Watching the parade with eyes closed….

Ffolkes,

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things
which escape those who dream only by night.

~~ Edgar Allan Poe, “Eleonora” ~~

penguin attitude

Penguin with an attitude….

Hajime…. Sometimes, it’s strange, these days, to sit down to write, & fall prey to the same blankness and trepidation that were commonly the case when I was working hard to post every day. But, there it is; my mind is as blank as the screen upon which I am trying to fill up. I’m sure there are any number of explanations which might clarify the conundrum, but, it would be both indulgent, and wasteful of time, to try to get into that at this point. Instead, I’ll pretend no such conundrum exists, which allows me to ignore the entire issue without angst, or even guilt. Go figure, eh? Who’d a thunk mere denial would be so bloody useful?

However, having now thunk it, I guess I should take advantage of the space it creates to get back into this intro, which, as is clear, is already suffering from a lack of direction, if not completely lacking in proper intent. As we know, good intentions often fail the test of reality. Well, I know; if you don’t, by now, I don’t think my telling you again will make much difference; that’s one of those lessons Life only allows us to answer by ourselves, once we have encountered the evidence enough times for it to sink into our rather thick brain-pans. Whether we subsequently use the knowledge to our advantage is yet another of those sticky questions, the answer to which is often even stickier…. SIGH…. Life can be so hard….

Having thus set the tone for today, let us forgo further blather, & go on to see what I’ve managed to cobble together for your perusal. I can’t say it’s the best Pearl ever, but, it’s done, and, as is very often the case, that’s all I need to overcome any reluctance to post it. Don’t ask why, or we’ll never get out of here. Just accept it, as one must often do in Life, regardless of how we may feel about it, or, what we may have to do to get past the conflicts such mental gymnastics may offer as a result. In short, that’s the way it is, so, deal with it. I have to, so, the rest of y’all will just have to play along….

I’ll make that a bit easier, like this. Watch close, and hang on; it can get a bit bumpy….

Shall we Pearl?….

“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants.
The question is:  what are we busy about?”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

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jim croce

Jim Croce

Image from YouTube via Google Images

This artist is one who died young, but, not before making a name for himself by releasing a series of hit records during the late sixties and seventies, almost all of which you will hear today, should you choose to listen. I often forget him, for a long period of time, only to rediscover his work time and again, each time with more bemusement, for, each time, I wonder why I forget. His music is fun, light-hearted (for the most part), and perfectly pertinent to everyone’s life and experience, for he sings of times, feelings, and events which are common to all. I hope you enjoy it as much as I always do, when I find him again…. Abondanza!….

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Jim Croce
Greatest Hits

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Comedy_Tragedy

Savory

Blown across steppes of imagination, a spore
finds a niche, takes root,
tries to live longer than now, before
chaos/peace descends, and desire is moot.

Feathered into fecundity, another possibility
builds a nest, hatches kin,
aims at immortality, sans responsibility,
chance manifests, as it does, again.

Leading toward peril, entropy saves creativity,
making tools, and lazy time;
solid signs imply such simple nativity,
as another snitch drops his dime.

Subtle compassion billows, passion to unfold,
covering hearts bloodied by time,
burning flesh made valid, unwaveringly bold,
turning love to brilliant rhyme.

Years weigh lightly, supported by youth,
gaining weight with each year,
only the old men know the actual truth,
peace comes only when we lose our fear.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/9/2013

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Properly bozoid behavior….

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“Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life.”

~~ Burton Hills ~~

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“Everybody’s gotta be someplace.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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“When you drink the water, remember the spring.”

~~ Chinese Proverb ~~

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“Not loving is but a long dying.”

~~ Wu Ti ~~

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“If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.”

~~ Jimmy Buffet ~~

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“Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man,
–yesterday in embryo,to-morrow a mummy or ashes.
So for the hair’s-breadth of time assigned to thee
live rationally, and part with life cheerfully,
as drops the ripe olive,
extolling the season that bore it
and the tree that matured it.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 48 ~~

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“As God is my witness – I am that fool!”

