It must be the Beast. Or, the aftermath of the Beast, to be more accurate. Last night, to celebrate making it through another month, I took myself out to dinner, and, in the process, consumed an adult beverage, or three. It has been such a long time since I went out, I believe my capacity for hard liquor went south, because I’m feeling more than just a little foggy this morning. One might think I’d never had a hangover before, if one didn’t know better…. and this one is old enough to know better…

“Drinking makes such fools of people, and people are such fools to begin with, that it’s compounding a felony.” — Robert Benchley

Hung over or no, I still am here to Pearl, not to complain, so I think we’ll just get to the meat of the matter, before I sink into the miasma…. great word, eh? Miasma…. it just trips so smoothly off the lips….. never mind. Sorry, distracted for a moment…. so, shall we Pearl?……..
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A Hymn To God The Father

Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.

Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow’d in, a score?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
And, having done that, thou hast done;
I fear no more.

John Donne

One of the characteristics of an honorable man is the ability to accept ideas that he doesn’t agree with, without becoming emotionally engaged in challenging the idea’s verity. I consider myself to be honorable in that sense, so it isn’t difficult for me to accept the idea that Christianity, while having had an extremely deleterious effect on society at large, still provided, and provides, the impetus for many an artist to display their talent in praise of the Christian ethos. A large number of exquisitely beautiful cathedrals exist, all over the world, as visible proof of this idea. This poem is another perfect example of how faith can produce beautiful expressions of art, even though the faith it celebrates is, to my mind, an illusory belief. That illusion doesn’t detract from the beauty of these words…..
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Everybody knows Winnie the Pooh. He is, without a doubt, one of modern society’s Uncarved Blocks. There have been complete books written, just to explore the depth of Zen philosophy Pooh demonstrates with his little aphorisms. But most folks don’t know that Pooh has a dark side, as well…. and it is very dark indeed! I have listed below some of the aphorisms collected to show just how scary this little Bear of Little Brain can be….

— Bother! said Pooh, as he sold Eeyore to the glue factory.

— Bother! said Pooh, as Tenebrae fed him to Cthulhu.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he flooded the computer room with nerve gas.

— Bother! said Pooh, as Q destroyed the universe.

— Bother! said Pooh, as the Monitor blew up in his face.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he hid Piglet’s corpse with Roo’s.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he was arrested for indecent exposure.

— Bother! said Pooh, and lit another joint.

— Bother! said Pooh, as the Romulan Warbird uncloaked.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he sold crack in the school yard.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he destroyed the human race.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he misquoted the druidic Spell of Making.

I guess it’s just one more piece of proof that things are not always what they seem…..  😉
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    I found this on Facebook, and found after reading the list, that all of them were a part of my earliest training from my father. He was an old-fashioned gentleman, even though he wasn’t an officer. But then, he declined the promotion to captain, preferring to remain a  Master-Sergeant. More proof of the old saw about the sergeants running the army…. Every one of these items is good advice, and together comprise an excellent approach to living with honor….
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If I traveled to the end of the rainbow
As Dame Fortune did intend,
Murphy would be there to tell me
The pot’s at the other end.
— Bert Whitney