….even with his own hands!…

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Ffolkes,
And then I woke up….. which, considering the fact that I actually slept, is a good thing, even if it happened at 0300 again. I fell out last night when, all of a sudden, at 7 PM or so, heavy fatigue came crashing down on me, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. It was all I could do to clean up dinner and get coffee made, before I literally fell into bed, and to sleep in no time.

What a great feeling! Even though I’m up again so early, I feel good, and almost back on the Time Zone schedule I should be on. I’m alert, my pain level is reasonable, and all is right in my world…. Well, I wish Patricia felt better, but I think her cold is finally on the downhill side, and I’m thinking, and hoping, she’ll feel better today….

Without going in to detail, Murphy has presented me with my conundrum for the day, and it’s a doozy. One I’ll have to deal with without delay, and which will probably slow down all I want to do today. So much for not being broken….. At least, for y’all, it’s a bonus, because it means I won’t be rambling on forever with this intro, as I need to go do other stuff, and want to get this Pearl mostly done before the world and it’s demands intrude. In short…. Shall we Pearl?….

“In the midst of this chopping sea of civilized life, such are the clouds and storms and quicksands and thousand-and-one items to be allowed for, that a man has to live, if he would not founder and go to the bottom and not make his port at all, by dead reckoning, and he must be a great calculator indeed who succeeds. Simplify, simplify.” — Henry David Thoreau, Walden
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What do you think? Is it time for a rant, perhaps, a religirant? I think so…. They haven’t done anything particularly stupid in public of late; some of the fundamentalists must have broken down and started listening to their lawyers. They’ve been careful lately about saying stuff that not only infuriates the rest of the country, but are probably legally actionable as slander. But, they’ll still ask you to send money, so they can afford to carry on God’s work…..

“They say give your money to God, but they give you THEIR address.” — Smart Bee

On my recent trip to Texas, I went by a church by the highway, and did a complete and classic double-take when the name on the sign registered. I don’t know if it is the one that keeps getting itself in the news, but it said it was the Westboro Baptist Church, home of the world’s most clueless, hateful, and ignorant preacher. Well, the sign didn’t say the last part, that was mine, but it’s still true, if it is the church that has, for the last three or four years, made itself famous, and the target of every other Christian in the US, for dragging the good name of Christians in general through some pretty dark mud, and flinging the rest of the mud on everyone it can see…..

These folks, and the idiot who leads them into their idiocy, are perhaps the stupidest people on the planet, if a willingness to display that stupidity, time after time, on national TV, is any indication, all in spite of the constant and strident statements from the entire rest of the world that they are not just wrong, but stupidly wrong, in each and every one of their stated objectives. Wrong, that is, according to every other interpretation of the Bible’s words by every Christian scholar in the world, except themselves.

They just refuse to even look at what they are doing, and have no clue of how ridiculous they appear to everyone else in the world. In a way, it is really sad, except for their vicious vindictiveness, and the vulnerability of their victims, the people they label as blasphemers and devils, just for being different in some way. In their ignorant blundering around like bulls in a china shop, they hurt the feelings of people who are already suffering, and do so deliberately…. Not just stupid, the assholes, but cruelly so….

“Some men become proud and insolent because they ride a fine horse, wear a feather in their hat or are dressed in a fine suit of clothes. Who does not see the folly of this? If there be any glory in such things, the glory belongs to the horse, the bird and the tailor.” — St. Frances de Sales

This is their justification, their rationalization for their actions, which they KNOW to be wrong; no one breathing could possibly be THAT stupid as to not know their own cruelty. But, like all Christians do, to at least some degree, in order to maintain faith, they can rationalize anything, as long as it supports their belief in their own rightness…. This is a necessary attribute for anyone attempting to live in reality according to the rules dictated by a delusion, and, in fact, is most likely a purely human characteristic, common to the believers of ANY religion.

“Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.” — Martin Fraquhar Tupper

At this point in this discussion, I think this final quote can point the way out of such a distasteful subject. My hands already will need to be washed thoroughly after this stuff, so I may as well close it by saying this…. The people in the world who have decided to allow fear to dictate their entire approach to Life, have submerged their intelligence in the pursuit of an idea that has no real connection to the real world, in order to spare themselves the effort of dealing with life directly, using their own minds.

That being said, I can finally give them their precise due, and no longer consider them, at all…. which means I don’t have to waste my time talking about them either….. Bully good news for y’all, don’t you think?…. I’m going now, see, I’m already gone…..

“To perceive is to suffer.” — Aristotle, De Anima
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THE HIPPOPOTAMUS
 
The broad-backed hippopotamus
Rests on his belly in the mud;
Although he seems so firm to us
He is merely flesh and blood.  

Flesh-and-blood is weak and frail,
Susceptible to nervous shock;
While the True Church can never fail
For it is based upon a rock.  

The hippo’s feeble steps may err
In compassing material ends,
While the True Church need never stir
To gather in its dividends.  

The ‘potamus can never reach
The mango on the mango-tree;
But fruits of pomegranate and peach
Refresh the Church from over sea.  

At mating time the hippo’s voice
Betrays inflexions hoarse and odd,
But every week we hear rejoice
The Church, at being one with God.  

The hippopotamus’s day
Is passed in sleep; at night he hunts;
God works in a mysterious way–
The Church can sleep and feed at once.  

I saw the ‘potamus take wing
Ascending from the damp savannas,
And quiring angels round him sing
The praise of God, in loud hosannas.  

Blood of the Lamb shall wash him clean
And him shall heavenly arms enfold,
Among the saints he shall be seen
Performing on a harp of gold.  

He shall be washed as white as snow,
By all the martyr’d virgins kist,
While the True Church remains below
Wrapt in the old miasmal mist.

~~ T. S. Eliot ~~

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No ups, no extras, just the fax, ma’am…. Here is a pearl of the old school, ripped screaming from the archives, from somewhere; early twenty-first century, I think…. Yes, I’m lazy, but there are compelling reasons for it this morning, so, please, allow me my little diversions… I’m in a hurry…. thanks, and Enjoy!….

Hmm… I guess not so much of a hurry as I thought…. but, I think it will work for me, in a strange way, and that is normal, so…. Here is what I found at Pearl Central…. These short, early form Pearls were written at work, sent via email to about 350 people at Napa State Hospital, Monday through Friday, sometime in about 2007 or 08, I can’t be sure…. but, they’re pretty good, in my estimation, and if nothing else, fun for the entire family….

Just plain brutal….

Ffolkes,
Monday’s can be that way, even the best of them. I’m not certain, at least in my own case, just where the motivation to get up & get moving is coming from. Routine is powerful enough to take us in to work, but what then? Coffee only goes so far, then something stronger must come into play, or the week just goes all to  >@#%! (Supply your own curses)  It can be difficult to find a substitute; drugs are illegal, and so is theft. So what do we do? We rely on luck!…..

“Indifference is the strongest force in the universe. It makes everything it touches meaningless. Love and hate don’t stand a chance against it.” — Joan Vinge

Life is short. Get it right.

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, write.
Those who can’t write go to the State Department (of Mental Health).

That’s the ticket….motivation means caring…..Recently on the radio, Hoyt touted a book, and challenged us to send in our own version of what it was about, to wit: describe your life in six words. I liked mine…

“Looked for love, found it everywhere”……six on the button, neh?

Y’all take care out there…..

No, really….

Ffolkes,
….the computer ate my pearl. This is already the third time I’ve rebooted this morning, and the last one ate my quotes; they were all picked out & on the clipboard, when the durn machine went wonky & wouldn’t see the network. Now I have to be creative….so, we will delve once more into the old bag of Trix….

