Last night, I went out for dinner with my daughter, as her birthday celebration. My ‘celebration’, as is my habit, went right on past mere celebration, on into over-indulgence… it was probably that second B&B that sent it over the edge…. Long story short: I’m pretty hung over… Three aspirin & six more hours ought to fix most of it, but, for now, it’s pretty well beyond me to try to write much more than what you see… This very old Pearl, from the very early days here on WP, will serve to sublimate my urge to post, as well as it can be served…. I hope you enjoy it; I’m going back to bed…. See y’all tomorrow….
Ffolkes,
We’ll begin today with one of my all time favorite quotes…..
“A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful. He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful. Chances are, he isn’t likely to carry the cat that way again, either. But if he wants to, I say let him!” — Mark Twain
The first time I read this, years ago, it brought a huge smile to my face, a huge laugh, and one more piece of evidence that Mr. Clemens was more than just an author of good books. There are numerous websites that feature quotations by Mark Twain, with varying formats for finding the one you want, but going to a different website for each quote isn’t an efficient use of time, so I generally use what I find in my own secret pools, where I know the oyster…
“Grief can take care of itself,
but to get the full value of joy
you must have somebody to divide it with.”
~~ Mark Twain ~~
Bird of paradox….
Hajime…. As we begin another day here on planet Earth, it seems apropos, somehow, to wish y’all a good one. I think my need to give away some of the good I feel prompts such a positive note, one I’m sure comes as something of a surprise to those who are relatively familiar with my usual curmudgeonry…. That isn’t to say I’m an asshole; not yet, anyway. I do still love humanity; it’s mostly just people I can’t stand. If I were truly an asshole, I’d just give up on virtue, and go for the gold. But, if I tried that, my daddy’d kick my ass, figuratively speaking, so, we’ll just stay with the program we’ve come to know & love, & maintain my ass’s integrity for a longer time…..
If it isn’t already clear, I’m in a bit of a mood; we’ll avoid any litigation, or insane laughter from the peanut gallery, by making no attempt to qualify that assessment to any large degree. Safest all around, I should think, & we do try to remain safety-conscious, mostly. Since safety, in this world, is pretty well-established as a complete illusion, that means we’re spending a lot of time chasing our tails, but, hey, all one can do, etc. It’s better than chasing the delusions so prevalent in society, none of which particularly appeal to my nature, which tends to turn rapidly to sarcasm when confronted by any of those fallacies (you know…. money, religion, government? Those silly monkeys….)….
Hmm… In looking back over the two previous paragraphs, I see I slipped over the edge into some pretty smarmy assertions, if not actual pointed sardonicism. By the way, did you note the historical references? No. Well, no worries; neither did I, because they aren’t there, unless one counts the mention of my dad. I do think either paragraph could win awards, were there any contests involving sheer nonsense to be found. In fact, these two paragraphs may constitute my finest opening ever, if one isn’t too picky about it. They could also, very easily, get shit-canned without a single regretful sigh, but, that’s only my curmudgeon speaking; pay it no mind.
Instead, watch what I’m doing with my OTHER hand, as it’s the one holding the remote. What remote? Why, the one that controls the length of this introductory section, of course. Today, it was pre-programmed to get us out of here, well before anything I wrote could cause actual physical symptoms. Oh, look, it’s starting to flash, a new feature warning us to hold on, because we’re about to change direction. I wonder where we’ll end up today? Let’s go find out….
Shall we Pearl?
“You only live twice:
Once when you’re born,
Once when you look death in the face.”
~~ Ian Fleming ~~
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Wolfie Mozart
Today, I feel like some of the best…. In my less than humble opinion, this man’s work comprises proof of his claim to that adjective. In short, as far as I’m concerned, he was/is the best to ever write music. Period…. I figure about, oh, six hours of it should make the point…. I hope you enjoy it as much as I shall….
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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When life calls, ready or not….
Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.
Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.
Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.
Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.
Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.
~~ gigoid ~~
9/10/2012
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Naked Pearls
Waypoints on the Path….
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“Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.”
~~ Lao-Tzu ~~
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“I shall tell you a great secret, my friend.
Do not wait for the last judgment, it takes place every day.”
~~ Albert Camus ~~
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“Late in the night, we realize that
the acts of our lives have not been shadow-free,
that we are shadowed by curses and sins —
not because we are cursed and sinful by nature,
but because with the very origins of the world,
one half of which belongs to night,
come fearful figures who demand we know them.”
~~ James Hillman ~~
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“It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us in trouble.
It’s the things we know that ain’t so.”
~~ Artemus Ward aka Charles Farrar Brown ~~
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“He knows not how to know who knows not also how to unknow.”
~~ Richard Burton ~~
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“The human condition is such that pain and effort
are not just symptoms which can be removed without changing life itself;
they are rather the modes in which life itself,
together with the necessity to which it is bound, makes itself felt.
For mortals, the ‘easy life of the gods’ would be a lifeless life.”
~~- Hannah Arendt ~~
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“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”
~~ Buddha ~~
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Well, that went well, didn’t it? Oh, sorry; thought you were paying attention. ‘S okay; neither was I. I am, now, though, so, I suppose I ought to close this up, before it gets any stranger than it has already gone. I’ll offer the usual caveat, to wit: I’ll be back. You may regard that as a warning, a threat, a promise, or a conundrum; your choice. Me, I’m outta here, before I lose all dignity, or more blood….. See ya, ffolkes…. Stay weird; I’m planning something special, & weird can only help….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. A foul wind blew, bringing the temptation of nausea; forgotten, the pale shadows of burgeoning night stole softly past time’s patient milieu. Sultry, the hours pass, until the ripeness of entropic salvation assumes precedence over preference. Still, there is no pattern exclusive to such mundane proliferation, save that which strikes fancy. The silly simians have held their sway, only to find a more attractive degree of oblivion. So be it….
Good morning…. Hmm? Oh, that. Nothing much; merely some random thoughts to warm up the somnolent grey cells, in the interest of aiding the caffeine I’ve already taken aboard. Didn’t seem to work as well as I’d hoped, but, since I’m rather late getting this done, it will have to do. I do have all the elements for a Pearl in place; that isn’t to say it’s good, or even great. It merely means it’s ready for consumption, if not appreciation. I guess, all things considered, that’s about as good as I can expect on such a morning as this one promises to be. No, I’m not being obscure (not deliberately, anyway), I’m being overly honest. And, given the implications, I think I’ll just leave that right there….
I could, if I felt so inclined, wander around my head a little longer, trying to find something worthwhile to put into this intro; that, however, would be mere indulgence on my part, so, instead, I’ll break out yet another literary trick, & dazzle y’all with the brilliance it reveals, in all its tawdry glory. I’ll even go so far as to neglect any attempt to explain, or justify such an assumptive attitude, & show you how it works, first-hand. That hand, if you will, or, if you won’t, is quick, too…. How quick? This quick….
Shall we Pearl?
“I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read.
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
~~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Ozymandias” (1819) ~~
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I’ve managed to make myself late getting posted, so, we will go with one of our default music selections. This collection of Nocturnes by F. Chopin is touted as excellent for reading or studying, so, let’s see it it’s true, shall we? Enjoy!….
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Frédéric Chopin Nocturnes
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A Failure to Germinate
Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.
Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.
Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.
I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.
My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.
Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.
~~ gigoid ~~
9/27/2012
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Naked Pearls
Curves ahead; watch your step….
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“All things are to be examined and called into question.
There are no limits set on thought.”
~~ Edith Hamilton ~~
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“You did then what you knew how to do.
When you knew better, you did better.
You are spirit who did what you had to do,
but you are not that thing.”
