Justifying obsequious ramifications….

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Ffolkes,

“There is no debt with so much prejudice put off as that of justice.”

~~ Plutarch — Of those whom God is slow to punish ~~

treats

You said there would be treats….


Hajime….. Pale, sweaty, yet, undaunted by the demands of reality, he arises to begin the day, sans coherent thought, as is his wont. Still, the prospect of yet another day on this beautiful planet, with its immense complexity of life, and it’s uncommonly evocative vistas of uncompromising grandeur. Even considering the negative aspects of current reality, there remains the continual reminder of the immortal, eternal nature of the Universe at large, and the ever-present hope that lives in the human heart, with, or without reason.

Okay, that’s enough pedantry for one morning. I’m a bit late, having again slept reasonably well, so, I’m in a bit of a rush to maintain the schedule to which I try to keep, loose and flexible as it may be. I got a fair amount done yesterday, so, we’ll make it, with the help of the archives, if needed. For the time being, I’ll make the executive decision again to pursue a policy of brevity in expression, at least, here in the intro. It seems to work out better on such days when I do, so, hey, why not? It can’t be any more problematic than our usual blather, right? Right. So be it, and here we go….

Shall we Pearl?….

“It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible,
but also for what we do not do.”

~~ Moliere ~~


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TheBlues

Image from Photostock Royalty-free Images


On the page where I viewed a video yesterday, sent by a friend, I found these two videos. The first is a jam of “Why I Sing The Blues” with a group of performers that is hard to believe got together all in one place. Just about every blues player in American music history of the last 40 years was there; every one of them had a blast doing the song, as is clear by their expressions of joy the entire time… The second video is a compilation of a couple hours of blues, just for your enjoyment… so, enjoy!….

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The Blues
 ~ Best of the Best Jam ~
& Blues Mix

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The_Death_of_Socrates_cropped

“There is no freedom without the power to defend it.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~


I had intended to create a discussion based on the above assertion, but, didn’t have time; for y’all it’s probably a good thing, as this subject can push a couple thousand words out of me in no time. Instead, I’ll leave you today with the following observation, then include a discussion of personal responsibility/self-awareness from the archives, from 2012, which includes a verse we utilized yesterday…. I hope you enjoy this little break from fresh ranting… Me, I’m gonna go listen to some blues….

“The average man never really thinks from beginning to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of cliches. What they mistake for thought is simply repetition of what they have heard. My guess is that well over 80% of the human race goes through life without having a single original thought. Whenever a new one appears the average man shows signs of dismay and resentment.” — H. L. Mencken: “Minority Report: H. L. Mencken’s Notebooks”

From 9/9/2012:

A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: “Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.” When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, “The one I feed the most.” — George Bernard Shaw

This is a wonderful anecdote, and one I feel very firmly about, as it is one of the clearest lessons in self-awareness I have ever seen. This one is so simple an idea, that even the ignorant asses who make up the political scene in this country would be able to understand it. They probably couldn’t do it, as they never, ever think about themselves other than as an important person, who doesn’t need to make changes in himself. Anyone who does think of themselves would never, ever consent to be put into a public office…. the two things (introspection vs. public office) just don’t mix…. That is because of the following, from a pretty smart fella, who lived quite some time ago, but seemed to have a good head on his shoulders….

“Neither do the ignorant seek after wisdom.  For herein is the evil of ignorance, that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself; he has no desire for that of which he feels no want.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)

“…he who is neither good nor wise” is a perfect description of anyone who wants to be President of this country. I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again, because it bears repetition, that anyone, anyone at all, who actually WANTS to be President can be classified as clinically insane, usually a paranoid schizophrenic, with grandiose delusions of adequacy…. NOBODY is adequate for that job… nobody. And anyone who thinks they are is simply not all there…..

And it’s just a box of rain
I don’t know who put it there
Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare
And it’s just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there

 ~~ Box of Rain by Phil Lesh & Robert Hunter ~~


Ah me…. politics and politicians are such an easy target. If it wasn’t so much fun, I might call it a naughty habit, and leave them to their devices, which surely are many….. Since we’re pressed for time today, we’ll leave them be, and just caution y’all to watch out, because their antics can be dangerous, if they are left without supervision for long….

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Comedy_Tragedy

A Sorcerer Bids Farewell To Seem

I’m through with this grand looking-glass hotel
where adjectives play croquet with flamingo nouns;
methinks I shall absent me for a while
from rhetoric of these rococo queens.
Item : chuck out royal rigmarole of props
and auction off each rare white-rabbit verb;
send my muse Alice packing with gaudy scraps
of mushroom simile and gryphon garb.

My native sleight-of-hand is wearing out :
mad hatter’s hat yields no new metaphor,
and jabberwock will not translate his songs :
it’s time to vanish like the cheshire cat
alone to that authentic island where
cabbages are cabbages; kings : kings. 

~~ Sylvia Plath ~~


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pearls_3

    Today’s final pearl is a classic style old-school pearl, random harlequin style, with a somewhat subtle message for us. In fact, so subtle, I have yet to figure out what it may be… ‘S okay, we’ve got all day to try to reason it out, so…. have fun!….

“Every man is a divinity in disguise, a god playing the fool.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“It is because modern education is so seldom inspired by a great hope that it so seldom achieves great results. The wish to preserve the past rather that the hope of creating the future dominates the minds of those who control the teaching of the young.” — Bertrand Russell

“Fishing gives you a sense of where you fit in the scene of things. Your place in the universe. I mean, here I am, one small guy with a fishing pole on this vast beach and out there in the blue expanse of ocean are these hundreds of millions of fish… laughing at me.” — Anonymous Smart Bee

“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” — Leonardo da Vinci

“As for myself, I always willingly acknowledge my own self as the principal cause of every good and of every evil which may befall me; therefore I have always found myself capable of being my own pupil, and ready to love my teacher.” — Giacomo Casanova

“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” — Rabindranath Tagore

“In the end, everything is a gag.” — Charlie Chaplin

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Not too shabby for what I’d call a rush job, hurried. It seems to hang together, though, so, we’ll let ‘er fly solo, and see what happens. I shall, as is also my wont, return tomorrow, to give this ol’ horse another workout, to see if we can’t improve on our time, and the elegance of our ‘look and feel’. Fat chance, right? Okay, I’ll stop now, since we are in the closing section. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. I can’t figure out if it’s a gift, or an obsession, but, either way, I’ll be here….

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.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Defined by overt self-interest…

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“And it’s just a box of rain

I don’t know who put it there

Believe it if you need it

Or leave it if you dare

And it’s just a box of rain

Or a ribbon for your hair

Such a long, long time to be gone

And a short time to be there”


~~ Box of Rain by Phil Lesh, & Robert Hunter ~~


~~From American Beauty, 1970, The Grateful Dead ~~


catnap


Catnap while gigoid works…




Hajime….. There is a lot to be said for sleep. Mostly, it’s all been said, but, my appreciation for it has again been highlighted by its presence in my life again last night. I fell asleep early, and slept, fairly naturally, for eight solid hours, with only the usual interruptions for visits to the porcelain throne, as is normal at my age…. All in all, a grand night’s sleep, for the first time in what seems like ages…. I’m not sure just what to do with all the energy. SIGH…. Ah, well, it’s a nice conundrum to face, even so early, and I’m sure I can figure it out….


Well, now what? Gosh, it’s weird to have this much energy in the morning; the usual application of will to the morning routine isn’t even close to the usual degree necessary to type. Now, if only ideas were as plentiful as energy, we might get somewhere. As it is, I’m afraid a bit of brain-cudgeling will be needed to produce anything readable, and the odds on that are slim. I guess we’ll just have to trust the process again, and see if Leelu will give me enough time to get it done….


