Such dignified phlegmatism is gratifying….

Posted on May 28, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.”

~~ J.R.R Tolkien ~~

Tianenmen Square, 2004

Hajime…. Today’s Pearl is late. Again. Chalk it up to the return of our old friend, insomnia, whose presence over the past four days has NOT been appreciated, nor celebrated. It has, however, been a pain in the proverbial ass. Naturally, y’all will realize that means a bit more archive diving today, but, hey, the archives are deep, and wide, so, we’ll see if we can’t find something worth reading. Our old-school pearl is fresh, as is the music, just released by Playing For Change, the organization which plays music for peace…. It’s a great cut, with some outstanding artists and celebrities joining in with the kids and street artists.

Lack of sleep has cleared out my head of any useful material, as is its habit. This means you get lucky, since I’ll have to truncate this intro again, so as to maintain any sort of schedule. As I am already damn near an hour past my usual time to post, I will delay no further, & get us the hell out of here post haste. I will say this; I’m tired of having to make excuses for these Pearls, so, tomorrow’s effort will be better, come hell, or high water. On that relatively positive note, let’s get this slow on the toad for today….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

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Here is the latest cut from Playing For Change…. It’s an organization well worth your support; stop by their website after listening, and consider joining me as an Ambassador…. You won’t regret it, for you will be notified of every new song they make…. Enjoy!….

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Playing For Change
Everyday People

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https://youtu.be/-g4UWvcZn5U

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I’m late again, thanks to the return of insomnia to my life. SIGH…. Oh, well. Y’all know what that means, right? Right…. Enjoy!

From 2/1/2013:

“The secret of life is to appreciate the pleasure of being terribly deceived.” — Oscar Wilde

Oscar’s speech, and his grasp of the art of conversation, were legendary for showing wit along with intelligent insight. Often, with aphorisms like this one, that depth of insight became quite shiny….. It doesn’t seem like much, at first glance, but is actually quite good advice, though given with tongue firmly planted in cheek. In one simple sentence, he condemns modern society for its lack of integrity, and offers to mankind the only true way to be content with our lot…..

In this society, we, the people, are deceived on what is essentially an hourly basis, by our leaders, by our priests, by businesses, by the police, by each other for the sake of expedience; almost every minute of our lives we are being lied to by someone, especially if one watches a lot of TV. We have, culturally, become so inured to being lied to that we have come to assume it is not just okay, but is the only way to get ahead in life…. Sadly, this may be true…. The presence of honesty in human interaction has become so rare that most people just expect the lies, and learn to live with them per Oscar’s suggestion.

In its simplicity, and in its Zen-like attitude, what Oscar shared is very much Eastern in its outlook. It isn’t a common idea in Western culture to “go with the flow”, but rather to “fight on”; the concept of acceptance to deal with challenge is foreign to most of us raised under Christian standards. But, regardless of where one is raised, the lies are still out there, being used by those in power to confuse, distract, and manipulate the voting public, and I think we can count on them to continue in that vein for as long as it continues to work for them….

So, maybe it is time to look at what Oscar said as a challenge, rather than advice. Perhaps, if the public began to NOT accept the lies, but began to question those in authority, to demand that the truth be told, then maybe there is a chance for us to survive the coming collapse….. Maybe…. it may already be too late….

I read an interesting article the other day, and I use the word ‘interesting’ in its most dangerous sense, as is common in Eastern culture, where being wished an “interesting life” is a curse…. The article made this statement, to wit: the climate is not changing. It has changed…… In other words, the moment that the environmentalists have been fearing for years has arrived, and we have reached a point of no return.

The millions of tons of particulate matter (“pollution”) we have been pumping into the air for the last 100 years has reached a point where irreversible changes in the balance of the planetary ecosystem have been made, and the climate, which has just begun to alter its centuries-old patterns, will now continue to grow more unpredictable, and more violently destructive than has ever been seen before in history. These changes are not going to stop, and in fact, will worsen over time…. and, I am unhappy to report, this is not fear-mongering, this is not speculation, this is not a lie…. this is demonstrable fact. See for yourself, here:

http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks/worldclock/

I am so pissed off about this that I am going to have to stop this pearl right here; I’m already trembling from the jolt of adrenaline the anger stimulated in me. Those in power over society have ignored the warnings that scientists and environmentalists have issued for decades, and their intransigence is now going to kill all of us, slowly and with great pain for many, as life on this planet becomes more and more of a challenge, to live, nay, just to survive. There is only one reason this is happening, and that is the FACT that the Beloved Ruling Class has, for centuries, lied and cheated the rest of humanity, and have arranged matters so that they are the only ones who are truly comfortable… most of humanity has to struggle to obtain just enough of the resources being hoarded to live in hunger, barely able to survive.

Bah! I am incensed, and can hardly contain my rage…. It makes me want to go out and start….. well, I started to say “killing”, referring to the members of the BRC, but, on second thought, killing is too good for them. I think I’d rather keep them alive, but make them suffer, just as much as they have made others suffer their entire lives….. It’s time, ffolkes, for humanity to step up, and boot the assholes out…. They are killing us, and I think it is about time we did something to return the favor, don’t you?….. Think about, but don’t take long, because it’s already too late…..

“If I had a Q-TIP, I could prevent th’collapse of NEGOTIATIONS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“Rare gift! but oh what gift to fools avails!”

~~ Alexander Pope — The Odyssey of Homer, Book x, Line 29 ~~

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Penance, Made Simple

After all the dross is sent away
a celebration can begin,
time will face up to space, to stay
willing, to shine from within.

Anger and confusion come in to share
brushing reason aside,
eager to welcome all that is fair,
alert to danger, eyes wide.

Re-gift the wicked with their own pain
stand with the just;
fail to partake of the ill-gotten gain,
living in honor, the only must.

Standing fast in the face of wrong
is its own prize and reward.
Holding on to truth makes us strong,
well worth working toward.

Little is left to chance by fate
our lessons are never free of cost.
Seldom does reality make us wait
only when alone, are we lost.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/23/2012

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Naked Pearls

“A mind is a terrible thing to waste….”

*******

“So as this only point among the rest remaineth sure and certain,
namely, that nothing is certain. . .”

~~ Pliny The Elder ~~

*******

“It is one of the commonest of mistakes
to consider that the limit of our power of perception
is also the limit of all there is to perceive.”

~~ C. W. Leadbeater ~~

*******

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

~~ Anton LaVey ~~

*******

“As knowledge increases, wonder deepens.”

~~ Wise Bee ~~

*******

“Things are not always what they seem.”

~~ Phaedrus — Book iv, Fable 2, 5 ~~

*******

“Trouble not the sage at his books, for to him,
whole armies are but ideas,
to be destroyed with the turning of a page.”