Do not underestimate the power of the Force.

Duct Tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together. The only difference is that “May The Force be with you” sounds a lot nicer than “May you be covered in duct tape.”
— Carl Swanzig

— Bother! said Pooh,
and discorporated.

Believe it or not, there is a lesson here….left, of course, as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…. Y’all take care out there……

Grace notwithstanding…

Ffolkes,
You may or may not have perceived by now that I am, shall we say, not unfamiliar with strange. Whimsy can strike at any time, and though the resulting consequences are survivable, it often requires extra scrubbing to get clean. Today is Wednesday, but it feels like a Tuesday. Hence the following….

“I’m afraid I’m not personally qualified to confuse cats.” — Monty Python

How do I set my Laser Printer to “Stun”?

“The case has, in some respects, been not entirely devoid of interest.” — Sherlock Holmes

The strangest part is, all of these make perfect sense to me, both individually and together. It’s all in the wrist….. y’all take care out there….

Floppy risks….

Ffolkes,
…don’t fret, it’s just a typo. Amazing what one letter can change, eh? I kinda like the image this stimulates….floppy risks. Hmmm….well, where were we? Oh, here we are…..it’s Thursday but it feels just like a Thursday to me. As further proof of my familiarity with things strange, allow me to present more images to round out your mental image of Pooh The Bear (excerpted from “Pooh, the years before Christopher Robin” by Itolda
Lai)  Enjoy!….

Always speak the truth quietly, listen with an open mind when others speak, and remember the peace that may be found in silence.– unknown

— Bother! said Pooh,
as the French Nuclear Testing blew his head off.

— Bother! said Pooh,
as he was reborn as an amoeba.

— Bother! said Pooh,
as Piglet acquired all four Railway stations.

— Bother! said Pooh,
and proceeded to install OS/2 Warp.

— Bother! said Pooh,
Beavis and Butthead are barbecuing Barney!

— Bother! said Pooh,
as he gave Ted Kennedy another driving lesson.

— Bother! said Pooh,
as he switched between Animaniacs and Star Trek.

I always think it’s good to know things about iconic figures, don’t you?  Y’all take care out there…..

never say your true name….

Ffolkes,
It’s an odd morning, and coming from me, that’s saying something! Been following routine, but it feels not quite right somehow. Hmmm…..must be the shoes. They’re probably too tight  and are cutting off the blood flow to my head. Ah well, no big loss, some would say….. here are some humorous observations I found. Not the most inspiring humor, but funny nonetheless…..see ya Monday…..

Baby on board. Just means five more points.

The other planets are laughing at us.

I am serious.  And don’t call me Shirley.

They just pretend to pay us, so we just pretend to work.

You know you’re getting old when it takes too much effort to procrastinate.

Y’all take care out there……(like it or not, you must, because you can’t care for others if you don’t take care of yourself…basic logic, y’know.)

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Well, Stan and Ollie would be proud of me. It’s another fine mess I’ve created, and just think, only three days home, and I’m already in full psychotic mode! What fun the next few days will be! Be sure to tune in for the latest news from insanity’s fringes, ffolkes. I can feel a big one coming, and I hope y’all, and the rest of the world, is ready…. I’m not sure I am, but having no choice in the matter, I will be…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

A farce by any other name retains its innate irony….

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Ffolkes,
And then, I woke up….. at 0303, again. I’m not sure what it is about that particular moment in time that attracts my subconscious mind, but I seem to end up awakening at that time a lot more often that seems logical, or even coincidental…. must be some unknown piece of magic or something…. I’ve found, in the wisdom of my years, that sometimes the universe’s actions can only be explained by the presence of magic, which is fine with me, on all levels. It’s somewhat satisfying, in a way, to know that we can’t explain everything without using magic; it kind of makes the universe a little friendlier place, y’know?…. It doesn’t even matter if what I believe is true, that all of us are god, playing a game with ourselves to pass the time; magic seems to fit right in, even in a universe without an identifiable higher power…..

Wow, is that good, or what? That paragraph took exactly the amount of time to write as it takes to brew a pot of coffee, which is, no doubt, a fortunate thing for all of us. Since it’s ready, I’ll take advantage of the fact, and go make a cup, then explain…. be right back…… Well, damn. And shit. And fuck me sideways, Murphy is back in the house…. Yesterday, I was thinking he might have missed the memo about my return, as nothing particularly untoward, or even vexing, had occurred since I got back to town.

I should have known better; he was just waiting for the right moment….. I made sure to buy some half and half for my coffee this morning, as the little bit of it I had left in the fridge couldn’t be counted on to be good, having sat for two weeks, some of which was past its “use by” date. It was fine, though, but there wasn’t much of it, so I bought a half-pint here at the neighborhood store, until I can get to a bigger store for a half gallon. I even checked to make sure it wasn’t past its date as well…

Now I’m looking at a cup of spoiled coffee, with broken cream nodules all through it….. I swear, Murphy is back with a vengeance; he KNOWS how badly I react when my coffee is fucked with, so he went right for my jugular, at 0315 in the morning, with unerring accuracy….. Now I have to suffer until someplace opens, since this town lacks 24 hour conveniences to a large degree…. Oh, someplace might be open, but I don’t know where it is, and using a rental car (which I got yesterday to go see my grandson) to drive around long enough to find one seems a bit over the top, even for me and my jonesing….. In the words of some irritated queen of the past, fuck, fuck, fuck!….. I suppose it’s a good thing nobody is around for me to bite….

I suppose this means I’ll have to soldier on, without coffee, until the store opens at 6:30 or 7:00, which might even be later, today being Memorial Day and all…. I’ve often wondered about holidays; they challenge my sense of order. They are, basically, created by the government to stimulate the economy during times when it would normally be slow, to give businesses a chance to make some money at slow points in the financial year. In spite of this, many of the affected businesses close, to celebrate the holiday with the people who otherwise would make up their customer base. Makes no sense to me to have businesses closed on holidays…. Hell, the holiday was usually created FOR their benefit…. Oh well, I’ll just slide that over into the category with all the stuff that people do that makes no sense to me…. which I call the Mortimer file, for lack of a better name….

The Mortimer file is a very thick one, filled with an incredible number of activities promulgated by humans that just don’t fit anywhere into any system of logic, or stable philosophy. Stuff like…. oh, bank hours of operation. Rain on the ocean. Heaven and Hell. Eating foie gras, or any kind of organ meat, and pretending it tastes good. Zumba. Pilates. Madonna…. now THERE’s a big one! Why on earth do people pay any attention at all to her? Or, Lady Gaga, for goodness’ sake? Neither one can sing worth a shit, they dress really funny, and consistently say really stupid stuff, yet people buy anything with their name on it…. Now, THAT’s really stupid, and just doesn’t compute for me….

Oh well, I could go on forever with stuff from the M-file, but, it’s getting on toward dawn, and I’m still blathering on in the intro section, rambling and spouting off about not much at all. I guess I should get started on a Pearl…. I will, too, right after a session on the porcelain throne, which, I sure, it too much information…. Suffice to say…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“Hateful to me as are the gates of hell, is he who, hiding one thing in his heart, utters another.” — Homer (c. 700 B.C.)

Deliberate untruth is, to my mind, the absolute worst thing of which humans are capable. Nothing is more hurtful to others, or more damaging to the spirit of the person who commits the act. It is a stain on the character of a man, to deliberate tell a falsehood, especially for gain. It is a bit more understandable, if no less wrong, to tell a lie, in order to protect one’s own feelings or reputation; to tell a lie in order to gain power over others, or to gain some kind of material advantage, is the worst thing a person can do to another, short of causing them physical harm, or even death. At least killing someone to get something is honest, if reprehensible in its own right…..