That said, let’s get to it. Let me at that ranting section, I’m ready to rumble….. In fact, let’s do it now, so I don’t lose any time or energy to vacillating, as we often will do here in the intro section. Today, we’ll use this little device from the Tardis, and move us right along to where we should be by now…. Watch closely, or you’ll miss it….


Shall we Pearl?….




“As war and government prove, insanity is the most contagious of diseases.”


~~ Edward Abbey ~~




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royalty-free-clip-art-vector-logos-of-black-and-orange-floral-acoustic-guitars-by-seamartini-graphics-6573




    We are going with classical music again today, just because I want to. I find it is the simplest solution to conundrums, since it’s music that has been filtered through the ages, until all we have to listen to is what is considered the best…. Enjoy, ffolkes… As usual, the mix you’ll hear was picked solely because I like the picture it showed….




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Classical Music

















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Dont keep calm




“The older we grow the greater becomes our wonder at how much ignorance one can contain without bursting one’s clothes.” — Mark Twain


Though there is sufficient energy, and angst, built up to rant, I’m going with an archived piece, simply because it is on the subject I wish to address, and says what I would have said, anyway…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s all still as true as the day….


From 4/18/2013:


MORAL, adj.  Conforming to a local and mutable standard of right. Having the quality of general expediency.


“It is sayd there be a raunge of mountaynes in the Easte, on one syde of the which certayn conducts are immorall, yet on the other syde they are holden in good esteeme; wherebye the mountayneer is much conveenyenced, for it is given to him to goe downe eyther way and act as it shall suite his moode, withouten offence.  _Gooke’s Meditations_


— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


A reader commented to me recently that my rants have gone soft; she enjoys it when I rake someone over the coals, figuratively speaking, and asked me when I was going to get back on my white horse, or my soapbox, as the cliché may be…. I told her it is most likely a result of having some of the pressure of living removed, by the acquisition of my SS benefits, so much so that I’m finding it hard to summon up the outrage needed to rant effectively…. Like Voldemort told Harry, when he tried to use the Cruciatus Curse against Bellatrix Lestrange, in HP5-The Order of the Phoenix, “You’ve got to MEAN it, Harry!”  Funny how not worrying about where the next meal is coming from takes some stress out of one’s life, isn’t it?….. Ha Ha…..


So, anyway, then I saw the above entry from the Devil’s Dictionary, and thought to myself, “AHA!”  (I do that a lot…), “Now, here’s a subject worthy of a rant!”…. This is absolutely true, even though morality is sort of like reality…. there are as many versions of what it means as there are people…. of which, each and every one believes that what they perceive is the only correct version, obviously…. Right….


So, you can see the problem right away…. As a society, we have an unfortunate tendency to try to legislate morality, so that everyone is compelled to behave according to a commonly accepted pattern of behavior…. Supposedly, this legislation is supposed act as some sort of magic bullet, that will stop all the bad things from happening, like stealing, killing, and general misbehavior that is upsetting to the rest of society…. It never works, at all, but, we keep on passing laws designed to enforce a common morality anyway….


Such a drama is now being played out on the national stage, as the Senate just defeated the new gun control reforms that 90% of the populace wants in place. Out of a hundred Senators, it only took 45 Republicans to bring the proposed law down, meaning that once again, a very small percentage of people have forced their views on the rest of the public, to suit their own morality, and, more importantly, to suit their own special interests, who paid good money for their votes, dammit!…. I am somewhat piqued about this, but see little in the way of anything to be done that will make any difference, in the big picture…. No matter how stringent the laws, people who want guns will get them, and use them on other people…. The new laws would have made that a bit more time-consuming, but no less possible, or even less probable….


Since I can’t thing of anything positive to suggest, other than to stay alert to what may end up as a critical issue, I will fill out what should normally be a rant, with a number of cogent pearls, to try to jab the stick into the appropriate eyes…. and my friend will have to wait a bit longer for a good, old-fashioned brouhaha, as I get nasty and vicious in my denouncement of the BRC, the churches, and the corporate masters….. I will say this to her….. have no fear, my outrage isn’t gone, just temporarily dormant, and I WILL be back to rant….. meanwhile, enjoy these tasty gems…..


“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” — Sir Winston Churchill


Linear Model:  An assumption concerning the nature of reality applied unquestioningly to every relationship as though God had determined that truth must always run in straight lines. — Smart Bee


“The clinching proof of my reasoning is that I will cut anyone who argues further into dogmeat.” — Sir Geoffery de Tourneville (ca. 1350)


“Has history ever recorded a time when the majority was right?” — Lazarus Long


“He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world without having tasted of lying or pretense of any sort, or of wantonness or conceit.” –Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 2


“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” — Saul Bellow


“If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other.” — Carl Schurz


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Comedy_Tragedy




Haiku VIIA


Making it all up

I go merrily along;

waters of Lethe.


~~ gigoid ~~


4/18/2013


Unsolicited Gratitude 


Fear becomes familiar when reality bodes us ill

pain assumes first position, no matter our will.

Powerless, we founder, no strength to prevail

anguished and afraid, against unwanted Fate we rail.


Still, a grain of hope deep inside, hidden well against need

gives us reason to survive, our starving souls to feed.

Failure of courage burdens time, of being bested,

until our souls, in submission, become foully infested.


Bitter tears wash through us each day, with little care,

no thought, no feeling, no wish, or need to be fair.

Rendered clueless, confusion falls upon us, as prey,

we surrender a piece of our soul, little as we may.


Yet, always, a bright beam of hope is seen from afar,

no matter how dreary, or dark, it may seem where we are.

None knows, nor would consent to tell, it seems

from whence it hails, or why it so brightly gleams.


Saving our sanity, absolving our unwanted fears,

dispelling the myths and lies that come with the years.

Each man has known the precious gift that hope may give

And gives glad thanks, as long as he may live.


~~ gigoid ~~


9/12/2012




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Sandclock .jpg




    I had not intended to use so much archived material today, since my energy is so strong. However, SB has apparently gone on strike, and won’t give me anything worth sharing. This one is a good one, so, it will do for today….


From 4/19/2013:


As you may have noted, my brain is broken…. and I am not sure which tool is going to work to fix it…. What this means in terms of today’s Pearl is that you will have to put up with more than the usual degree of smarm, and the occasional random insult, as I try to cope with creating a Pearl out of what is laying around in my brain, rather than a true creative episode, building and sharing images of grand eloquence, made up of just the right words….. Today, though, those words are hiding from me, so I have to allow Smart Bee to have its head, so to speak, because anything in mine has to be viewed with suspicion, and handled with care, lest it explode, whereupon, we get blamed for an act of terrorism…. Of course, that last word is probably what comes to mind when y’all think of this blog anyway…..


Nevertheless, I’m going old school, and you can’t stop me…. (Believe me, you don’t WANT to stop me today….. just let me have my way, and everything will work out fine….)…. Here is a group of pearls, all of which are pointed in a certain direction, which SHOULD be obvious…. If it is not, well, I guess you’re S.O.O.L., as they say downtown…. well, they said that when I hung out there…. any who, here….


“Critics quarrel with other critics. With an artist, no sane man quarrels.” — George Santayana


“Our discontent begins by finding false villains whom we can accuse of deceiving us. Next we find false heroes whom we expect to liberate us. The hardest, most discomfiting discovery is that each of us must emancipate himself.”– Daniel J. Boorstin


“Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.”– Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Rape of the Lock, Canto v, Line 34


“There’s a lot of stupid people out there. Just to prove it, think of how dumb the average person is, and then realize that half of the people out there are stupider than that.” — George Carlin


“A man that expects to train lobsters to fly in a year is called a lunatic and is locked up. But a man that thinks people can be turned into angels by legislation is called a reformer and allowed to walk free.” — Mr. Dooly


“All things that are born must die. Work hard for your own freedom from sorrow.” — Buddha


“Do not speak of what men deserve.   For we each of us deserve everything, every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead Kings, and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger.  Have we not eaten while another starved?  Will you punish us for that?  Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate?  No man earns punishment, no man earns reward.  Free your mind of the idea of *deserving*, of *earning*, and you will begin to be able to think.” — Odo, The Prison Letters (Ursula LeGuin, _The Dispossessed_)


Oooh…. now, THAT’S a pearl of virtual wisdom, if I ever saw one…..  Print it!…..