~~ Ancient Human Proverb ~~

*******

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”

~~ Carl Sagan ~~

*******

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

I wasn’t completely sure I could do it, but, it’s done. Rather than take a chance it doesn’t make it at all, I’ll go post it, and be done for the day. As noted above, I’ll be back tomorrow with a better effort. Well, another effort; I guess the decision as to ‘better’ or ‘worse’ will remain to be seen. Until then, I love y’all, and that has to count for something….. See ya….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Abject traces of bellicose faces….

Posted on April 18, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“As men, we are all equal in the presence of death.”

~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 1 ~~

Different day, different pub ~~ Cork, Ireland

Note the perfect Guinness waiting at the tap….

Hajime…. Hmm… Where to begin? No doubt, the beginning would be best, so, let’s start there. Good morrow, I think. I can’t be entirely positive, but, saying so often sets the tone, so, we’ll go with that. I’d ask how y’all are doin’, but, that would be silly, since you’re not really here yet. A distinct possibility exists you will never be here, but, if I thought too hard about that, it would probably make me crazier than I already am; I don’t think that would be wise today, as the drive to crazy would be very short, indeed.

Ah, well, such is life as a retired dilettante, I suppose. I can’t really complain, as I have a roof, warmth, ample food, and a magic cat; many people don’t have any of that, even at my age…. and, isn’t THAT a proper indictment of our society? I’d say so, but, if I did, that would be ranting in the intro again, and I promised myself I wouldn’t do that any more. It would probably be a good idea for me to avoid ranting altogether today, I think; anything that came out would be suspect, for sure and for certain. In fact, I suspect we ought to leave this right here, and use this little button again, to get us down the page to the next section. Hold on, it can be a little bumpy with this one….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If one sticks too rigidly to one’s principles,
one would hardly see anybody.”

~~ Agatha Christie~~

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

Today’s video selection is a two hour compilation of classical music, combined with a screensaver slide-show of fine art photographs. I have yet to watch or listen, but, it sounds lovely, and the picture it displayed was certainly fine art…. Enjoy!….

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/-3FMzIRSIMc

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It may not seem like it, but, it’s been a tough morning. The current rant isn’t done yet, either, so, here is a lighter piece, an old-school pearl with comments, to take the place of anything fresh, or reasonably coherent…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this may be the best I’ve got today…. Too bad I wrote it almost four years ago….

From 9/12/2012:

This is an old school pearl for your reading pleasure, or nearest approximation of same…. a bit different, with some internal comments from yours truly (in parentheses for your convenience….), to give directional hints that may or may not lead you to the point being developed…. but, funny, at least, as much as I can make them….

“… But when he [the people’s champion] has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.), “The Republic”

(When I read this, or sentiments like it, I always get a picture in my head of the two Bushes…. GW and GHW, otherwise known as the Senior Shrub and the Junior Shrub, or vice versa…. The national mourning that took place yesterday is the best example of their work in this arena….)

“My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian-an early Indian. Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan. All those Salem witches were ancestors of mine. Your people made it tropical for them…. The first slave brought into New England out of Africa was an ancestor of mine-for I am a mixed breed, an infinitely shaded and exquisite Mongrel.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)

(Me too! I loved this when I first saw it, back in High School, a VERY LONG time ago… so long ago, it was hot off the press…… The best part is, every one of those folks who believe themselves to be blue-blooded Americans are exactly the same make-up… There are very few real pure-bloods left anywhere in the world, and certainly not in a country with the diverse population we have….. we’re all, technically speaking, close to being “mutts”, every one of us…..)

“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.” — Galbraith’s Law

(I am reminded of those folks who are busy trying to convince everyone that they aren’t against Obama because he’s black, and then turn around and support R&R, who have all but guaranteed to return racism and bigotry to government….. Hell, just look at one of their primary talking point slogans, the key part of which is, and I quote, “…we’ll take America back….” Take it back? From whom? From other Americans? Does this mean the current government aren’t real Americans? That sounds suspiciously of both racism, AND treason, to me…..)

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

(Ah, the good old days…. sometimes, I wish we would see someone in the House, or the Senate, say this at the end of a speech, just to see if anyone is paying attention…)

“Somewhere in suburban Honolulu, an unemployed bellhop is whipping up a batch of illegal psilocybin chop suey!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

(Okay, I admit it… this one isn’t part of the message inherent in the other quotes…. I just like it….. Though, now that I think about it, the fact that it is entirely possible this is true, does say something about the subject at hand, to wit: society and government thereof…. What it says could be paraphrased as “If God is in charge here, I am angry; if He is not, I am frightened….” — Smart Bee)

No one ever made laws keeping people from making fools of themselves. — Smart Bee

(This is a wonderful end point for this discussion, or at least, it is such an ending for the discussion going on in my head….. I think this is very, very true, sadly…. Moreover, I believe that the laws we do pass actually are the proof of the pudding, in terms of people making fools of themselves…. especially when we try to legislate morality…..)

That’s enough mental torture for one day….. I hope the conclusion these quotes led to is clear…. if not, well, that’s okay, because I never hold quizzes…. and hopefully, you got a chuckle or two from reading it…. and if not, well, console yourself with the fact that it is done…..

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

Off the proverbial cuff….

I never meant to kill that period of time,
it didn’t give me any choice.
It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,
refused me any vote, or any voice.

You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,
just as if I cared.
I knew, though, it would never last,
or ever be fully repaired.

No news, no pictures can bring it back,
once is all we get.
No pleas of public good, or even public lack;
in stone the past is set.

Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,
I’m ready to go on.
Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!
Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?

Now, I remembered, at long, long last,
is all we really can hold.
Every moment goes by so bloody fast,
we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/30/2013

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Naked Pearls

Random Notes On Being Human

*********

“Chaos of thought and passion, all confused;
Still by himself abused or disabused;
Created half to rise, and half to fall;
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;
Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurled,–
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world.”

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle ii, Line 13 ~~

*********

“Catch the wind, see it spin, sail away, live the day way up high in the sky.”

~~ Jimmy Page and Robert Plant ~~

*********

“It is one of the commonest of mistakes to consider
that the limit of our power of perception
is also the limit of all there is to perceive.”

~~ C. W. Leadbeater ~~

*********

“Time will explain it all. He is a talker, and needs no questioning before he speaks.”

~~ Euripides ~~

*********

“All the magick of creation exists within a single, tiny seed.”

~~ Magi ~~

*********

“A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a Unicorn.”

~~ Ancient Human proverb ~~

*********

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
To keep our faces toward change
and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate
is strength undefeatable.”

~~ Helen Keller ~~

*********

“Once you can accept the universe
as being something expanding
into an infinite nothing which is something,
wearing stripes with plaid is easy.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

*********

Whatever far-off world exists,
dearer to man than life itself,
darkness keeps it in her arms,
and shrouds it in a cloud.

