Sprinkle, sprinkle little jar….

Posted on September 18, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Thou hast commanded that an ill-regulated mind should be its own punishment.”

~~ Saint Augustine ~~

Dunphy’s Tavern…

One day, perhaps, I’ll find & resume the routine which allows me to produce these posts on a consistent basis; my deliberate absence, and the resultant lack of practice, along with the lifestyle alterations I’ve made, don’t seem to lend themselves particularly well to the single-minded focus I once displayed in that respect. All I can say about that is, oh, well; too bad, so sad. For the current time & place, that will have to suffice, for I feel no guilt, nor any particular shame. All I feel is a vague, unfocused feeling, much like thinking we’ve forgotten something important.

But, like any human of my age, I have numerous techniques to put all that sort of crap aside, & just go on as if it didn’t matter. Which, if you note, it doesn’t, at all. Not only doesn’t it matter, it’s probably only me who either cares, or even thinks about stuff like that. I mean, what’s the point? Well, I’ll tell ya…. When your mind is as empty of ideas on how to get going, or keep going, you (or, rather I….) will put damn near anything down, just to get a little further down the page….

SIGH…. However, even such shameless blather as I’ve employed thus far can only take us so far, & never quite far enough. In fact, it;s so pitifully bad, I’m giving up. If you listen closely, you can hear me muttering to myself as I do the only thing I have left to do….

Shall we Pearl?

“I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom.”

~~ Anatole France ~~

(So do I. Doesn’t mean I can muster up much of either some days…. )

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Lena Horne

Image from Pinterest.com via Google Images…

I suppose it might be said I’m feeling rather nostalgic of late…. In keeping with that observation, here is a You Tube Mix of this artist’s works, which I have listened to all my life…. A strong soul, and a pure, smooth voice…. True beauty lasts forever; I hope you enjoy it….

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Confidentially Paranoid

Only when the bright sunlight of dreams draws nigh
can the dark glass of reality factor true value..
Destiny’s horses run in fear as time goes dry,
for grappling with fate in such traitorous venue.

In pallid costumes made of graven cast-off tales,
fallen angels and demons show the measure of faith.
No sad transactions should escape these well-marked trails,
no angry relatives cast insults to a sedentary wraith.

Meaning can always hide in literal cold intent,
yet show mere facets of honor to perishable youth.
Sincere contentions leave with sorrowful bent,
while bastardly arguments fill in poorly for the truth.

Gone are moments filled with florid blasts of rhyme
left to molder on the shoulders of unreasonable hope.
Only courage can save these measures of unspoken time
to gather new issues, powerfully broad, painful in scope.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/25/2015

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Naked Pearls

“Be obscure clearly.”

~~ E.B. White ~~

*******

“The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.”

~~ Carl Sagan ~~

*******

“Believe me!
The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness
and the greatest enjoyment from life
is to live dangerously”

~~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) ~~

*******

“Apollo, the God of light, of reason, of proportion, harmony, number —
Apollo blinds those who press too close in worship.
Don’t look straight at the sun.
Go into a dark bar and have a beer with Dionysos, every now and then.”

~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~

*******

“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

~~ Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” ~~

*******

“If you never assume importance you never lose it.”

~~ Lao-tzu ~~

*******

“It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.”

~~ Aeschylus (525-456 BC), Frag. 385 ~~

*******

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”

~~ Buddha ~~

*******

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

Since I’ve already ‘made do’ with what came before, we’ll continue in that vein, & make do with it for today. Hopefully, there was a nugget or two for your pouch, or a pearl for your collection. In any case, I’ll try again, perhaps even tomorrow. Until then, be well, be happy as you may be, & remember: whatever you do, it’s all your choice. Make good ones….

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….

Mundane or extraordinary; you choose….

Posted on January 29, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Anyone with an active mind lives on tentatives rather than tenets.”

~~ Robert Frost ~~

irish cheese factory

Irish cheese factory workers….

Hajime…. All the necessary elements of a fresh Pearl have been completed, but for the introduction and closing sections. At this point in the process, it falls to me to figure out what sort of introduction to make, a task complicated by the usual vast blank space with which I begin the day in my mind. The absence of sufficient caffeine seems to preclude any functional imagination, making the choice of how to begin rather problematic. I am compelled to choose from a fictional opening to a story that will never be written, an outburst of nonsense and/or blather from my silly side, or, as I have opted to use today, a short, honest, and mostly boring discussion of the inherent difficulty of writing something fresh & interesting on a consistent basis….

No matter which way it went, it always seems to be a matter of Hobsen’s Choice, i.e., the most expedient method will get chosen, due to impatience, and/or, a lack of will power, however one chooses to view it. In any case, it’s all moot now, as we’ve made our foray out of the darkness, into the light of day, & for better or worse, it’s gonna go the way it goes. I think, given the severe lack of functioning neurons with which I have to work this morning, we’ll opt for the old ruthless efficiency technique to get us where we need to go, to wit: further down the page. It’s not our most popular method, but, it certainly is efficient. You see, it works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

Asked what he gained from philosophy, he answered,
“To do without being commanded what others do from fear of the laws.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi ~~

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leonard cohen

Leonard Cohen

Image from Rolling Stone via Google Images

I am, of course, known far & wide as ‘the dubious one’, (well, wide, anyway, if not far), but, I have little doubt at all that this man needs introduction. He passed away a few months ago, but, fortunately for us all, left a good body of work to remember him by…. Enjoy!….

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Leonard Cohen
Greatest Hits

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Comedy_Tragedy

Meander….

Inimitable, grieving, garnering mere bargains, to taste;
naked apes, priapic by nature and choice,
filled up the only valid chalice, laid it to waste,
nobody asked, nor ever raised a single voice.

Formidable, dreams becoming so real;
clearly extraordinary, in a tawdry sense.
Deals to make, illusions to steal,
busy, busy, building fence after fence.

True nature’s existence, so to speak,
rests interiorly, as well as in your face.
Duality’s persistent insistence ain’t weak;
ignorance of reality leaves not a single trace.

Herds of commonality congregate before portals
shaking each other by the collar as they dance.
Chasing their illusionary dreams, as if they weren’t mortals,
born believing they ever had a chance.

Irony lives deep in the human soul, part, parcel, post;
holding four aces, betting a pair of jacks, or queens.
Expedience beckons toward mendacity, at most,
fox mocking grapes, while it dances and preens.

The wheel turns, inevitable, ponderously mundane,
grinding grain, chaff, and dust.
Bolstering connections aids those who may abstain
from the paltry tale of the bold, and just.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/5/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

“Will change the pebbles of our puddly thought
To orient pearls.”

