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Authentic wax slippers show fading glory…..

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Ffolkes,

Yesterday’s walkabout went over the allowed time, thus precluding the fresh Pearl I’d begun from getting done. I did find this classic, old-format Pearl from the early days here at ECR, complete with an extensive portion of stuff out of my own head, along with some rather fine pearls… I hope you enjoy it, & I’ll work on getting something fresh done for tomorrow, though, whether today’s walkabout will help or hinder remains to be seen. I’ll just cross my fingers, & hope for the best. Y’all take care, & stay as strange as you can possibly be…. why go halfway?

See ya

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,
Far removed from sanity, I sit, alone and fierce, holding my thoughts close, as if they will keep me warm. Over in the corner, the giggling demons from my personal hell are gathered, eagerly awaiting a sign, a sign that my last hold on reality has been sundered by the sharp edges of my failure, and they can finally fulfill their purpose, to drag me, willing or no, to my fated meeting with the Prince of Lies…..

I can feel their impatience to be on their way, with me in tow; it breaks over me like waves of disapproval from a room full of aunts and uncles from back east, cross-generational dinosaurs, smelling of sweat and ignorance. Little do they know that they are once again doomed to failure this day; I will not be making the meeting with Satan, nor any of his underlings. Not today…. today is…

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Pilot fish? Biscotti? Auroral halos? What IS all this?….

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Ffolkes,

I did work on a fresh Pearl for today, but, don’t have time to finish it before time to post. To sublimate the urge, here is a rather fine iconic Pearl, complete with extensive ranting, some great old music, and one of the finest old-school pearls you’ll ever see. Got a lot of comments, too, so, there’s stuff in there worth seeing. I hope you enjoy it, & will be back tomorrow with a completely fresh Pearl, perhaps with a new poem, partially leaked over the last couple days. We’ll see about that; poems do tend to take their sweet time getting out of my head & onto the screen. In the meantime, be well, be happy as you may be, and for goodness’ sake, be strange….

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,

“Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.”

~~ The Beatles ~~

china-deep-in-the-guangxi-province-m-1

Image of Guangxi Province, China, found on the UK Telegraph Website


Good morning…. There is hope! As a scientist for most of my life, I am willing to change my theories in the face of new data that is indicative of the need for a change. For some weeks now, I’d about given up hope of ever sleeping more than a couple hours at a time, having been so disrupted by the forced medicine change perpetrated upon me by my own doctors. But, last night, I actually slept, with some small awakenings, for a full eight hours, or close enough as to make no difference…. The difference in my own state of mind is astounding, once one gets past the astonishment, filling me with the hope I can repeat the experience tonight…

In short, Right…

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Faith is apathy of the mind….

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Ffolkes,

Yesterday got blown off due to Too Much Birthday syndrome; then I got tagged for backup babysitting duties for the next couple days, which generally precludes enough time to compose Pearls… So be it. I’ll be back in a day or two, whenever I find the time to write. Here’s a Pearl from a bit over a year & a half ago; it stimulated quite a few comments, from a number of ffolkes. I hope you enjoy it, & I’ll see ya soon….

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,

At least I thought I was dancing, ’til somebody stepped on my hand.

~~ J. B. White ~~

trinity college

Trinity College, Dublin

Hajime…. Generally, I don’t make any attempt to connect the opening quote to anything below; that space is for a general concept to lead into the day. Today’s selection, as it turned out, matches perfectly with my current state of mind, so, serendipity strikes again….. The past couple weeks have been a trial for me, in at least two senses. I suspect it is the barometer’s up & down dance over that time that is causing the greater part of the pain I’ve been experiencing, as the weather does it’s spring thing. Since that pain has been so ubiquitous, my PTSD decides to chime in, threatening to send me into the abyss that ever waits on the edges of my perception, down into the dark hole of my…

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Honorable thieves of Time….

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Ffolkes,

I had hoped to post a fresh Pearl today, but, that didn’t happen, & it’s too late now to get it done. Rather than blow it off altogether, here is another offering from the archives. It’s a pretty good Pearl, & I hope you enjoy it. My plan is to post an actual fresh Pearl tomorrow, so, we’ll see how that goes, eh? Meantime, y’all stay strange, be well, & happy as you may be….

See ya soon….

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,

“I respect your right to make an idiot of yourself.

 Please respect mine.”