~~ Gomez Addams ~~

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For what it’s worth, it’s not bad. I’d say it’s standard, if not iconic, and, given my current mental status, that is more than acceptable. Moreover, it has the added charm of being done, our most critical requirement. Since further blather can’t enhance its flavor, I’ll take the bull by the horns, & finish it off with a bang. BANG!…. See ya, ffolkes, possibly sooner than later…..

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 -- 15383

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Is this the unused receipt line?…

Ffolkes,

As y’all have already noticed, I am sure, yesterday got blown off, blog-wise; I spent most of the day on walkabout, putting in nearly seven miles, which is about six and a half miles further than I could walk at all only a year ago. The decision to kick modern medical practices to the curb, to focus on being responsible for my own health, is finally showing some rather convincing evidence of being the correct decision,… In short, yippee, skippy!

It also means no fresh Pearl for today, though there is one in the hopper, which will hopefully be ready for tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope this older Pearl, from 2015, will suffice to entertain you; it got good traffic, and possibly the most comments of any Pearl, ever… It seems one Gentle Reader’s own beliefs were somehow stimulated by the photo I posted that day, leading to a plethora, and more, of cross-commenting by several ffolkes… great fun. Anywho, the Pearl itself is pretty iconic gigoidal stuff, & I hope you enjoy it. I’ll see y’all soon with some fresh nonsense & blather…. or, maybe some rational discussion. Ya never know ’round here, since we find our inspiration under the nearest rock…

Be well, & happy as you may….

gigoid, the dubious

😎

gigoid's avatargigoid

Ffolkes,

“Better bend than break.”

~~ Scottish Proverb ~~

Supermoon August 2015 020

Full Moon Rising, 8/29/2015 ~~ Northern California


Good morning…. I promised a blogging friend a photo of the Supermoon from last night; lo and behold, here ’tis! It’s not bad, but, convinces me I need to upgrade my camera a bit…. I guess an 8-10 year old, five mega-pixel version is getting a little out of date. My phone is rated with more pixels, but, since I only use it as a phone, it doesn’t help me at all. Ah well, I guess that’s what photo editing software is for….

Wasn’t that just riveting? What an opening! Drama, the hook, strong language, all ther….. well, okay, so, none of that is there. So what? YOU try coming up with something cool and interesting EVERY EFFING DAY! I’ll tell ya, it ain’t easy. But, I digress, as usual….

Hmm…. Y’know, this seems…

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Pillows should be soft….

Ffolkes,

“The great tragedy of life is not that men perish,
but that they cease to love.”

~~ W. Somerset Maugham ~~

Alaska Grand Adventure 081

Whale watch in Glacier Bay, near Hoonah….

Hajime…. On walkabout, even when attempting to remain in the moment, mindful of all that one is walking through, one naturally becomes somewhat introspective. Since I’ve been walkabout a LOT recently, this means I’ve spent a lot of time in my own head. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing, nor would I wish to label it as either. I regard such episodic occurrences as part of my persona, having spent more time in my head, or, in my own company, than is so for many people for all my days here on this old ball o’mud. It’s just what I do as a default, which makes me a bit odd, but, it’s okay; I’m quite comfortable with oddness.

Having spent so much time inside lately has led to some rather deep thoughts, not all of which I’m ready to discuss here. Not that it wouldn’t make for a fine discussion; I’m just not certain, as yet, I have brought it all to a ‘discussable’ state…. (I know, that’s not a word; spellchecker went nuts over it… but, it fits, so, get over it, okay?….) When I do, I will share it, as it seems to all be pretty well universal in its application for us humans. A rather sweeping claim, I realize, but, let’s just accept it as a given, & look forward to that discussion with some anticipatory glee, if only for the opportunity to make fun of my thoughts…. Of course, that will be the case only if I’ve managed to muddle it up; if it comes out right, I think y’all will be quite happy with it. I know I will…

With that ringing endorsement (well, perhaps not a loud ringing….), let us get on with the rest of the mess I’ve managed to cobble together for today. There’s good music, a decent recent poem (from last year), and a collection of fine, if odd, pearls for your perusal…. Rather than belabor any of today’s points, let’s just get on with it, lickety-split…. which looks like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“What kind of conflict do you like?
Where will you jump in and fight the good fight —
body, heart, mind or spirit?

