“By space the universe encompasses and swallows me up like a dot;
by thought I encompass the Universe.”
~~ Blaise Pascal, “Pensees”, n. 265 ~~
Prim morning beauties….
Hajime…. I’ve missed posting a fresh Pearl for some days now; I even blew off yesterday entirely, spending the whole day in pursuits not connected to a computer at all. Y’know what? I don’t feel any guilt, nor angst for having done so, which is rather a good indicator, in at least three respects, none of which I’ll bother explaining. In fact, the only identifiable feeling I have this morning is an almost irresistible urge to be silly…. Go figure, eh? Just another day here in…. Hmm, where are we, actually? I suppose, since we’re all not here, exactly, we could be considered as guests in cyberspace; can’t live there, obviously, but, we do manage to spend a lot of time there, mostly with little purpose. Why would I be different?
There. That manages to be obscurely intelligent sounding, without any hint of silliness. Quite an accomplishment, all things considered, and not one I’m going to examine too closely, lest I notice how close to home such nonsense can strike. Instead, since I have all the correct elements already in place, I’ll use the time to convince y’all I’m much more competent than I appear, even in the distorted mirrors we typically have at out disposal. Hmm… funny word to use about our sensory input, but, hey, we’re trying to achieve a specific purpose, & such micro-management wouldn’t hold up long, anyhow. Let’s move on, to the next paragraph, where we may find a spot of the sense we currently lack.
Or, not, as the case may be. I really can’t say ANY of what is passing through my mind this morning is very sensible. Nor did it ever get truly silly, or even comprehensible. I guess, since we’ve tallied no viable successes, it would be best if we just gave up for today, & hope our next effort can find us a bit more integrated. Whatever THAT means. I don’t think I’d be the best choice to find the answer today, & rather than belabor the point any further, let’s go see what there is to see down below. I know the music for today is excellent, (in my humble opinion), there’s a decent poem from the archives, and a fine set of pearls for the final section, where we once again dive deep in the metaphoric metamind, to poke around in the human psyche… Great fun for all, you’ll see….
Shall we Pearl?….
“There’s an old saying that life begins at 40.
That’s silly.
Life begins every morning when you wake up.
Open your mind to it; don’t just sit there, do things.”
~~ George Burns (1896-1996) ~~
***************************************
Sawyer Fredericks
Image from Facebook via Google Images
The somewhat eclectic-appearing young man you see above entered the 2015 contest on The Voice USA, performing a classic standard called A Man of Constant Sorrow for his audition. Within seconds of beginning to sing, three of the four coaches had turned to watch, & the fourth only held out until the chorus. His voice, and style, are unique, as is his musical upbringing, giving him a feel and style completely his own. I’ve embedded the initial audition, & included the link to his own You Tube page, where you can find a lot of his work, including some recent live performances…. He blows me away with his talent, & I intend to follow his career with great interest; he is massively talented, & well worth the time…. Enjoy!….
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
Solilquery….
*******
“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go….”
~~ Dr. Seuss ~~
*******
“All life is an experiment.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
*******
“I am made from the dust of the stars, the oceans flow in my veins.”
~~ Rush, “Presto” ~~
*******
“Go into yourself and see how deep the place is from which your life flows.”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet ~~
*******
“Besides learning to see, there is another act to be learned
— not to see what is not.”
~~ Maria Mitchell ~~
*******
“There must be some kind of way out of here…”
~~ the joker to the thief ~~
*******
“Flee at once, all is discovered.”
~~ Sardonic Bee ~~
*******
***************************************
Okay, I did it, finally. Though Leelu keeps interrupting for her cat hammock time, I WILL post today. To insure compliance, I’m gonna strip this section bare, & be off to do that. See y’all in a day or two, ffolkes, with more bells on…. Stay strange… Maybe it isn’t for everybody, but, it sure works for 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.