No one has found a way beyond,
What lies beneath is unrevealed,
Adrift upon a glittering stream,
We sigh for some still nameless thing.”

~~ Euripides, “Hippolytus” ~~

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I am fairly certain it’s done; I went over it all, and there is enough in each section to make the grade, even if it isn’t an A, or even a B, today. So be it. The mere fact it is done is a testament to the process of creating Pearls, which has evolved to the point of near independence. Sure it has. On that delusional note, I think it would be best if I just say, see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, when you’ll see yet another attempt to get this right. Don’t hold your breath, though; it could be late…. See ya….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Defined by overt self-interest…

Posted on February 26, 2016 by gigoid

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 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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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

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

https://youtu.be/tAkHdB77u2c

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“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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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

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

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!…..

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

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Radio arguments on TV….

Posted on February 18, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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 ~~

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

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

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

https://youtu.be/nhp_1T5dCo4

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

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

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

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

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

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bags of bewildered alien budgies ….

Posted on February 8, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.”

~~ Josh Billings ~~

Wine Country ~ California

Hajime….. ‘Tis very late here in northern California; not by most standards, but, for me, quite so. This, of course, bodes ill for today’s Pearl, so, I’ll see what I can do to mitigate that, lest we annoy an insurance agent…. again. I do have a plan, but, we all know how plans can go; “the best laid plans of mice and…. “, and all that, y’know? But, we’ll do all we can, since that’s all we can do.

The plan I’ve developed, (read: made up on the spot) involves some cheating, but, it can’t be helped, as I am, in sooth, a well-trained consumer, when I wish to allow it, and I can cheat, lie, & steal with the best of them. Not that I make a habit of allowing such nonsense, but, there are moments when expediency has its uses, as we all know. Hell, some of us wouldn’t eat if we didn’t give in to it now & again. But, I digress, & we don’t have time for that. In light of our short-fuse this morning, I’ll use my executive privilege, and make a decision, tough as it is pre-breakfast. Y’all will have to make your own decision, as to whether or not you’ll tag along today. I hope you do’ it promises to be, well, different, if naught else.

On that cryptic note, we’ll get the slow on the toad….. just like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” — Ambrose Redmoon

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

As noted, late means cheating, though, in this case, it’s not so much of that as a tried-and-true method of saving time, while still maintaining certain standards. Works for me…. Enjoy; as usual, the mix I picked had the picture that drew me today….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/Mx6xkyi5Ij8

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

Today’s discussion is from a while back. I had already chosen a pearl upon which to base another new discussion, but, that didn’t happen. It does, however, fit in quite nicely with the one I found, so, it gets to act as today’s herald…. Enjoy!….

“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”

From 11/6/2012:

50% of all people are below average….– Shocking Truth

This truth, which is mathematically indisputable, is quite a shock to many people. Oddly enough, human nature is such that nobody at all is constitutionally able to conceive of themselves being part of that 50% that makes up the lower half of the whole. If you ask anyone at all where they would place themselves on a scale of human intelligence, I would wager good money that not a single one would place themselves on that part of the curve. (It’s a bell curve…. Humanity, in all it’s measurable traits, exists on a bell curve….Trust me…..) Yet, the simple fact remains that SOMEBODY has to make up that part of the whole, and the chances that anyone at all is in the lower 50% are exactly even….

This is one of the hardest things for any human to accept, and the power of their denial is in direct proportion to how far below the average they fall. Myself, I would not trade being well above the average for anything…. It can be a pain, for sure, but the perks are very persuasive…. However, there is a lot to be said for the ability to absolutely refute the facts of reality… I think it’s been said before that “ignorance is bliss”, and this is the reason why that is true. Human beings have an incredibly strong sense of denial when it comes to reality, in spite of the obvious drawbacks (I guess if they were able to see the drawbacks, it would be different, but what is, is….), and probably nothing else in our make-up causes more problems for us than that single trait.

This ability to ignore what reality is saying to us can easily be shown to be responsible for the entire concept of global warming and climate change, two subjects that are now forcing their way into our awareness in the most dramatic fashion…. I really can’t recall a November in my 62 years where I was forced to turn on the air conditioning during the day, to combat the 85-90 degree temperatures that are currently par-boiling Northern California. It’s not as if fall hasn’t been nice before, but this is ridiculous. To have summer-like weather this far into fall, even here where the seasons tend to run together in similarity, seems to be to be pretty incontrovertible proof of the weather changes that are happening…. especially if one factors in all the OTHER places in the world where extreme weather is becoming normal.

No, global warming and climate change are FACTS, ffolkes. The evidence is right there for anyone to see…. but, most of the people who are responsible for much of it happening are in complete denial of those facts, so the problem just continues to worsen as time goes on. I suppose when the super-storms start hitting New York and Washington D.C. in mid-summer, flooding out the stock market and congress again, maybe they’ll start admitting to some of it….

Given the history of the power of ignorance and denial, though, I rather think it won’t happen until it’s too late to do much about it. I just hope by then, I’ve figured out how to emigrate to another planet, where, as a natural result of having weeded out the stupid, the more intelligent settlers of new worlds will perhaps learn to live without falling into the process of fouling our own nest…. SIGH…. A pipe dream, I know, but mine own….. and, I can’t see much else that will work, so in that respect, I’m asserting my own form of denial…..

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

I’m working on a new poem, but, it isn’t done bleeding yet, so, here is one from the past to fill in….

Lamenting Empathy, No Grace

Strange, strong, passions burn from within
Selling nothing short, nor out
Consumed, loudly, failing to mark the spin
Sad, resigned, in singular redoubt.

Fallow grounds for twisted seed
Become fated, grow, and die.
Experience never fills critical need
Save perhaps once, in ages gone by.

Shouting in severe, dulcet tone
Brittle, flaking, destiny floats away
Making noise, rattling the bone
Simply ageless fears held at bay.

We mask our illusions in faux belief
Tied to reality by matter of rote,
Send them postcards, without relief
Consecrated time, forever remote.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/19/2014

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

Naked Pearls

Truth Be Told

*******

“Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth.”

~~ Socrates ~~

*******

“It is one thing, to show a man that he is in an error,
and another, to put him in possession of truth.”

~~ John Locke ~~

*******

“What we do not understand we do not possess.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~

*******

“Truth hath a quiet breast.”

~~ William Shakespeare, King Richard II — Act i, Sc. 3 ~~

*******

“An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and resolute actions;
he is neither hot nor timid.”

~~ Chesterfield ~~

*******

“Truth never hurts the teller.”

~~ Robert Browning ~~

*******

Know then this truth (enough for man to know),–
“Virtue alone is happiness below.”