~~ Du Bartas (1544-1590) ~~

~~ Divine Weekes and Workes, Second Week, Third Day, Part i ~~

*******

“The great question of life
is not the question of death but the question of life.
Fear of death shames us all.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“And can you teach me to how to dance real slow?”

~~ Don McLean, “American Pie” ~~

*******

“For fast acting relief, try slowing down.”

~~ Lily Tomlin ~~

*******

“One must never lose time
in vainly regretting the past or in complaining
against the changes which cause us discomfort,
for change is the essence of life.”

~~ Anatole France ~~

*******

“You take your life in your own hands,
and what happens?
A terrible thing: no one to blame.”

~~ Erica Jong ~~

*******

“Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart.”

~~ Steven Stills ~~

*******

“Listen hard. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn.”

~~ Sagacious Bee ~~

*******

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Not too shabby, given the essential nature of what it is…. In fact, this one could be considered a fine example of a Pearl, if it weren’t destined to be surrounded by re-blogs, thus hiding it’s freshness behind a wall of relative rot. SIGH… Ah, well, so be it. Life goes on, & gigoid’s goin’ walkabout again…. Cold or no, it’s just too nice out of doors to remain inside. (Ref: see anything written by John Muir….) I hope all remains well with y’all; be happy as you may, and I’ll see y’all in a couple days…. Oh, and, don’t forget to be strange….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Reality is a revolving door….

Posted on October 16, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Well, it just seemed wrong to cheat on an ethics test.”

~~ Calvin ~~

Signs of Autumn in California….

Hajime…. I stayed up late last night, to finish a poem, which you will see below. In fact, all of today’s Pearl is freshly composed, so, that makes it special, at least for lately around here. I can’t say I feel much urge to create more this morning, so, I’ll forgo the usual sort of blather and foolishness you generally see in this section, in favor of a relatively efficient introductory section in the traditional style. Now, if I knew what sort of tradition had been established, we’d be in a better place. Since I don’t, you’ll have to take what you get, as will I….

Hmm… Having just spent a rather unproductive five minutes trying to find some worthy thoughts, or even singular thoughts, to fill in from this point, I am again perplexed, by my own lack of cohesion. Though all in my world is fairly settled, compared to most of the last week, the fires are not yet out, and my son is still displaced with his daughter, so, life remains a bit off its normally even course; there is little doubt much of the surrounding area’s inhabitants are in for a tough time for the next few months, as the massive destruction left behind by the fires is cleaned up & repaired. More than 5000 homes & buildings were burnt to the ground, so there is a lot of work to be done to replace and or repair the damages…. I’m only at the edge of the zone of destruction, but, have no doubt the local economies will suffer more before returning to anything like normalcy…. A hard rain’s a gonna fall, to use an appropriate metaphor…

But, I, and my family, have been fortunate; no one was hurt, and no one lost their home altogether; they all at least have a place to which they can return, once the fires are contained. But, the overall thrust of the local culture will be in recovery mode for quite a while to come, I am sure…. As soon as the fires are out, the news media will forget all about it, within a very short time, and the process of recovery the people here will undergo will include the difficulty of getting the aid needed from a government that simply doesn’t care about anything but its own status quo, and the agenda of cancerous growth, complete with destructive conflict, will continue on its path to armageddon…. Yes I know, cynical, but, hey, the evidence is pretty clear, I should say, so, if y’all feel differently, well, feel free to say so, as long as you have some actual evidence to support such short-sightedness….

I guess that’s about enough of a mini-rant for one day; I just don’t have the taste for it I once did. Instead, let’s go on, & see what I’ve managed to cobble together over the last few days. If I do say so, the poem is quite decent, the music is the same, and there’s a nicely obscure, yet relevant set of pearls in old-school format for your cogitative pleasure. What more could you ask for, except a shorter intro section? Nothing, that’s what. To make sure you get at least that much, let’s get on with it…. Hang on, we’re going in hot….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be “happy.”
I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible,
to be honorable, to be compassionate.
It is, above all, to matter, to count,
to stand for something,
to have made some difference that you lived at all.”

~~ Leo C. Rosten ~~

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For the past two days, I’ve been listening to the following musical compilation, streaming it on You Tube while reading, or working on the computer, or just staring into space, thinking. Even Leelu seems to prefer it to some of the other genres to which I listen at times. I know one of my gentle readers will avoid listening, but, that’s because it brings back sad memories for him…. For his benefit, this one is a bit different than much of what reminds him; it’s more lively, and more basic than the style that he associates with such music… In any case, it’s good thinking music, so, please, enjoy….

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Traditional Irish Music
Instrumental

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Toward the dream….

At odd moments, idiosyncratic visions come
drifting up out of unconsciousness; I bleed life.
If proper doors have been left ajar, some
of all I am spills essential truth, a sharpened knife.

Hearing cries of fear, laying waste by rote,
wonder dies a sordid death, desolate at the very last.
Filling such empty spaces needs focus, so remote,
blankness stretches to infinity, a weekly fast.

Attractive illusions stand beckoning from the wings,
bright temptation for those without imagination.
The phoenix opens wide its beak, and sings
hoping for sweet harmony, with dignified anticipation.

Steadily, brightly, the music summons the dream
passion pales, held at bay in serenity’s gentle hand.
Intricate patterns, unsullied, visible by a soft gleam;
The poem, in song, dances lightly, brightly on the shifting sand.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/15/2017

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Naked Pearls

Notes on Life at Large….

*******

“Things are not always what they seem.”

~~ Phaedrus (c. 8 A.D.), Book iv, Fable 2, 5 ~~

*********

“Remember there’s an “if” in the middle of life.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

*********

“Your vision will become clear
only when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams.
Who looks inside, awakens.”

~~ Carl Jung ~~

*********

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

~~ Oscar Wilde, “Lady Windermere’s Fan” ~~

*********

“Unknowingly, we plow the dust of stars,
blown about us by the wind,
and drink the universe in a glass of rain.”

~~ Ihab Hassan ~~

*********

“The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.”

~~ Keanu Reeves ~~

*********

“It is by acts and not by ideas that people live.”

~~ Anatole France ~~

*********

“Sometimes it takes great effort
to discover that life was meant to be effortless.”