~~ The Firesign Theatre, from the album of the same name ~~
Blooming in thyme…
Hajime…. Having, with an unexpected degree of success, completed the elements of today’s Pearl, I sat down to begin writing the introduction. After ten minutes, with any number of false starts, I’ve decided to just begin writing, & let my brain catch up whenever it can. It gets like this, quite frequently, it seems, trying to compose a new, interesting bit of literature every damn day. Not that I’m complaining; the process, successful or not, is what has kept me relatively sane for the past six or more years. No, just reporting the facts, ffolkes, because I’ve got nothing else to go with today.
Now, I can treat you to some nonsense; the way I feel today, it could be rather amusing, if only to note how awful it turns out. Or, I could get philosophic, & regale y’all with tales of virtue & glory. That one, however, is well beyond anything I could do just now, so, we’ll keep looking. I could, if I had no sense at all, try to convince you I planned it this way, but, that seems too futile, even for me on days such as this. I guess, all things considered, I’ll just have to resort to the recently acquired ruthlessness I’ve found so useful, just to keep from frustrating myself, and, y’all, any further than I have already.
Fortunately, that one is pretty simple to apply, especially at this point, when I’ve set the stage, so to speak, so precisely. In fact, so precisely, I can tell you, without fear of contradiction, we’ve arrived at that juncture most efficacious for our purpose. What juncture, you ask? This one….
Shall we Pearl?
“Hope is the denial of reality.
It is the carrot dangled before the draft horse
to keep him plodding along in a vain attempt to reach it.
I say we remove the carrot and walk forward with open eyes.”
Yesterday, I selected the piano concertos of Mozart to provide some reading/study music. Today, I have chosen to select another set of music from a single classical composer, to wit: Camille Saint-Saëns. He was an extremely prolific composer, yet, everything I’ve ever heard of his shows the same brilliance. Works for me…. Enjoy, ffolkes….
***************************************
Camille Saint-Saëns
***************************************
***************************************
***************************************
Adjectives of Quality ~~ Bloody Friday
A baleful lump of ironic introspection
sits upon my shoulder today
leaving traces of fey reflection
with a smattering of true dismay.
Resistance may be futile, many have said,
belief didn’t necessarily follow.
Abnegation of fear marks all bills paid,
leaving such empty threats hollow.
Symbolic courage never sleeps so deeply
as when delusion holds sway.
Bartered virtue, sold far too cheaply,
stands in shame, until honor fades away.
Too many culprits exist to count just one;
all of us bear obvious blame.
Evil is as evil does, only, when it’s done,
it begins again, all same-same.
Nobody seems to care enough to deny the lies.
Ignorant fear rules humanity’s masses.
When evil passes unremarked, innocence dies;
silence equals guilt, leaving only hope’s ashes.
Reality screams; tales of terror unfold,
flames fanned with purposeful malice,
insidious dangers hide beneath atrocity untold
as Gaia weeps into an empty chalice.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/3/2015
***************************************
Naked Pearls
Reality can bite….
*******
“Of all lies, art is the least untrue.”
~~ Gustave Flaubert ~~
*******
“Reality is that which,
when you stop believing in it,
doesn’t go away.”
~~ Philip K. Dick ~~
*******
“Before you can build a house,
you must first believe
that the bricks are in fact bricks.”
~~ Schopenhauer ~~
*******
“If you shut up truth, and bury it underground, it will but grow.”
~~ Emile Zola ~~
*******
“A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.”
~~ Michael de Montaigne — Essays, Book i, Chap. xxxviii, Of Solitude ~~
*******
“You can never get rid of what is part of you, even if you throw it away.”
~~ Goethe ~~
*******
“The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
***************************************
Well, there you have it, such as it is. I’m going to continue to use the ruthless tool, simply because I STILL don’t have much to say. I guess what awaits me in the rest of the day is distracting me; I just want to get done, & get out there to play with the mundanes. I’ll give in to my own lobbying, by bringing this to a rather abrupt close. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; remember…. be as strange as you can possibly be…. It’s our best defense against much of what gets tossed at us each day….
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.