Truth is what makes us free, and strong, and insisting on it in all one’s dealings with others is not only a good policy, from a philosophical, moral, or ethical standpoint, but is the mark of a person who can be trusted, one who is worthy of our love, and consideration. The inability to be consistently truthful, or worse, the deliberate use of lies to achieve ends, is a sure sign of someone to avoid, at the least, if not one to be watched with caution, in order to prevent being victimized by their lack of morals. Having a large stick handy is a good idea when dealing with these individuals, or groups, for that matter…..

I’m not sure what prompted this little discussion, unless my unconscious is directing me to stop my own use of untruth in dealing with a certain situation. My thoughts of late, especially at night during those moments before sleeping when we tend to chew on stuff that is bothering us, have turned to my relationship with my doctor, in relation to the relationship I have with the HMO for which he works, as contrasted by the mask of invisibility I have worn for 43 years in public, of all venues except personal.

I know, that’s pretty obscure, but has relevance because my decision to either maintain or drop the mask will have far-reaching effects for me. What I wrote above is what I believe, so I’m afraid I will be compelled to start telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and that is a dangerous thought, and proposition…. And, as you can tell by my obscure language, I’m not yet ready to tell that particular truth to the Internet; not out of fear, I don’t think, but out of a life-long habit of being conscious of security. My insistence on telling the truth doesn’t extend to being stupid about it in defense of my own well-being; we have to survive to be able to speak, whether truth, or lie…..

But, I have obviously (to me) decided to call my doctor’s bluff, and tell him the truth, since he is legally bound not to share it with anyone else. I don’t know if this will make it impossible to remain as his patient, as, up to now, he has been a good doctor to me, concerned with my welfare over the needs of the system. If he continues to reject the onus of responsibility, and make decisions about my medical care based on legal and policy strictures rather than any medical basis, I will have to seek someone who will put my health first….. And, the truth is the only way to do that, so….

“. . is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing Falsehood. It is the attempt to see the Light without knowing Darkness. It cannot be.” — Frank Herbert, Dune

Okay, I won’t bore y’all any further, and that’s the truth, for now……

“Well done is better than well said.” — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
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At the first turning of the second stair
I turned and saw below
The same shape twisted on the banister
…
Under the vapour in the fetid air
Struggling with the devil of the stairs who wears
The deceitful face of hope and of despair.
— TS Eliot

Again, I’m uncertain as to my own motivation for saving this, other than its obvious power of expression, and obvious excellence. My life doesn’t currently present any such negative connotations as implied in this snippet from Eliot, yet it speaks to me somehow…. I guess there are some things we are destined never to understand, especially about our selves….

I’d be bored, I think, if
I allowed “bored” in my life.
I never wanted to think,
I got tired of my own head. ~~ gigoid

I know it doesn’t rhyme, but it feels like one. But, I don’t have anything else right now, so I’ll go consult with Google and my whimsy, and see what happens…..

Rain

I opened my eyes
And looked up at the rain,
And it dripped in my head
And flowed into my brain,
And all that I hear as I lie in my bed
Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,
I walk very slow,
I can’t do a handstand–
I might overflow,
So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said–
I’m just not the same since there’s rain in my head.

~~ Shel Silverstein ~~

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There’s nothing for it now, ffolkes, I’m going to have to go old school on you…. I’ll do my best to not make it too obscure, but, no matter what, it will be different, and interesting, for sure…. Enjoy….

“I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.” — Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam, 1926

“Almost every man wastes part of his life attempting to display qualities which he does not possess.” — Samuel Johnson

“There are no foolish questions and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions.” — Charles P. Steinmetz

“It has always seemed to me extreme presumptuousness on the part of those who want to make human ability the measure of what nature can and knows how to do, since, when one comes down to it, there is not one effect in nature, no matter how small, that even the most speculative minds can fully understand.” — Galileo Galilei

Are there not, dear Michal,
Two points in the adventure of the diver,–
One, when a beggar he prepares to plunge;
One, when a prince he rises with his pearl?
Festus, I plunge.

— Robert Browning (1812-1890) — Paracelsus, Part i

“It’s easier to curse the candle than light the darkness.” — Smart Bee

“Naive alien.  And if certain things stand in our way — Klingons for Kirk, reality for me — well, we just have to suck in our guts, set the phasers on Stun, and hope for the best.”” — Merle Kessler, IAN SHOALES’ PERFECT WORLD

There you go…. I keep telling you, it’s all in the wrist….
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“”To post or not to post, that is the question…Whether ’tis nobler on the ‘net to suffer, the flames from outrageous loonies or to press ‘F’ against a sea of slander and by opposing end them? To send KILL signal; to sleep(1); No more…” — 25 million Internet monkeys channeling Shakespeare….

I have to say, it’s been an interesting morning, all in all…. I’ve been up for almost five hours now, and have gotten a lot accomplished already, before most of the world, at least, this part of it, is even awake. I’ll take it….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

Remember, Billy, these nascent lawyers can spontaneously ignite if mocked…

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Ffolkes,
And then I woke up….. in my own bed! All I can say is “yay”, no exclamation point; I’m too tired to reach that high on the keyboard. I got home about 2:30 or 3 PM, after spending a bit of time trying to connect with my ride. We found each other in relatively quick order, and he took me home, to my everlasting delight, where I almost squeezed milady Pat until she popped; I’m surprised she has any skin left after me kissing it so much…..  🙂   If you can’t tell, I was happy to be home, as much as I enjoyed the trip.

It warms me, it charms me,
To mention but her name;
It heats me, it beats me,
And set me a’ on flame.

— “Robbie” Burns

In order to try to mitigate the jet-lag effects, I pushed myself to stay up a while, until the fatigue caught up with me at about 8:30 last night, and I collapsed into bed. I slept somewhat poorly, even though every bone and muscle in my body rejoiced when I laid down in my own familiar bed. I could feel myself totally relaxing, almost orgasmic; unfortunately, my brain had other ideas, and proceeded to race like a Ferrari at Le Mans, despite having been up and functional for damn close to twenty-four hours.

At 8:30 PM in Vallejo, when I went down, it was 4:30 AM the next day, in London, where my body still believes me to be. Since I had arisen there at 5:00 AM to go catch the plane, this old body got pushed for 23.5 hours, which destroyed all my physical energy, but left me wide awake with a mind confused as to the correct time it should be counting….. SIGH…. It’s tough getting old…. though I’m still tough, getting old is tougher, I think….

My overactive mind kept me on the brink of awareness all night, adding in more strange dreams when I did manage to fall under Morpheus’ spell, eventually giving up the ghost at about 3:30 AM, when I gave up trying to fall asleep, and got up to start writing. While talking with milady last night, I found I DID have a lot to talk about on the trip, so I’m hoping some of that comes through this morning as I write…. One may always hope, n’est pas?…..

In keeping with that sense of hope, I’m going to call this an intro, such as it is, and start putting together a Pearl for today. If nothing else, it may tire me out enough to get a bit more sleep before the rest of the world here on the West Coast wakes up and gets active. It is a Sunday, and the middle of the long weekend for Memorial Day, tomorrow, so it should be fairly quiet, all things considered, and I should be able to get some stuff done (like composing a necessary letter to my doctor, who has seen fit to go all anal about my pain meds and the presence of cannabinoids in my lab work.