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Done, and, in jig time…. I’ll take it. Let’s print it, post it, and be gone, shall we? I, myself, will be off for a spin around the Big Blue Room today, to take advantage of all the extra energy….. I will, however, issue the usual warning, & remind y’all, I’ll be back tomorrow…. Nobody big or bad enough seems to want to try to stop me, so, I’ll be here…. Ta, then….




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.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








dozer3




À bientôt, mon cherí….





		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Fitted with dubious shoes at midnight….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




Laughter is by definition healthy.


~~ Doris Lessing ~~


monday 006


Whew! This writing gig isn’t as easy as it looks…




Hajime….. While perusing the suggested Pearls at the bottom of yesterday’s post, I came across what is possibly the best Pearl I did in 2012…. The whole thing was, if I say so myself, well-done, succinct, and cogently written. I’m rather proud of it, having forgotten it completely, so, I intend to use parts of it shamelessly today… Since the rant section runs a bit long, we’ll go with a new, very short poem today…. We’ll begin right in the intro, which went like this….


Ffolkes,


Can you say pusillanimous? No? Nor can I….. pity…..


Now that the facts in the matter have been established beyond all doubt, we may turn to more important questions, such as why is he talking like that? Or perhaps, why DOES Murphy have to stick his big nose into my business every damn day? Now, these are meaty subjects, and well worth our undivided attention. Of course, should we provide that, I’m afraid that it may send the entire Roman and Greek pantheons into hysterics. They’re SO prudish since being de-deified….. I suppose conservatism is a natural reaction to bad news and cowardice combined; it certainly seems to be the case in this country amongst the, shall we say, non-cognoscenti…..


There, that’s out…. better out than in, I always say (just ask anybody…). I’m not going to apologize for that bit of phantasm; ’twas necessary to my health for it to come out. I will say that I hope I didn’t startle the horses, or make the babies cry; such was not, I assure you, my intent. No, sheer unbridled relief was the intent, and that has been achieved, so, what say we NOT press our luck, and go straight on into today’s dive, hmm? I think that would be best, for all concerned….. let us Pearl…


Well, I like it. In fact, we’ll take it. Onward, fellow cognoscenti….


Shall we Pearl?….




“To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue.”


~~ Gentle Bee ~~




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cream 2005




Clapton, Bruce, & Baker ~ 2005



Image from http://www.mirror.co.uk via Google Images






When I went to look for music for today, I was feeling in the mood for something raucous & driving. I can’t think of a better concert for just that combination of music, with three of the legendary best musicians in all of rock & roll, coming together nearly 40 years after breaking up their original group. Enjoy, ffolkes; this concert is, literally, one of the best ever seen, or performed….







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Cream Reunion 2005

















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socrates




Socrates


    I feel like one

    Who treads alone

Some banquet-hall deserted,

    Whose lights are fled,

    Whose garlands dead,

And all but he departed.


~~ Thomas Moore — Oft in the Stilly Night ~~




As promised in the intro…. shameless…. I have altered some of the formatting to make it look better, reflecting our current look. None of the words themselves were altered, at all…. Oh, for those who wonder why the verse from Tom is above this section…. All I can say is, think about it, and, all you’ve learned here at ECR…. This piece turned out to be fairly lengthy, taken together as it was; so be it. I think it’s worth it….


From 4/12/2012:




Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing,

but inwardly they are ravening wolves.


~~ Matthew 7:15 ~~




wolf-sheep




     Why look! There’s one of them now!….. Gosh, if it wasn’t for Matthew, we’d have never even noticed him…… thank God! No telling how much he traumatized those sheep…. C’mon grab your rifle, we’ll take him out before he goes rabid or something….


The above short piece of conversation was not me…. would I be that sarcastic? What? Well, I resemble that remark!….. Shame on you! Pulling covers like that! How will these folks who wear blinders all the damn time ever save themselves, if they can’t even see through what a preacher tells them? I’m afraid there isn’t much hope for them…. they’re doomed to a lifetime of ignorance, and its just rewards….. ah, well, such a pity…. The rest of mankind was hoping they’d get a clue, and try to come with us down the road of reason, and on toward survival, but, I suppose that folks are entitled to their own opinions, no matter how grossly ignorant, and bigoted. Well, as long as they don’t try to drag anyone else along with them to perdition; that would be a real shame…..




“Being intelligent is not a felony. 

But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.”


~~ Robert Heinlein ~~




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“If you are out of trouble, watch for danger.”


~~ Sophocles ~~




Sophocles states one of mankind’s earliest attempts to make people aware of Murphy’s law, to prepare them, as it were, to deal with its unpredictable tendency to manifest at the most inopportune times. I can personally attest to the continuing relevance of this statement in reality, having encountered such danger on numerous occasions, and always when distracted by the absence of any other problems. It’s kind of like figuring out your taxes, finding out you will get a big refund, then having the car eat a piston on the way to mail the tax return forms….




“If you rely on Murphy’s law, everything will go as planned 

(but don’t count on it.)”


~~ Sullivan’s Observation ~~




I just have to say, if you will pardon my French, Murphy is an asshole. Of course, my no doubt bad habit of calling a spade a spade (even if it is obviously a shovel) is probably the main reason he bothers me so much. But, knowing that doesn’t alter his stink, nor does it give him the right to fuck with people who haven’t done a damn thing to deserve it. I think that is what annoys me so much about him; he is so damnably inefficient in his application of his power over reality. No sense to his choices at all, at times.


Oh sure, occasionally, he’ll get one right, and one of the beloved ruling class, or one of humanity’s ever-present number of true assholes will get what they so justly deserve at his hands. But, more often, it is the little guy just struggling along, trying to make his way through a life that offers no breaks, and no bonuses, who is the butt of his adolescent humor. It’s really a pain in the arse, if you know what I mean….




“This isn’t hell.

This is where you get sent when you’ve been bad in hell.”


~~ Smart Bee ~~




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BRAIN, n. An apparatus with which we think what we think.  That which distinguishes the man who is content to _be_ something from the man who wishes to _do_ something.  A man of great wealth, or one who has been pitchforked into high station, has commonly such a head full of brain that his neighbors cannot keep their hats on.  In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, brain is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of office.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


Once I stopped chuckling over the wit, and then got over the sadness engendered by its truth, this little gem came directly to today’s lineup. Not because it will cause a good discussion, or even that it is either egregiously wrong, or demonstrably correct, though it is certainly the latter. No, I am impressed more by the fact that this was included in the original version of The Dictionary by Mr. Bierce, which was published sometime in the mid-nineteenth century, over 150 years ago. Truly a vision of the future, as well as a stunningly life-like representation of the present….. and well worth including here, all by its lonesome…..


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“Everything I have said and done in these last years is relativism by intuition… If relativism signifies contempt for fixed categories and men who claim to be the bearers of an objective, immortal truth…  then there is nothing more relativistic than fascistic attitudes and activity… From the fact than all ideologies are of equal value, that all ideologies are mere fictions, the modern relativist infers that everybody have the right to create for himself his own ideology and to attempt to enforce it with all the energy of which he is capable.” — Benito Mussolini, _Diuturna_


As I read through this, I at first thought it was a parody, that someone was having us on, as it were. But then I realized that this person was perfectly serious, and was astonished at the arrogance, the narcissism, and the sheer unbridled effrontery of the author, if such he may be called. Then I saw the author’s name, and my mind went, “Aha! That explains it….”  It is hard to know where to begin to perform a logical critique of so much nonsense, but once begun, it practically tears itself apart, displaying the inconsistencies that are inherent in any such ambition and greed thinly disguised as logical justification.


