don’t see it, then, I’m sorry, but you’re just not paying attention to the right information, and will join the rest of mankind on the path to our own extinction, without ever having had a clue that anything was at all wrong…. SIGH… It makes me sad, and it makes me mad, so I rant, and I blather, and I take my shots at the BRC whenever I can…. The rest of the time, I am just like anyone else, just trying to stay within myself long enough to find the peace, of mind, and spirit, that I know is there…. somewhere….

“Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Never give up the fight.” — Bob Marley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Originally, I first posted this classical poem on this site on June 25, 2012, though it is much older than that…. I realize this is fairly long, but some pearls just shine more brightly than others….. In fact, this is so good, I see no reason to wish you enjoyment in reading it, because I know you will… as have, no doubt, literally millions of people, in the time since it was first penned, in the nineteenth century….

A Gleam of Sunshine

This is the place. Stand still, my steed,
Let me review the scene,
And summon from the shadowy Past
The forms that once have been. The Past and Present here unite
Beneath Time’s flowing tide,
Like footprints hidden by a brook,
But seen on either side. Here runs the highway to the town;
There the green lane descends,
Through which I walked to church with thee,
O gentlest of my friends!

The shadow of the linden-trees
Lay moving on the grass;
Between them and the moving boughs,
A shadow, thou didst pass.

Thy dress was like the lilies,
And thy heart as pure as they:
One of God’s holy messengers
Did walk with me that day.

I saw the branches of the trees
Bend down thy touch to meet,
The clover-blossoms in the grass
Rise up to kiss thy feet,

“Sleep, sleep to-day, tormenting cares,
Of earth and folly born!”
Solemnly sang the village choir
On that sweet Sabbath morn.

Through the closed blinds the golden sun
Poured in a dusty beam,
Like the celestial ladder seen
By Jacob in his dream.

And ever and anon, the wind,
Sweet-scented with the hay,
Turned o’er the hymn-book’s fluttering leaves
That on the window lay.

Long was the good man’s sermon,
Yet it seemed not so to me;
For he spake of Ruth the beautiful,
And still I thought of thee.

Long was the prayer he uttered,
Yet it seemed not so to me;
For in my heart I prayed with him,
And still I thought of thee.

But now, alas! the place seems changed;
Thou art no longer here:
Part of the sunshine of the scene
With thee did disappear.

Though thoughts, deep-rooted in my heart,
Like pine-trees dark and high,
Subdue the light of noon, and breathe
A low and ceaseless sigh;

This memory brightens o’er the past,
As when the sun, concealed
Behind some cloud that near us hangs
Shines on a distant field.

~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In searching through the SB database for appropriate pearls to accompany the rant in section one, I found some rather good pearls that obviously went together, so, here they are, on a subject that like the Truth, will make itself known, if you are open to finding and accepting it….

“By learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn.” — Latin Proverb

“A lie isn’t a lie if it’s in reply to a question the questioner has no right to ask.” — Rex Stout

(Do you see the flaw in this? I hope so…. If not, you may now join the ranks of Americans who haven’t a clue as to the true meaning of the word “honor”, “truth”, or “virtue”, a very large number that has grown much faster of late, as the overall level of virtue in our society drops…. Sorry, ffolkes, but, a lie is a lie, no matter what color one tries to paint it, or what false justification one manufactures…. Believing such illogic can lead one to believe almost anything that SOUNDS as if it should be true…)

(My second thought when reading this was, I wonder if Rex feels the same when someone applies this piece of illogic, unfortunately commonplace in our culture, to HIS questions…. If I were asked such a question, it seems to me the most virtuous response would have to be something along the lines of, “I won’t answer that, because I feel you have no right to ask.”…. Direct, honest, communicative…. with the added advantage of being the absolute truth…. Telling a lie justified by this belief lowers one to the level of those who manipulate others for their own benefit….)