It promises to be quite a battle, as I pit my Constitutional rights against the legal department of a large HMO, which has his balls in their hand. I’ll  need to be persuasive, indeed, to be able to get him to stand up to them and make a decision based on my medical needs rather than the company’s legal policies and requirements (which, in my view, violate my confidentiality, and my Constitutional right to determine my own welfare).

Any who, that, and some other stuff that piled up while I was away in Europe, should keep ME busy…. let’s see if I can give y’all something interesting and fun to keep your minds in trim…. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“We’re going to find out tonight who the oldest lady in the audience is. And we have a marvelous present for her. When we find the oldest lady, we’re going to give her … the oldest man.  The first time we tried this was about ten years ago. We had a very nice lady in our audience. She was 87 years old, as I recall. We introduced her that evening to a man from Chicago who was 96, and shortly thereafter, believe it or not, they were married. It was a lovely story. And that wasn’t the end of it either. I read in the paper recently where that woman has just given birth to a beautiful 47-year-old baby boy!” — Steve Allen

Very popular in his own time, which came at the very beginnings of television on a nationwide basis, Steve Allen was a brilliant comedian, and, in his own way, a pretty decent social philosopher and critic, along the lines of a colleague of his, in later days, George Carlin. Both had a unique, hilarious, and sharply insightful understanding of American culture of their time, and spared no one in the pointed nature of their comedic observations on that culture. This was the second offering by Smart Bee, and just tickled my funny bone, so I thought it would make a good intro for an old-school, harlequin pearl…..

As always, the random nature of this process prevents me from knowing ahead of time what will come up, or what point it will make; that point is one I prefer to leave in the competent hands, and minds, of my oh-so-very-intelligent Gentle Readers (I know, shameless, aren’t I?)….  Any who, here is a five-, or seven-star pearl, fresh from the depths of Smart Bee, all pointing at some characteristic of human nature, or human culture, if such a word can be applied to what we do on this planet on a daily basis…..

“Better be a nettle in the side of your friend than his echo.” — Emerson

“Never try to explain computers to a layman.  It’s easier to explain sex to a virgin.” — Robert Heinlein

“I am not asleep.” — Ronald Reagan
(Oddly enough, some people believed him..)

“Doing my part to preserve order in the universe.” — Smart Bee

“A society that puts equality — in the sense of equality of outcome — ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom… On the other hand, a society that puts freedom first will, as a happy by-product, end up with both greater freedom and greater equality.” — Milton and Rose Friedman _Free to Choose_

“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” — J.K. Rowling, Padfoot Returns, — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,2000, — spoken by the character Sirius Black

“I understand “stressed.”  It’s “desserts” backwards.”– Smart Bee, in good form…

Well, that’s seven, but with the initial quote by Mr. Allen, it’s actually eight, so, the laws of conservation of energy require one last perfect pearl, to bring it all home, and drive the point squarely on the point to be made…..

“God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant, and the cat. He has no real style. He just keeps on trying other things.” — Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) — Quoted in Francoise Gilot and Carlton Lake, Life with Picasso, pt. 1 (1964)

Who then, it occurs to me to ask, is competent to judge the quality of His Art in creating us?…… Of course, this assumes one accepts the whole God idea as a higher power, but, I find this to be a useful idea, anyway, as it certainly puts us in the proper perspective…… Oh well, since it fell apart a bit at the end there, we’ll just go on….
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I’m afraid I was a bit ruthless in the poetry section over the course of my trip, with entirely too much of it coming from my archives, egotist that I am….  So, to make up for it, I’ll find something actually worth your time to read…. Here is something from the brilliant Mssr. Pope, with a little ditty that gives a good idea of how much simpler life was in the centuries preceding the Industrial Age…… Enjoy!

Chorus of Youths and Virgins

Semichorus:

Oh Tyrant Love! hast thou possest
The prudent, learn’d, and virtuous breast?
Wisdom and wit in vain reclaim,
And Arts but soften us to feel thy flame.
Love, soft intruder, enters here,
But ent’ring learns to be sincere.
Marcus with blushes owns he loves,
And Brutus tenderly reproves.
Why, Virtue, dost thou blame desire,
Which Nature has imprest?
Why, Nature, dost thou soonest fire
The mild and gen’rous breast?

Chorus:

Love’s purer flames the Gods approve;
The Gods and Brutus bent to love:
Brutus for absent Portia sighs,
And sterner Cassius melts at Junia’s eyes.
What is loose love? a transient gust,
Spent in a sudden storm of lust,
A vapour fed from wild desire,
A wand’ring, self-consuming fire,
But Hymen’s kinder flames unite;
And burn for ever one;
Chaste as cold Cynthia’s virgin light,
Productive as the Sun.

Semichorus:

Oh source of ev’ry social tie,
United wish, and mutual joy!
What various joys on one attend,
As son, as father, brother husband, friend?
Whether his hoary sire he spies,
While thousand grateful thoughts arise;
Or meets his spouse’s fonder eye;
Or views his smiling progeny;
What tender passions take their turns,
What home-felt raptures move?
His heart now melts, now leaps, now burns,
With rev’rence, hope, and love.

Chorus:

Hence guilty joys, distastes, surmises,
Hence false tears, deceits, disguises,
Dangers, doubts, delays, surprises;
Fires that scorch, yet dare not shine
Purest love’s unwasting treasure,
Constant faith, fair hope, long leisure,
Days of ease, and nights of pleasure;
Sacred Hymen! these are thine.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

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As might be expected after the night I spent, any ranting I might like to do would end up pretty obscure and relatively disconnected from anything similar to Reality, so I’m not going to embarrass myself, and amuse y’all, by trying to make any particular sense. Instead, I’ll bring my trip to a close, with a few comments, of course….

If one considers the judgment of success in Life, as I do, more a matter of what has been learned, about people, the world, and hence, myself rather than what one has garnered in real goods, or acquired as property, or how many times one has been seen as a success by others, for whatever strange reason, whether it be envy, naivete, or the result of extraordinary display of skills admired by those others (athletes, actors, bankers, anyone who assumes power over the affairs of others, and others of such ilk….). Success, to me, can only be judged according to the terms I set myself, not by anyone else, and learning is what I consider the most valuable skill I can employ, to achieve my version of success…

What did I learn from this trip? I think I learned the most about myself, as usual, by noting and observing the differences in my ability to travel now, and when I was younger. My reaction to those differences, naturally, set the tone for everything else I did while away; if fatigued, I got around a bit less; if not, my priorities for things to do were affected by age, to some extent. It seems that every time I turn around, some new aspect of growing older presents itself to me, in such ways that I cannot just brush them off as unimportant.

On the other hand, being older has not slowed or diminished my mind, nor dulled my perceptions; in fact, I see more, hear more, forget little, and think more quickly than ever before in my life. This allows me to enjoy more of what I see, as well as regret some of it, for the indications of how the world is under the surface. So, there are trade-offs for the aging process…. I guess I’m saying that it has been driven home to me on this trip that the world, while flawed in many ways, is a beautiful place to live, and I wouldn’t go back in time for anything; there is too much to see right now….

On that hopeful note, (perhaps, some might say, an unusual occurrence around here….), I will, for the moment, leave Europe behind, and live in the NOW, here, where my heart is, hence, is home…. Here is the picture I took on the trip that best explains what I mean, as well as being the best photo of all of them….