Benito starts off by using words which, according to their definitions, do not apply to the subject at hand; he gets around this little fillip by redefining the meaning of the words, thus allowing him to use them as assumptions that justify the pseudo-logical arguments that follow. He then finishes it off with a conclusion that is a complete 180 degrees from the actual truth of his assertions, thus turning an apparent discussion of ideologies and philosophy into a stand-up comedy routine, one that isn’t funny in the slightest…… And we all know where he ended up…. swinging slowly from a rope around his obese neck (at least figuratively, if not literally), applied by his fellow countrymen in just compensation for his evil…. and regardless of his obviously insane state of mind…..


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Comedy_Tragedy




Balance


Practicing being

mindful, always present now,

we learn how to flow.


~~ gigoid ~~ 


2/24/2016




********************************





pearls_3




Naked Pearls


Observations on Life at Large ~ Redux


*********


“We could never learn to be brave and patient,

if there were only joy in the world.”


~~  Helen Keller ~~


*********


“”Every great advance in natural knowledge

has involved the absolute rejection of authority.”


~~ Thomas Henry Huxley  “


*********


“Whatever occurs from love is always beyond good and evil.”


~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~


*********


“Ridicule is the best test of truth.”


~~ Lord Chesterfield ~~


*********


“Freedom is always and exclusively

freedom for the one who thinks differently.”


~~ Rosa Luxemburg ~~


*********


“How can you buy or sell the sky?”


~~ Chief Seattle, 1852 ~~


*********


“It was the saying of Bion,

that though the boys throw stones at frogs in sport,

yet the frogs do not die in sport but in earnest.”


~~ Plutarch ~~


*********


“The chief good is the suspension of the judgment,

which tranquility of mind follows like its shadow.”


~~ Diogenes Laertius — Pyrrho, xi ~~


*********


“Chaos is but unperceived order.”


~~ attributed to Fred Hoyle ~~




********************************


Having thus completed my vow, I shall take my leave, until tomorrow, when I’ll make yet another effort at attaining some sort of literary competence… Fat chance, right? Ah, well, so be it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the ol’ pump keeps pumpin’….




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.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch




Featured Image -- 6727




À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Synchronous statements of bald intent….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“How we deal with death is at least as important

as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?”


~~ James T. Kirk, “The Wrath of Khan,”  stardate 8130.3. ~~


Pensive leelu


Thinking it over….aka, plotting.






Hajime….. As time passes since Leelu came to live with me, I am reminded forcefully of two aphorisms which speak to the nature of Cat. First is one from our old friend Lazarus, who noted: Anyone who doesn’t believe in protocol has never dealt with a cat.” In a cat’s world, protocol is VERY important, for they are great believers in maintaining the status quo in their home life. They DON’T like changes made to the way things are…. The other statement has to do with their reaction when something is not to their liking, and goes like this: “You haven’t really been ignored until you’ve been ignored by a cat.” It’s often hilarious how effectively they can remove what they do not approve of from their awareness; it is total obliteration.


All that said, the perks are well worth the effort of learning to live with a picky, opinionated, small fur-bearing extortionist, especially, as now, when she comes to where I am sitting, gazes lovingly into my face, and purrs loudly to be picked up & cuddled for a morning session of bonding…. Time out for cat…. I’ll be back in a bit….


Okay…. She went off to eat & monitor the morning bird traffic in the back yard, so, I’ll try to slip in the rest of this post, & get it online before it’s play/training time. This chatty, informal approach to the intro worked pretty well, don’t you think? Good, because it was, literally, a pain in the ass to do. How do people be so damn nice? It’ wearing, to say the least, on us old curmudgeons. Not to mention what it could do to my rep. Ah, well, so be it. We’re far enough down the page I can ignore any ethical considerations, and just be done with it. And, that is what we’re going to do, right here, right now…. Watch THIS!….


Shall we Pearl?….




“If God is omnipotent, why does he need my money?”


~~ Curious Bee ~~




********************************





P4cimadreamer




Playing For Change



Logo from email by P4C




It’s time for another great mix of the world’s best street music. This time, it’s a jam, and it’s awesome…. I don’t often use that word, so, you may wish to pay heed, as this is some special music, ffolkes…. Enjoy! It will be hard NOT to….







********************************


















Groove in G

















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********************************




********************************





About Hopi Indian Symbols




    Originally, I had intended to put a relatively short discussion here, on political issues, but, it isn’t ready. Instead, here is a relatively short, seven-star pearl on both politics, and religion, the twin delusions upon which our sick society is based…. No worries, just a few observations that are not what might be called main-stream, by any means…. I hope you enjoy this little indictment of those who would be Kings… or, Dogma Dogs….


“Democracy is more cruel than wars or tyrants.” — Seneca, Epistulae morales ad Lucilium CIV, c. 63


“Man is a religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn’t straight” — Mark Twain — The Damned Human Race


“Representative government has broken down. Our politicians represent not the people who vote for them but the commercial interests who finance their

election campaigns. We have the best politicians that money can buy.” — Edward Abbey


“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.’ — Mohandas K. Gandhi


“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country…. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” — Former US President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 — letter to Col. William F. Elkins, printed in “The Lincoln Encyclopedia”, ed. Archer H. Shaw, Macmillan, 1950, NY


“THEOSOPHY, n.  An ancient faith having all the certitude of religion and all the mystery of science. The modern Theosophist holds, with the Buddhists, that we live an incalculable number of times on this earth, in as many several bodies, because one life is not long enough for our complete spiritual development; that is, a single lifetime does not suffice for us to become as wise and good as we choose to wish to become. To be absolutely wise and good — that is perfection; and the Theosophist is so keen-sighted as to have observed that everything desirous of improvement eventually attains perfection. Less competent observers are disposed to except cats, which seem neither wiser nor better than they were last year. The greatest and fattest of recent Theosophists was the late Madame Blavatsky, who had no cat.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


‘You have a mongrel perception of humor, nothing more; a multitude of you possess that. This multitude see the comic side of a thousand low-grade and trivial things — broad incongruities, mainly; grotesqueries, absurdities, evokers of the horse-laugh.  The ten thousand high-grade comicalities which exist in the world are sealed from their dull vision.  Will a day come when the race will detect the funniness of these juvenilities and laugh at them — and by laughing at them destroy them?  For your race, in its poverty, has unquestionably one really effective weapon — laughter. Power, money,  persuasion, supplication, persecution — these can lift at a colossal humbug — push it a little — weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast.  Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.  You are always fussing and fighting with your other weapons.  Do you ever use that one?  No; you leave it lying rusting.  As a race, do you ever use it at all?  No; you lack sense and the courage.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), “The Mysterious Stranger”


********************************





Comedy_Tragedy




Making Room


Our souls, they say, are like shapeless, infinite bags

in which we put all our pain, all our joyous wonder.

Broken hearts and thrilling love, riches to rags,

endless perceptions of serenity, and thunder.


‘Tisn’t simple, this spiritual journey to peace

memory is fickle, easily led astray;

darkness, ever lurking, without surcease

turning innocence to harm, from simple play.


Balance is the key.


Timing is everything.


Good can change bad, bad can change good.


Pain makes room for more joy in our souls.


The only power we need is the power to change ourselves.


~~ gigoid ~~


12/15/2013




********************************





ankh




    As advertised, a classic, seven-star. old-school pearl, of the random, harlequin variety, with a few words on Life’s lesser known lessons worth learning…. Enjoy! Trust me, there’s a message at the end…..