“It is inconceivable that a judicious observer from another solar system would see in our species — which has tended to be cruel, destructive, wasteful, and irrational — the crown and apex of cosmic evolution. Viewing us as the culmination of *anything* is grotesque; viewing us as a transitional species makes more sense — and gives us more hope. — Betty McCollister, “Our Transitional Species”, — Free Inquiry magazine, Vol. 8, No. 1

“Many men fancy that what they experience they also understand.” — Goethe

“There are some remedies worse than the disease.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 301

“To accuse others for one’s own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one’s education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one’s education is complete.” — Epictetus

“That proves you are unusual,” returned the Scarecrow “, and I am convinced the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed.” — L. Frank Baum, “The Land of Oz”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s Pearl, having come together in an unprecedented fashion, seamlessly combining the old and the new to produce a quite acceptable post, may now be considered done, and done well…. Well, I like it, and that’s all that really matters in the final analysis….. Of course, then one must acknowledge the inevitability of analysis, which, I find, is somewhat limiting…. so, I won’t. Regardless of my own philosophical anomalies, or idiosyncracies, as we like to call them, we’re done here…. “I kinna do nae more, lads!”, to paraphrase Robbie Burns at his broguish best…. See ya, ffolkes, if you don’t see me coming first….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
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.

gigoid the dubious

Moustachioed cheerleaders have feelings, too….

Posted on January 25, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Saved by the WalrusEpisode I

In Which The Author Abandons All Pretense of Consensual Exploration of Reality in Light of Current Events, Acknowledges the Failure of The Current Model of Society, and Prepares the World to Save Itself.
Sort of.

Did you hear that? I did…. It’s the delicate “ding” that sounds at the precise moment an epiphany makes itself known to us, generally accompanied by a slap of the hand to the forehead, and a loud exclamation, that sounds suspiciously like, “Doh!”….. . It’s also a monumental instance of the triumph of reason and hope over despair, in addition to whatever other benefits may manifest themselves.

This evening, in close consultation with Jim, and our old friend John, I believe I may have solved the entire set of problems with which mankind is plagued at this juncture in time…. I’m not certain yet, but, I’m pretty positive that the idea(s) that stormed through my mind tonight will, if nothing else, give me hope….. If, however, I can make them at all real, they COULD even give us a small chance of prevailing against our own stupidity…. Just possibly, they may help us to survive the impending environmental meltdown the we are slated to experience at this point….

I know that’s a bit obscure, but, I don’t want to issue a complete spoiler…. let it be enough to say that I’ve discovered a way that we MIGHT just be able to utilize the fringe talents of humanity to save the great unwashed masses of the rest of us…. Zen Taoism. Peruaosophy. You tube. The Internet. Witches. Empaths. Telepathy. Chemistry. Physics. Asininnies. Ffolkes. Folks. Crystals. Plants. Insects. Animals….. All of these, and more, will be of use, if what I’ve envisioned can be realized in the real world, in a more imaginative and creative way than has been heretofore the case….

Life, Hope, Love, Compassion, Art, Music, Poetry, all the finer, more beautiful aspects of our nature, and our world today, will be preserved, if what has come to me can be accomplished. I am, as yet, unsure, but, what I see as a possible course for reality to take, with the proper application of the inherent abilities we have to inflict our own will to change reality, is one that just might save us from our own ignorance….

We have tried the way to approach life as evidenced in recorded history, which has, by all accounts, always relied upon brute force, ambition, and self-interest as the primary factors that influence the direction of our species’ development, in both a physical, and a spiritual sense…. We see now the result of that direction chosen, which leads inevitably, and, irrevocably, to a long time period of severe travail for the entire world of living creatures on this planet, likely ending in the death of all living species, with the only hope for life the chance to start over, in a biological sense….

This path also means a period of time for humanity, BEFORE we all pass into history, when we will suffer terror, despair, and depredations of hardship previously unknown, as the weather changes, along with our ability to adapt, and, verily, the planet itself, begins to cleanse itself of the pollutants and chemical catalysts, pumped into the air by our insistence on a profitable bottom line…..

This is a process that, as scientific evidence has already proved, includes the certainty, over time, of unalterable chemical changes, that will eventually turn our atmosphere into a completely foreign composition, compared to what we now know, until we are no longer able to breathe it; it will have become poisonous to us…. There are a hundred reasons I could present you to try to demonstrate just how bad the situation is, but, they all lead to one conclusion, and that is that our time will be over on this plane of reality very much sooner than anyone had thought, or realized, unless something VERY drastic occurs to change what is now taking place, in both a physical, and a spiritual sense….

You see, the next evolutionary stage for humanity is one that not all of us will be taking…. I know that is a hard thing to think about, especially if it must be applied personally…. Not even those of us comfortable with what may happen after we die are completely easy with the whole idea of dying…. It remains a pretty scary unknown, all in all….

In addition, none of us like to think about the death of our loved ones, or our descendants… After all, our entire purpose as a species is to try to ensure the continuance of that species, so, thinking about the almost-certain end of that is, to say the least, a bit difficult to accept as real….