If you say you don’t like conflict at all,
then you have stopped growing,
because it is only through engaging differences
to find common ground or to triumph
that we become new and invigorated.

Pick your battles,
but always have some place you embrace conflict.”

~~ Callan Williams ~~

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young_dubliners

Young Dubliners

It’s been so long since I played, or listened to, this band, I found an entire album I hadn’t heard yet, so, this will be a treat for me as well as y’all. I hope it’s as good as their previous work; if so, it’s grand craic…. Enjoy!….

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Young Dubliners
With All Due Respect

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Comedy_Tragedy

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 ~~

4/4/2017

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Random Notes on Life @ Large….

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“I travel with the wind & listen to it’s voices.”

~~ Dan Sakers, “A Voice in Every Wind” ~~

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“Childhood ends, the moment you know you’re going to die.”

~~ The Crow ~~

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“Anyone who has begun to think places some portion of the world in jeopardy.”

~~ John Dewey ~~

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“In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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“What use is magic if it can’t save a unicorn?”

~~ Peter S. Beagle, “The Last Unicorn” ~~

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“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing,
of just going along,
listening to all the things you can’t hear,
and not bothering.”

~~ Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne ~~

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“It’s so clean.
It’s certainly uncontaminated by cheese.”

~~ Monty Python, The Cheese Shop Sketch ~~

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Well, it’s done, and, thank goodness. It’s a bit late going up, but, it’s here, and complete, so, I’m letting it fly. I’m already working on another fresh entry for a day or two down the line, so, I hope y’all will come back & join me in my “reeling, writhing, & fainting in coils”…. I also hope you enjoyed today’s rather esoteric mess; sometimes, it’s best not to question much, but, take it all in without worrying about the final result. With my stuff, that’s probably the best bet to get through it with sanity intact. Well, intact as it ever gets around here. I’ll be back in a short while; in the meantime, y’all be well, and happy as you may be…. 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.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Inevitable moments of pure confusion….

Ffolkes,

Nope, not done yet. Moreover, I don’t have any excuse other than to plead self-interest, which isn’t particularly nice, but, is accurate. I AM working on it, if less than efficiently, and, am hoping to get it done for tomorrow. Here is another sublimated entry, from 2015, a couple months after Leelu arrived to save me from myself, while deep in the throes of opioid withdrawal, otherwise known as coming off junk, cold turkey…. As I look back on some of these, it is hard to even imagine what I was going through then; it’s getting a bit blurry, thankfully. In any case, it came out pretty well, got some decent traffic, and some great comments, so, I hope it serves well today as a replacement for fresh ‘stuff’…. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, with news on how my latest experiment in finding Joe is going…. Be well, and, happy as you may be….

gigoid, the dubious

😎

gigoid's avatargigoid

Ffolkes,

“The attacker must vanquish; the defender need only survive.”

~~ Master Po ~~

mount-hood

Mount Hood from the Coast Starlight….

Hajime…. I’d hoped to have a complete Pearl for y’all today; I’ve been working on one for about a week now, in between sessions of learning completely new physical paradigms developed to keep the various kinds of pain with which I am familiar from becoming so ubiquitous, naught else in my life is relevant. To be honest, it’s something of a PITA, in more ways, and senses, than merely one. In fact, calling it a major PITA wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility; hell, it might just be a colonel PITA…. Sorry, a little military humor there…

I’ll give fair warning; you may find this a bit odd. Not to say we are anything but odd most of the time; today it might be more obvious. I’ve been…

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Look, Mama! Billy’s nictating again!….

Ffolkes,

My mind has gone walkabout, in defense, I suppose, against all the physical walking I’ve been doing, during which I keep my thoughts on a leash, in the attempt to stay ‘in the moment’. Or, it may just be one of those days/weeks; it’s always hard to pin down exact causes, when the end result is so amorphously indistinct. In any case, all the wandering around in my own head kept me from getting anything done for the next fresh Pearl. I’ll make an effort to do so today, if I can find even a smidgen of direct will power, & hopefully we’ll see something new by tomorrow, or, the next day. For now, here is a rather fine Pearl from my time in physical Hell, another time when I spent a lot of time in my head, to distract myself from the physical misery… Whatever the case, it’s pretty good, if a bit long-winded, & I hope y’all enjoy the walk through my past thoughts….