“It has long been known that one horse can run faster than another – but which one?  Differences are crucial.” — Lazarus Long


“He who should teach men to die would at the same time teach them to live.” — Michael de Montaigne, Essays, Book i, Chap. xviii, “That Men are not to judge of our Happiness till after Death”


“There’s always a bigger fish.” — Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars Episode I


“All time in all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all bugs in amber.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughter-House 5


“Respect cannot be learned, purchased, or acquired….  it can only be earned.” — Gentle Bee


“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.” — Mohandas K. Gandhi


“Love means loving the unlovable – or it is no virtue at all.” — G. K. Chesterton, Heretics, 1905


Suitably interpreted, this is an exact value.” — Precise Bee


********************************


Well, it’s done. I’m completely in the dark as to how it will look, but, will trust the process once more, in order to get posted in a timely manner. We humans, it is well known, will go to many great lengths for the sake of expediency, and, I am nothing if not human. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless somebody provides me with a damn good reason not to do so…..




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.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Feedback ISN’T good for electronic circuits…..

			
						

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Bad night, worse morning; don’t bother asking, as I’m trying to put it in the past, where it needs to stay…. Here is a good one from a couple years ago…. I hope y’all enjoy it… I will be back tomorrow, even if I have to get downright unreasonable….


gigoid's avatargigoid


Ffolkes,



Do you ever wake up feeling as if you’re stuck in a Disney movie? Neither do I…. Just thought I’d ask. Actually, more often, I feel as if I’m stuck in what might be called a senior film noir, wherein all the old, feeble, average looking characters spend their time moaning and groaning about getting old….a pastime which, of late,  seems to happen here a lot…..



I suppose that’s due to my own comeuppance in the aging contest, a test we all fail, ultimately; I’m harvesting an extensive crop of physical issues that are the direct result of mistaken policies regarding exercise that we were taught all of our lives…. You know the spiel, we all heard it, from JFK on…. “Exercise a lot, stay fit and healthy, you’ll feel better and live longer if you do…” Followed, of course, by that all-purpose, deliberately misleading lie, “you can trust…


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Whiny wimps boast no cheeses….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“A man of quality is not threatened by a woman of equality.”


~~ Gentle Bee ~~


Best Two


Best Shot Two




Hajime….. Time, Space, and Reality at Large can be a rather complex three-body problem to solve, especially when our routines for dealing with the chaotic world in which we live become less than reliable. To be honest, the changes that seem to be taking place aren’t unwelcome; it’s hard to complain about getting more sleep. But, adjusting the elements of Reality thus affected is not as simple as it may sound, or look. That said, I think it’s probably a good idea to let this subject die a natural death, by negligence. So be it.


Okay, we’ve managed to obscure the issue fairly well, so far. Let’s see if a bit of nonsense will help us get to our necessary jumping-off point, shall we? Zippy always enjoys it so much when we do. Why, look! There’s our spot now! Okay, we’d better go, so hang on….


Shall we Pearl?….




“A quarrel is quickly settled when deserted by one party:

there is no battle unless there be two.”


~~ Seneca ~~




********************************





royalty-free-clip-art-vector-logos-of-black-and-orange-floral-acoustic-guitars-by-seamartini-graphics-6573




    The process today is a bit choppy, but, I think we can get done, if I go with a default for this section. Classical music, of course, is our default, for it seems to soothe my fevered brow when I write, or read… Go figure…. Oh, and, enjoy, too, if you wish….







********************************


















Classical Music

















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********************************




*******************************





Sandclock .jpg




    I mentioned, somewhere, I’m not into ranting for now; so be it. In keeping to that policy, here is an archived piece, an old-school pearl from another day I wasn’t up to the challenge of speaking out…. Ah, well, so be it…. Enjoy the break from routine, if you would; I intend to do so for an extended period of time…


From 12/5/2013:


Any ranting I do today will be related to the above subject, in order to keep the details fresh in what is left of my mind…. Plus, I haven’t kept up with what is happening out in the Big Blue Room, which tends to keep me from picking a current event to rag upon, more’s the pity….. That does mean a bonus for y’all, as I’ll naturally fall back into the default position here at ECR when this happens…. Yes, you know what it means, ffolkes, another old-school pearl, a group of small but tasty pearls, all in a certain direction, or implying a certain theme…. Sure, those themes may not be immediately apparent, even to the most discriminating of Gentle Readers, but, more often, they simply bash one over the brows, driving home the desired point with all the delicacy of a professional wrestler….


I am, as is already obvious, more than just a little verbose this morning, having not written ANYTHING for over four days…. but, I don’t think that will hurt this section, since I’m going to segue right into the remainder of this section’s contents by using the old magical phrase, “slick as Natty Bumpo’s Chevrolet sedan!”…. Or, as we like to say here on ECR… let’s dive…. Ooh, ooh, let’s go really old school, too, with poetry brackets and everything all mellow….




I knew, by the smoke that so gracefully curl’d

  Above the green elms, that a cottage was near;

And I said, “If there ‘s peace to be found in the world,

  A heart that was humble might hope for it here.”


~~ Thomas Moore — Ballad Stanzas ~~




“I readily relapse into my reflections on the uselessness of our education.  Its aim has been to make us not good and wise, but learned; and in this it has succeeded. It has not taught us to follow and embrace virtue and wisdom, but has imprinted their derivations and etymologies on our minds. We are able

to decline ‘virtue’ even if we are unable to love it; if we do not know what wisdom is in fact and by experience, we are familiar with it as a jargon learned by heart.” — Michel de Montaigne, Essays


In the vacant places, we will build with new bricks.” — T.S. Eliot


“As long as we’re going insane, we might as well go the whole way. A mere shred of sanity is of no value.” — Smart Bee


“Be not ashamed of thy virtues; honor’s a good brooch to wear in a man’s hat at all times.” — Ben Johnson


“We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe




Beware the Jabberwock, my son

 The jaws that bite, the claws that catch

 Beware the jubjub bird, and shun

 The frumious bandersnatch


~~ _Jabberwocky_, by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) ~~




********************************





Comedy_Tragedy




Bluebird


there’s a bluebird in my heart that

wants to get out

but I’m too tough for him,

I say, stay in there, I’m not going

to let anybody see

you.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that

wants to get out

but I pour whiskey on him and inhale

cigarette smoke

and the whores and the bartenders

and the grocery clerks

never know that

he’s

in there.


there’s a bluebird in my heart that

wants to get out

but I’m too tough for him,

I say,

stay down, do you want to mess

me up? 

you want to screw up the

works? 

you want to blow my book sales in

Europe? 

there’s a bluebird in my heart that

wants to get out

but I’m too clever, I only let him out

at night sometimes

when everybody’s asleep.

I say, I know that you’re there,

so don’t be

sad.

then I put him back,

but he’s singing a little

in there, I haven’t quite let him

die

and we sleep together like

that

with our

secret pact

and it’s nice enough to

make a man

weep, but I don’t

weep, do

you?


~~ Charles Bukowski ~~




********************************





pearls_3




***********


                                                       ..       :

                    .                  .               .   .  .

      .           .                .               .. .  .  *

             *          .                    ..        .

                           .             .     . :  .   .    .  .

            .                         .   .  .  .   .

                                         . .  *:. . .

.                                 .  .   . .. .         .

                         .     . .  . …    .    .

       .              .  .  . .    . .  . .

                        .    .     . …   ..   .       .               .

                 .  .    . *.   . .

    .                   :.  .           .

                 .   .    .  x   .

              .  .  .    ./|\

                       .   .. :.    .    .|               .

     .   … .            |

 .    :.  .                     .   *.        |     .               .

   .  *.             You are here.

 . .    .               .             *.                         .


***********


“Integrity has no need for rules.”


~~ Albert Camus ~~


***********


Virtue is not left to stand alone.

He who practices it will have neighbors.


~~ Confucius ~~


***********


“One of the greatest joys known to man

is to take a flight into ignorance

in search of knowledge.”