Hajime…. I had hoped, upon arising today, to find it within me to write some actual prose here to begin. However, upon entering the trance state I use to search out the appropriate creative urge, I found nothing but a vast, featureless plain, without even any shiny objects off in the distance. Rather than retreat, as I generally do, into paragraph after paragraph of blather & nonsense, I will, instead, accept the limitations I have encountered, & just get on with the posting process. You may thank me later…. or, not, as you wish….
I suppose, in order to earn & deserve any thanks, I’ll have to employ yet another example of a ruthless ending to the intro. I realize it has become rather de rigeur, but, that’s what happens when a blog gets old, along with its author. We just don’t care as much as we used to. But, that’s indulgent speculation, when our intention is to get down the page. Why don’t I make a quick turn, into this little cul-de-sac, where I’ll flip the switch on our old #4, which has served us so well for so long…. That one works like this….
Shall we Pearl?
“My mind to me a kingdom is;
Such present joys therein I find,
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or grows by kind:
Though much I want which most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.”
~~ Edward Dyer (c. 1540-1607) — MS. Rawl. 85. p. 17~~
***************************************
When I want to focus my mind on a set task on the computer, this is what I put on. It’s a grand collection of Wolfie’s violin concertos, with what I’ve found to be the best music for such mental gymnastics. It just seems to help my mind relax, and enter the flow of thought with ease…. I hope you find it so yourselves…. Enjoy!….
***************************************
Mozart ~ Violin Concertos
***************************************
***************************************
***************************************
Life as we know it….
As we grow and learn to be, in this sad, yet joyous parade,
we only have our Self with which to face life;
small, we are, and weak,
but, smart.
Reality, in studied contrast, is an invisible, ubiquitous shade
dispassionate ambivalence brings us mostly strife.
It’s never enough to seek.
Take part.
The universe won’t make a compromise, but will make a trade.
Give away your fear for knowledge, and a reasoned life.
It often requires a tweak;
live Art.
Love is an essential part of our own particular charade
without it, life can be filled with strife.
Souls perch high on a peak;
sweet, tart.
Pain always balances with joy, the price has to be paid;
for us humans, each must be equal in life.
To know one, the other must speak.
Never apart.
We are all actors, playing parts we’ve chosen to have portrayed;
the director’s absence produces endless strife.
Trying to make sense brings only pique.
Go. Start.
~~ gigoid ~~
11/27/2015
***************************************
Naked Pearls
Grinding the stone….
*******
“There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry.”
~~ Mark Strand ~~
*******
“Hello darkness, my old friend,
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping,
eft its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision
that was planted in my brain,
still remains
Within the sound of silence:”
~~ Paul Simon ~~
*******
“Take me disappearing
through the smoke rings of my mind
down the foggy ruins of time
far past the frozen leaves
the haunted frightened trees
out to the windy beach
far from the twisted reach
of crazy sorrow.
Ah, to dance beneath the diamond sky
with one hand waving free
silhouetted by the sea
circled by the circus sands
with all memory and fate
driven deep beneath the waves
let me forget about today
until tomorrow.”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
“Nothing in the entire universe ever perishes, believe me,
but things vary, and adopt a new form.
The phrase “being born” is used
for beginning to be something different from what one was before,
while “dying” means ceasing to be the same.
Though this thing may pass into that, and that into this,
yet the sums of things remains unchanged.”
~~ Ovid — Metamorphoses ~~
*******
“It is the edge and temper of the blade
that make a good sword,
not the richness of the scabbard;
and so it is not money or possessions
that make man considerable,
but his virtue.”
~~ Seneca ~
*******
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”
~~ Kris Kristofferson ~~
*******
“The more I learn, the more I have to learn.”
~~ Anonymous Bee ~~
*******
***************************************
Having thus completed my assigned tasks for this morning, I’ll use a bit of compassion, & close it as efficiently as I opened. Perhaps that isn’t the most compelling technique, but, it works for what we need today. I’ll reiterate the usual caveat, to wit: I’ll be back, to spend more time on tinkering with my brain, so as to distract it from going wonky. Y’all are welcome to join me, tomorrow, hopefully, when I’ll do this again. See ya, ffolkes…. Stay alert; it’s getting more than just a little crazy out in the Big Blue Room….