~~ Smart Bee, speaking for gigoid ~~

Alaska Grand Adventure 005

Main Street, Skagway, Alaska


Good morning…. That’s what it says on the label, anyway, though, from my viewpoint, I think I’d want a second opinion before committing myself too far. We’ll go with the odds, though, and just get on with today’s mess, for lack of a better idea….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Well, I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.” — Elwood P. Dowd, “Harvey”

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


hubble-anniversary-image 1

NASA Hubble Deep Space Telescope Anniversary Image


Rather than a video today, I’m including some artwork which demonstrates the extent of humanity’s exploration of our own Solar System. NASA, with some newer entries into the space exploration circle, has a number of projects taking place around the system, of which we…

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Some lessons are more painful than others….

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Ffolkes,

I’d hoped to have a fresh Pearl done for this morning, but, oops…. A partially leaked new poem, and some recalcitrance from SB kept that from happening, so, here is an old one, from way back in 2012, on a stressful day when I used the computer and writing to keep from killing anything, or anyone. It apparently worked, so, I’m offering it up as sacrificial sublimation today, when my stress comes from other places, with not much less force, I must say. Nonetheless, I shall use some force of will myself, & have a fresh Pearl done for tomorrow morning. I hope, by then, I still have some readers left…. Only two of the regulars who are still dropping in saw this one back in ’12, so, if anyone stops by, at least they’ll find something they haven’t seen. I’ll be back, that’s neither threat , nor promise, but, fact…. Be well, & happy as you may….

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,
As much as I enjoy these morning interludes with the blogging world, there is still a certain degree of fear that goes along with publishing one’s own writing for others to read. One is, after all, exposing the inner self to the world, which, historically, has a habit of treating inner selves rather shabbily, or even cruelly, especially when they are shown for the first time, and often thereafter. It’s perhaps the biggest risk we take by deciding to share our thoughts with the world at large, a risk that is very real, and anyone with less than military grade armor protecting their ego is in serious jeopardy….

My own fear is no match for my ego, though, never has been, so it’s never been an issue for me…. I couldn’t wait to start blogging, as I’ve had stuff to say about life and society for many years, with…

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Engaging in palliative syncopation….

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Ffolkes,

I’ve now taken a full three days without posting, or even thinking about it. I note the traffic at my blog has, well, disappeared, which is, I suppose, a direct result of not showing up every day. Ah, well, so be it; I just don’t have it in me right now to worry over it, but, I do miss the dialogue that goes with having an actual readership. To pave the way for tomorrow, when I DO plan to post, here is a fine old Pearl from my time spent in senior poverty, before the advent of SS. I was still an inadvertent opioid addict at the time, but, that didn’t seem to keep me from blathering in the slightest. I hope you enjoy it, and will be back en la mañana. Be well, and happy as you may. It’s my plan, and a good one. See ya soon, ffolkes….

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,
In the normal course of events, I don’t spend a lot of time with dead bodies; it has never been, to me, an attractive way to pass the time, nor has it ever tempted me to stop doing even the most onerous chore in order to pursue such mundane activities. However, due to the circumstances I am about to relate, I’ve recently been compelled to spend far too many of my precious minutes in the company of more than just one or two of the poor devils, and I must confess to a certain degree of discomfort in that regard. I mean, it’s not as if they will bore me to death with unwarranted chatter. But, good gracious, my good fellow, must they smell that way?….

Okay, mildly amusing, and just the right touch of macabre I was shooting for. There are times when stopping is hard; this was…

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Definite traces of apoplexy….

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Ffolkes,

The visit yesterday went well, but, keeping up with a seven- and two-year-old about wore me plumb out; I guess the kickball game with the neighborhood pack of kids contributed to that. But, it was a great interlude, and I got some good family time in, so, all is good to go.

Such frivolity, though, doesn’t lend itself well to writing this blog, so, once again, a fresh Pearl didn’t get any closer to done. I’ll work on that today during my recovery process, & promise to have on for tomorrow morning. Just now, I’m off to take care of business in the BBR, then home to rest and write…. I hope y’all enjoy today’s foray into past Pearls, & I’ll see y’all in the morning, or, as we like to say in California, en la mañana…. Stay odd, it’s better than even… well, it’s different, anyway. See ya….

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,

“All men are created unequal.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

Ensenada plus 035

Looking south from La Bufadora, Ensenada, Baja Mexico

Hajime…. Today’s effort, which has already suffered a start-over, is rather eclectic, general, and long enough to choke a horse. But, it’s okay, because it’s all proven material, having come from yet another deep dive into the archives. As noted previously, I’m leaving on a trip tonight, and won’t be posting tomorrow morning, unless I have time to find one to re-blog (yeah, that’s the ticket….). So, I’ve tried to put together a worthy one to hold y’all until I can return to the keyboard with something fresh…..

In order to keep from making it TOO long, I’ll make this intro short, as has been our habit of late. It’s a good habit, I think, especially considering some of the intro sections we’ve created in the past, many of which approached a…

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Close to the padded cloud….