~~ Robert Lynd ~~


***********


Virtue is a habit of the mind,

consistent with nature and moderation and reason.


~~ Cicero ~~


***********


The mind ought sometimes to be amused,

that it may the better return to thought,

and to itself.


~~ Phaedrus ~~


***********


“Be a moving target.”


~~ Raoul Lionel Felder ~~


***********


“It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible,

but also for what we do not do.”


~~ Moliere ~~


***********


…for the most part happiness consists in being willing to be what you are.

 — Erasmus


***********


Life is the only game in which the object of the game is to learn the rules.


~~ Zen Bee ~~


***********


“May the Forces of Evil become confused on the way to your house.”


~~ George Carlin ~~




********************************


Well, that was something…. Interruptions by a cat insisting on cuddle-time, a call from a friend in Europe, and small coffee disaster made it even more of a struggle than usual. As is our wont today, to this we say, so be it. We are practicing our dispassion today. And, we shall see you tomorrow, when we shall try again to achieve some minor brilliance, and get this approximately right. We’ll also try to lose the royal ‘we’, if possible. See y’all then, ffolkes, as long as reality stays on course….




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.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








dozer3




À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Assembled without instructions….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“To know much is often the cause of doubting more.”


~~ Michel De Montaigne ~~


Iconic pub -London


Warm winter’s welcome, London Style




Hajime….. Oddly enough, I once again have nothing. Rather than re-blog old material, I’ll merely give you what I do have done, and, be done with it for today. I’m not sure what’s going on, but, I seem to have misplaced my muse… I’ll look around today, & see what’s up with that; I doubt seriously reality will worry too much about my absence, just like it ignores me in general. Leelu will be happy, too, as it will free up more time for her…. Cat bonus!


Who knows what the future may bring. I don’t, but, I know what was in the past, and that’s what you’ll get today. One nine-star old-school pearl, naked, as they most often are these days. Skin is good. But, I digress, and must be off, into the Big Blue Room, to do battle with the forces of reality…. Or not, as I prefer to slip through without disturbing the Force. We’ll see how that goes. For now, let’s do this, before it gets any later….


Shall we Pearl?….


“It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


********************************





pearls_3




Naked Pearls



Observations on Life at Large


*********


I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains

I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain

There’s more than one answer to these questions

pointing me in a crooked line.

The less I seek my source for some definitive

The closer I am to fine.


~~ the Indigo Girls, Closer to Fine ~~


*********


“The sunlights differ, but there is only one darkness.”


~~ Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Dispossessed” ~~


*********


“The ruling power within, when it is in its natural state,

is so related to outer circumstances

that it easily changes to accord

with what can be done and what is given it to do.”


~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 1 ~~


*********


“It is your resistance to ‘what is’ that causes your suffering.”


~~ Buddha ~~


*********


“Take your life in your own hands and what happens?

A terrible thing: no one to blame.”


~~ Erica Jong ~~


*********


33. Be gentle with the earth.


~~ Instructions for life ~~


*********


“He bids fair to grow wise who has discovered that he is not so.”


~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 598 ~~


*********


“No one is afraid to die without first being afraid to live.”


~~ Solomon Short ~~


*********


“If you understand, things are as they are.

If you do not understand, things are as they are.”


~~ Gensha, Zen Master ~~




********************************


There you have it; one Pearl, delivered, as promised, in good condition. Well, such as it is. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. That’s my intent, and, though I shan’t give a promise, you may count on it….. Ta, then….




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.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








Featured Image -- 6653




À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Interview with an organic penguin groomer….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				6			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.”


~~ Knights of Pythagoras ~~


Leelu channeling


Channeling New Ideas






Hajime….. As I sit to begin, I feel a sense of deja-vú, not particularly surprisingly, as this happened a lot in the past. Though most of the Pearl for today is finished, the rest promises to be a complete struggle, as my mind is blank as the proverbial clean slate. Oh, there’s plenty going on in there, it’s just not printable, or, even, shareable. The dega-vú just makes it worse, as it attempts to add guilt to the mix, which we don’t allow, thus muddying up the waters even further…


Rather than bore y’all any further with my issues with writing, let’s try the old cut-’em-off-at-the-pass technique we employ so well, to get us down to the meat of today’s post. ‘Meat’ may be an unfortunate euphemism, given the somewhat odoriferous state of what may follow, but, we’re nothing if not bold in the pursuit of our Art, if such title may be justifiably applied to what is found here. Me, I don’t give a crap whether it’s valid art, or just frank & earnest; it’s still better out than in, so there.


Okay, I’m getting grumpy, so, we’d best be on our way. I have no expectations for today’s Pearl; it’s on its own. And, so are y’all, once we hit the oyster beds…. Our insurance is going to lapse at noon, and, since we don’t actually HAVE any income, we won’t be supplying it in future posts. C’est la fucking vie, as we say downtown. We also say this, a lot….


Shall we Pearl?….




“Birth, copulation and death.

That’s all the facts when you come to brass tacks;

Birth, copulation and death.”


~~ T. S. Elliot, Sweeney Agonistes (1932) ~~




********************************





3 tenors




The Three Tenors


Image from last.fm via Google Images




I am NOT a fan of opera. Never have been. There are a few arias sung by duets, or alto sopranos, that are inspiring and beautiful, to be sure, such as the one in The Shawshank Redemption. Mostly, it’s just noise, as far as I’m concerned. I could go with a few Twain quotes; he wasn’t much enthused by it, either. But, instead I will say this: I am a fan of the human voice. I love a Capella music, especially live on the street. I play guitar, having learned simply so I could sing along myself. Music is in all of us, but, isn’t always easily expressed, or felt. Whomever had the brainstorm to bring these three gentlemen together to sing, was guilty of an act of genius….


Just listen, & try not to drop your jaw too far when they start to hit the high notes on some of these songs….. It will send chills up your spine, I guarantee…. In case I forgot, and, I did, their names are Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti…. Enjoy!….




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The Three Tenors In Paris

















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********************************




********************************





We the People...




“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”


~~  Robert Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long ~~




In general terms, a generation can be considered to be twenty-five years; some might say it is longer, as much as fifty years. To strike a logical, or, at least, reasonable balance, we will use the mean of the two, rounded off from 37.5 years to 40, for convenience of addition, etc. Given that assumption, I would estimate we have now gone at least three, and possibly four generations without paying the slightest attention to the lessons taught to us by our own history…. This period, significantly enough, covers about the same time as has passed since the advent of what is usually called The Industrial Revolution. For our purposes, this age of man began in earnest soon after, if not prior to, the birth of this nation, in the early part of the nineteenth century.


Now, one might think an author, or a character from a novel he wrote, is not the most appropriate judge of such matters; I contend this author is sufficiently educated as a historian, as a graduate of the US Naval Academy, to warrant some attention paid to his assertion, voiced by one of his characters. Robert Heinlein was not only an author, but, a scholar/historian/astronomer/engineer/pilot, and a number of other titles he earned throughout his life. He was one of the most cogent social philosophers of his time, though many of his ideas were considered radical…. a sobriquet commonly applied by mankind to all free thinkers….


In addition, this statement echoes the idea of many historical sages, in almost identical words. Thomas Jefferson made statements similar to this, when he wrote letters to peers in his time. He warned of the corruption he saw in the government almost immediately upon the signing of the Constitution, lamenting in one letter, “A monied aristocracy in our country … has already set the government at defiance.” He also warned of who he felt was the worst danger to the new republic, when he wrote, “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”.


If in no other way, this country has completely ignored this warning, allowing the interests of corporations and oligarchs to corrupt the halls of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Presidency of this nation, with the apparent full agreement of the populace, who embrace every economic principle spouted to them by those who have consistently preyed upon their ignorance. The checks and balances set up by the Constitution are useless, for those who make the laws now are in the complete power of the lust for money and power.