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.
Hmm…. I can’t say, with any degree of confidence, that’s going to grab anyone’s attention. Not for long, anyway. I also must say, I’ve done better. Since I’m mostly honest, I’ll have to add, I haven’t done much worse, either. Oh, well, I suppose I can’t expect to be able to come up with the perfect opening line every day, now, can I? Not with any hope of being right, or, successful at it. But, since it really doesn’t matter a bit, I’ll let it go, & just get on with what we came here for, to wit, mucking about in boats.
Oh, right. We don’t have any boats, or, any water to float them in. So much for whimsy. Due to the now unfortunate circumstances in which I find myself, I suspect I’m going to have to resort to yet another odd technique to get us anywhere near our intended destination; everything I’ve tried thus far seems more than a little too odd, even for our loose standards. As those standards have evolved over time, in a way only they could, we should respect that, if only as far as it can be thrown. Or, we could continue to spout complete nonsense, as we now seem to be doing. Either way, I don’t think we’re going to find any real literature here today….
Again, my only possible response must be, oh, well. It’s patently clear, by now, I don’t have it today; if I had any of it at all, it would have shown up by now. To avoid any major embarrassment, (rapidly approaching from the East), I’ll cut this short, & just get on with posting what I’ve put together. It really isn’t a bad pearl; I just blew the intro up to see if I still could. Mission accomplished, so, I’ll use one of these quick, brutal closing methods, & get on with what remains of the day. Besides, I can’t think of any more bullshit to throw…. Go figure; I’ve used it all up…. Probably a good thing, eh?….
Shall we Pearl?
“It is not necessary that whilst I live I live happily;
but it is necessary that so long as I live I should live honourably.”
~~ Kant, Immanuel (1724-1804) ~~
***************************************
Lately, it seems I’m running late more often than not; oh, well, he said, with chagrin. So be it. (He said that, too…) Here, then, for our default choice of the day, is more from Playing For Change, my favorite charitable organization, promoting peace around the world through music…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. It’s far better than the alternative, wouldn’t you say?….
***************************************
Playing For Change Gimme Shelter
***************************************
***************************************
***************************************
Bulletin
Patterns exist to bring sanity, if illusory, at best;
follicular, reality seems to slip and slide.
Still, formal insanity consistently fails the ultimate test,
why place faith in answers. from which truth can hide?
Following the music brings us back in good time;
forever seemingly retreats from relevance.
Crazy, time stands still with yet another innovative rhyme,
no burgeoning intentions for sale, to shimmy. or dance.
Folly sits easily upon this brow;
fateful and afraid, entropy bows in shame.
Into the river of time, slowly, forgetful of how
courage gives strength, no matter the game.
Capricious, the muse demands obedient attention
at risk of exhibiting true durance vile.
Bereft, single copies sit unused, despite all intention;
while singular examples of fate pass at the stile.
Seminal events bring their own weight;
no scale necessary, no guessing by eye, or hand.
Only one lesson to learn, just pay the freight;
the music is playing, and you’re part of the band.
~~ gigoid ~~
8/6/2016
***************************************
Naked Pearls
Dubious is good….
*******
“The only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing at all, for sure.”
~~ Socrates ~~
*******
“Not everything that counts can be counted;
and not everything that can be counted counts.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
*******
“How does it feel?
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown?”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
“Live dangerously and you live right.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Faust” ~~
*******
” Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself
(I am large, I contain multitudes).”
~~ Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself” ~~
*******
“It is in changing that things find repose.”
~~ Heraclitus ~~
*******
“Everything that has a beginning has an ending.
Make your peace with that and all will be well.”
~~ Buddha ~~
*******
***************************************
I would wager I’ve already used more than my fair share of expediency thus far, so, I’ll forgo any further display of my brand of humorous commentary, in favor of letting y’all off the proverbial hook for today. Obviously, I’ll need to try this again, to see if I can’t improve on what happened here today. Shouldn’t be too hard, I think, given the sheer idiocy I seem to have let out up above. Again, the only possible comment must be, oh, well. So be it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Well, that’s the plan, anyway….. We’ll just have to wait & see what reality thinks about that….