Which brings me back to the epiphany…. Reality is capable of changing under the influence of the human will… This is, perhaps, an assertion without full proof in hand, but, in light of my own experience, and of the many instances in recorded history in which the human will played a large part in how the final picture appeared, I think it can be used as a working theory, if nothing else, for the purposes of this discussion…. which, I see, has already grown far beyond my original intent when I began…. This, after all is just the beginning… If my epiphany is not a drug induced fantasy, it may just change the course of human events, and alter reality as we know it in ways that even I cannot imagine…..

If that isn’t an intro, hell, I don’t know what is….. and, a hell of an intro it is….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The problem … is that we have run out of dinosaurs to form oil with. Scientists working for the Department of Energy have tried to form oil using other animals; they’ve piled thousands of tons of sand and Middle Eastern countries on top of cows, raccoons, haddock, laboratory rats, etc., but so far all they have managed to do is run up an enormous bulldozer-rental bill and anger a lot of Middle Eastern persons. None of the animals turned into oil, although most of the laboratory rats developed cancer.” — Dave Barry, Postpetroleum Guzzler
_____________________________

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–
Of cabbages–and kings–
And why the sea is boiling hot–
And whether pigs have wings.”

~~ Lewis Carroll ~~
from Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872

When I close my eyes, sometimes, I can hear it…. Maybe you can, too. I hope so, The more of us who can, gives me hope for those who don’t….

I can hear the murmuring voices, too soft to make out any words or sense, but, always there, in the background of my mind’s attention to what I perceive…. It takes a bit of concentration to hear it, at first, but, with time, it becomes more of a real perception, and thus, subject to both reason, and will….

What do I hear? I hear mankind, suffering in silence. I hear everyone’s inner self, alone, crying out for company, and the comfort of simple touch, in a terrifying universe full of indifferent powers we don’t understand, desperate to know there is another mind out there that feels, that is afraid, that wants more….. I hear the cries of innocents, and the screams of the oppressed and abused. I hear the bombs and guns singing their song of death and destruction. I hear the hissing grunts as the bankers count their gelt…. I hear my own voice, telling me, time and time again, how hopeless it all is, that it’s too late…. And it hurts to know it’s true….

Yet, what I hear is possibly our salvation, as well….. Mankind exists on a bell curve; I’ve said this before, and it remains true. Much of human progress has always been accomplished according to the efforts of those on the curve who live at the ends, whether they are very, very smart and/or with extraordinary abilities, or very, very simple, with other types of abilities, not always appreciated, but there, nonetheless… I believe that the key to our survival as a species is now dependent upon how well we can learn to utilize those fringe abilities to our advantage….

Mankind has many mental strengths which we seldom use; this is patently obvious, given the state of affairs in the world. Reality has proven to be malleable to the human will, when it is applied in the correct manner; used poorly, the universe just plows on under its own power, and will flatten anyone getting in its way like the proverbial pancake. But, when we learn to use our will in the manner in which it works best, then we can accomplish amazing things, altering Reality according to our desires and/or needs….

The key to utilizing the untapped power we have to change reality is not to be found if we continue, as a species, and culture (as amorphous as it may be with so many different parts to that culture world-wide….), to put our physical and personal wants and needs ahead of our spiritual and communal needs. We need to acknowledge that allowing self-interest to guide the decision making process can only lead to the horrors we are now facing. It is now not merely desirable, but, imperative that Mankind develop a connection to the inner spirit which we possess, but, not with the delusional submission of that spirit to an imaginary supernatural friend, but, with clear, open eyes and compassionate intent for all guiding both our perceptive capabilities, and our actions….

In other words, we need to look inward, and connect with those others in our species who are similarly inclined, to search for, and, hopefully to find, a way to unleash the power of the mind on the problems we face, even though the immediacy of those problems will not make it easy….. As I see it right now, we don’t have many options at all, and if placing some hope on the human talents that are now hidden, or poorly understood will cause change, any change, in what people are DOING, then, I’ll do all I can to promote that campaign… Hell, as I said, and, as I see it, we don’t have much choice, so, why the hell not?….. Let’s go find some magic, and some telepaths, and a dragon or two, to help us turn the tide against the forces of stupidity that have ruled our society since the beginning of our history….

So, that’s what I’m going to do as my new project, out in the Big Blue Room, and here on the internet…. I’m going to look for the fringe elements of our society and culture, those that have a connection to the true nature of reality, and have shown it in the past. I figure at least one or two of them ought to have an idea, if only of where to look next, and if it helps me find and pull together the resources that are necessary, then, it’s worth a shot, in my mind…. and, it will give me something to do other than worry about how much time is left to get it done…..