See y’all sooner than later, I think…. Be well, & happy as you may….

gigoid, the dubious

😎

gigoid's avatargigoid

Ffolkes,

“Not all politicians should be shot.  One should be saved for the archives.”

~~ Smart Bee, nailing it in one, PERFECTLY ~~

Blue Marble past 2

Earth from near La Grange Point 1

NASA Image from NASA.gov


Good morning…. Today’s opening quote, for me, is perfect. In fact, I believe I described it that way in the attribution…. Why, yes, yes I did. How about that?

There, having set a tone of silly, we’ll proceed to a more sober beginning, which I found hiding in a Pearl from November of 2013… It’s rather a nice opening, if a bit long, so I think it will do nicely as a counterpoint to rest of today’s effort…. Let’s see what it says, eh?….

Written 11/23/2013:

We people are a funny lot, aren’t we? Funny, strange, that is, not funny, ha ha…. Okay, perhaps “odd” is a more accurate assessment, for the purposes of labeling, a…

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Chilling the bones of metaphor….

Ffolkes,

“The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world
is to be in reality what we would appear to be;
all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves
by the practice and experience of them.”

~~ Socrates (BC 469-399) ~~

glacier melt

Glacier melt in Tracy Arm Fjord….

Hajime…. At my age, I should have learned not to expect rational, or even polite, behavior from any of my fellow humans; I’ve certainly witnessed enough evidence of the absence of either quality in the majority of those who call themselves ‘people’ during my time here on this planet. But, as has been noted by many, hope springs eternal, so, I keep making the attempt to relate to people, only to find disrespect and entitlement without reason. It seems the act of common courtesy has become lost from society, in the simplest of interactions between the members of that group. The most obvious is in the area of basic communication habits, such as those involving the use of a telephone….

In today’s culture, damn near everyone I can find uses their “smart” phone to screen calls; nobody, except, apparently, me, actually answers their phone. Instead, they let it go to a voice mail box, to leave messages that apparently don’t get listened to, for nobody returns calls, unless it suits their own needs or purposes. The simple courtesy of a timely response seems to have been displaced by narcissistic entitlement, and the disrespect that is implied when communication is ignored. It has become, in my experience, an event of noteworthiness when someone actually answers the phone when I call, even businesses. Nobody wants to actually speak with anyone else; texting, which removes the responsibility of exchanging emotional cues from speech, is the default response, and that is often ignored as well…. and, I just don’t get it….

I could continue in this vein for a long time, but, I don’t believe anyone else cares enough to either read it, or respond to such complaints… which, ultimately, also says a lot about the state of modern culture. Also, I have noted a distinct drop in the traffic here on ECR, due, no doubt, to my own absences, from here, and from visiting other blogs. Of the registered 700+ followers of this blog, perhaps 10 or 12 still stop by with any consistency, and only two or three even let me know they’ve been by by leaving a “Like” or a comment. It seems there are still a small percentage of people out there who care to demonstrate the respect of acknowledgment without first receiving it; mostly, I have no idea how many ffolkes drop in, unless I want to chase down the stats in one of the WP admin pages.

It’s early in the morning, about 0430, pre-dawn here in California, and I’ve been up a couple hours dealing with a resurgence of PTSD symptoms, brought on by assaults upon my tender sensibilities by a series of rude responses I have received during attempts to connect with people. At this point. a statement I made yesterday in response to a Facebook query to describe how I felt right then is still appropriate; I stated I was feeling ‘indiscriminately homicidal’…. Today, perhaps, it is even stronger, so, I guess I’ll be avoiding the rest of my species today, if only to avoid the inconvenience of having to dispose of the corpses that might conceivably accrue by daring to go out & try to relate with any of them. SIGH…. ah, well, so be it….

At least the angst built up by this war with my inner demons has stimulated me enough to post some fresh material; hell, this is the first time I’ve ranted in a couple months. Though I can’t say it felt very good to release all this deitrus, I suppose it will eventually show some positive effects. One may hope, may one not, even if hope is a futile pastime? One may…. so, I shall. I shall also show a bit of the courtesy I so desperately miss in others, by cutting off any further blather, in favor of getting on with the rest of today’s mess. I hope you enjoy it, futile as it may have been as a form of therapy…. In any case, let’s do this, eh?….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Kindness is more important than wisdom,
and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.”