~~ Maya Angelou ~~
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“Eternity has nothing to do with the hereafter… This is it…
If you don’t get it here, you won’t get it anywhere.
The experience of eternity right here and now is the function of life.
Heaven is not the place to have the experience;
here’s the place to have the experience.”
~~ Joseph Campbell ~~
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“It is never too early or too late to care for the well-being of the soul.”
~~ Epicurus ~~
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“Keep the juices going by jangling around gently as you move.”
~~ Satchel Paige ~~
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“I don’t pretend to have all the answers.
I don’t pretend to even know what the questions are.
Hey, where am I?”
~~ Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey ~~
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“I just forgot my whole philosophy of life!!!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
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I shall offer no apology for today’s Pearl; I won’t even offer sympathy. I will, however, leave you to nurse your wounded psyche in peace, as I probably should have done at the beginning. Let’s try again, tomorrow, shall we? Well, I will; I can only hope you’ll show some forgetfulness, and forgiveness, enough to send you back tomorrow, to see if we can do any better. Until then, be well, and happy as you may; I’m going back to bed, I think. That promises to be the safest bet I can make…. See ya….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. Today, I have a complete Pearl, composed in pieces over the last day, as is my wont. The poem I’ve been working on is as done as it will ever be, so, it’s here for your perusal; you can tell me if you think it’s worth the time to read. I won’t take any criticism lightly; I also won’t pay it much mind at all, for the most important part for me is that it isn’t wandering around my head any more, bugging me to write it down. Besides, the average loss of blood that takes place whenever I write a new poem is a bit problematic, requiring a longer recovery time each time it occurs. Oh, well, he said, with resignation….
In order to hasten said recovery, I’ll truncate today’s introductory section, in the interests of moving things along on their prescribed path toward some sort of resolution. We’ll even skip any discussion of WHAT we are attempting to resolve, in favor of the aforementioned truncation; it seems like the only decent thing to do. What’s more, we’ll use one of our oldest, most efficient methods for the process. Yep, it’s old #4, and it works like this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Some mistakes we must carry with us.”
~~ Speaker-to-Animals “Ringworld” ~~
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Image from Bedwyn.com on Flickr.com via Google Images
I’ve meant to include this artist’s work as our musical selection for some time now, but, hadn’t done so. To remedy that obvious mistake, here she is. Considered by many to have one of the finest voices in her chosen field of music, she has achieved a large fan base; if I am any judge, it is well-deserved. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do….
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Loreena McKennit
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Obscure Empathy
Twisting the tail of reality, again, unrepentant,
as a pale moon rises in the west, unnoticed.
Sensing imminence, evicting the remaining tenant;
dispensing false empathy, well-practiced.
Metaphor becomes allegory, critically sane,
as humanity wells up, conflicted, bedeviling time;
experience assumes an old cut, with virgin pain,
a solitary ambient poet dies, in shame, sans rhyme.
Patterns form inside an intricate space, forlorn,
abiding, with reluctant patience, only to learn
of dispassion’s inelegant cost, basely shopworn;
forgotten verses, delicately done to a turn.
Previously spoken standards shall not apply;
forsworn, soaked in cruel imagination,
questing egos neglect to ask, why?
Purely natural law demands speculation.
Twice-told tales assume mythical profundity
casting shadows into night’s bower.
Artful, enticing, a lure for serendipity
passing time in a lonely tower.
~~ gigoid ~~
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Naked Pearls
Five points worth a ponder….
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“The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth.”
~~ Chinese proverb~~
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“How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else.”
~~ R. Buckminster Fuller ~~
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“Your body cannot heal without play.
Your mind cannot heal without laughter.
Your soul cannot heal without joy.”
~~ Catherine Rippenger Fenwick ~~
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“It is not necessary to change.
Survival is not mandatory.”
~~ W. Edwards Deming” ~~
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“Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.”