~~ Anonymous ~~

*********

“How often have I said to you
that when you have eliminated the impossible,
whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

~~ Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), ” The Sign of Four” ~~

*********

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

Well, there you have it, ffolkes. It’s late getting posted, but, it’s all as fresh as I can make it. I can’t say how soon I’ll have another one, but, I’ll try not to take too long…. The real world, complex and hard though it may be to live in, has been calling me to go walkabout more often than I feel the urge to write; the poem I finished has been the only compelling urge I’ve felt, & it’s done, so, I may find myself out in the BBR a lot, soaking up more experience to pour into the hopper of my mind, where it can, and will, take its own sweet time to find a way out, back into the light. When it happens, I’ll be back; I’d estimate two to three days. Until then, be well, be happy as you may, and stay alert. The fires may go out, but, the lightning can still strike, when and wherever it pleases…. 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….

A display of irrelevant sardonicism….

Posted on May 17, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“He who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one.”

~~ Japanese Proverb ~~

sunset

Sunset over the Irish Sea….

Hajime…. In the world of my imagination, the veil of reality billows as if blown by the winds of time, sometimes revealing truth, sometimes illusion. Life then, becomes a series of deliciously ambiguous events, none of which may, in truth, deserve more relevance over another, even if the illusion is revealed as truth. Such ambiguity serves to act as counterpoint to the stability of the actual universe, displaying at once the duality of natural law, and the core of our nature as part of the whole….

Since I blew off all writing, or posting, or surfing, for that matter, for all of yesterday, this Pearl has suffered. Whether that suffering has tempered it to fine steel, or melted it down to mush, remains to be seen. It is also VERY late, in terms of my usual deadline for posting, which rushed by more than two hours past, unacknowledged and alone. So be it. I’m not in a mood to suffer foolishness, not even my own, so, rather than try to either explain, or excuse, I’ll just go on with what I’ve put together for today, & hope it works for y’all as it will for me, to wit: sufficient unto the day’s need.

That said, to both good purpose, and complete obscurity, if not outright deception, I’ll leave you without a clue as to what may have just occurred, opting, instead, to move on to the next phase oftoday’s perversion of reality. Well, perhaps perversion is a bit harsh; let’s just call it a rockin’ good time, & let it go at that….

Shall we Pearl?

“From women’s eyes this doctrine I derive:
They sparkle still the right Promethean fire;
They are the books, the arts, the academes,
That show, contain, and nourish all the world,
Else, none at all in aught proves excellent.”

~~ William Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost — Act iv, Sc. 3 ~~

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Plato-Aristotle

Today’s video selection isn’t musical; it’s a philosophical discussion I found to be excellent, sent to me by the most puissant, delightfully rational Lady P., with a powerful message for anyone ready to listen. I’ve shared it on FB, and would say, if you really wish to understand today’s world, and what you can, personally, do about any of it, this can only help in your journey…. Enjoy, & if not, well, that’s fine; the inner conflict will do you nothing but good….

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My Message to Millennials
Professor Jordan B. Peterson

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“Between what I see and what I say
Between what I say and what I keep silent
Between what I keep silent and what I dream
Between what I dream and what I forget:
Poetry.”

~~ Octavio Paz (1914-1998) ~~

Comedy_Tragedy

Cognitive Abstinence

Ever affable, serendipity calls on random days
bringing gifts, wrapped in flesh and bone.
Tempting fate, color springs from intricate stone;
singing, laughing, poised to amaze.

In metaphoric haste, clues gather to confer;
graceless, with absently casual frivolity;
fraught with severely limited civility,
lead yet into realms where hope may infer.

Allegory has faded, past all disrepute;
indelible, entropy holds the field today.
Honorable, the children stand, resolute,
justice is spent, the old-fashioned way.

Temporary measures no longer apply
to foster dreams; endless nightmares parade.
Forlorn, empty, the unwashed masses cry,
while time slips away, sleeping in the shade.

Wondrous moments continue to accumulate
odd gestures of indignant fortitude.
Destiny embraces no desire to illuminate,
with such a cavalier attitude.

Pale, afraid, the joker sits to compose
a final memorable ode, to reason.
Such grandiose dreams, a dying rose,
dragged along from season to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/1/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Dancing in the dark….

*******

“The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*******

“Rule Number 1 is, don’t sweat the small stuff.
Rule Number 2 is, it’s all small stuff.
And if you can’t fight and you can’t flee, flow.”

~~ Dr. Robert S. Eliot ~~

*******

“Everything that deceives may be said to enchant.”

~~ Plato, “The Republic” ~~

*******

Art, science, philosophy, religion
–each offers at best only a crude simplification
of actual living experience.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy;
for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves;
we must die to one life before we can enter another.”

~~ Anatole France ~~

*******

“The Hidden stone ripens fast,
then laid bare like a turnip
can easily be cut out at last
but even then the danger isn’t past.
That man lives best who’s fain
to live half mad, half sane.”

~~ Flemish Poet Jan Van Stijevoort, 1524 ~~

*******

“A few hours grace before the madness begins again.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

*******

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The last line says it all, I think. If I were y’all, I’d take that as literally as possible. Doing so may help digest what you just consumed. If not, well, you can try again next time, just as I shall do. Until then, stay strange; these days, it’s our best, if not our only, good defense…. 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….

Rotating the stone….

Posted on May 8, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If you have a skeleton in your closet, take it out and dance with it.”

~~ Carolyn MacKenzie ~~

Beauty escapes….

Hajime…. Having spent much of yesterday dancing with skeletons, it’s probably not surprising I’m a bit foggy this morning. Those guys just won’t give up, or slow down, no matter the cost to their terpsichorean partner. But, the alternative is too upsetting to consider, so, we’ll just put it into the kill file, for now, at least long enough to get this Pearl posted. The rest of the day can fend for itself…..

All the correct elements for today’s effort are in place; after all, I did have an extra day to get it done. I have to say, the old-school pearl today is rather good…. So good, in fact, I titled it in Greek, to honor the connection it displays to Peruaosophy, which it supports and clarifies, all at once. For those who aren’t familiar with Peruaosophy, it is my personal codec, my own creation, the axioms on which I have based my existence, so, you might see how this pearl shines so brightly, in my eyes. If not, oh, well; just take them at face value, and their relevance will make itself quite clear. Of course, you’ll also need to employ the power of metaphor, but, that’s de rigeur for us, anyway.

All that said, I’ll be nice, for a change, & bring this to a rapid close, so as to facilitate the rest of today’s demand for attention. Reality has a way of insisting upon precedence, & the consequences of ignoring, or trying to deny those demands, are much more negative than any of us care to deal with. Rather than even go near there, we’ll turn a hard left, (or, right, depending on where you’re sitting, I guess….), into the future, which will, if naught else, get us down the page to the closing section, where we need to be. Elegance, while tricky, is possible when courted with the proper attitude. Of course, we gave up on it long ago, but, hey, it sounds good, & looks good on a resumé.