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 309 ~~

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

Well, it’s done, again. Having rushed through the process, annoying the cat no end, as it cuts into her time, I shan’t bother to go back over it. This may, of course, lead to such nasty occurrences as typos, or non sequitors, or other literary faux pas. You are advised to ignore them, as that is what I’m going to do, In fact, I’m just going to leave now, and be done with this. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. No, no, I insist….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Purveyors of indolent platypae…..

Posted on January 27, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Justice is truth in action.”

~~ Benjamin Disraeli ~~

What’s your issue?….

Hajime…. Most days like today, I’d be rushing, typing like mad to get done. Not today. I am serene, in spite of my lateness, for I finally slept well for a night. Yay, me. Crowing over, and, having enjoyed the use of a weapon I thought I had misplaced (Sleep is a weapon, you know….), I greet the day with aplomb, if not joy. Even Leelu is being patient with me, sensing, perhaps, my serenity…. Well, perhaps, contentment is closer than serenity, but, I’m sure y’all know what I mean…. and, who cares, anyway? Not me….

Even though I’m not in a hurry, I’ll be nice, & cut this down to workable size this morning, by taking our leave right here and now. Some day, y’all will thank me, I’m sure. For now, let it be enough to know it won’t hurt, particularly, unless, of course, you fight against the restraints. Everybody set? Got your favorite adult beverage at hand? Okay…. let’s do this, before we lose our nerve….

Shall we Pearl?….

“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

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

Today’s music is our default selection, classical music. The particular compilation chosen was random, simply for the picture that caught my eye today…. Enjoy!…..

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/1rlU2WQ_Wf4

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

I don’t feel like ranting this morning, as I feel so energized…. Plus, I am saving up all my angst to take with me on Monday, when I go to deal with one of our corporate terrorist organizations, to wit: PG&E, the energy giant. I have a few things to dump on them, so, I want there to be plenty of emotional pressure built up; I’m planning on blasting them good and proper…. So, here is a somewhat philosophical discussion from the archives, which will keep me from working myself into a dither while proofing it for consumption today…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

From 10/29/2012:

“It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.” — Deng Ming-Dao

This is a very subtle and difficult concept for anyone, of Western or Eastern orientation to reality, to fully understand, and even harder to put into action in everyday life…. It is also an idea I’m not sure I can completely hold to be true, in one sense at least. I can see how learning to accept both happiness and sorrow as being equal in value, in terms of how reality is structured is important to understanding. The very fact that we perceive them as opposites reflects our way of seeing the universe, as a dichotomy, with each characteristic balanced by its spiritual opposite, its mirror image, as it were; it follows that being able to recognize this without experiencing any discomfort or imbalance would be a valuable approach.

But, I cannot say that they are the same to me, for as a human, it is part of my nature to “like” the happiness, and “dislike” the sorrow; as people, we are going to have an emotional reaction to what we perceive, regardless of any other factors. It seems to me that the lesson to be learned, then, is to not allow our emotional preferences to influence our inner state, beyond the state of acknowledging it. Our task then becomes to learn to accept it, and appreciate it for its place in reality, without letting our feelings about that place bring us to imbalance within our own spirit…. As I said, subtle and difficult, and more easily said than done, to be sure…..

The events surrounding this morning’s Pearl, as outlined in the intro, serve well to demonstrate how this principle can be useful to us in a very real sense….. I am unbalanced this morning, with my physical being complaining in no uncertain terms that it is displeased with the current state of my diet. This imbalance takes the form of severe discomfort, with some pain located in specific areas of concern. In addressing how I would deal with the feelings it generates, in the above section, it could be said that I was attempting to see past the event itself, into the meaning of it. This encourages some distance between the mind, and the actual events, and consequently, some distance from the feelings. With the sense of panic that accompanies such feelings abated, it is possible to adjust one’s attention to other places in the mind, and the imbalance of the negative feelings is brought back into proper alignment….

As with most types of pain, the feelings we have in reaction make the pain worse, if only by forcing our attention onto it. By creating some inner distance from those feelings, we take control of our attention, and by doing so, reduce the amount of pain/discomfort by a significant factor…. The pain doesn’t go away, but it is reduced enough so we can deal with it in a more productive fashion. It is by no means easy; the pain/discomfort doesn’t like giving up its position in the forefront of the mind’s attention. But, as can be seen by this very pearl, it can free us from the tyranny that our own bodies may try to impose upon us…. In a very real sense, learning this lesson, and how to apply it to the real world, can free our minds completely, to exist in a place where good and bad do not affect our inner balance….

“If you regard discomfort as a normal condition you are not likely to be troubled by want.” — Ieyasu’s maxims

This maxim points to one of the important attitudes one must cultivate, in order for this principle to work properly. It reminds me of the old story about the colonist and the Indian, walking through the forest in winter, sometime in the late 1600’s. The colonist is fully dressed against the cold in leathers, sweaters, jackets, furs, boots, and full beard; the Indian is in moccasins, breech cloth, and skin, despite the snow all around. The colonist says to the Indian, “Aren’t you cold?” The Indian asks in return, “Is your face cold?” “Well, yeah, but I’m used to that,” is the reply….. The Indian just smiles, and says, “Me all face….”

Put most simply, it’s all in what you are used to…. So, get used to learning to adjust your own mind, teaching it to control its reaction to events of all types, rather than letting the world, and its unwelcome events, adjust it for you….. Me, I’d hate to have the words “willy nilly” apply to me in ANY respect….. I prefer having some say in the matter…. and I’ll tell you, it has been an invaluable tool this morning, else there would be no Pearl today…..

And if I laugh at any mortal thing,
‘T is that I may not weep.

~~ Lord Byron, Don Juan, Canto iv, Stanza 4 ~~

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

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.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/10/2012

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

Still More Naked Pearls

What’s Important?

*********

“Learning isn’t a means to an end; it is an end in itself.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

*********

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total oblivion.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me
and turn my inner eye to follow its path.
When the fear is gone, there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”

~~ The Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert, “Dune”, 1965 ~~

*********

“Being good at being stupid doesn’t count.”

~~ Realist Bee ~~

*********

“…the path without a Heart will turn against men and destroy them.
It does not take much to die,
and to seek death and to seek nothing.”

~~ Carlos Castaneda, “The Teachings of Don Juan” ~~

*********

“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within.”

~~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ~~

*********

“Always do what you are afraid to do.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*********

“To a rational being it is the same thing
to act according to nature and according to reason.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, vii, 11 ~~

*********

“Clay is moulded to make a vessel,
but the utility of the vessel
lies in the space where there is nothing.
Thus, taking advantage of what is,
we recognize the utility of what is not.”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

*********

Not chaos-like together crush’d and bruis’d,
But as the world, harmoniously confus’d,
Where order in variety we see,
And where, though all things differ, all agree.