~~ Kahlil Gibran in Essay on Death in The Prophet ~~
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Well, it’s done. It took a little longer than I’d planned, thanks to a relatively short interruption to cuddle a cat in hammock mode/mood. Such is life with a familiar…. Without further silliness, or sobriety, I take my leave, with the standard caveat, to wit: I’ll try again soon to get it right…. Until then, enjoy the diem as you seize it, & stay alert. It’s our best defense against our own kind, you betcha…. See ya, ffolkes….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“The hands that help are better far than the lips that pray.”
~~ Robert Green Ingersoll ~~
Spring in full bloom….
Hajime…. In the past six years, or so, I have spent many hours contemplating the state of Reality in which I find myself existing, along with more than seven billion other humans, each of whom possesses their own interpretation of that Reality. The degree of cognitive dissonance this existence engenders amongst us humans is, as it naturally must, increasing, at a rate that any good mathematician fears, to wit: it is exponential, rapidly approaching a parabolic curve leading to infinity. Now, that may not sound like it is something to fear, but, if one truly understands what ‘parabolic’ implies, such fear is the natural result….
Another way to describe this is in the less mathematical, but, more accessible concept of insanity, with which we humans also have extensive experience, both individually, and as a species. Perhaps the simplest way to express all I see can be summed up in the short, pithy phrase, the world has gone fucking crazy. I would suggest that anyone who doesn’t agree with that assessment can only be understood to be a large part of the problem; it’s hard to see the trees when one is in a forest fire…..
I suppose such a sobering line of thought isn’t altogether appropriate to begin today’s missive; some might say it’s a sure path to perdition, leading to loss of Gentle Readership, as well as being a real bummer. But, then, ‘appropriate’ has never really been an accepted part of my vocabulary, being, as it so clearly is, a concept rooted in giving a shit what others think, of which I have never been guilty. But, since I do happen to agree it’s a bummer, I’ll forgo any further exploration of so obvious a truism, or, set of truisms, in favor of some rather more uplifting lines of discussion.
This, patently, implies changing direction, a habit we encourage, as it fits in with Reality’s general directional flow, which is in a rather constant state of flux (great word, flux….). To further encourage such flexibility, I’ll proceed now to make the necessary directional alterations to get us where we need to be, to wit: further on down the road…. How does that look? Ah, well, to find out, simply follow me, as I make this slight adjustment to our modus operandi…. Watch closely, or, you’ll miss it….
Shall we Pearl?
I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together!
~~ The Beatles, “I Am The Walrus” ~~
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We are going with a default selection today. This one advertises itself as a collection of the greatest classical composers; let’s see if they got that right, shall we? Enjoy!….
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Classical Music
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Random Visions/Coloring Between the Lines of Grief
Everywhere is dark, and shining,
with points in dissonant pain.
Sharp, senses dull past divining,
tears burn, a torrential rain.
Escape! Flee within to cower,
find an unconscious cave.
Call on Morpheus’ power
deny reality’s beckoning wave.
Light breaks, drawing the inner eye,
leading to the slippery slope.
Risk is critical, we may only sigh,
yet welcome, for bringing hope.
Sanity seems far out of reach
Insanity’s a stronger friend.
Decisions made will merely teach
our way toward Death to wend.
Lost, while still on familiar ground,
the future yet undesigned.
Making way on paths unfound,
to Now, as yet undefined.
~~ gigoid ~~
2/22/2013
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Naked Pearls
Points to ponder….
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“When one shuts one eye, one does not hear everything.”
~~ Swiss Proverb ~~
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“If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary,
you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.”
~~ Lin-Chi ~~
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“Virtue knowing no base repulse, shines with untarnished honour;
nor does she assume or resign her emblems of honour
by the will of some popular breeze.”
~~ Horace ~~
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“Live the questions now.
Perhaps then, someday far in the future,
you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way in the answer.”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~
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“The education of the will is the object of our existence.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
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“Always make room for the unexpected in yourself.”