Wish me luck…. If I’m right, and succeed, at all, there is hope…. If I don’t, well, nothing will change, and we all know how that story is going to end, don’t we?…..

“Until the pain of remaining the same hurts more than the pain of change, most people prefer to remain the same.” — Richard D. Dobbins

“A process which led from amoeba to man appeared to the philosophers to be obviously progress – though whether the amoeba would agree with this opinion is not known.” — Bertrand Russell

Those oft are stratagems which errors seem,
Nor is it Homer nods, but we that dream.

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Criticism, Part i, Line 177

I won’t say I’m sorry, because, hey, I’m not…. but, the 3-star pearl finish is just because I really like all three, and, upon inspection as a whole, fit the above rather nicely…. “Onward”, he said, with obvious delight at the serendipity….

_____________________________

Only one poem will do today, and if I have to say what it is, I’ve slipped somewhere in the assessment of my Gentle Readers…. so, here ’tis, with no ado at all…. Oh, well, okay, one ado…. It’s a link, and a short excerpt consisting of the first four stanzas, because the entire piece is too long to put in here, and still expect everybody to get to the rest of today’s effort…. Most have read it at one time or another, so, just remember, please, it’s a great read, and, just now, seems to be more than just a bit of scary in it’s apparent power of prediction, or premonition, in a metaphorical sense, if not literal…. If the stanza above doesn’t EXACTLY describe Reality in 2014, then I’ll be looking for the letter, from the government, offering to hire me to train the pigs…. Enjoy, ffolkes!….. As you know already, this is genius at work….

The Walrus and The Carpenter

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright–
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done–
“It’s very rude of him,” she said,
“To come and spoil the fun!”

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead–
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
“If this were only cleared away,”
They said, “it would be grand!”

~~ Lewis Carrol ~~

http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/walrus.html

_____________________________

I wouldn’t say my work above is a rant, particularly, but, it’s long enough for one, and has some juice to it, so, we’ll count it as one…. Besides, this way, I get to put out an old-school pearl, which, for me, is much simpler to produce, given my restrictions as to time spent in a chair….. Don’t fret, no whining, just lustrous, gorgeous, well, unknown, pearls, whose single unifying characteristic, today, is that they all are there, in the group…. That’s it…. they’re there….

“If there are self-made purgatories, then we all have to live in them.” — Spock, “This Side of Paradise,” stardate 3417.7.

“It has been said that there are two theories of history: conspiracy and blunder. If there is some truth to that, it is surely equally true that blunder seldom receives all the credit due it as an explanation of complex events.” — Michael Scully

“Not die here in a rage, like a poisoned rat in a hole. — Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) — Letter to Bolingbroke, March 21, 1729

“… and the first lesson is: Never lose the alternative way out of sight.” — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

“Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself, for he shall never cease to be entertained.” — John Powell

“A man may fulfill the object of his existence by asking a question he cannot answer, and attempting a task he cannot achieve.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes

“You cannot learn to fly by flying. First you must learn to walk, to run, to climb, to dance.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

At this point, this is a very fine seven-star pearl, of excellent luster…. but, the following just insists on being included, and I didn’t have the heart to say no….

“For my own part I have never had a thought which I could not set down in words with even more distinctness than which I conceived it. There is however a class of fancies of exquisite delicacy which are not thoughts and to which as yet I have found it absolutely impossible to adapt to language. These fancies arise in the soul, alas how rarely, only at epics of most intense tranquility when the bodily and mental health are in perfection, and those mere points of time when the confines of the waking world blend with the world of dreams. And so I captured this fancy where all that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream….” — Edgar Allan Poe
_____________________________

Having not looked at the entire piece yet, I don’t know how long this came out…. probably quite…. ‘S okay, though, cuz it’s all real, and all fresh, even counting what I wrote last evening, after my conversation with James and John. The poem, of course, is not fresh, but, it may yet be again, who’s to say? Not me…. See ya….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
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.

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Category Archives: Uncategorized

From this perspective, it’s clear the vicar was nude….

Even duct tape won’t help now….

In defense of inconvenient innuendo….

Revolutionary changes are imperative, it seems….

Clueless Bob gets trundled away….

Total addiction to pillaging…..

Simple truths are always welcome, but seldom seen…

Of course it’s soap; we needed radio….

Vast featureless mountains of personal data…. with a side of fried gravy, please….

Moustachioed cheerleaders have feelings, too….

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