~~ Theodore Isaac Rubin ~~

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

Today’s musical selection is, for me, an obvious one. I need the soothing sounds of a classical nature; it’s my default, and today, it’s also yours. I hope you enjoy it as much as I intend to…. Abondanza!….

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Classical Music

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Comedy_Tragedy

Further Proof

No evidence exists, no rumored promise
of a guide on the path we seek.
Salient information lies hidden, seeking solace;
each possibility lost, no longer unique.

The past cascades through today, resolute;
finished and gone, by all reputable report.
Common failings decry any fever in the root,
as pillars of salt offer up little retort.

Longitude has latitude, one dimension to the next;
truth and lies, mirrored, transform on first exposure.
Born in chaos, living in change, by guile and pretext;
artful insanity, with no rational cure.

‘Tis no wonder, some do say now and then,
such creatures are doomed, by their own hand.
Cursed by the force of their very own ken,
until only the leaving seems very grand.

Perhaps, but, then, say those who doubt,
it’s all part of how it works, in fact.
We can’t know, really, what it’s all about
without completing the final act.

Is there any hurry?

~~ gigoid ~~

6/23/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Yep….

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“Any fool can know.
The point is to understand.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

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“Anywhere is walking distance, if you’ve got the time.”

~~ Steven Wright ~~

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“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength
which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~

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“In the moment between stimulus and response lies freedom.”

~~ Steven Covey ~~

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“Before you can be creative, you must be courageous.
Creativity is the destination, but courage is the journey.”

~~ Joey Reiman ~~

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“Every action in our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”

~~- Edwin Hubbell Chapin ~~

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“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” (by Ursula LeGuin, “The Dispossessed”)

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Well, it’s done. I can’t say, nor will I attempt to say, anything about how it may have turned out; I’ll leave that to anyone else who cares to make note of it. I’m going walkabout, before the rest of the world around here gets up, so I won’t have to talk to any of them. I’ll see y’all, probably fairly soon, as writing does help me stay moderately sane, or, at minimum, less insane than the usual case. On that less than positive, but, realistic note, I shall bid thee adieu, until we meet again. 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.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

Featured Image -- 15355

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Epiphany for sale: affordable rates….

Ffolkes,

The BBR keeps intruding upon my computer time, with little resistance from me, so, a fresh Pearl is still in the works. Here for your “pleasure” (an assumption, but, one with good intent…) is a Pearl from a bit over two years ago…. It’s pretty decent, and will fulfill today’s need to post, with a decent degree of aplomb, if not elegance. I’ll be back in a day or two, unless a certain plan comes to fruition, in which case it might be later… or, sooner, who knows? Not me…

See ya, ffolkes… Be well, and happy as you may be….

gigoid, the dubious

😎

gigoid's avatargigoid

Ffolkes,

 =-0 * * *

~~ The Enterprise firing photon torpedoes, at a cloaked Klingon Warbird ~~

=-O ~~~~~    =۞≫

~~ The Enterprise firing phasers at an uncloaked Klingon Warbird ~~

This rich view of a tapestry of colourful stars was captured by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera, on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a open cluster of stars known as IC 4651, a stellar grouping that lies at in the constellation of Ara (The Altar). This rich view of a tapestry of colourful stars was captured by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera, on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a open cluster of stars known as IC 4651, a stellar grouping that lies at in the constellation of Ara (The Altar).

Star Cluster IC-4651

Image by European Southern Observatory via Space.com


Good morning…. Boy, what a ride! Life can be pretty unpredictable, especially when you’re awake. Sleep, having been hard to come by of late, has apparently returned to stay for a while; I’m up late (for me; it’s damn near 6 AM….), having again slept more than 6 hours. Yay for me. Now, once…

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Shadow dancing under Northern Lights….