~~ Alexander Pope, Windsor Forest, Line 13 ~~

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

I’m not sure why, but, some days, like today, when I’m done, I feel like jumping up, kicking my heels, and sitting back down. I don’t, of course, do that, simply because I’d be liable to end up on my face, unconscious from the fall. Ah well, I’ll just consider it as done, & save myself the trip to the ER. I’ll also end this here, and now, to save y’all from further mental bludgeoning, which I know this resembles far too often. C’est la fucking vie, as we say around here. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless somebody catches me…..

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bald gestures provide unwarranted relief….

Posted on January 21, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“You can lead a yak to water
but you can’t teach an old dog
to make a silk purse out of a pig in a poke.”

~~ Opus ~~

Scottish Coastline near Invergordon

Hajime…. Yesterday, I took advantage of some cat nap time to complete today’s Pearl, which turned a bit epic on me. There’s a fresh discussion of human nature & society, an old poem from 2012, and a rather epic old-school pearl to finish it off. Quite the mess, I should think, which is why the music should make it all better….

Since this is done, for the most part, I’ll stick it in the Tardis, & deliver it to the WP editor in the morning, once we figure out the proper settings. This, of course, is a bonus, because now I can work a day ahead, giving me more time to play with Leelu; the older she gets the more she requires attention, it seems. But, she’s worth a bit of effort, so, no big deal. It does mean, though, this intro will be, once again, shortened more than we are accustomed to find it. C’est la fucking vie, right?

Here is how that works….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don’t know.”

~~Bertrand Russell ~~

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

Bonnie Raitt

Today’s video isn’t a video, though watching Bonnie play is my idea of heaven. I decided to show y’all WHY she is my favorite artist in Rock & Roll/Blues/R&B/Pop/you name it. She plays guitar like BB King, and sings like anyone’s idea of an angel. Plus, hey, red hair & a gorgeous smile, y’know? What’s not to like?…. Here is a compilation from her album(s) of Best Hits…. I don’t have to tell you to enjoy; I know you will. She can rip your heart out. put it right back in, then melt it….

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Bonnie Raitt

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https://youtu.be/2oXLukzYoKc

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“Nature is not human-hearted.”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

Long before there was much going on in the Western World, other than a few cities in Europe, such as Athens, human thought reached a pinnacle in China, when Lao Tzu shared the Way of the Tao with the world, in the Tao Teh Ching, and in writings we have had passed down through the ages by other scholars who studied the Way. This particular aphorism is one few in today’s world would ever consider, much less use to help themselves deal with the world as it exists….

Life today has become so complicated, it is difficult for even the most competent individuals to maintain any sort of balance in life. Maintaining the basic requirements for a comfortable life takes so much mental & physical effort, very few have the wherewithal to spend more than a minimum amount of time thinking about such things as human nature, the nature of Reality, or philosophy in general. There just aren’t enough minutes in the day. Sadly, by failing to consider notions such as our opening quote, their lives are made even more difficult than it is, or, needs to be.

We, being human, tend to judge the universe, and what happens around us, according to our preconceived, or previously held, ideas of how it works; this tends to lead us to believe in what we want as good, and what we do not wish to be bad, in simplest terms. Such a tendency is reinforced by the structure of society as it is, a society which reflects the nature of its members, to wit: it is believed that humans can control reality to get what they want…. Sadly, this is an illusion, for reality will change, no matter whether we participate in those changes, or not; we have no say in any of that; to attempt to do so only leads to frustration, and conflict, for the universe is what it is, and not subject to our judgment of it.

Thus we have come to a point in history where we are “governed”; society has embraced the illusion that individuals need protection from the universe’s changes, and, government is just the one to do it. For some reason, people have come to believe A) they are incapable of understanding or dealing with life at large, and, B) they need others to help them do so. I’m not sure just how it got established in people’s minds, but, there it is, so, what can we do about it? It isn’t true, by any stretch of the imagination, yet, people still wish for government to order life so they don’t have to think, only do what they are told is right….

This foolish dependency, which has no actual basis in reality, has led to other illusions, which are commonly held to be true. For example, there is the notion of “Rights” which, according to the theory, is something all people should have…. Yet, so far, the only ‘right’ that seems to be ours is the right to live, and, in time, to die…. Beyond that, it’s all a crap shoot, ffolkes, and anyone who tells you otherwise has a hand in your pocket….

“Rights” is a fictional abstraction. No one has “Rights”, neither machines nor flesh-and-blood. Persons… have opportunities, not rights, which they use or do not use.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

The other illusion which has plagued the progress of humanity falls into the same category, to wit; humans were created by a supernatural being who cares about them, and wishes them well…. This seems, to me, to be somewhat wishful thinking, for there is no evidence whatsoever to be found which gives any such indication on the part of Reality. Everything else we perceive tells us, simply, our existence matters not at all to Reality. It went along just find before we arrived, and will do so after we have departed this plane of existence… All the available verifiable evidence is clear on this….

Yet, mankind at large seems to prefer to have their thinking done for them; as long as they are reasonably comfortable, the average person will never think of such issues, or use their mind for much beyond deciding which snack to grab at the next commercial. This innate laziness, while useful when applied with rationality, is more than merely harmful when abused in such a way, for it has led us to another issue which, according to the rules of Reality we already know, cannot be ignored, or denied….

“People who take issue with control of population do not understand that if it is not done in a graceful way, nature will do it in a brutal fashion.” — H. Kendall

Yes, ffolkes, the world has become a dangerous place, not because of how we humans have used our capabilities, but, rather, because of how we have failed to take full advantage of them, by learning our own true nature, and how to use those abilities we have to create change, rather than constantly trying to maintain the status quo…. Life is change, and only the dead do not have to obey that law….

“God is not all-powerful as he cannot build a wall he cannot jump.”

~~ Blaise Pascal ~~

See? This is what the human mind is capable of…. a far cry from dogma or kings……

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

Penance, Made Simple

After all the dross is sent away
a celebration can begin,
time will face up to space, to stay
willing, to shine from within.

Anger and confusion come in to share
brushing reason aside,
eager to welcome all that is fair,
alert to danger, eyes wide.

Re-gift the wicked with their own pain
stand with the just;
fail to partake of the ill-gotten gain,
living in honor, the only must.

Standing fast in the face of wrong
is its own prize and reward.
Holding on to truth makes us strong,
well worth working toward.

Little is left to chance by fate
our lessons are never free of cost.
Seldom does reality make us wait
only when alone, are we lost.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/23/2012

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Today’s final, old-school pearl is an epic monster, which speaks, in a general, yet incredibly detailed way, of Life at Large, and how to approach it with dignity, serenity, reason, and virtue…. And, why not? The world needs all the virtue, and reason, it can get just now, trust me….