~~ Steve Martin ~~
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“But since life is cruel, to you and to me, here I am.”
~~ Umberto Eco ~~
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As I have noted previously, I do this to help keep my own sanity intact…. Well, as intact as it ever gets, anyway. If it helps decrease the overall level of insanity extant in the world, so be it. If not, well, entropy wins again. Either way, I’m done for today, which merely means I get to try again tomorrow, or, at the earliest convenient time, whichever seems clever. For the nonce, I shall bid thee adieu, with a hearty wave and my best wishes for your own retention of sanity. Hope, silly as it always seems, springs eternal, doesn’t it? Yes, yes, it does…. See ya, ffolkes….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“Every man is a divinity in disguise, a god playing the fool.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
“Because it’s comfortable. Why?….”
Hajime…. In spite of how little incentive I find to finish and post today’s Pearl, I will do so; for those of us who write for the same reason we breathe, incentive is irrelevant, for it appeals only to self-interest, which has no bearing on duty, or survival, both of which are their own incentive. This, of course, means we will get posted, if only to demonstrate how critical it is to be true to oneself. I am beset by demons, some physical, some cerebral, either of which would be sufficient to keep me from completing today’s effort; duty, chosen or demanded, provides adequate reason to disregard any demands such distraction implies….
Having thus dismissed any attempts to sublimate, or to procrastinate, I shall proceed to do what is necessary to get posted. As is already clear, all the true issues involved have been placed into the vault, where they won’t distract me from doing what is required. Perhaps, in some future time, it will all come into some sort of balanced level of coherency; then, again, perhaps not. At this juncture, this too, is irrelevant, if not downright obscure. In fact, I may have achieved a new level of such obscurity, though such would be hard to determine. And, in the final analysis, who cares? Not me; I’m too crazy today.
I will take a moment, though, to express my regrets to those blogs where I make a habit of commenting. For some days now, sitting long enough to visit other blogs has been put on a back burner, as all the time available to me for such activity has been used up by the act of posting. I’m even having a hard time sitting enough to do any reading; to me, that is as close to hell as I ever get. I will offer my apologies to those blogging friends whose sites I’ve not gone to; my only excuse is self-preservation, which all of us, necessarily, place ahead of most everything else we may wish to do. All I can say is, I hope to do better, in the near future….
Having thus soothed my angst, as far as possible, I believe it would be best to just get on with this, before I become any MORE obscure, through trying to maintain some dignity. Dignity, for us Bozos, doesn’t come easily, patently. But, then, given the state of insanity currently extant in reality, I suppose that isn’t much of a surprise. In any case, it’s time to get this slow on the toad, so, hang on, while I make a quick, hard turn into efficiency, if not elegance…. Don’t worry, it will all be over soon….
Shall we Pearl?
33. “Be gentle with the earth.”
~~ Instructions for life ~~
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Ian Drury & The Blockheads
Image from werksman.blogspot.com via Google Images
A friend from England recommended this band to me yesterday, & I enjoyed it enough, it got picked for today’s musical selection. Gritty, real, and smart, this band has made some rather fine music for quite a number of years. I hope you enjoy it…..
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Ian Drury & The Blockheads
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Premises, premises….
Tricked, I stumble, and I fall
dreaming, through an abandoned palace.
Frightened and wary, unheard my call
fading into memory, no cup, no argent chalice.
The people, crushed, cry out to be freed
asking only to take part, or travel.
Nascent oaths spotlight such bursting need
fed by treachery, deep from our well.
Only the wicked shall find their way blocked
justice seeks them, snug in their hole.
Faint praises never touched, but naked, stalked
singing no gospel, no soul, no rock and roll.
Only the promised will remember the way
from unforgiven trails of sorrow.
To live life, and give death no sway,
saving grace for our only tomorrow.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/19/2014
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Naked Pearls
Thoroughly Walt….