What? You don’t think so? Hmph. Okay, I guess we’ll need to demonstrate. Watch this, and learn….

Shall we Pearl?

“Do not settle for less than the best your own excellence can command.”

~~ Anne McCaffrey ~~

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Probably, no explanation is necessary when one feels like hearing the blues. Here is a live concert from one of today’s finest blues guitarists, who is also pretty easy on the eyes…. Enjoy!..

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Ana Popovic Live

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Illusory Time

Viewed from askance, the river is long;
deep, uncompromisingly intent, swift and strong.
In duality, perception creates our only reality;
such faux metaphoric paradox enforces mutability.

By two we perceive, both zero, and one;
digital, binary, on or off, such fun.
Separate, melded, we exist, knowing not what we know
ego, striving to be solitary, looking above, seeing below.

Furiously asleep, cultural anomaly claims a victim of choice;
validly unconscious, nobody speaks, nary a voice.
Potential escapees stir in dreams, fighting to wake,
until taking the wheel, for their own bloody sake.

Pots boil in due time, when the fire’s hot,
time exists to our advantage; or, not.
The solitary warrior, head bent in pain,
fights on, with, or without gain.

Night fell, day after day it persisted;
of those who knew, none showed any care, or resisted
Angels, ministers, none had any defense, nor grace;
all that remains is a face.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/22/2016

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Naked Pearls

Τέλεια μαργαριτάρια

*******

“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.”

~~ Roger Miller ~~

*******

“There is no God.
But it does not matter.
Man is enough.”

~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Conversation at Midnight” ~~

*******

“There is no conclusive evidence of life after death.
But there is no evidence of any sort against it.
Soon enough you will know.
So why fret about it?”

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

*******

“Don’t be confused by surfaces; in the depths everything becomes law.
What is necessary, after all, is only this:
solitude, vast inner solitude.
Walk inside yourself and meet no one for hours
–that is what you must be able to attain.”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~

*******

“It is almost impossible systematically to constitute a natural moral law.
Nature has no principles.
She furnishes us with no reason to believe
that human life is to be respected.
Nature, in her indifference,
makes no distinction between good and evil.”

~~ Anatole France ~~

*******

“Wherever your journey takes you, there are new gods waiting there,
with divine patience – and laughter.

~~ Susan Watkins ~~

*******

That must be wonderful: I don’t understand it at all.

~~ Moliere~~

*******

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

I guess it’s done. I don’t see how I can add, or take away anything that would make it any better, so, I’ll do the rational thing, & call it done. To augment & enhance that decision, I’ll end this quickly, so as to reinforce the idea we know what we’re about. I hope you enjoyed today’s mess; the cost to produce it was a bit high, as I would prefer to be. On that rather sardonic note, I shall bid thee adieu until next time, most likely tomorrow, when we’ll try once again to achieve perfection…. Hey, I know; it’s not possible, but, the effort to do so is the lesson, anyway, so….. See ya, ffolkes. Be strange; I am, & I can use the company…..

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….

Tit for tat is a bargain….

Posted on March 7, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“To be willing to die for an ideal is to set a rather high price on conjecture.”

— Anatole France ~~

B&B, Galway Bay, Ireland…

Hajime…. Yesterday morning, I tried to update a program that was asking me to do so. This, apparently, was a mistake, for ever since clicking the button to agree, my computer has been giving me fits. Long story made short, it’s still doing so. To keep from becoming any more pissed off than I’ve already managed thus far, I’m cutting the intro short, filling in where necessary to complete the parts of today’s post, and getting on with the rest of the day, which will, I imagine, involve a lot of geeking to try to bring the computer back into full functionality. Usually, that’s great fun for me, but, so far, it hasn’t been, as all I’ve done seems to have worsened the problem, as yet unidentified…. SIGH…. damn Microsoft!…

As noted above, this will be short. How short? Precisely this short….

Shall we Pearl?

“Always we hope
Someone else has the answer
Some other place will be better
Some other time it will all work out.
This is it.
No one else has the answer
No other place will be better
And it has already turned out.
At the center of your being
You have the answer;
You know who you are and what you want.
There is no need to turn outside
For better seeing.
Rather abide at the center of your being
For the more you leave it
The less you learn.
Search your own heart and see
the way to do is to be.”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

***********************************
☬

From 6/9/11:

Ffolkes,

Since Frank and Ernie couldn’t make it today, you’ll have to settle for my drivel. Of course, it isn’t drivel to me, but that’s subjective, and you are under no obligation, either expressed or by warranty, to consider it anything more than dross. Defining what happens here could be problematic anyway,and we don’t really want to get the lawyers involved, now do we? I didn’t think so….. Now that’s settled, we can get on to what really matters. And that is nothing! Nothing matters, and if it did, we wouldn’t care! We are invincible in our ignorance, and we like it! Life is way too complicated to get involved in it; I’ve decided to just ignore the whole ball of wax. Taking up the mantle of recluse gladly, I go now to dwell among the beasts of the field, who shall be my only companions.

Enough…..letting my mind loose this early in the morning can get out of hand quickly; last time I ended up in some dive in MexiCali, with a bad hangover and a new tattoo. We’d best get down to business before anything similar happens.

Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite historical figures, and ends up on these pages fairly frequently, because he had a unique view of the world at large, and a wonderful way of expressing that view. Today, we present an all-Oscar group, just because he’s so cool……..

“Reality is a crutch for people who can’t handle buttons.” — Smarmy Bee (Whoops, how did that get there?……oh well, just go on….pay no attention to that man behind the curtain…..)

“I suppose there are now few survivors among the people who had the delight of hearing Oscar Wilde talk. Of these I am one… That his talk was mostly monologue was not his own fault. His manners were very good; he was careful to give his guests or his fellow-guests many a conversational opening; but seldom did anyone respond with more than a very few words. Nobody was willing to interrupt the music of so magnificent a virtuoso. To have heard him consoles me for not having heard Dr Johnson or Edmund Burke.” — Max Beerbohm

“The basis for optimism is sheer terror.” — Oscar Wilde

“I can believe anything, provided it is incredible.” — Oscar Wilde

“It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.” — Oscar Wilde

After the first night of one of Oscar Wilde plays, an ill-wisher handed him a cabbage. Unruffled, Wilde sniffed it appreciatively and said: “Thank you, my dear fellow. Every time I smell it, I shall be reminded of you.”