Whoa! I realized, just now, how appropriate this picture is…. Can you tell, by looking at it, whether it is a picture of a sunrise, or a sunset?…. The point being, does it matter? If it is of a sunset, it is a fitting finish to a great learning experience, one in which I found great joy, and great pleasure, as well as the opposite side of that coin…. If it is a sunrise, then it also fits, as a fine prelude to a new day, in which there will always be something to learn, something to enjoy, and, if I’m lucky, someone to love…. So far, so good….
Day the next 013__________________________________

Well…. THAT felt good…. let’s see how it floats….. Works for me…. So much so, I won’t say anything else… except, of course,….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

Tarbender, one more for the road…..

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Ffolkes,
I lied….. I have one last bit of time to post today, before heading home tomorrow. My last night aboard the cruise ship was, to put it simply, a misery. I had my massage at 5:30, and felt great afterward for about 30 minutes, until my stomach and inner ear became rather upset with the relatively severe seas we were transversing.

We had left the port of Invergordon for our last day at sea, and all day the seas were reasonably calm; we turned the corner at the top of Scotland, and headed south toward Harwich, running south in the North Sea, which decided to live up to its reputation by increasing the swells from about 3 feet to about 6 to 7 feet, giving even the massive cruise ship a rolling, rocking gait that got to me within few minutes after getting off the massage table.

By 8 PM I was thoroughly ill, though not throwing up, and, on the advice of the nurse at the medical facility, I went straight off to bed, where I was able to fall asleep, and slept through the worst of the night. We docked about 4 AM, and I woke up about 6, feeling much better, but needing coffee desperately. The ship served a buffet breakfast, which settled well, and I was off the ship by 9 AM, waiting for my driver from London, Jason, to take me back to the hotel. We again had a good conversation for the entire ride, stopping for a light lunch at one point.

Jason is a very nice young man, intelligent, hard working, and obviously devoted to his wife and daughter, which sits well with me. He will be taking me to Heathrow tomorrow, and I’ll fly home, after exchanging email addresses so we can keep in touch. I’ve promised to show him around SF when he eventually is able to come to visit, and look forward to that with great pleasure, as he was very kind and helpful in showing me around, and getting me where I needed to go without any hassles.

I’ll be up early tomorrow, to fly the 11 plus hours home, and should be there by the early afternoon tomorrow… and will be looking forward to seeing Patricia for the first time in two weeks. I’ve had a great time, all in all, but, I’m ready for some quiet days at home to contrast with the busy time of the last couple of weeks. I also look forward to writing some Pearls from the pleasant confines of my own place, as well as sleeping in my own bed…..

I hope y’all have enjoyed my travelogues. I think for my next trip, next month, I’ll have a better handle on how to post efficiently, so the trip to Alaska with Patty should prove to be a great trip, for me, and for y’all, as I plan to take a lot of pictures of the scenery, which promises to be very beautiful. And, who knows, maybe I’ll even get inspired enough to write some poetry….. That would be very cool, I think…. Glacial verses and cold logic, should be quite stimulating….. and if not, well, who gives a damn, anyway? Right?…. Not me….

That’s it, stick a fork in me, I’m done…. I will post again in a couple of days, when I’ve recovered enough to think clearly…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

Twelve degrees off of plumb crazy….

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Ffolkes,
And then I woke up….. at sea, again. We are cruising slowly along the eastern coast of Scotland, on the way to Harwich, where the cruise started, ten days ago. It is encouraging to not be seasick, as it means I’ve managed to gain my ‘sea legs’, and don’t have to take any more of the medication, which, while effective, has a side effect that can be most unpleasant, and to which I will not again refer….. I know, it sounds pompous and obscure, but, it is grammatically correct, and better than saying outright that which could drive y’all away in disgust…. Instead, we’ll go on….

The weather yesterday in the port of Invergordon, near Inverness, and Loch Ness, home to Nessie, (the world’s oldest monster, having first been sighted in the fifteenth century), was, to put it simply, miserable and cold. The temperature hovered around 38-40 degrees all day, with a wind that reached gusts up to 50 mph. To get into the town, only a couple blocks away from the ship, we had to walk on a pier about 100 yards long, and I almost lost my hat into the bay a number of times. It was so strong a wind, it literally almost blew me off my feet, and I am no lightweight (I’m about 205 lbs, right now, possibly more after 10 days of eating well…. I’m afraid to actually weigh myself…). It also rained in spurts, so I made only two quick forays off the ship, going a bit crazy again buying little stuff for ffolkes back home….

I did get some nice pix of the landscape, and the quaint village of Invergordon where we are docked. There is a small museum just across from the ship, showing exhibits of the history of the town, and of the area. Inverness has long been considered the capital of Scotland and the Highlands, and the port area has a long history of involvement with the royal navy. I got some nice photos, and found more little pieces of jewelry for my daughter, Patricia, and my adoptive daughter, Cheryl, as well as a couple of cute little stuffed Nessies for my grandson, and Cheryl’s son Marcus. (I told you I went crazy….) I also found more magnets, and a nice pocket watch with a Celtic Knot design for myself. I feel like a real capitalist…..

That last comment is about all the rant I have in me, I think, so we should get started on the rest of today’s pearls…. Section one will be for an old-school pearl, two, of course, will be a poem by somebody, and section three will show the photos I got today in port….. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

The following pearl is of the old-school variety, but much fresher….. The quotes sort of picked themselves, with little or no assistance from yours truly, and seemed to know just what they wanted to say, because it took only a few minutes for it all to come together. The point of it all is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader, and please don’t throw anything at me….. I’m kind of run down from all the rich food I’ve been consuming for the past two weeks while on this trip. My stomach, and my brain, will both be glad when I’m home again…..

“A man is a very small thing, and the night is very large and full of wonders.” — Lord Dunsany, The Laughter of the Gods

“Patience is sorrow’s salve.” — Sir Winston Churchill

“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.” — Frederick Douglass

“In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.” — Bertrand Russell

“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.” — ee cummings

“If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours…” — Smart Bee

“A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”
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Probably the biggest rip-off among all the seriously overpriced stuff one encounters on a cruise is the internet access. The cruise lines have figured out that access is important to their customers, so they will condescend to provide it to them, at a cost that is, needless to say, outrageous…..

I bought the best deal on that access, and I’m paying $0.36/minute. This has been barely enough to get my blog posted each day, with a bit left over for checking email, and reading some of the news. What this means is I don’t have enough time to go look for anyone else’s poetry, so I’m going to go once more to the well, and offer up one of my own for your perusal. I hope you enjoy it…..

Denial of Comfort

Baleful chairs become the enemy, heralded in red
seemingly welcome softness beckons with a smile,
waiting, content with slaughter, they are finally led
screaming in agony, deluged in venom all the while.

Desperate distraction becomes such a friendless fire
for all the patterns of autumn’s pale dismay,
leaving sincerely latent trails in spirals of twisted wire,
while memory insists, again, upon failure, palpably evil, and fey.

Fat, jaded tears would have fallen in good time,
if only the suitable suitor had scaled the garden’s wall.
Credence for discounted prices luckily in their prime
bring only fascinated eyes into such a hallowed hall.

Searching for answers is ever a clever portrayal
with studious accouterments to fulfill each common rule.
Arguably patient pictures of science and honest betrayal
shall evermore languish, in light of passion so elegantly cruel.