***********

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good;
And spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite,
One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 289 ~~

***********

“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 — Meditations, ix, 2 ~~

***********

“To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Journal”, 20 December 1822 ~~

***********

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

~~ Wilson Mizner ~~

***********

“Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in
silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all
persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to
the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive
persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser
persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep
interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the
world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the
grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things
of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do
not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and
loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a
child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to
be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is
unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive
Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of
life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.”

~~ Max Ehrman, “Desiderata” (1927) ~~

***********

“… as sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul…”

~~ Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics ~~

~~ Bl. I, Ch. 6, 10966, lines 29-30 ~~

***********

“[T]he earth does not belong to man;
man belongs to the earth.
This we know.
All things are connected
like the blood which unites one family.
All things are connected.
Whatever befalls the earth
befalls the sons of the earth.
Man did not weave the web of life;
he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web,
he does to himself.”

~~ Chief Seattle, 1854 (c.1786-1866) ~~

***********

“There is no wealth but life.”

~~ John Ruskin ~~

***********

“Because I have loved life,
I shall have no sorrow to die.”

~~ Amelia Burr ~~

***********

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

Done; not merely done, but, done a day early. Not bad for an old fart. Since I’ve probably tortured enough people for one day, I’ll take my leave without fanfare, merely a quick bow, and exit, stage right… or left, or down, which is, I guess, the proper direction to send you. See y’all tomorrow, if the plan comes together…. Looking good so far….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Morning sux, redux….

Posted on January 15, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Is a mirage real? Well, it’s a real mirage.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

You didn’t want to hit ‘delete’?

Hajime…. I am unsure why, but, I woke up grumpy; so be it…. This generally means a nice, vitriolic rant for later, but, since we are already ‘later’ than I’d like, we’ll pass on that, & go with an archived piece; the fresh treatise upon which I’ve been working isn’t ready anyway. Leelu isn’t happy with me, either, so, I guess it’s all of a piece, so to speak. Grumpiness, mad cat, late Pearl… I have a feeling I may not be attending Bingo Night tonight; too many opportunities to lose it altogether. Since I like the people who organize it, I’ll probably be nice, & stay home.

If you have come this far in today’s narrative, it may occur to you today’s title is actually connected to the Pearl, which is NOT my habit, nor my wish. It just came out that way; I made it up while still in extreme grump mode, and, it seems to have stuck, no matter what I do. Oh, well, that’s just one more to add to my list, which is reaching epic proportion, and it’s barely 6 AM. Now I’m getting worried; is there some cosmic event my perception has picked up subconsciously? Is the Universe about to go critical? Is the Space/Time Continuum shaking in its proverbial boots?…. Tune in tomorrow, & we’ll have a report on all of that…..

For now, and today, I think, perhaps, ‘t would be a good thing to get this slow on the toad. In keeping with that most perceptive insight, let’s do this, which is fast, and may cause a bit of vertigo, but, what the hell? The morning’s shot anyway. Hang on, ffolkes, this one moves wicked fast….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Human, do you know how interesting it is, this thing you describe? Avata does not have a god. How is it that you have a god? Avata has Self, has the universe. But you have a god. Where did you find this god?” — Frank Herbert

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

Today’s music is a lazy compromise; I wanted to hear some guitar, but, was too lazy to figure out to whom I wished to listen. This is the compromise, with 3 hours of classical guitar, by various artists…. It will do for our purposes today. Enjoy, ffolkes…

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Classical Guitar

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https://youtu.be/V80EzF–UNk

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I am working on a piece for this section, but, it keeps growing in different directions, so, it isn’t ready yet. To sublimate, here is a reasonably short discussion of a similar subject, from the archives, about three years ago…. Enjoy, ffolkes; at least you don’t have to hear me go off this morning; well, not with any oomph, anyway….

From 4/18/2013:

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

— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“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

“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

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

Modest sounds of impatient concern….

Crowds converge at the raw and grisly scene,
comatose to compassion, curiosity tugging at the hem
with sharp, oh, sharp tools made obscene,
filing the essence of future hopes in spite of them.

Yet who has won the keys to the treasure,
who whipped up the fear of another brother?
Who spent the dreams of the old in selfish measure,
with such arrogant blindness grave issues to smother?

Fateful decisions may prompt still another pause,
to catch and release collective images of insanity.
Surely legitimate anger arises with ample cause
wallowing in self-made entrepreneurs, fluent in profanity.

A quartet of eternities must pass to guarantee change,
regardless of need, or desire, or autonomous manipulation.
Ancient rules and modern aggression is only passing strange
when golden delusion grasps futilely at its related illusory station.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/18/2013

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

Naked Pearls

“And what have we learned today…?

*********

“Change a life; make someone feel important.”

~~ Compassionate Bee ~~

*********

“Anger is never without an argument,
but seldom with a good one.”

~~ George Savile ~~

*********

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.

~~ William Arthur Ward ~~

*********

Fortune is like glass;
the brighter the glitter,the more easily broken.

~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 280 ~~

*********

Know then this truth (enough for man to know),
“Virtue alone is happiness below.”

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 309 ~~

*********

“The worst vice of the fanatic is his sincerity.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

*********

“Laughter is the language of the gods.”

~~ Buddhist saying ~~

*********

“I used to think I was an expert.
Then I met one…”

~~ Wise Bee ~~

*********

“I cannot teach anybody anything,
I can only make them think.”

~~ Socrates ~~

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

Well, it’s done. As we all know, that is our primary goal, & once reached, we tend to bail quickly. How quickly? Oh, about like this….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. That isn’t meant as a threat, but, you take it however it occurs to you….. I’ll be here anyway, as long as the Net is still up & running…. See ya….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Illusion is a deck with 51 cards….

Posted on January 6, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“To make your children capable of honesty is the beginning of education.”

~~ John Ruskin ~~

Urban Garden, Galway

Tá sé i foscadh a chéile go gcónaíonn daoine.

It is in the shelter of each other that people live.

~~ Irish Proverb ~~

Hajime…. El Niño has come to California, bringing copious amounts of rain, sufficient to pound the windows hard enough to wake the dead; since I’m not quite there, it woke me, too. Nice to hear, actually, as we are, rain notwithstanding, deep into a serious drought in this neck of the North American woods. While welcome, the rain, as usual, will be trumpeted as disaster in the making, and people will wander around to their work and play, as if they’d never had to deal with rain in their lives….. Every time an event of almost any nature, whether caused by man, society, or nature, it seems to come as a complete surprise to everyone who is, shall we be nice, and say, less than perfectly mindful?….