“Long engagements give people the opportunity of finding out each other’s character before marriage, which is never advisable.” — Oscar Wilde

“Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing.” — Oscar Wilde

“Experience is the name that everyone gives to their mistakes.” — Oscar Wilde

“Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others.” — Oscar Wilde

Whoa! I didn’t realize how many of his gems I had stored away…..but hey, well worth it. I only wish I could have been around to hear him hold forth……. y’all take care out there….

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

Due to the aforementioned computer issues, we’re going with default where necessary. It turns out, necessary extends into nearly every function I ask it to complete. Hence, our choice today to include another collection of classical tunes. Enjoy!….

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

Classical Music

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

Unbidden, treasure unfolded…

Taken by surprise, Psyche sits numb
Amidst tall phrases worn of elder time
Seeking a not-new place from which to come
No shiny new horizon, nor altered paradigm.

Sudden regrets shape dreams as times maintain
Shades of memories bring poignant clear sight
Visions of duty, each chosen wild campaign
Shouts echoing clamors to enfold the night.

Arisen from less than eternal havens of sleep
Facing moments created in torment and pain
Destiny weighs upon those chosen to keep
As the sparrow flies now to sever the twain.

Faded pathways lead away, hazy and long
Burned out verges, so long unknown
Images of yesterday, clear and strong
Bleed into today, though ’tis but my own……

~~ gigoid ~~

6/13/2012

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

Thanks to the computer issues of which we have already spoken, Smart Bee, and Arthur, too, are being persnickety, to the point of obtuseness. To keep us on track, it became necessary to raid old Pearls for today’s post. Here is one from WAY back in time, before I had a clue how to deal with WP…. I’ve edited it a bit, just to format it into the current motif. I hope you enjoy it, cuz it’s what there is today….

☬

From 6/8/11:

Ffolkes,

The morning light pours over the far hills, warming air gone still in the night’s cold, with amber drops of dew glistening along the branches of awakening trees, gilding the edges of the day. Birdsong trills, insects hum, as a meandering brook winds through the forest, rushing along in its’ desperate race to the sea. The water babbles as it moves, all the voices blending together into a continuous stream of just-unheard secrets, gravid with meaning. The air begins to move, heated by the burgeoning warmth to swirl through the leaves, adding its’own thoughts, dreams to the chorus thus formed. Thus does the world turn, unheralded, implacable, real. Thus is another pearl born; ask me not how, or why, for I no longer know. Knowing I must is all I know, or need to know….

“If you want to know all about the sea, you go and ask a sailor, or a marine biologist, or an oceanographer, and they can tell you a lot about the sea. But if you go and ask the sea itself, what does it say? Grumble, grumble, swish swish. It is too busy being itself to know anything about itself.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

Leave the past behind;
leave the future behind;
leave the present behind.
Thou are then ready to go to the other shore.
Never more shalt thou return to a life that ends in death.

~~ The Dhamapada (c. B.C. 300) ~~

“It is the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It is the dream afraid of waking
that never takes a chance.
It is the one who won’t be taken
who cannot seem to give.
And the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live.”

~~ Bette Midler, “The Rose” ~~

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be “happy.” I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” — Leo C. Rosten

It may not be Art, but it is Frank, and Earnest….. y’all take care out there…..

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

Well, I did it, though I couldn’t say exactly how it happened. I’ll take it, though, and run. Hopefully, I’ll have a successful day in geekland, which will allow us to return tomorrow, when I will have a new, freshly leaked poem, and whatever else I can cobble together to make up the rest of this mess. For now, I’m outta here, & off to geekland…. See ya, ffolkes; wish me luck, if you will… If you won’t, well, so be it…. Ta, then….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Sincere moments in gentrification….

Posted on June 23, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If a million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.”

~~ Anatole France ~~

Yeehaw! Next stop,Times Square!

Image from the UK Telegraph POTD 8/4/2015

Hajime…. In the recent past, I’ve been spending a lot of time inside my head, searching even further inside myself, to find the answers to all the issues presented to me by my reactions to reality. The primary result, in re: writing this blog each day, has been to make it difficult to feel any connection to the creative process. It might have to do with how I deal with pain, since I’m having less; it’s been clear for quite a while my pain has been one of the more stimulating factors in creating the angst needed to supply fuel to the fires of my meager creativity. So, perhaps that is the whole problem; sort of an anti-problem, since it’s because my pain is reduced in total.

With that being said, I find myself, this morning, rather reluctant to even begin putting together a Pearl for today. I do have pieces partly done, but, the energy to make the effort to bring it together seems to be missing, gone poof while talking on Skype to a friend about today’s Brexit vote. The political/sociological depths we explored while talking seems to have eliminated any desire to write. This, of course, is a bit frustrating, since it took place BEFORE beginning, and removed most of the stimulating factors in conversation. Therefore, I’ve made a decision, to post only a truncated Pearl. Another WYSIWYG post, as it were.

So, at this juncture, I can’t even say what you’ll find below this intro. What I do know is, whatever you find is all there is for today. You won’t need to worry about it being over-long today, that’s for sure. In order to get even that much done in a timely fashion is impossible, since I’m already almost an hour past my personal deadline to post, I’ll have to cut it ruthlessly, and get it done in what we like to call jig-time. Don’t know what that means, but, we say it anyway.

That’s all for today, ffolkes. I’ll see y’all tomorrow…. Maybe. If not, I’ll leave a note, with another whiny apology. Actually, no, I won’t, but, hey, it sounds good, and it takes up a little more space. Let’s go see what we can find to help get this done….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Cease to be ruled by dogmas and authorities; look at the world!”

~~ H.G. Wells paraphrase of Roger Bacon’s works ~~

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

Bonnie Raitt

Just because it’s her, and it’s easy…. Enjoy!….

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

Bonnie Raitt
Live in Germany 1992

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

https://youtu.be/FeprNTw9Wcc

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

Dead Hands,Typing…

Puzzled anew by anomalous blocks of pain
caught, bemused, chained to routine, insane.
Stilled within breathless beauty
Engaging epiphany, insistent, called to duty.

Knees bent in lieu of a faithful rendition
suffuses, confuses, locked into stale perdition.
Clearing corrosion with hands encased in stone
Singular frozen follicles, masked by bone.

Partial focus brings unfiltered flavors to light
coloring each particle in simple delight.
Forlorn, novel conceptual artists singing in tune
nine notes in harmony, soft as the moon.

Honed blades of carbon steel flash in rhyme,
filling sensual receptors well past closing time.
Borrowed from neighbors in a week-old game
still bloody, without a proper name.

No flooded memories can justify such cost
no simple stationery, bilious, afraid, lost.
Ten times ten will never be enough
To fill so empty a stolen trough.