~~ gigoid ~~

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As noted above, I got some decent pix of Invergordon, including, at the end of our stay, a local drum and bagpipe band that piped the ship off as it left the dock. I even figured out how to get a few seconds of video, complete with sound, of one of the numbers they played as they marched off. I don’t think I know how to put that up on the blog, yet, but, it was still pretty cool to be able to get it with my new camera…. Any who, here are some of the best shots of the day….
Inverness and Invergordon 006Inverness and Invergordon 007Inverness and Invergordon 009Inverness and Invergordon 010Inverness and Invergordon 012

more Invergordon 006more Invergordon 004Inverness and Invergordon 014Inverness and Invergordon 013__________________________________

This will be the final Pearl for the trip, and it may take me a couple of days before I can get posted again, as the trip back to SF promises to be a marathon event…. I have someone to take me from London to Heathrow, but then must find my way onto the plane, where I’ll sit, and stand, and sit, and stand for the next 11+ hours to get home. I have a car set up to take me back to Vallejo, but I expect by then I’ll be pretty well toasted, and won’t be feeling much like writing, or doing anything more complicated than breathing and sleeping for a day or three…. So, I’ll say adieu for the time being, and hope you enjoyed these little travelogues as much as I enjoyed posting them…. See ya in a couple of days…… Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

It requires a subtle artichoke to turn colors….

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Ffolkes,
And then I woke up….. really damn early. But, then, considering that I fell out completely at about 7:30 PM, it isn’t particularly surprising to wake up at 5:03 AM. I believe I’m beginning to reach the end of my energy for exploring new territories, and for living the high life. Last night, our first whole day at sea, was formal attire for dinner, and I was just not into either getting dressed up, or for making nice with strangers. Even though I’ve made some friends while on board, not many have pursued the relations, nor have I sought to continue any; everyone, me included, seems to be satisfied with brief, friendly, but not particularly open encounters.

This suits my curmudgeonly nature just fine, as I am tired to the bone, of people, and places. Two more days will give me my complete fill of all of it, I’m sure, and I will be glad to fly home, miserable as the flight promises to be, stuck once more in a confined area with 499 others, all pumping body heat, for eleven or more hours. Once I am actually home, I will be very happy to stay there for a long time…..

None of which even considers how glad I’ll be to see Patricia…. It isn’t easy to do this cruising thing alone, even when one is as centered as I am, and able to enjoy being alone. It’s a lot more fun with someone else to share the experience; I found myself wanting to turn to her during the trip, to say “Look!” or “Isn’t that beautiful?” or a hundred other ways to acknowledge the beauty or interesting nature of what I encountered …. Ah well, we’ll be going on a cruise ourselves at the end of June, so, I have that to look forward to…..

In the third section today, I’ll put the few pictures I got yesterday, of some of the desolate islands that make up the Greater Hebrides, and the Orkney Islands which dot the ocean at the northern end of Scotland. The ocean was much more deep ocean in nature, with swells of about 3-4 feet, enough that this massive ship, complete with with stabilizing fins, and a competent master, still tended to rock and roll a bit. I was happy to find that I had acclimated to the motion, though, and never felt a twinge of nausea, even when gazing out to sea, watching the birds, and looking for dolphins, which are known to greet ships in the area, according to the natives in Greenock. The only fin I saw, though, was not a dolphin fin, but a smaller shark of some kind, chasing some prey near the surface…..

The last paragraph sums up my day at sea pretty well; it was a pretty slow day, which gave me time to feel all the aches in my calves from the extra walking I did in Greenock port; I figured out I probably covered about four miles, way more than I’m used to, so some soreness is kind of welcome, in that sense. But, it made for a relatively slow day for events, with the menu at each meal being the most compelling decision I had to make, as the menu depends on which venue one chooses…. buffet, dining room, snack outlets (pizza, gelato, etc….), casual bistro style dining, and the rest of the choices on board. It’s a tough job, but, someone has to do it, so, I gave it my best shot, as it were…..

Wow, I didn’t realize I had that much BS stored up in there…. That’s what I get for not writing for several days, other than to discuss the pictures I took. There’s so much, I think I’d best call a halt here to work on the photos, or I’ll ramble on for days…. Six paragraphs of nothing much is legally enough for an intro section, so we’ll go on to something else now….. Shall we Pearl?……

“Never before have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity!   Have you ever considered a career in the Church?” — Black Adder II

(I know, complete non-sequitor, but, it’s such a great line, I had to throw it out there…. It’s perfect for a religirant, if I was in the space for one, so I give to you, gratis, in place of said rant….. Okay, now we’ll get on with the show….)
__________________________________

As yet, nothing rantable has sallied forth to be written, other than the above quote, which stands alone quite well, so I’m going with an old-school pearl. This one was picked in an extremely random fashion, so I can’t say how it will turn out. I trust Smart Bee, though, so we’re going with it, no matter how hard it is to figure, or how obscure it gets…. Some days, that’s just the way I am…. Yep…..

Around existence twine,
(Oh, bridge that hangs across the gorge!)
ropes of twisted vine.

— Basho

“The one who tells the stories rules the world.” — Hopi proverb

“Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth, or the only truth.” — Charles A. Dana

“Closed eyes are not always sleeping.” — Smart Bee

“Honor is the reward of virtue.” — Cicero (B.C. 106-43)

Finally he released the young man, and waded back to dry land. Then Socrates questioned the man. `What did you most want just now?’ The young man replied, `Air.’ `When you want knowledge as much as you just wanted air, you shall have it.’– Some random Greek historian

“2nd star on the right, then on until morning.” — from Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie, and James T. Kirk, stardate unknown
__________________________________

In the interests of…. well, something that now completely eludes me, I am going today with one of my poems…. I don’t know if y’all remember this one; it’s one I wrote during the NaWriPo poetry challenge of recent vintage, and is one of my personal favorites…. I hope you enjoy it too….

Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….

Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me
Ah’m not even sure of mah name,
or how Ah come to be;
no idea from where Ah came.

Ah does like a mystery tho’,
puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,
good from bad, fo sho,
Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.

If’n Ah cain’t figure what’s best,
Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,
seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,
‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.

,Course, he’d lived a good long time,
‘n had lots of stuff go on by,
went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,
never once used it fer an alibi.

He tol’ me once, Ah’d best learn to learn,
school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.
Yer own good measure you can earn,
by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.

Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,
he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,
‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,
kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.

Without ever sayin’ the word itself,
Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others
not some fake stuff from some shelf,
knowing whut’s right, ‘n that we’re all brothers.

Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think,
to get around the block at least two times.
I s’pose long as my head don’t shrink
Ah’ll keep on doin’ right, ‘n making these rhymes…..

~~ gigoid ~~

__________________________________

Okay, here is where I bore you to death, with the sum total of pictures I was able to get yesterday, cruising in the North Atlantic….
At sea day one 006At sea day one 005At sea day one 004    See what I mean? A VERY slow day, sea-watching-wise…. Oh well, it should be better in Inverness, and at Loch Ness, later today…. I hope…..
__________________________________

Having thus used up the hours that I awoke early to find in front of me, I’ll now leave you to fend for yourselves the rest of the day, as I must do….. Shouldn’t be too hard, I’m all shopped out, and my legs ache, so I think my time ashore will be limited to just what it takes to get some good pictures to share with y’all…. In the meantime….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

The sign said it would float….

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Ffolkes,
    Greetings to you, from somewhere on the open sea…. We left Greenock, Scotland, the port town of Glasgow city proper, last night about two hours before sunset, and have been cruising the open sea in a generally north-eastern direction ever since. Normally, I get seasick on the deep waters of our dear planets oceans, but so far today I seem to have acclimated to the motion, at least enough that this morning’s coffee has stayed where I put it, internally speaking. This is a good thing, because, having experienced the condition previously, I can vouch for the fact that it is NOT any fun….