Ffolkes,

It appears my absences of late have put a serious dent in the number of readers who stop by…. SIGH, Oh, well, such is life, they say, & I tend to agree. I’ve never actively promoted readership, other than by my own participation on other blogs, a pastime I now have abrogated in favor of walking about the world with eyes open…. so, I suppose the decrease in readers is not so very surprising. Perhaps by reblogging, I can let ffolkes know I am still around, and still spewing out the singularly erudite nonsense so typical to my persona…. but, in the end, it’s all about the journey, not the destination, or the end result.

Here, then, for your reading pleasure, is a blog from the very early days here on ECR, with a pretty good collection of some of my finer nonsense and blather, all pretty well conceived, if not elegantly composed. It works for me, & fulfills my purpose for the time. I’ll be back, & I’ll try to be more regular, but, cannot yet promise to go ‘commenting’ quite yet. The BBR is much too compelling in its complete realism, so, bear with me, or, without me, but, please, know I love you all, and hope you enjoy what I share here….

For now, be well, & happy as you may, and, please, enjoy today’s mess…. See ya soon enough….

gigoid, the dubious

😎

gigoid's avatargigoid

Ffolkes,
Here is how it works…. I talk, you listen. When I’m done, you comment, or not. If you like it, you hit the button. Afterward, we both go our separate ways…… Put like that, this blogging scene doesn’t come off as particularly attractive, does it? Not a whole lot of human interaction going on there, or any kind of connection between minds. The entire process, looked at from this viewpoint, doesn’t seem to be of much value, leaving out, as it does, all of the passionate emotions that permeate human activity of any kind. Without a connection to what we feel about anything, it loses a lot of the value that we put on those things…..

It’s funny…. WordPress tells me I have 161 WP followers of my blog, with another 30 registered for commenting. Yet, my most viewed and liked piece over the last couple of months runs…

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Pulchritude has intrinsic value….

Ffolkes,

“Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book
known to him by his heart,
and his friends can only read the title.”

~~ Virginia Woolf ~~

Alaska taxi

Alaskan Taxi off to Juneau, or the interior….

Hajime…. I skipped posting anything at all yesterday, & frankly, I can’t work up any particular emotion about that. Even a couple months ago, going even a day or two without writing or posting would have prompted an outburst of creative angst sufficient to produce any number of words, most of which could be construed as purposeful, if not elegantly literate. But, these days, I’m lucky to produce a complete, even sparsely filled out Pearl; hell, the poem I’ve been trying to write has gone & disappeared entirely, no dregs of it to be found anywhere…. SIGH. Even that, I’m afraid, doesn’t stimulate any guilt, which tells me, at least on one level, my sanity no longer depends on this process, though, I have to admit, it is soothing in some way to have written an entire paragraph, even one as choppy & pungent as this one…. Hey, it’s all fresh, so, whattya want? Ibsen on demand? Jackson Pollock at a moment’s notice? Hah…. Not here, ffolkes….

That isn’t to say I don’t have a Pearl for today. But, it’s being posted late, without a fresh poem, and it’s not going to get any better, or, any less fulfilling for me, so, I’m gonna post it, late as it is. It’s only late because I now sleep normally, arising at a time when I’d have been up writing, & getting ready to post for at least two hours. Hell, it’s already light outside, which isn’t normal for this process at all. But, despite my new ability to actually sleep for a normal period, thus resuming a diurnal existence rather than an insomniacal one (well, one equally nocturnal as diurnal, anyway….), it can’t be called anything but nearly normal, a phrase I thought never to apply to any of this. Normal just hasn’t been in the works for a very long time, & I’m not certain I like it….

But, there it is, in all its mundane glory, so, we’ll post it & see how it flies. In fact, we’ll do that now, so I don’t lose what little nerve I have remaining. We’ll use one of our oldest, most reliable techniques, too, just to keep things moving in the proper direction. It’s very simple, & works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“To live content with small means,
to seek elegance rather than  luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion,
to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich,
to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly,
to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart,
to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never,
in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious,
grow up through the common, this is to be my symphony.”

~~ William Henry Channing ~~

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chase goehring

Chase Goehring

Image from Facebook.com via Google Images

This young singer/songwriter is another fine talent, a finalist in the 2017 America’s Got Talent competition, playing all original songs for his performances. He made it to the Finalist list, but, didn’t receive enough votes to make the Top 5. I think he is going to one day be well-known, for his songwriting skills and originality will ensure him a place in the music industry. I thoroughly enjoy his music, and hope you do as well….