Bartering simplicity takes well into the night
solidly temporary pillars turned bright.
Unknown to all the pretty children who came
none were called, none had any remaining flame.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/25/2015

It just seemed appropriate…..

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

Naked Pearls

Three Blind Mice

*****

“I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.”

~~ Antoine de Saint Exupery ~~

*****

Believe me!
“The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness
and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!”

~~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche ~~

*****

How could the drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on.”

~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~~

*****

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

Well, I did it. It’s not much, but, there ’tis, in all its faded glory. So be it. I’ll be back, ffolkes. Count on it….

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….

Close to the padded cloud….

Posted on June 3, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

Dance of the Ferries, Victoria, BC

Hajime…. In an ugly chair, the old man sits, staring morosely at the computer screen before him, eyes fixed on the vast white space upon the screen, empty of all thought or fantasy. To look at him, you might think, “boy, that’s a tough-looking old guy….”, not able to see beneath the rough exterior, to the confusion and deep sense of pain within. As he blinks at the screen, thoughts swirl in his head, none of which translate into any coherent statement worth typing. He shakes his head, slowly, as the tears begin to fall….

I wish thee a good morrow, though I cannot claim to think it so. Today’s Pearl will be, for me, a saving grace, so, the way it looks from the other side, though of some concern, is completely irrelevant, in comparison to how it will seem from here. Since I really don’t much care how well it turns out, as much as I care about getting it done, I won’t make any claims as to the quality, or even the quantity…. Truly, today’s Pearl is WYSIWYG, as much as it is anything else. I am only doing this because, if I don’t, someone will die today who didn’t have to. Quite simple, really, though a bit alarming to those who have never dwelt in the House of Fear for long…..

Don’t worry, ffolkes. I will be fine. Some day. For now, realize this is what keeps me from turning rogue, keeps me from making serious inroads into the population explosion, first-hand. I developed this method of keeping myself under control almost five and a half years ago now, and it’s all I need, or have, that will save innocent lives. So be it. No tricks today, we’re going on now, simply because I’m tired of trying to make this sound reasonably coherent, when all I really want to do is scream epithets and rage…. To save us both from that, I think we should go on. Now….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.” — Albert Einstein

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

Regular readers here at ECR will recognize this icon, as our default musical position. Here is a collection of some of humanity’s best music, as proven by its survival over the past several hundred years…. Enjoy, please; it’s quite soothing to the savage breast, of which I have a perfect example to offer today….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/5LXhPbmoHmU

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

As might be guessed, there won’t be a fresh rant today; here instead is one from the archives. I tried to make it light, as I am not in a mood for much angst, even if I’ve already expunged it once from my system. This will, hopefully, provide some comic, or, at least, lighter material for your perusal…. Enjoy!….

From 3/7/2014:

Early as it is, I won’t give in to my urges to vent….. The easiest, most efficient way to accomplish that goal is to provide myself with a sublimated task, which will give me the sense of venting, without having to actually create the path for it to be released into the blogosphere…. Well, that’s the plan, anyway…. What this means in a practical sense is, of course, an old-school pearl, with parameters set at “rage against the machines”, otherwise known as Sublimated Rant Mode….. Enjoy!….

“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde

“There are scores of thousands of sects who are ready at a moment’s notice to reveal the will of God on every possible subject.” — Smart Bee

“I’d rather that a bigot mistake me for a lesbian than that a lesbian mistake me for a bigot.” — Tovah Hollander

“I consider trial by jury as the only anchor yet devised by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.” — Thomas Jefferson

“A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance.” — Anatole France

“The next best thing to doing something smart is not doing something stupid.” — Flo Capp’s Observation

Truckin’, like the do-dah man
Once told me “Gotta play your hand.
Sometimes your cards ain’t worth a dime
If you don’t lay’em down.”
Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me;
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me
What a long, strange trip it’s been.

~~ Truckin’ by Garcia, Weir, Lesh, Hunter ~~

Wow…. not bad, not bad at all…. I don’t think a pearl has ever come together so quickly, or so seamlessly as this one…. It took a total of eight minutes, as pearl after pearl jumped up to be included, sandwiched between a very few obviously unsuitable quotes, easily dismissed in jig time…. It was almost as if the universe was rewarding me for having picked the correct venue for this group, which, patently, is an excellent one to highlight such valuable gems as these….

From now on, I think you’ll be able to use this pearl when you want to show someone a real-life example of the definition of the word “eclectic”….. You could probably use it with the same effect to demonstrate the meaning of the word “esoteric”, too, but, that might stretch the minds of those to whom you show it to a point of no return…. It’s entirely conceivable that, upon assimilating the concepts contained herein, they would never be normal again, which, all in all, in today’s world, might not be such a bad thing, eh?…..

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

“A poem is a serious joke, a truth that has learned jujitsu.”

~~William Stafford ~~

Roses for Noses

I have a bozoid personality, of the first degree;
nobody, I mean nobody, knows that better than me.
I often wonder, as the world goes around, and around
how many others have realized just what I’ve found….

I know for a fact, I’m not the only bozoid one;
too many people laughing out there, having fun.
Is their laughter, though, at themselves first?
Or is it some other impulse, like purple liverwurst?….

I’ve always loved to make others laugh and giggle,
since my tender youth, when my ears began to wiggle.
The world is full of humor, but not always easy to find
so laughing at myself I learned never to mind….

We bozos know each other, here, there, and everywhere
there’s no hiding such joy, it just wouldn’t be fair.
We all have one feature, our great bulbous nose,
there’s no doubt at all, cuz it just grows….

There’s nothing like a good, big mistake, a disaster,
to show us the folly of living life faster and faster.
Nothing in the world can ever take the place,
of seeing in the mirror, a happy, smiling face….

Don’t be shy, just let it all hang out;
we bozos have more fun, there’s no doubt.
Life’s too somber and gray if we let it get on top
if we don’t stay loose, the pain won’t ever stop….

My advice to all of you, out there in the world,
let your noses grow round & red, keep your hair tightly curled.
Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,
you’ll never once regret any price you pay.

~~ gigoid ~~

January, 2013

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

Our final pearl today is somewhat resistant to categorization; it put itself together, and I haven’t a clue as to what it might mean. It means something, for sure; I just don’t have the wherewithal to figure out what it is. You decide…..

*******

“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.”

~~ Buddha ~~

*******

“I shut my eyes in order to see.”

~~ Paul Gauguin ~~

*******

“Honesty is the best policy and spinach is the best vegetable.”

~~ Popeye ~~

*******

“It is sometimes expedient to forget who we are.”