    Since I’m not sick, it should be a nice relaxing day, and I’ll try to get some actual writing done, after I post the pictures from yesterday. I didn’t expect to spend a lot of time on shore, but the walk into town was quite short and manageable, even for me, so I ended up going twice, and spending a lot of cash I hadn’t counted on spending. I don’t regret any of it though, and even bought a couple items for myself.

    I also took a LOT of pictures, especially on the free tour I took around this port town of Greenock, staffed entirely of volunteers, who love their little city. The tour went to the Old West Kirk, one of the oldest buildings in the town, drove up a steep hillside to a view point with some magnificent views, and then downtown to near the ship to walk through an old government building. I skipped the last part, deciding instead to walk back to the ship for a cool down and a nap, in that order, as the bus we rode in for t he tour was sweltering, and I was drenched in sweat…..

    After dinner last night, I also took a bunch of pictures of the staff at the Rendezvous Bar, where I usually go for my pre-dinner cocktail, and my post-dinner nightcap. They’re a bunch of good kids, and fun to watch as they take care of all the old American, French, and British passengers who are mostly three or four times their ages (the last group, sadly, includes yours truly….). I think they’ve sort of adopted me as their mascot, so I took the pix, and told them they’d be famous online by tonight, as they will be…. This is the last text I’m writing for now, because I have a bunch of pix to process so they can be posted, and it takes some time…..

    Today, section one will have the photos from the town, and section three will have the photos from on board last night….. I think now it is time we got on with that, so, Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

First a couple of landscape shots, then some of the Old West Kirk, and last, some street and building shots……
Glasgow-Greenock Port 004Glasgow-Greenock Port 028Glasgow-Greenock Port 035Glasgow-Greenock Port 015Glasgow-Greenock Port 018Glasgow-Greenock Port 020Glasgow-Greenock Port 023Glasgow-Greenock Port 017Glasgow-Greenock Port 014Glasgow-Greenock Port 011Glasgow-Greenock Port 012__________________________________

I liked the poem from Robbie Burns I posted yesterday so much, here is another by him…..

A Bottle And Friend

There’s nane that’s blest of human kind,
But the cheerful and the gay, man,
Fal, la, la, &c.

Here’s a bottle and an honest friend!
What wad ye wish for mair, man?
Wha kens, before his life may end,
What his share may be o’ care, man?

Then catch the moments as they fly,
And use them as ye ought, man:
Believe me, happiness is shy,
And comes not aye when sought, man.

~~ Robert Burns ~~

_________________________________

And these are the now famous Celebrity Infinity Players from the Rendezvous Bar….. I would give their names, but I can’t spell most of them, so you can make up your own, if you don’t already know them personally….
Glasgow-Greenock Port 055Glasgow-Greenock Port 051Glasgow-Greenock Port 060Glasgow-Greenock Port 072Glasgow-Greenock Port 068Glasgow-Greenock Port 047Glasgow-Greenock Port 058Glasgow-Greenock Port 066Glasgow-Greenock Port 064Finally, a great shot of the sunset as we left for the open sea….

Glasgow-Greenock Port 041__________________________________

“He was determined to discover the underlying logic behind the universe. Which was going to be hard, because there wasn’t one.” — Terry Pratchett, “Mort”

    I know, I know, I haven’t ranted in two weeks…. but, then, it’s a bit hard to build up a great deal of angst when one’s every need and/or want is being fulfilled. Heck, it’s all I can do to just get this posted with the little bit of text it has…. I have to say, though, I can’t find it in myself to care much, as this is the fulfillment of two lifelong dreams for me, and the rest of reality can just wait for me to finish my trip. I’ve been keeping a weather eye on happenings in the States, and none of it particularly needs my attention yet, as not much has really changed, other than the box scores….

    So, maybe tomorrow will have something a bit more biting in it, as we’re at sea today, so not much picture opportunity once the sun is up, until it goes down again…. There HAVE been some rather stunning sunsets, a couple of which I’ve captured with the camera, and posted…. well, one, anyway…. Now all I have to do is figure out which restaurant or dining room I want to eat in at lunch, tea, and dinner times…. SIGH…. It’s a tough job, but only I can do it…..   Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

Aw, go jump in the loch….

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2

Ffolkes,
It was certainly a surprise to me, to find that Belfast in Northern Ireland was the easiest city to get around in of all I’ve been to on this trip. Not that all the others weren’t lovely, and welcoming, but, this city was even more so of everything, not counting the accents, which were a bit thicker, and harder for a Yank to understand. It also helped that in this city, a free shuttle bus to the city centre was provided (now I’m even spelling in the European manner…. It must be getting near the time to head home…..) The city center is gorgeous, with beautiful buildings of incredible age; the city center area is all considered pedestrian territory, and the traffic there is kept out of the way of the people on foot, with a lot of wide alleys and old nooks and crannys for people to wander on foot.

It’s become obvious to me that my muse decided not to come on this trip. I find myself having a hard time knowing what to say; there is so much to write about, but I don’t feel I have the words in me right now to do it justice. Today, that is probably just as well, as I took a lot of pictures, and want to share them; that takes time, to upload all the picture files into WordPress, even though it is comparatively easy to do in WP. So, you win, ffolkes, because this is all I’m going to write today, other than the identifying captions for the pix. See, this trip is a good thing, for me, AND for y’all….   🙂

Without further ado, (what does that MEAN?), we will go on to the picture portion of today’s Pearl, in two sections….. Section 2 will have a poem, if I can get to one of the sites I use to find it…. If not, well, I can always subject you to another one of mine….  Shall we Pearl?…..
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I only brought one pair of shoes with me, for some now obscure reason, and have been looking all over in the towns we’ve been to, without finding anything I liked. I finally found a pair in Belfast, at a shoe store that I found using the “ask a local” technique; one of the young walking tour guides who hang out by the shuttle bus stop was very friendly, so I asked him where HE went to get shoes, and he not only pointed me to a good store just a block away, he also told me where to find the best pub grub that I wanted for lunch.

He suggested I go about two short blocks, to an alley, down which I would find White’s Tavern, the oldest pub in Belfast, first opened by license from the Queen in the year 1630. It not only had “grand craic”, as the locals say, but very excellent bangers and mash…. Here are some pictures which, since they came out pretty well, will give a good idea of the place, inside and out….
Belfast 013Belfast 014Belfast 010Belfast 011Belfast 012Belfast 008__________________________________

In honor of our visit to Scotland, here is one of the most famous poems by that country’s favorite son, also known as Robbie Burns, or The Ploughmans’ Poet…..

A Man’s a Man for A’ That

Is there for honesty poverty
That hings his head, an’ a’ that;
The coward slave – we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Our toils obscure an’ a’ that,
The rank is but the guinea’s stamp,
The man’s the gowd for a’ that.

What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hoddin grey, an’ a’ that?
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine,
A man’s a man for a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their tinsel show, an’ a’ that,
The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor,
Is king o’ men for a’ that.

Ye see yon birkie ca’d a lord,
Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that;
Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a coof for a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
His ribband, star, an’ a’ that,
The man o’ independent mind
He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.

A price can mak a belted knight,
A marquise, duke, an’ a’ that;
But an honest man’s aboon his might,
Gude faith, he maunna fa’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their dignities an’ a’ that,
The pith o’ sense, an’ pride o’ worth,
Are higher rank than a’ that.

Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a’ that,)
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
That man to man, the world o’er,
Shall brithers be for a’ that.

~~ Robert Burns ~~

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Above I mentioned a friendly local, who kindly gave me directions to what I wished to find; his picture is the first one below. The rest of this group are shots of the city center in Belfast, a great place to walk around, and to shop… Enjoy!…..