“History has the relation to truth that theology has to religion

 — i.e., none to speak of.”


~~ Lazarus Long ~~




Lazarus’s wry observation, though tongue-in-cheek, nonetheless points out a good part of why those who care nothing about community, but, live only to fulfill their own narcissist desires for power have been able to keep the public in the dark about the true state of affairs in the halls of government…. These congenital liars are willing to say anything at all to convince the gullible they are working in their interests, while in truth, have been busily corrupting judges and legislators to pass and approve laws which favor business principles over those of people. This, in spite of any claims to the contrary you may hear from those predators, is absolute truth for anyone with any wit to see, right in front of their eyes.


What is it they refuse to see? Simply this: the entire human culture, in every country in this world, exists as it does while laboring under two delusions. First, people have come to believe money exists in reality, as something other than an idea, which we learned to use to represent our time and energy, by placing a value on it. Second, there is a completely false belief in the need to be governed. Governments do not perform any of the functions for which they originally were formed; instead, they merely act as a means for unscrupulous people to take advantage of those who do not understand their own nature, much less the nature of reality around them.


Of course, since the first step to learning is to admit one does not know, or is wrong, these people would have to first find the courage to overcome their fear of either of those states. Fear arises from ignorance, or, perceived danger without understanding. It is easier to accept what one is told, than it is to be strong enough to think for one’s self, a very common human characteristic, of which those who prey on others are well aware. In fact, they count on it….


As a scientist, with leanings toward social history and the nature of humankind, I cannot say there is any solution at this point. I can also say I don’t believe there is a need for one, as the situation in the world today is ultimately self-correcting, according to the now-proven laws of evolution. No species can long survive when there is no limit to their breeding; our world has rejected any such control over our reproductive characteristics. Simply put, there is not enough planet to support the number of humans currently living here; not for any length of time. In addition, our own short-sightedness is going to play a large part, as we continue to degrade the environment upon which our survival depends, with no thought to the future at all.




“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”


~~ Edward Abbey ~~




Society has reached the point where we are cancerous, to ourselves, and to the planet. I can say what changes we need to make, but, I am almost certain they won’t be heeded, or made. So be it. As I mentioned somewhere, this is a rant to end all rants, for I am tired of singing to the choir. For a time, this section may/will exhibit some rather different material, not all from the archives. Also, so be it. For now, here are a few pearls to finish off this indictment of us all…. The last one tells us exactly what I mentioned needs to be done, if we are to have any chance at all of surviving as a species….


“In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it.” — George Bernard Shaw


“We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry.” — John Webster


“A fish never thinks about water until he’s out of it.” — Robert Penn Warren


“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” — Sun Tzu (fl. c. BC 500)


“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” — Denis Diderot in “Dithrambe sur la fete de rois”


********************************





Comedy_Tragedy




The duties of the wind are few…


The duties of the Wind are few,

To cast the ships, at Sea,

Establish March, the Floods escort,

And usher Liberty.


The pleasures of the Wind are broad,

To dwell Extent among,

Remain, or wander,

Speculate, or Forests entertain.


The kinsmen of the Wind are Peaks

Azof – the Equinox,

Also with Bird and Asteroid

A bowing intercourse.


The limitations of the Wind

Do he exist, or die,

Too wise he seems for Wakelessness,

However, know not i.


~~ Emily Dickinson ~~




********************************





pearls_3




Naked Pearls



Don’t forget…


*********




“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.” — Yun-Men


“Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.” — Confucius


“The best things in life are never rationed. Friendship, loyalty, and love. They do not require coupons.” — George T. Hewitt


“Full wise is he that can himselven knowe.” — Geoffrey Chaucer — The Monkes Tale, Line 1449


“Live dangerously and you live right.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust (1806)


“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.” — Marcus Aurelius


“‘Truth’ never set anyone free. It is only *doubt* which will bring mental emancipation.” — Anton LaVey


“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.” — Jawaharlal Nehru


“Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” — Walt Whitman


********************************


Such as it is, it’s done, And, so am I. Another long night, and a long day ahead, promises today will be a challenge. May as well get started. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided all goes relatively according to plan….




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.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








Featured Image -- 6653




À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Instant gratification on sale tomorrow….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				11			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“If a fish is the movement of water embodied, given shape,

then a cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air”


~~ Doris Lessing~~


Leelu gazing


I deleted ALL your files….




Hajime….. If there were any method available to tell, I would tell you. Since, however, such a method has yet to be discovered, we’ll have to make do with the older version, where I just say it out straight and clean…. Okay, here goes….. Hang on…. Wait for it…. Alright, here you go….


It’s too late. I’m sorry, but, in spite of everything I was able to do, and, in direct opposition to every effort made by a number of compassionate volunteers, it’s just not going to happen…. The sign says we’d have it on sale tomorrow, but, the vendor just couldn’t get his shit together to ship it on time, so, it’s going to be late, again…. I guess that’s what we get for trying to obtain the instant gratification of desires everyone in this plane of existence seems to have to have; such a rare item is, as you can see, a bit hard to come by…. Ah well, maybe next week…


That, you might wish to note, is one of the very rare occasions in which you will ever see a reference to a title of a Pearl IN the actual Pearl it graces. I decided when I began this process, almost twenty years ago now, to never connect the title and the material in the piece. Don’t ask me why; I didn’t know then, and I care less now. Such is life with a self-defined curmudgeon of relatively advanced years, who has, through a lifetime of practice, become quite adept at doing exactly as he wishes, and reality be damned. It can get a bit crusty, but, it suits me.


I think that’s quite enough blather for one day. If I don’t stop here, this could get a bit top-heavy. Since I AM driving this bus, what I say must go, so, we’ll just pretend it’s the right thing to do, and do it. I would suggest, given the return of Luigi to the pilot’s chair today, you secure your personal safety restraints, and put your adult beverage down in the holder provided for that purpose. You might also wish to call your insurance guy, to make sure you’re up to date….. The rest of you…. look busy, the proctor’s on board today…. Hit it, Luigi!….


Shall we Pearl?….




“He should not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.”


~~ Elrond ~~




********************************





tom_waits_stencil_by_theMIVC-1262




Tom Waits




One of my Gentle Readers mentioned their fondness for this artist. Let it never be said I ignore the wishes of my readers…. I do, but, let it never be said, for I didn’t do that today…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this one is another Original…. and, it’s an album I haven’t heard yet…. Yay!….




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Tom Waits

Mule Variations

















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Sandclock .jpg




    I’m working on a rant to end all rants (so to speak), but, it’s stalled for the moment. Here is a set of rules which I haven’t posted in a while, but, is worth a repeat every once in a while. It’s a list I try very hard to live by, as it was all stuff the Sarge embedded in my persona, to my endless gratitude… These rules, if followed by ALL men, would make the world a very different place than the one in which we actually live…. Read them, and, I think you would agree…


Last posted on 11/18/2013:





rules of a gentleman




********************************





Comedy_Tragedy




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




********************************





ankh




    Today’s final old-school pearl is a bit esoteric, but, not so much it’s obscure…. Mostly, it’s just good stuff to know about Life, Reality, and All That Stuff…. Enjoy!….




“By letting go, it all gets done.”


~~ Tao Te Ching ~~


*********


“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”


~~ Mark Twain ~~


*********


“Silence speaks with eloquence.”


~~ R. Reiley ~~


*********


“Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d’etre oblige de’en pleurer.”

 (I make myself laugh at everything, in case I should have to weep.)


~~ Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais ~~


*********


“Unless you love someone, nothing else makes any sense”


~~ E. E. Cummings ~~


*********


“One of the sayings of Diogenes was that most men

were within a finger’s breadth of being mad;

for if a man walked with his middle finger pointing out,

folks would think him mad,

but not so if it were his forefinger.”


~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Diogenes, vi ~~


*********


“All authority is quite degrading.”