‘S okay; hearing the crap people say about the weather, at my age, is no longer a surprise, so much as it is more proof of the pudding which society has been cooking for far too long. Stupidity is not merely the province of the average, or less than average person, any longer. The condition, and attitudes, of our entire culture is imbued with stupid; at every level of society, from the poorest, to the wealthiest, there is so little intelligence evident in what is said, what is done, and, in the end, what we have become, it saddens and frightens me, for there is only ONE end to that journey, and it isn’t called Utopia…. Most of the folks (note spelling) on this planet will call it Hell on Earth….

We’re not far off from that, now, today. There is still some small hope that rationality can win the day, but, the chances of that are growing slimmer with each new birth, on a planet already bursting at the seams from the depredations which follow such a degree of over-crowding….. There is, simply, not enough resources available on the whole planet to continue to feed and succor this many people. The mathematics of that has been known, and proved, since the middle of the nineteenth century, and there has been no disproof found which could cause any hope it might be wrong. We are all going to be put into the fire, and, how many will come out the other side is unclear; it is entirely possible there will not be ANY survivors, and we will join the dinosaurs, and the Dodo, in eternity’s club of failed experiments….

There, I think that’s depressing enough for one day…. I finished this Pearl yesterday, & after the mini-rant with which we started, I think we’ll just get this done, and try to throw off the cloud with what is below…. It can’t be any worse than this, right? Right…. Let do this, before I lose my nerve….

Shall we Pearl?….

Some men must be too spiritual, some must be too sensual.
Some must be too sympathetic, and some must be too proud.
We have no desire to say what men *ought* to be.
We only wish to say there are all kinds of ways of being,
and there is no such thing as human perfection.

~~ D.H. Lawrence, Fantasia of the Unconscious, 1922 ~~

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Image from forumspain.net via Google Images

Upon seeing/hearing yesterday’s classic music, one of our commenters reminded me of this album, from another three greats, back in our day…. If you haven’t heard it, you’re in for a treat…. This one’s for chuq…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. gaironteed (think Cajun accent… l’Acadian, oui, cheri?….)

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

~~ Super Session ~~
Bloomfield, Stills and Kooper

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

https://youtu.be/UHFPVOEKEfA?list=PL997FD3074EEC72B9

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The Holstee Manifesto

Image found at:

https://creativesystemsthinking.wordpress.com/2016/01/03/this-is-your-life-do-what-you-love-2/

SIGH…. Sometimes, the internet can make us feel foolish and small, in the face of so much data to process and apprehend. Yesterday I received, from a friend, via email, the link to the post you see above, just below the manifesto. The picture, with its text, was above the article, which mentioned that the above statement was already viewed by AT LEAST 50,000,000 people, at the website of the company whose ad department created it to sell clothing…. Fifty million people, and I never knew it existed…. Goes to show how easily we can miss what may be important to us, merely from a lack of time, or, serendipity….

That said, who can argue with any of it? It speaks to everyone, no matter where they are on their Life Journey, with advice to help us smooth our way, and enjoy the journey itself. Ironic that such a complete statement of what it means to be Human should come from the minds of people trying to improve their bottom line…. Very ironic, in my mind….

So much so, this is it, for today. The poster, and link, above says plenty, for a rant, or for a pearl of any length, and will do for this section of today’s post, as well….

See? I can be nice…..

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

Early Observations

Until I knew there was more,
I wanted to know God.
They said he was a nice guy,
and would let me live forever.

All I had to do, they said,
was live my life for Him,
always living by scripture
cleaving only to his Way.

But, everyone I saw in church,
acted different at home.
Living wild, cussin’ and fussin’,
nobody lived like they said.

Still, I tried to be like Jesus,
he was sort of cool.
He never hurt nobody
and walked on the right path.

‘Course they killed him for that,
they couldn’t stand his example.
Turned him into a martyr,
hid his real words among their own.

Then I found the Buddha,
and met Lao Tzu at the gate.
They saw things real different,
showed me how to see straight.

Right thought, and right action
replace blind obedience and faith.
Reality becomes manageable,
fear retreats, the universe expands.

Brother John said it pretty well,
“Imagine there’s no heaven,
it’s easy if you try.”
Sounds like he knew why.

Day to day, life is grand,
we walk in eternal beauty.
Open your eyes and hearts,
find yourself already immortal.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/12/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Further comments on Life @ Large

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

Unblemish’d let me live, or die unknown;
O grant an honest fame, or grant me none!

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ The Temple of Fame, Last line ~~

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

“Reading is thinking with someone else’s head instead of your own.”

~~ Literate Bee ~~

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

“Anyone can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend,
but it requires a very fine nature
to sympathize with a friend’s success.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

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

“I regret that I cannot do my duty as a true modern,
by cursing everybody who made me whatever I am.”

~~ G.K. Chesterton ~~

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

“For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.”

~~ Lewis Carroll ~~

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

“A life without cause is a life without effect.”

~~ Barbarella ~~

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

“You don’t fuck around with the infinite.”

~~ Mean Streets ~~

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

He sees that this great roundabout
The world, with all its motley rout,
Church, army, physic, law,
Its customs and its businesses,
Is no concern at all of his,
And says–what says he?–Caw.

~~ William Cowper ~~

~~ The Jackdaw, (Translation from Vincent Bourne) ~~

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

Well, there you go. It ain’t Ibsen, but it’s the best I’ve got today. I’ll go now, & leave y’all to your own devices, with, hopefully, a bit more comfort & joy than what was present when you began reading today’s mess. I’ll make no apologies for any of it; I will say I hope you enjoyed it, or, it pissed you off royally…. We shoot for both ends of the scale around here. Tomorrow, we’ll try again, so, fair warning, eh? See y’all then, if my house doesn’t float into the Bay….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

The world is my oyster, I shall not whine….

Posted on December 20, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Don’t store garlic near other victuals.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

Leelu, platting her next move….

Hajime…. Today, our opening line from Lazarus Long has more meaning than usual, as well as more than is immediately obvious upon first reading it. To understand Lazarus’ point, one must put in some heavy, yet subtle thought on the matter, before the light dawns….. Some see it right away, but, for those who do not, & may mistrust me on this, let me assure you, it isn’t talking just about garlic….

For us, today, it has more meaning because it fits in with the day I had yesterday… at least, up until writing this, of course. Who can say what may happen after? Not me, nor will I even attempt such foolishness. I AM old enough to know better; moreover, I’m old enough to listen when I tell myself that.

I was awakened at 0722 by Leelu, who was annoyed a bit when I rolled over & ignored her for another twenty minutes of sack time…. Once up, coffee brewing, we played for a few minutes, then I distracted her with food while I drank my first cup, & tried to complete yesterdays’ Pearl; some of that episode was related there.