~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 233 ~~

*******

What is there more of in the world than anything else?
Ends.

~~ Carl Sandburg, The People, Yes (1936) ~~

*******

“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends;
but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will be the greatest enemy.”

~~ Bhagavad Gita ~~

*******

It’s Like This

Even the samurai
have teddy bears,
and even the teddy bears
get drunk.

~~ Linux Songs/Poems ~~

*******

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

It’s done. I have less clue about it now than I had when beginning, so, you won’t find me trying to make excuses. Not only do I not have any, I couldn’t honorably use them, or even consider them. Instead, I’ll leave you flat, with the dangerous knowledge of our imminent return, tomorrow morning… I’ll be here if I have to kill myself…. and, no, I know that’s neither advisable, nor possible, Sheesh, even I know, if I’m dead, I can’t write. So, you’ll see me again; count on it. Just don’t expect much other than the fulfillment of the promise; it’s all I may have to offer…. 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….

Tracking the venomous rose-hued starling….

Posted on March 6, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own.”

~~ Confucius. ~~

Gandalf

Image from liketowastemytime.com via Google Images

Hajime….. After four-plus years blogging on WP, sitting down to begin has become a rather daunting task, as I never plan what to write ahead of time, but for the few-odd times I’ve tried to work ahead. It doesn’t make any difference, it seems; I’m always stuck at first for where to begin. SIGH…. It sounds like a complain, but, it really isn’t; I’m just tired, and chatting randomly to try to find a direction to follow. Since none seems to be presenting itself, I suppose we’ll go on, at least to the next paragraph, just so we can say we’re trying….

Good morrow, ffolkes. Welcome to another version of Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, which we gather while Exploring Consensual Reality, as best we may with the handicaps with which we are all burdened in today’s world. Those handicaps are generally the subject matter of the second, or ranting section, but, can leak into the intro in a heartbeat, such as now. We’ll try not to let it develop into a full-blown rant, but, it does happen, so, be aware. We like mindfulness around here, even if we can’t always seem to maintain it as long as we like. We are sorry, but, we are again stuck in the royal ‘we’, and will be moving on to the next paragraph, to see if we can shake it…

Hmm… This is getting a bit strange. I don’t usually advertise my grammatical intentions, and, it’s not usual for the royal ‘we’ to show up like that, willy-nilly. (Love that word…) I reckon it’s yet another symptom of my overall lack of direction this morning, but, it’s still rather a bother, as Pooh might say….. Oh, damn!….

Now I’m bringing Pooh into it! That does it, ffolkes. I’m getting us outta here before this gets any further from Reality, or we’ll never find our way to the oyster beds. Guido’s here today, since Luigi has fallen back off the wagon, so, we’ll get there in good time, as long as y’all hand on, & keep away from the salty snacks; the toilet is out of order…. Please, have a seat, fasten your restraints, and we’ll be off…. Well, okay, we’ve been off all morning, but, y’all know what I mean, I think…. Let’s go, Guido! They’ve been programmed…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“Everything flows and nothing abides;
everything gives way and nothing stays fixed.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

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

Sometimes, ya just gotta have it real. This man’s music is as real as it gets…. I read a comment on the page where I sought this album; it said, “Truth sticks to Tom Waits like maggots to a corpse–sheer in your face beauty…” I think it’s perfect…. Besides, once you hear his opening version of ‘Waltzing Matilda’, you’ll agree, I have no doubt…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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

Tom Waits
On Broadway

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

https://youtu.be/zUyDvnSAJU0

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

Today, we are forgoing a rant, even though I had a good pearl picked out to use as a springboard. Instead, I’m including below a video, which I found yesterday on the blog site of a friend. She calls her site The Playground, Just Stuff Found On The Internet, and is, quite frankly, a .Gif meister, or, in her case, mistress. The video is short, but, if I were you, I’d keep a hankie, or some tissue at hand, for it will touch your heart, guaranteed…

It speaks of one of life’s lessons, which in this case is being received by a young boy. The lesson has to do with growing up, and leaving our fears behind us, in order to deal with the universe as it exists, rather than always trying to change reality to suit our own preconceived notions…. It also speaks of how we should handle those situations, for our own personal growth…. It’s lovely, and moving, and you’re going to like it…. Trust me on this one….

I found it, here: https://juststuffifoundontheinternet.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/the-present/

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

The Present

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

https://youtu.be/3XA0bB79oGc

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

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

For nearly my entire time here on WordPress, I’ve followed this writer; his name is Dean J. Baker. He has a Facebook & Twitter presence, and maintains several blogs. He is a poet, of the old-school, highly educated, both by his own reading & study, and by study in the School of Hard Knocks. His poetry, I find, is always erudite, often graphic, with unexpected turns, and depths. Often so powerful, I find them difficult to read, emotionally, (remember, I’m a softie at heart….). His verse is always real, and always human, for he has spent a relatively long life living for his art. In the future, I have a feeling his work will be considered mandatory for anyone who wishes to really understand modern poetry, and how it came to be that way….

Dean has written eight or a dozen volumes now, mostly poetry, with some studies of poets and poetry as well, of a more studious nature. I have included at the end of the section a link to his blog, where you can find links to purchase all of them, at prices way lower than they should be, or deserve. I now have several, and find they make excellent gifts at Christmas and birthdays…. Here is a poem from one of his latest volumes, Provenances and Paroles; it’s one I have, and can say it is well worth reading, and owning…. Enjoy, ffolkes; someday, you’ll know this name….

Paytriotism

by Dean J. Baker

The moron-in-chief is bellowing blandishments about
who to blame and how he’ll fix them, and it and us and
the entire country if this must be known, sounding
as much a bully as degenerate tool championing the demonic

A pure victim preaching a screed of vengeance, echoing
down the corridors where no power flows towards
the great unwashed, those born in anonymity
enduring invasion and alteration of scenery and a landscape

Of wailing babies thrust into another time change, fists
clenched and backsides spewing mortal frustration
against the ability to adapt, renew and prosper amid
all the obstacles and plinths of worship: one voice, one people

One country undivided against itself, the body politic
invaded and now to be restored to former glory,
after termed parasites and the infected are removed
leaving the corpse of patriotism to prove worthy of one more story

Unlearning what war means to distinguish between the focus
of good and evil, the narrow confines of a superlative truth
the small hunched tunnel towards another gas chamber: no journey
toward or onward cheating history again in a frieze of movement

Caught like lovers on a Grecian urn, now not forever young
as Keats had it but burned in effigy by the caricatures
come alive, holding truth hostage to their involvement,
seeking reparations against what they perpetrate and endlessly become