~~ Oscar Wilde ~~


*********


“Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.”


~~ Clarence Darrow ~~


*********


“Life without learning is death.”


~~ Cicero ~~




********************************


At this point, undue confidence would be out of place; I’ll merely say, it’s done, and, I’m glad, for it looked a bit shaky there during the process. Since this ain’t go gift horse, we won’t peer too closely into its mouth, lest we see things we should regret. No regrets, ever….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless my insanity assumes a more significant role in reality before then….




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.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








dozer3




À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Radio arguments on TV….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.”


~~ Emily Dickinson ~~


Best One


Best Shot One




Hajime….. Inflatable cushions of hand-crafted silk dance amorously on waves of intense blue gazebos, trimmed in virulent aubergine, bellowing in unison to the dulcet melodies of an unseen orchestra, named Harold. As the music swells, so does the crowd, for ’tis the eve of destruction all have anticipated for so little time, it all seems new and bright. For shame, (for the few), and, glory, (for the fewer), they flit through gardens of brilliant pink flowers, glazed with incredibly bad hollandaise. But, wait, there’s more! If you act now, there can also be tuna! Nebulous as it may, or may not seem, it all blossomed like a young banana plant in Siberia, plastering itself into retinal patterns, but, won’t open the vault without some caramel sauce. Afterward, they all went home….


Well, that felt good. I happened to glance at the opening of yesterday’s re-blog before starting this intro; what you see is what I got. I guess I needed that, and so did you. That’s my story, anyway. For those who haven’t seen a lot of ECR yet, welcome to my head; if I hadn’t mentioned it, you might wish to keep your own heads handy, for things can get a bit strange here, at the drop of a cliche. Sometimes, I feel like the description of the mind of the Tick…. a vast plain of featureless white, with something shiny glittering in the far distance…. Other times, I feel like the center of a crowded galaxy, with stars so close together, night become impossible, and the light is supreme…


Then, I wake up, and sit down to write this blog, to save what few dregs of sanity that may linger in those featureless plains….. or, I let myself wander around the back corridors in my head, which seem to be endless, like the Tombs of Atuan, filled around each dark corner with treasures from ancient ages, bound with magic. Or, I drink my coffee first, and the intro looks entirely different than what we are going through today. And, no, I don’t have a clue as to why this is happening…. nor do I wish to know… It works for me; y’all are on your own, as we humans are in this universe. So be it.


Hey, I have an idea. Let’s get this slow on the toad, okay? Sounds like a plan. If it doesn’t work out, well, I’m sure y’all will let me know in the questionnaire we don’t hand out. Alternately, leave a comment, playing nice, of course…. I mean, be as critical as you like; just keep it civil, check? Check. Housekeeping finished, let’s do this….


Shall we Pearl?….




“Truth can be a dangerous thing. It is quite patient and relentless.”


~~ R. Scott Richards ~~




********************************





leonrussell




Leon Russell


Image from http://www.express.co.uk via Google Images




I had not realized Leon was still around, playing his heart out, but, he is… Since I’ve loved his music since the mid-1960’s, I was happy to find this video, of a concert from 2015…. Yay!…. Enjoy, y’all, Leon’s one of the originals…. Nobody like him. At all….







********************************


















Leon Russell Live

















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About Hopi Indian Symbols




    I had a bad scare a short time ago; my computer crashed, with a message it couldn’t FIND a hard drive to boot….. YIKES! Now I need to start looking for a new computer, and backing up all my files…. To save some time, I won’t rant today, though I had a great opening quote with which to work…. Y’all will just have to wait for it…. Here is a much lighter pearl from a few years ago, to fill in the space today, while I go save my work from being lost forever…. Have fun…. I won’t be, so, somebody may as well enjoy the day….


From 4/22/2013:


So, there I was, cruising around Smart Bee, looking for pearls, when it occurred to me that I was engaged in a futile pastime, from the standpoint of the Universe…. I mean, what do I hope to accomplish with this stuff I write?…. Nobody’s mind will be changed, nobody will stop the carbon monoxide from getting pumped into the air, nobody is going to get mad enough to throw out all the assholes who are screwing us all…. This makes what I’m doing an exercise in mental masturbation, essentially, with as much hope of changing society as….. well, there is no hope for society, so I can’t think of a metaphor for it…. Nor is there any hope of anybody taking any of this seriously, even if read…


Having thus determined the absolute uselessness of our pastime, I will continue, fully cognizant of how lame it is…. I’m calling this a Pearl of Forlorn Lost Hope…. sort of…. Actually, it’s a subliminal pearl, and will worm its way into your head, where it will work on your attitudes, polishing and brightening them without you ever noticing…. By late this afternoon, you will have done a complete 180 from wherever you were, and will enjoy the rest of the day (that’s a subliminal post-hypnotic suggestion….)  Enjoy…..


“Does history repeat itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce?   No, that’s too grand, too considered a process.  History just burps, and we taste again that raw-onion sandwich it swallowed centuries ago.” — Julian Barnes


“Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.” — Marcus Aurelius


“But whether there’s some grand design really matters little to me. My only hope was this: to see what might be, to believe that it should be, and then to do all I could to bring it to pass, whatever the cost. When a life spins out as joyfully as mine has done, then the price, once paid so painfully, is now recalled in gladness. I have received full value. Here among the shepherds, my cup is filled with the water of life; it overflows.” — Orson Scott Card, “Treason”




But sure the eye of time beholds no name

So blest as thine in all the rolls of fame.


~~ Alexander Pope, The Odyssey of Homer, Book xi, Line 591 ~~




” It is now some years since I detected how many were the false beliefs that I had believed to be true since my earliest youth.  And since that time, I have been convinced that I must once and for all seriously try to rid myself of all the opinions which I had formerly accepted, and begin to build anew, if I wanted to establish any firm and permanent structure for my beliefs.” — Rene Descartes, Meditations




The human heart has hidden treasures,

In secret kept, in silence sealed.


~~ Charlotte Bronte ~~




“There is no cure for birth and death other than to enjoy the interval.” — George Santayana


********************************





Comedy_Tragedy




Funny Bones


Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,

from the dance, where

he felt so free, and clean.

Sorrow couldn’t find him there.


Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,

some connection can be found

keeping busy as bees, coping.

Love creeps in, without a sound.


Fat days, skinny nights, passionate

visions of semi-conscious entities,

cannot seem to fully illuminate

or hide our innermost frailties.


Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify

simple rules with every breath

never waiting, anxious to modify.

fear nothing in life, not even Death.


~~ gigoid ~~


5/3/2013




********************************





pearls_3




Naked Pearls


Esoterica on the Elements of Living


“At ebb tide I wrote a line upon the sand,

and gave it all my heart and all my soul. 

At flood tide I returned to read what I had inscribed

and found my ignorance upon the shore.”


~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~


*********


“There is always more than we see.”


~~ Sagacious Bee  ~~


*********


“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.”


~~ Edward Abbey ~~


*********


“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”


~~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau ~~


*********


“To develop a complete mind:

Study the science of art;

study the art of science.

Learn how to see.

Realize that everything connects to everything else.”


~~ Leonardo da Vinci ~~


*********


“Love isn’t love until you give it away.”


~~ Romantic Bee ~~


*********


“Enough is as good as a feast.”


~~ John Heywood, Proverbes, Part i, Chap. xi ~~


*********


“Real life is, to most men, a long second-best,

a perpetual compromise between the ideal and the possible;

but the world of pure reason knows no compromise,

no practical limitations,

no barrier to the creative activity.”


~~ Bertrand Russell ~~


*********


“If you don’t control your mind, someone else will.”


~~ John Allston ~~


*********




********************************


Thankfully, the process held up to the challenges today. I’m going to get this posted before something else happens. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, provided I still have a functioning computer…..




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.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








Featured Image -- 6653




À bientôt, mon cherí….