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.
Hajime…. My first remarks today are an apology, of sorts, to those of my Gentle Readers whose blogs I have seemingly boycotted in recent days. Generally, if I can sit for any appreciable length of time after posting the Daily Pearl, I will go to those sites, & leave comments, most of which have sublimated my ranting urges, enough to keep me from having to expunge that urge here. But, lately, I have been both unable to sit for long, and, unable to face commenting on issues in which I see so little reward for trying to join a dialogue. Perhaps it is because of the general sense of futility so prevalent in today’s world, where no good deed goes unpunished; perhaps it is just my own sense of the world’s state, which, needless to say, is NOT particularly hopeful of any reasonable resolution… Either way, I haven’t been commenting, & wish to relate my apology for that failure….
As for today, I have completed putting together today’s offering, but, cannot promise to pursue any surfing, or commenting later; I’m fighting a cold, (my own fault, as it always is, for waiting too long to begin the battle…. ), and spent yesterday on public transportation, (via ferry, train, & bus….) to travel to SF & back, to take care of some important business. Mission accomplished, but, given my only partially healthy state, put me well over my limits, enough to make today a slow recovery day. So be it. I can’t change the past (a lesson now well-learned….), so, I’ll just do what I can today to meet as many duties as I can, & not fret the rest.
To assist myself in that task, we’ll cut this short, (well, as short as it can be, having already meandered through a couple hundred words of blather….), & get on with the rest of today’s mess. I’ll even go so far as to do so without undue fuss, or any unreasonable delay. I do that, of course, like this….
Shall we Pearl?
“When the fox gnaws — smile.”
~~ Lazarus Long in Robert A. Heinlein’s Time Enough For Love ~~
***********************************
Image from lastfm.com via Google Images
Today, I feel like some erudite modern rock, which this band does as well as anyone…. Enjoy!….
********************************
Dixie Chicks Live in Denver, 2016
********************************
********************************
********************************
Joe Friday’s lament
Life is short, and though I’m odd, they say
it really doesn’t bother me
to realize there is no God, per se.
Though other folks will disagree
and tell me I’m wrong
I won’t believe it, with naught to see.
Liars called padre tell me, have humility,
and do as the authorities say,
then fondle little boys with facility.
They also tell me to share the wealth
and give them a 10% tithe
so they don’t have get it by stealth.
So spare me the delusions, please
don’t bother with such a tale;
I’m nobody that needs such a tease.
Keep your fantasies under your hat
and out of my face;
I don’t need them, they’ll make me fat….. headed.
~~ gigoid ~~
2/8/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Further notes on process & program….
*******
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, –that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
~~ John Keats — “Ode on a Grecian Urn” ~~
*******
“Fear is sharp-sighted,
and can see things under ground,
and much more in the skies.”
~~~ Miguel de Cervantes — Don Quixote, Part i, Book iii, Chap. vi ~~
*******
“We must laugh at man to avoid crying for him.”
~~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~~
*******
“The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self-mastery.”
~~ Reinhold Niebuhr ~~
*******
“How could the drops of water know themselves to be a river?
Yet the river flows on.”
~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~~
*******
A man said to the Universe: “Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the Universe, “the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.”
~~ Stephen Crane, “War is Kind”, 1899 ~~
*******
“The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
********************************
Today’s Pearl has been thrown together with some dispatch, though it may seem relatively smooth from the outside. It does have the one primary characteristic for which we continually aim, to wit: it’s done. To complement the relative efficiency shown in the intro, I’ll use the same technique to bring it to a rapid close. How rapid? Well, how’s this? See ya, ffolkes; I’ll be back, relatively soon, I’m sure. Until then, be strange; I find it to be a compellingly satisfying way to keep people on their toes….
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.