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Chase Goering
AGT 2017

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Comedy_Tragedy

Augmentation: Inner Aye

Distant, peals of thunder, vividly.
Closer, a patter of rain, falling gravidly.
Between the light and the darkness of fear
find merely the remnants of one lonely tear.

Do not hate us, though we have not sinned;
eager for courage, upon whom all hope is pinned.
Tales of insolence, hatred, or fallen virtue
fill us up, not down, in such pristine foreign venue.

Capable hands severed, able hands tied;
the future is angry, all but now denied.
Multiple times, warnings sounded across the pale
nobody heard, nobody came to tell the tale.

Gifted by time, salience fails in epic rhyme;
watchmakers watching, each a separate crime.
Logical solutions refuse to emulsify
forever pretending to cruelly crucify.

Blood will fly alongside pertinent composure,
never seeking, never finding tea, or closure.
Falsely laid trails on mountains of gold
imply no happy endings, no fortunes told.

Ages past have no time for repetition;
further chances only lead to perdition.
Destiny feels a shameful portion of guilt,
for a thousand sand castles, never built.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/2/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Further notes on Life @ Large….

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“Each of us visits this Earth involuntarily, and without an invitation.
For me, it is enough to wonder at the secrets.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

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“A man is a very small thing,
and the night is very large and full of wonders.”

~~ Lord Dunsany, The Laughter of the Gods ~~

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“I am free, no matter what rules surround me.
If I find them tolerable,  I tolerate them;
if I find them too obnoxious, I break them.
I am free  because I know that
I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”

~~ Professor Bernardo de la Paz ~~

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“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture,
or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful;
but it is far more glorious to carve and paint
the very atmosphere and medium through which we look,
which morally we can do.
To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), “Where I Live”

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“Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.”

~~ Things We Can Learn From Dogs ~~

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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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“Nothing endures but change.”

~~ Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.) ~~

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Well, there you have it, such as it is. I’ll be back in a day or three, hopefully with more creative material than today’s mess… which is okay, but, I wouldn’t call it an iconic Pearl…. It’s just a Pearl, of Virtual Wisdom, at that, so, use it with care. Be well, be happy, be strange, and, damn it, stay alert…. I’ll be back, as the saying goes….

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 -- 15342

À bientôt, mon cherí….

 

Reason to be aloof….

Ffolkes,

Having spent rather more time walking, & less time writing, than is either usual, or, preferable for me yesterday, I can only say, I’m still not feeling guilty over it, AND, there is still no fresh Pearl. I did spend a few moments this morning searching out this one to reblog. It’s from about a year & a half ago, at the tail-end of my time in Hell of another’s making (damn shamans!….), which came out well, & includes one of my best poetic efforts…not because it’s comfortable, or necessarily great… but, it’s defines, to me, what poetry IS when done right…. At any rate, it’s all there, & should keep y’all happy until I can get something fresh put together… possibly for tomorrow morning. For now, I’m off on more walkabout, but, will spend some time today online to try a bit of catch-up, both writing, and reading blogs…. Perhaps I’ll even make a snarky comment or two, here and there….

Y’all keep up the strange; even if you don’t know it, it’s the best thing you can do. So, go ahead & practice your weird, and go forth, committing random acts of kindness and generosity to the world at large…. It throws ’em off your scent…. See ya soon….

gigoid, the dubious

😎

gigoid's avatargigoid

Ffolkes,

“Everything in excess!
To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites.
Moderation is for monks.”

~~ Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love” ~~

ketchikan early

Ketchikan, Alaska, before the invasion….

Hajime…. In my experience, the most difficult part of the continued presence of PTSD in my life is what occurred yesterday. I call it SOD, or, sudden onset depression, a euphemistic acronym, which makes it sound all official and clean, when, in truth, it’s a dirty fucking mess. I’ll be cruising along, & will see, or hear, or experience some sort of stimulus, the nature of which is always unclear before it shows itself. This time, I saw a picture/story on FB, about an abused animal, & before I knew it, tears were flowing down my cheeks, and my mood plummeted into the depths….

Not a happy time, especially since it coincided with the onset of…

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