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“I exist as I am, that is enough.”
~~ Walt Whitman ~~
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“At any price that I can pay, let me own myself.
And the price is worth paying if you keep what you have bought…
A man may apply his independence to what is called worldly advantage,
and discover too late that he laboriously has made himself
dependent on a mass of external conditions
for the maintenance of which he has sacrificed himself.
So he may be festooned with the whole haberdashery of success,
and go to his grave a castaway.
Some men hold that the risk is worth taking.
Others do not.
It is to those that I have spoken.”
~~ Rudyard Kipling, speech at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, 1923 ~~
~~ quoted in _Kipling’s Science Fiction_ edited by John Brunner ~~
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“Have you learn’d lessons only of those who admired you,
and were tender with you, and stood aside for you?
Have you not learn’d great lessons from those who reject you
and brace themselves against you?
or who treat you with contempt,
or dispute the passage with you?”
~~ Walt Whitman ~~
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“A man can only do what he can do.
But if he does that each day
he can sleep at night and do it again the next day.”
~~ Albert Schweitzer ~~
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“If a camel flies, no one laughs if it doesn’t get very far.”
~~ Paul White ~~
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“This is thy hour, O Soul;
Thy free flight into the wordless
Away from books, from art.
The day erased; the lesson done.
Thee fully forth emerging,
Silent, gazing…
Pondering the themes thou lovest best:
Night, sleep, death, and the stars.”
~~ Walt Whitman ~~
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Well, there you have it. I won’t call it good; I won’t even call it adequate. I’ll merely call it ‘done’, and be done with it. I suggest you do what I plan to do, which is to go try to salvage what is left of the day, while there is still hope of doing so. I’ll try to get back to this by tomorrow, but, what with my state of mind (such as it is), and the state of reality, that remains problematic, if not completely questionable. We’ll just have to wait, & see how it goes…. which is a pretty good metaphor for how most of us approach life, altogether. Stay strange, stay alert, and be well & happy as you may…. Me, I’m shooting for a touch of sanity….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Murphy has made a reappearance in my vicinity, and he brought demons with him…. SIGH. Asshole. It will take me much of the day to repair the damage caused to my balance, with a side effect of preventing the completion of a Pearl for today. I’ve chosen this one, mostly because it contains a discussion of the Golden Rule I wrote that will help me in my damage control efforts. I’ll work on the current fresh material, so I can post tomorrow, & try to get back into my preferred routine…. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past; it’s pretty decent, for what it is…. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, given a fair wind & a rising tide…. See ya….
“To do nothing is sometimes a good remedy.” — Hippocrates
Ah, hell…. with all of the incredible vastness of space and time… and I end up here…. Tell me, what good is it having the power of a Time Lord, and never being allowed to use it without factoring in entropy’s influence? Calculating temporal slippage with pencil and paper just isn’t working out, and nobody can find me a decent slide rule at a price I can live with; I keep ending up back here, when I’m trying to get back into the future… Actually, I’m only here because I couldn’t find the Tardis at all this morning, having forgotten, again, where I parked it…. Or, maybe that was WHEN I parked it? Hmm… I’ll have to check that later….
Above, you see a picture of the signature dish made by the Balaguer family, at their small, but…
“Only, as long as we’re going insane, we might as well go the whole way.
A mere shred of sanity is of no value.”
~~ S. S. Van Dine ~~
Memorial for the victims & heroes of the Great Famine Exodus
Galway, Ireland
Hajime…. Opening with such a picture, when taken in the context of the quote preceding it, could, very easily, lead me into a very long rant. However, I seem to have burned off some of the built-in angst, generally so common to my persona, over the past six years of railing against the machine that passes for human society. For example, the truth of the Great Famine is, for the most part, ignored by most of the world, that truth being more shameful than most of humanity cares to contemplate; this alone could prompt at least five thousand harsh words from me, especially given my personal ties to Ireland. I’ll forgo any such rant, however, simply because I am weary of shouting into the wind, & having only a few people listen….