Hajime…. There are days here at ECR when the process by which the Pearls you see posted can only be described as ‘torturous’…. That’s not to say it isn’t a pleasant, uplifting experience, because it isn’t; it’s merely to say it can be fucking annoying. This attitude, patently, is not one that lends itself particularly well to the creative process; around here, that, in and of itself, is therapeutic, if nothing else. But, it is also an attitude which, given its patently less-than-constructive nature, can lead to hours and hours of guilt, if I ever felt guilt. Since I don’t, (gave it up long ago as a bad investment of time….), it’s probably for the best if we just move on to the next stop on the way to the closing section….
If I were really as smart as I believe myself to be, I’d use that paragraph as a jumping off point for any number of ideological forays; instead, I’m going to ignore it completely, by filling in the rest by the numbers. Number two, if we are counting correctly, is to proceed with our morning ramblings, but, on a completely new tack; it’s actually a pity I haven’t a clue as to how to proceed in that direction, without edging over into the realm of either fantasy, or, more likely, sheer insanity, a condition with which I am all too familiar. How, you may ask, can anyone be so calm about being insane? That one’s easy: practice…..
Yes, I am a practicing psychopath; the work is good, and never ending, but, the pay is lousy. Far be it from me to question the dictates of reality, though, so, I just try to ‘go with the flow’, so to speak, in order to maintain the illusion of competency so vital to living in a world gone mad. That, by the way, is an illusion fully 100% of humanity has experience in, to our everlasting regret, I’m sure. Of course, there are numerous reasons we spend so much time insane, each of which is implacable, as well as embedded in our nature. In short, our entire species is, simply, quite insane on at least three levels, of which two are incredibly vital to survival, while the third is critical only in our own estimation. Go figure, eh?
Having, quite clearly, demonstrated the assertion proposed, it becomes clear we may have screwed the pooch, a euphemism both obscure, and all-too-obvious. Rather than continue to beat a moribund equine, let’s do this…..
Shall we Pearl?
“The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror.
It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing.
It receives but does not keep.”
~~ Chuang Tzu ~~
***********************************
Today’s selection of classical music is for a blogging friend, who particularly enjoys classical guitar; I figure over six hours worth should hold him for a time…. I also hope the rest of our Gentle Readers enjoy the feast…. Abondanza!….
********************************
Classical Guitar
********************************
********************************
********************************
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
********************************
Naked Pearls
A Polymath’s path….
*******
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum —
“I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.”
~~ Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary” ~~
*******
“Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.”
~~ The Beatles ~~
*******
“A man of genius makes no mistakes.
His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”
~~ James Joyce, “Ulysses” ~~
*******
“We are all born mad. Some remain so.”
~~ Samuel Beckett ~~
*******
“How does it feel?
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown?”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
“Logic doesn’t apply to the real world.”
~~ Marvin Minsky ~~
*******
Calvin: “People think it must be fun to be a super genius,
but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.”
Hobbes: “Isn’t your pants’ zipper supposed to be in the front?”
~~ Calvin (Bill Watterson, “Calvin and Hobbes”) ~~
*******
********************************
Well, that was fun. Sort of. It’s done, anyway, so, I suppose I should find some way to gracefully close this mess. Hmm…. I guess ‘graceful’ isn’t on the agenda today. Oh, well….. This, then, will have to do, as I am now completely baffled as to any new direction to take. I know…. I’ll just drop y’all like the proverbial hot potato, which will get us all out of here, and, give y’all something about which you may unleash those pent up feelings you’ve been holding on to for too long. See, I can be nice. I can also be gone, and, I am…. See y’all next time, provided the universe cooperates…. I’d say we have even odds on that….
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.
“If you never assume importance you never lose it.”
~~ Lao-tzu ~~
Momentary peace….
Hajime….
I stood
Among them, but not of them; in a shroud
Of thoughts which were not their thoughts.
~~ Lord Byron ~~
~~ Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto iii, Stanza 113 ~~
Today is proclaimed a wash. I have only a few pearls, of which the snippet from Lord Byron assumes primary focus. This particular stanza has always appealed to me, as being a very accurate description of much of my life. Without going into a long, expansive treatise on why that should be so, I’m going to fake the rest of today’s mess, and be done with it, for I’m not in the mood for coherency. Or, for expansiveness, for that matter. In short, I’m in a funk, though not a hole. So be it. There isn’t much, but, it all has something to say. You can decide for yourselves if you needed to hear it…. Today, everything is left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader. So be it….