Golum, Golem, the perverse Prometheus, if you knew and did
not have to guess amid a flourishing ignorance of history or
Santayana (what he said), all ready to grab their chests in sentiment
crying salutations and promises of virginity to the new Death’s head

©Dean J. Baker

Link to Blog “Tormenting the Monkey”

https://tormentingthemonkey.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/paytriotism/

Links to Dean’s work and social media

https://deanjbaker.wordpress.com/a-reason-why-you-need-to-own-dark-earth/

https://www.createspace.com/5876855

https://www.facebook.com/DeanJBakerPoetAuthorComposer

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

Our final, old-school pearl is one for which I feel compelled to create a new category, in order to properly acknowledge its uniqueness, and, the trouble it took to put together. SB was in a completely fractious frame of mind, or whatever passes for such in a database, shoveling crap upon crap out at me until I was cursing the programmers with every breath. I’m calling it:

Stuff You May Not Have Known About Life, All Of Which Is Good To Know….

Okay, so, I’m not good with titles; sue me…. It works for me….

“There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.” — G.K. Chesterton

“Loneliness is the pain of being alone; solitude is the joy of being alone.” — Subtle Bee

“A child’s hand in yours — what tenderness and power it arouses. You are instantly the very touchstone of wisdom and strength.” — Marjorie Holmes

“He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only evil, namely, ignorance.” — Diogenes Laertius — Socrates, xiv

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.” — Anatole France

“Except for our thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power.” — Descartes

“Character is that which can do without success.” — Emerson

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

Well, I did it, in spite of the handicaps. Good for me. And, good for y’all, as now you can get on with the rest of your Sunday. I hope it is a pleasant one, and will leave you here, so as to bring a dignified end to what may not deserve it…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; that’s a big fer sure….

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….

Scruff, the tragic flagon….

Posted on January 23, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The living world is a continuum in each and every aspect.”

~~ A. C. Kinsey, The Kinsey Report ~~

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside….

Hajime…. Okay, so, here’s the deal. I’ll write ’em, you read ’em. Deal? Deal.

Of course, this presupposes I will be able to come up with something to write. Since that, at the moment, seems a rather remote possibility, we’ll cut this intro off before it gets rolling, keeping us trapped here again. So short, you’ll need to keep the oxygen handy…. It looks like this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“And those who were seen dancing
were thought to be insane
by those who could not hear the music.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

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

I’m in a mood, & when I’m in a mood, this is who I listen to…. Today, you can listen, too…. Even if you’re not in a mood…… Enjoy!….

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

Mozart Symphonies

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

https://youtu.be/Mv6J25zOanw

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

“Grown men do not need leaders.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

The quote from Ed Abbey is a perfect lead for a rant on a subject I can write about endlessly, apparently. I’ve related any number of times how humanity needs to grow up, give up the illusions of their fearful youth, and learn to face the damn universe with some courage…. But, has anyone listened, other than the choir who end up here, listening to me preach? No, not really, for they don’t wish to hear they need to stop acting like children….

To save y’all from any further haranguing on this, I decided to sublimate, with some thoughts from historical figures, all of whom have seen the same issues during their own time on Earth, and wished to give warning to those who will not see…. There are only nine, so, don’t fret too much; besides, I know my Gentle Readers could, using these aphorisms, create the same rant I might have written, had I gone with the urge to do so…. Enjoy, if only for its brevity…..

“I found one day in school a boy of medium size ill-treating a smaller boy. I expostulated, but he replied: ‘The bigs hit me, so I hit the babies; that’s fair.’ In these words he epitomized the history of the human race.” — Bertrand Russell, Education and the Social Order

“There are more stars known to exist right now than the total number of all the grains of sand on every beach in the entire world. With those kinds of odds, it would seem downright naive for someone to go to a beach in, say, some out-of-the-way inlet in Baffin Bay, stoop to pick up only one tiny grain of sand, and declare that that grain alone was the only place where life could exist.” — Hugh Downs

“If a million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.” — Anatole France

“Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.” — Noah Webster

“In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.” — H.L. Mencken

“Instead of giving money to found colleges to promote learning, why don’t they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as good as the Prohibition one did, why, in five years we would have the smartest race of people on earth.” — Will Rogers

“Held to be a crime when committed by individuals, homicide is called a virtue when committed by the state.” — Obvious Bee

“Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on them [public offices], a rottenness begins in his conduct.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1799

“The purpose and function of government is not to preside over change but to prevent change. By political methods when unavoidable, by violence when convenient.” — Edward Abbey

“Is it not a noble farce, wherein kings, republics, and emperors have for so many ages played their parts, and to which the whole vast universe serves for a theatre?” — Michael de Montaigne — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xxxvi, Of the most Excellent Men

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

As noted above, I’m in a mood. In this mood, only one poet will do…. In fact, we’ll overdo, with two….

Had we our senses
But perhaps ’tis well they’re not at Home
So intimate with Madness
He’s liable with them

Had we the eyes without our Head —
How well that we are Blind —
We could not look upon the Earth —
So utterly unmoved —

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

*********

Said Death to Passion
‘Give of thine an Acre unto me.’
Said Passion, through contracting Breaths
‘A Thousand Times Thee Nay.’

Bore Death from Passion
All His East
He – sovereign as the Sun
Resituated in the West
And the Debate was done.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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

Easy money here, ffolkes. It’s just a classic nine-star pearl about living life large…. Well, I think so; if not, you tell me what it says….

I care not, Fortune, what you me deny:
You cannot rob me of free Nature’s grace,
You cannot shut the windows of the sky
Through which Aurora shows her brightening face;
You cannot bar my constant feet to trace
The woods and lawns, by living stream, at eve:
Let health my nerves and finer fibres brace,
And I their toys to the great children leave:
Of fancy, reason, virtue, naught can me bereave.

~~ James Thomson. The Castle of Indolence, Canto ii, Stanza 3 ~~

“Let honor be as strong to us an obligation as necessity is to others.” — Pliny the Elder

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

“Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.” — Robert Cody

“True merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes.” — Halifax

“Once, I read that a man be never stronger than when he truly realizes how weak he is.” — Jim Starlin, “Captain Marvel #31”

“The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.” — Confucius

“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.” — George Bernard Shaw

Listen to the MUSTN’TS child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVE’S
Then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

~ Shel Silverstein ~~

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

That went well, don’t you think? No? Well, I do, and guess who’s driving this bus? Yep. To keep with the tone set in the intro, I’m outta here. See y’all tomorrow, given the proper set of Time/Space coordinates….

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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