Ranting is also complicated, these days, by my basic inability to sit long enough to marshal the words necessary to produce a viable discussion; hard to think when one’s ass is constantly signaling its desire to get up & move, rather than submitting to gravity’s less than tender embrace. This brings out, naturally, my human tendency to allow expediency to influence our decision making process; in short, I won’t rant, simply because its too much trouble for little return. I suppose, in and of itself, that, too, is human.
It doesn’t make it any more comfortable to know this; it merely makes it tawdry, and pedestrian. Fortunately, memory is volitional, making it easy to deny the reality of any situation that challenges our morality…. Go figure, eh? No ranting is necessary to demonstrate; the act of NOT ranting, in this case, becomes an act of sublimation, designed simply to make us easier in our skin. Thus, our humanity, shameful as it may be, is verified.
Gosh…. That’s pretty much of a bummer, eh? Oh, well. I’d hoped to come up with something a bit more uplifting, but, such is life for us humans; we lift our eyes to the stars, only to have to stop to wipe our feet, having stepped in something unpleasant, from having our attention focused away from what is real. I suppose this is a pretty clear indicator of how our culture has gone so far off the rails, but, to dwell on that would, once again, lead us into the realm where ranting would become necessary, if only to keep from exploding from excessive irony…..
Since it’s way to early for that, why don’t we get on with the rest of today’s mess, before I stumble into a real rant…. We’ll do it this way, which seems to work out as well as anything else I’ve attempted over the years…. Watch your step, please; the sidewalk is rather bumpy….
Shall we Pearl?
“We shall never cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
~~ T. S. Eliot~~
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I arose later than usual, meaning we go with one of our default choices. Here is a relatively new cut from the organization, with an old country tune most of us know…. Enjoy! Then, go send them some money…. They’re doing good work….
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Playing For Change Take Me Home, Country Roads
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Unheralded Sagacity…
To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.
Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.
Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.
No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.
Illumination…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/17/2013
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Naked Pearls
One path of many….
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“He should not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.”
~~ Elrond ~~
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“I have everything, yet have nothing;
and although I possess nothing, still of nothing am I in want.”
~~ Terence — Act ii, Sc. 2, 12, (243.) ~~
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“… denn da ist keine Stelle,
die dich nicht sieht. Du musst dein Leben andern.”
(“… for there is no place that does not see you.
You must change your life.”)
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke, “Archaic Torso of Apollo” ~~
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“My friend Data, you see things with the wonder of a child.
And that makes you more human than any of us.”
~~ Yar, “Skin of Evil”, stardate 41601.3 ~~
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“The problem with the future is that it keeps on becoming the present.”
~~ Calvin & Hobbes ~~
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“When in doubt, sing loud.”
~~ Robert Merrill ~~
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“For how much longer can I howl into this wind?”
~~ The Cure “A Thousand Hours” ~~
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Well, there you go…. I can’t say it’s the best Pearl ever, but, it ain’t bad, and will do for our purposes here today. I’ll be back, hopefully tomorrow, with more fresh, if strange, material. Ooh, there’s a cut, if I ever heard one. Ah, well, self-denigration is always a good technique; it makes people think you’re honest, if nothing else. Since I am honest, as humans go, I’ll just use this opportunity to say, thanks for dropping in, & I hope you’ve enjoyed our time together. We’ll do it again, soon…. Ta, for now….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. There are days here at ECR when the process by which the Pearls you see posted can only be described as ‘torturous’…. That’s not to say it isn’t a pleasant, uplifting experience, because it isn’t; it’s merely to say it can be fucking annoying. This attitude, patently, is not one that lends itself particularly well to the creative process; around here, that, in and of itself, is therapeutic, if nothing else. But, it is also an attitude which, given its patently less-than-constructive nature, can lead to hours and hours of guilt, if I ever felt guilt. Since I don’t, (gave it up long ago as a bad investment of time….), it’s probably for the best if we just move on to the next stop on the way to the closing section….