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Ffolkes,

Today, for the first time, ever, I get to visit with both my grandkids, together. It will be my first time at this; before today, I’ve only seen them one at a time, so, I’ll get to see how they’re doing at having a brother and a sister, still a new thing to them, as well…. This means, of course, no fresh Pearl for today, but, here is one from about a year & a half ago, on a not-so-memorable day, which, fortunately, produced a memorable Pearl…. I’ll do my best to come back tomorrow with a fresh one, but, only time will tell as to whether that’ll happen. In the meantime, please enjoy today’s offering, & for goodness sake, stay strange…..

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

dancing ferries

Dance of the Ferries, Victoria, BC

Hajime…. In an ugly chair, the old man sits, staring morosely at the computer screen before him, eyes fixed on the vast white space upon the screen, empty of all thought or fantasy. To look at him, you might think, “boy, that’s a tough-looking old guy….”, not able to see beneath the rough exterior, to the confusion and deep sense of pain within. As he blinks at the screen, thoughts swirl in his head, none of which translate into any coherent statement worth typing. He shakes his head, slowly, as the tears begin to fall….

I wish thee a good morrow, though I cannot claim to think it so. Today’s Pearl will be, for me, a saving grace, so, the way it looks from the…

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The thirteenth of always….

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Ffolkes,

Events encountered yesterday on walkabout (put in at least 3 miles…), which engendered further events to be accomplished today out in the BBR, prevented getting any work done on a fresh Pearl for today…. To sublimate the urge, here’s another re-blog from the nearly endless archives here on ECR.

This one was put together when I was taking the first steps out of Hell, where the kindly so-called ‘doctors’ at the Kaiser Pavilion sent me in their ignorance. This particular Pearl is one I remember, as it provided me with a healthy degree of distraction, as well as cathartic expression, using pieces of former Pearls to augment the material presented that day. I like it, so, it’s what you get today. I’ll see if a fresh Pearl can be cobbled together for tomorrow, but, don’t hold any breath, as it may, or may not, happen as planned…. You know what ‘they’ say about plans, even the best sort….

In any case, I’m off to the tune of the task-master, & shall return in good time…. which I hope y’all may experience while I’m gone…. a good time, that is. Until then, be well, be happy as you may, and for goodness’ sake, stay strange….

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,

“If we find what is unique to each day,
we will have freshness
and the greatest fulfillment possible.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

lap lookWhere’s my lap?….


Hajime…. There are days here at ECR when we have to trust the process; today is such a day. The Pearl is done, such as it is. It’s been a tough night, and morning, due to the night; ’nuff said on that, so, we’ll leave it in the past. Moving on, we have an archived politirant from 2013, unproofed, so it may be a bit pedantic, as I’ve learned a bit about writing since then. There’s a decent poem, and a decent old-school pearl. The music is a nod to the weather being suffered this winter by our friends in the Eastern US & Canada…. Thus, as you see, done, but for the blurb here, and at the end….

So be it. We’re gonna…

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Never argue with a spoon….

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Ffolkes,

Between my personal demonic wars and the early morning visitor who disrupted my routine, I find myself without any significant work done toward a fresh Pearl for today. To let y’all know I’m not gone, but, only lost for a time, here is a re-blog from 2013, with a fine rant, some excellent repartee, and decent music, to boot. I’ll return in another day, or so, with a bit of luck ( which comes from hard work, as we know….), & provided the internet keeps functioning. Hopefully, I’ll still have a gentle reader or two to engage; the readership statistics go down when I’ve been inconsistent in posting. But, regardless of whether anyone shows up, I’ll be back, for this process still provides me with the best form of self-therapy I have ever discovered, & I won’t be giving it up until I”m ready to go off-grid entirely (a day not far off, cosmically speaking…). In the meantime, y’all be well, & happy as you may be…. I’m goin’ walkabout for the day….

gigoid, the dubious

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Ffolkes,

“Anyone who has got a book collection/library and a garden wants for nothing.”

~~ Cicero ~~

bonsai_3399256k

The Survivor Bonsai ~ 100+ years old, survived Hiroshima Atomic Blast

Image from UK Telegraph on the 60th Anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima


Good morning…. The rather simple title for today’s Pearl took me an inordinate amount of time to create; although there are no set parameters for the title, nothing suitable floated up in my mind, for what seemed like forever. I finally settled on the simple vagueness you see, simply because it was the first one close to acceptable. In a way, it reflects perfectly how this whole deal will progress today, as I just don’t seem to be able to pull it together….

Ah, well, we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Well, I have, anyway. And, I don’t much like it here, so, I’m going to again go with…

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