Belfast 006Belfast 002Belfast 001Belfast 003Belfast 004Belfast 005Belfast 007Belfast 016__________________________________

We have only two more cities to visit, in Scotland. Today we will be near Glasgow, which lies twenty miles inland from the mouth of the river Clyde, on the western coast of the big island that contains Scotland, England, and Wales. Glasgow has an interesting history, and it is known as “The Friendly City” for the energy and openness of its inhabitants. I, however, am exhausted from walking around Belfast yesterday, so I think my participation in visiting Glasgow will be limited to just enough to get some pictures of the mostly Victorian architecture.

I may be reaching the limit of my strength for such ventures…. we’ll see how it goes today. Tomorrow is an At Sea day, then on Wednesday, we visit Inverness, on the eastern coast, in reach of Loch Ness…. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get a good picture of “Nessie” the monster who lives in the loch….. Until then, y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

If it would only wiggle, we could save it….

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3

Ffolkes,
And when I woke up, I was in Ireland again….. Morning, ffolkes…. My consistency in posting has been shot all to hell by this trip, and I can’t say I’m too upset by that, because, hey, cruise ship, y’know? My sense of time is completely whacked, other than to know which meal is being served at one of the half-dozen eating venues on board. Plus, yesterday, I finally got my massage, compliments of guest services, to make up for a few little hitches in their service on the first couple of days I was here…. and it turned both my muscles and my mind to mush….

We spent yesterday in Liverpool, the home of the Beatles, and I was kind of looking forward to seeing the Cavern Club, if nothing else. However, the weather decided to turn wintry, with a temp in the low forties, or less, and a drizzle most of the day. I did get off the ship, to walk around the pier and watch the Ferry Cross the Mersey wend it’s way across the river, and the pictures I took are below in section three…. Today we are in Belfast, Ireland, which is actually still part of the British Isles, and uses their currency, the Pound Sterling, rather than the Euro, which is used by the rest of Ireland. If that is confusing to you, think how they must feel living here….

I’m enjoying the cruise much more now, as I’m learning the ins and outs of the ship, and have made my connections with certain members of the crew… meaning I charmed the hostess in the dining room to seat me alone, so I could enjoy the four course meal, with wines paired perfectly, and didn’t have to make nice with six other people whilst doing so…. As you might guess, it is a big strain on my curmudgeon tendencies to be nice to people all the time….

Of course, dining alone has its hazards, as the nearest table was occupied by a crashing bore, who was regaling his mother with every little piece of Beatles trivia he read in People magazine, and criticizing the town, the people, and everything in general at the top of his voice….. I almost got up and hit him with my walking stick…. fortunately, right at that moment, they brought the Grand Marnier Souffle and my B&B, so he got to live…

Enough rambling and boasting…. I feel like actual pearling today, so fasten those seat belts a little tight; we may hit some turbulence, and we don’t want any injuries we haven’t planned for…. Shall we Pearl?…..

“First, I’m going to give you all the ANSWERS to today’s test..  So just plug in your SONY WALKMANS and relax!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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When I say I feel like pearling, what I mean is I feel like an old school pearl, where I pick an idea, and use the quotes to lead the Gentle Reader to that general area, so they can enjoy the thrill of discovery, and hopefully, epiphany…. This group is the first since I re-loaded Smart Bee (again….SIGH…..), and could be a good one…. or not, the odds are about even…. Enjoy, mis amis….

“Expect the unexpected, for it will happen, usually when least expected.” — Smart Bee

“And the wind shall say, Here were decent, godless people their only monument the asphalt road and a thousand lost golf balls.” — T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)

“I feel my immortality oversweep all pains, all tears, all time, all fears, – and peal, like the eternal thunders of the deep, into my ears, this truth, – thou livest forever!” — Byron (1788-1824)

“He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.” — Aristotle

“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.” — Wilson Mizner

“Like strength is felt from hope and from despair.” — Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Iliad of Homer, Book xv, Line 852

“It has long been known that one horse can run faster than another – but which one?  Differences are crucial.” — Lazarus Long
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Since both Pope and Byron were included above, it’s only right that our poetry for the day come from that era, and from the period’s acknowledged master…. Keats…. Hmm…. something is up with either Google, or the on-board network, as I can’t get it to go to Poemhunter.com, where I find most of my poetry for use here…. So, you’ll have to make do today with one of mine, written last March sometime….. I like it….

After the odyssey….

Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound

Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.

Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.

Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.

Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.

~~ gigoid ~~

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Okay, they aren’t much, but these are the shots I took of Liverpool….

The view from the deck of the Infinity…
Liverpool 001On the waterfront….

Liverpool 002One of the beautiful buildings across from the docks….

Liverpool 004And a really poor photo of the Ferry Cross The Mersey…

Liverpool 005That’s all for today, ffolkes….
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I find the process of creating these Pearls is both enhanced and made more difficult by being on the road, so to speak. But, that is a personal problem, and has nothing to do with you, so don’t fret, all will be well, eventually. I’m off to explore today’s venue, Belfast, Ireland…. Wish me luck…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3

Total addiction to pillaging…..

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6

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 further….  Okay, well, hmm…. It’s now almost dinner time, with a day spent in Dublin between the entry above and now. It’s been one of those roller-coaster days, with high highs, and low lows, most of which isn’t worth discussing. Let’s just say that I spent a good deal more than I’d hoped, but managed to get something for everyone….. I know this is a bit cryptic, but, such is life sometimes; we all have to learn to live with some frustration, I guess, and this is yours…  🙂


I’ve had a great time in Ireland, in both cities in which we stopped. I tried to get in to see the Book of Kells, at Trinity College Library in Dublin, three times, but the lines (queues, as they say here…) were too long for me to stand in line for without causing a lot of severe pain, so that will have to wait for the next trip, whenever that may be. I did walk around the college a while, & got some good shots on the camera, as well as in the surrounding neighborhood, where I had a bit of lunch at O’donoghue’s Pub (A fish bap, with chips, don’t y’know?…), and found the last items I needed to get for people at home. I figure that makes me a champion shopper, as I’ve managed to get all I need in the first five days of the cruise, and can now just walk around to take pictures, enjoy the scenery, and talk to the people.


I suppose that is enough of the chatty intro stuff…. Tomorrow we’re off back to England, first to Liverpool, back to Ireland for one day in Belfast, then I believe it’s Edinburgh, or Inverness, or somewhere else in Scotland, then Wales….. For now, shall we Pearl?…..
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This trip has put me a day late and a Euro short…. It is now Saturday, and I have yet to post this… so, section one will be pictures of Cork, and section 3 will be pictures of Dublin…. and, lucky for y’all, little commentary from me…. Enjoy….

St. Colman’s cathedral at Cork (Cobh) port
Day 5 015A local pub…

Day 5 023…. where they built this Guinness….

Day 5 024Ballyrocks Castle, between Cork and Cork port….

Day 5 026__________________________________

A Celtic Haiku

London, Cork, Dublin,
all quite cosmopolitan.
Me? Hick from the states.

~~ gigoid ~~
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Dublin, home of the Book of Kells, with lines a quarter mile long, all three times I tried to get in to see it…. SIGH….

The Library Square at Trinity College, Dublin

Day the next 005A statue of George Salmon, one of the college’s provosts….

Day the next 007A Dublin street scene, just outside the Trinity entrance….

Day the next 008A fittingly beautiful sunset to a gorgeous day, headed for Liverpool…

Day the next 013__________________________________

As intimated above, this is late getting posted, so, with no further ado, I will quickly proof, then try to get it online…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

dozer3