If I were really as smart as I believe myself to be, I’d use that paragraph as a jumping off point for any number of ideological forays; instead, I’m going to ignore it completely, by filling in the rest by the numbers. Number two, if we are counting correctly, is to proceed with our morning ramblings, but, on a completely new tack; it’s actually a pity I haven’t a clue as to how to proceed in that direction, without edging over into the realm of either fantasy, or, more likely, sheer insanity, a condition with which I am all too familiar. How, you may ask, can anyone be so calm about being insane? That one’s easy: practice…..
Yes, I am a practicing psychopath; the work is good, and never ending, but, the pay is lousy. Far be it from me to question the dictates of reality, though, so, I just try to ‘go with the flow’, so to speak, in order to maintain the illusion of competency so vital to living in a world gone mad. That, by the way, is an illusion fully 100% of humanity has experience in, to our everlasting regret, I’m sure. Of course, there are numerous reasons we spend so much time insane, each of which is implacable, as well as embedded in our nature. In short, our entire species is, simply, quite insane on at least three levels, of which two are incredibly vital to survival, while the third is critical only in our own estimation. Go figure, eh?
Having, quite clearly, demonstrated the assertion proposed, it becomes clear we may have screwed the pooch, a euphemism both obscure, and all-too-obvious. Rather than continue to beat a moribund equine, let’s do this…..
Shall we Pearl?
“The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror.
It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing.
It receives but does not keep.”
~~ Chuang Tzu ~~
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Today’s selection of classical music is for a blogging friend, who particularly enjoys classical guitar; I figure over six hours worth should hold him for a time…. I also hope the rest of our Gentle Readers enjoy the feast…. Abondanza!….
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Classical Guitar
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Off the proverbial cuff….
I never meant to kill that period of time,
it didn’t give me any choice.
It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,
refused me any vote, or any voice.
You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,
just as if I cared.
I knew, though, it would never last,
or ever be fully repaired.
No news, no pictures can bring it back,
once is all we get.
No pleas of public good, or even public lack;
in stone the past is set.
Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,
I’m ready to go on.
Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!
Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?
Now, I remembered, at long, long last,
is all we really can hold.
Every moment goes by so bloody fast,
we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/30/2013
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Naked Pearls
A Polymath’s path….
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Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum —
“I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.”
~~ Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary” ~~
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“Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.”
~~ The Beatles ~~
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“A man of genius makes no mistakes.
His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”
~~ James Joyce, “Ulysses” ~~
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“We are all born mad. Some remain so.”
~~ Samuel Beckett ~~
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“How does it feel?
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown?”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
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“Logic doesn’t apply to the real world.”
~~ Marvin Minsky ~~
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Calvin: “People think it must be fun to be a super genius,
but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.”
Hobbes: “Isn’t your pants’ zipper supposed to be in the front?”
~~ Calvin (Bill Watterson, “Calvin and Hobbes”) ~~
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Well, that was fun. Sort of. It’s done, anyway, so, I suppose I should find some way to gracefully close this mess. Hmm…. I guess ‘graceful’ isn’t on the agenda today. Oh, well….. This, then, will have to do, as I am now completely baffled as to any new direction to take. I know…. I’ll just drop y’all like the proverbial hot potato, which will get us all out of here, and, give y’all something about which you may unleash those pent up feelings you’ve been holding on to for too long. See, I can be nice. I can also be gone, and, I am…. See y’all next time, provided the universe cooperates…. I’d say we have even odds on that….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Another most excellent post from Nadia. I’m going to plant some trees; can you help, too?…. gigoid نادية حرحش Plant an Olive tree from Palestine Last year, while I was chatting with my Syrian friend, the long-time star in Syrian … Continue reading →
gigoid 