Today, I have managed, in between our mutual training sessions, to complete this Pearl, a full 17.5 hours ahead of the time I usually post, at 0600, or as close as I can get. AND, Leelu now will jump up almost anywhere I ask her to, on command…. Bonus!

Yay! Now, I can even try to work a day, or two, ahead…. To complete this Pearl, tomorrow morning, I’ll just need to write is the closing section, which I like to compose on the day I post…. That way, nobody knows if the Tardis was involved, or not…. Plus, it’s good practice for evading cyber-security paranoiacs…. such as our own government. Ya gotta do what ya can to confuse your metadata; then they can’t predict you as well…. and, they certainly don’t need to know when I use the blue box…. if you get my drift.

Ahem…. Anyway, this one’s done, complete with a new poem, freshly written yesterday, and two, yes, two sections with old-school pearls jammed with metaphor, as well as a touch of smarm and innuendo…. What’s a pearl without a little innuendo, eh? Not much to write home about, that’s for sure. To ensure this introductory section doesn’t even come close to that particular standard of quality, I think we’ll get on with the course of business for today, and get this slow on the toad…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“The present is only a mathematical line which divides that part of eternal duration which we call the future, from that which we call the past.” — H. P. Blavatsky

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

Image from youtube.com via Google Images

Today’s video selection s a band to which I was introduced by a friend, a couple months ago, via Twitter… I’m not sure, exactly, why this seems appropriate, but, since I’ve listened to it, I have to say, it fits. I guess I feel like being raucous…. Enjoy, ffolkes; everyone else in this video did….

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

Dropkick Murphys
Live: St. Patrick’s Day 2002

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

https://youtu.be/jQVaH8pC2Kw

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

“War would end if the dead could return.”

~~ Stanley Baldwin ~~

As is probably becoming obvious by now, to me, if to no one else, ranting is becoming more of a chore than a joy. This doesn’t mean it’s over, or, there will be no more of them; it just means, now, I have to think of something else to do to sublimate the anger, and disillusionment I experience every damn day, not only reading the news, which never seems to change for the better, but, by walking on the damn streets, where all the bullshit the Asininnies have been, and, are up to, is becoming annoyingly ubiquitous.

That said, anyone who’s been here before already knows what is coming; any newbies will just have to figure out what happened later. For now, just read the following pearls, let them run around playing in your head, and you’ll have an idea of why I rant so fucking often….. I hope. If not, well, there’s always tomorrow……

Naked pearls

How’s the water in there?

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

“Water really has no value…. until the well runs dry.” — Subtle Bee

“Government, today, is growing too strong to be safe. There are no longer any citizens in the world; there are only subjects. They work day in and day out for their masters; they are bound to die for their masters at call. Out of this working and dying they tend to get less and less.” — H.L. Mencken

” — Bother! said Pooh,as he joined Black September.” — Twisted Bee

“How do you like the new America? We’ve cut the fat out of the government, and more recently the heart and brain (the backbone was gone some time ago). All we seem to have left now is muscle. We’ll be lucky to escape with our skins!”– Carlinesque Bee

“Monotheism is a gift from the gods!” — Sardonic Bee

“It seldom happens that a man changes his life through his habitual reasoning. No matter how fully he may sense the new plans and aims revealed to him by reason, he continues to plod along in old paths until his life becomes frustrating and unbearable – he finally makes the change only when his usual life can no longer be tolerated.” — Tolstoy

“Huh?” — Joe Average, Anywhere, Amurrica

“God Himself has no right to be a tyrant.” — William Godwin — “Sketches in History” 1784

Onwards Christian Soldiers,
Onwards Buddhist Priests.
Onward, Fruits of Islam,
Fight till you’re deceased.Fight your little battles.
Join in thickest fray;
For the Greater Glory,
of Dis-cord-i-a.Yah, yah, yah,
Yah, yah, yah, yah.
Blfffffffffffft!

~~ An Erisian Hymn~~~~ by Rev. Dr. Mungojerry Grindlebone ~~~~ KOB Episkopos, THE RAYVILLE APPLE PANTHERS ~~

The last line of the hymn, perhaps, says it all best….. Most days, I feel a Bronx cheer is the best response one might have to everything outside one’s own space…. which is about all we have any sort of control over…. Ah, well, Life goes on, doesn’t it? So far, so good…..

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

Sir I admit your general rule
That every Poet is a Fool
But you yourself may serve to show it
That every Fool is not a Poet

~~ rendered from the French by Pope ~~

Manifesto, sotto voce

In retrospect, I’ve gotta say,
it’s all been rather a muddle.
Life’s tough, ‘they’ say, it’s just that way.
Lots of misery, not much cuddle.

Me, I’ve found life a bit different
than ‘they’ seem to have done.
It’s all been rather excellent;
I’ve had loads & loads of fun.

Sure, there’s been some bad shit.
Who can’t say that?
All of that pales, all of it
when one hugs a dog, a child, or a cat.

I’ve seen, fought, and felt, more than my share,
the presence of evil in life.
The pain that remains often seems unfair;
I ask why I chose to deal with such strife.

I can always find the answer in the same place,
right where it has ever resided.
All we need to do is embrace
the joy we’ve given, and been provided.

Simple is good.

Balance is good.

Life can be both.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/19/2015

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

Naked Pearls

Life to Death

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

“Nowhere is now here.”~~ Nakagawa Soen Roshi ~~

“It is past all controversy that what costs dearest is, and ought to be, most valued.” Miguel de Cervantes — Don Quixote, Part i, Book iv, Chap xi

(Comment, sotto voce: Is this not an excellent definition of Life? — gigoid)

“Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing.” — Adolph Monod

“When an idea is wanting a word can always be found to take its place.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“When Alexander asked Diogenes whether he wanted anything, “Yes,” said he, “I would have you stand from between me and the sun.” — Plutarch — Life of Alexander

“At the bottom no one in life can help anyone else in life; this one experiences over and over in every conflict and every perplexity: that one is alone. That isn’t as bad as it may first appear; and again it is the best thing in life that each should have everything in himself; his fate, his future, his whole expanse and world.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

“The world is no nursery.” — Sigmund Freud

“Be obscure clearly.” — E.B. White

“When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.” — Chinese Proverb

“When the first living thing existed, I was there waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job will be finished. I’ll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights, and lock the universe behind me when I leave.” — Death

Knowledge by suffering entereth,

And life is perfected by death.

~~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning ~~

~~ A Vision of Poets, Conclusion ~~

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

Done; not only done, but, done before I got up. Good thing, too; it’s taken me damn near an hour to wake up enough to write this. Ah well, planning solves many problems, if the plan works. Since it did, we’ll get on with the business of leaving, and, leave. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as my computer stays up, and the angst stays down…. I know crazy optimism, again…. Deal with it, until tomorrow….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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