Shall we pearl?….
“From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.”
~~ Edgar Allan Poe, “Alone” ~~
********************************
As per our default standard, classical music is on the menu for our musical accompaniment. I hope you enjoy it; the choice is, naturally, as random as I can make it, chosen simply for the picture that caught my eye…. Enjoy!….
********************************
Classical Music
********************************
********************************
********************************
Random Exposure
If I only knew what I was doing here,
I could give others a clue.
Reality gets stranger every year,
and I’m not sure what I should do.
Singing happy old tunes, in an old, gravely voice,
gives me a lot of pleasure.
I’m only glad I can still make a choice,
to look at life, to take its measure.
Memorable moments keep passing by
gilded, framed in precious emotion.
I never have to ask anyone why,
no need for a stronger potion.
Everything in life is clear, to me
there is no doubt, no misunderstanding.
We’re all good, as you can see,
members of Life, in good standing.
Life can be hard, or it can be great fun;
the right path is there for each of us to take.
That choice is often a difficult one;
pay close attention to the choice you make.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/22/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Good things come in threes….
*******
“If you don’t know where you’re going, when you get there you’ll be lost.”
~~ Yogi Berra ~~
*******
“What lies before us and what lies behind us….
are small matters
compared to what lies within us…
and when we bring what lies within into the world…
miracles happen!”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
*******
“What’s money?
A man is a success if he gets up in the morning
and gets to bed at night,
and in between he does what he wants to.”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
********************************
Over the course of the last five years, I’ve learned to put aside my own feelings at times, in order to find the chutzpah to post. Today is such a day. Tomorrow might be different, and it is that ambiguity I am both counting on, and hoping for. That said, there’s naught else to impart, so, I’ll take my leave, stage virtual, with the reassurance I shall return tomorrow, like it, or not…. So be it. See ya, ffolkes….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“The attacker must vanquish; the defender need only survive.”
~~ Master Po ~~
Mount Hood from the Coast Starlight….
Hajime…. I’d hoped to have a complete Pearl for y’all today; I’ve been working on one for about a week now, in between sessions of learning completely new physical paradigms developed to keep the various kinds of pain with which I am familiar from becoming so ubiquitous, naught else in my life is relevant. To be honest, it’s something of a PITA, in more ways, and senses, than merely one. In fact, calling it a major PITA wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility; hell, it might just be a colonel PITA…. Sorry, a little military humor there…
I’ll give fair warning; you may find this a bit odd. Not to say we are anything but odd most of the time; today it might be more obvious. I’ve been up since 3 AM, having given up the effort to sleep after a solid seven hours of futility and pain, not necessarily in that order. It’s now 0430, and the pain in my shoulder continues to scream, unabated, every time I lift my arm more than a quarter-inch. To scratch my nose using my left arm right now is a sure invitation for an impromptu bellow, as the motion slips a sharp, hot knife into the shoulder, at first movement…. Yes, it’s annoying, and yes, I’m pushing hard to get this done before I must go kill something…..
A new poem was also on the agenda for today, but, it’s stalled. The essay/rant I’m working on has gone epic, and isn’t quite ready for public consumption. So, what we have is a partial-Pearl, sans rant, but with a fairly recent poem. Music, too, to go along with this insane diatribe, and the old-school pearl, upon which our entire process depends. It’s a pretty good one, so, rather than just talk about it, let’s go get it done, before the authorities get wind of last night’s clandestine foray…. Oh, didn’t I mention that? Oh, well, another time. For now, let’s get this slow on the toad….
Shall we pearl?….
“I’m stealing back to my same old used to be.”
~~ Arlo Guthrie ~~
********************************
Bob Dylan
Image from freegrafix.com via Google Images
**********************************
Blood On The Tracks
**********************************
**********************************
********************************
Retrospective, defined in folly….
Yesterday
I wrote a poem.
It bled out of my head,
like I’d been struck with
an axe,
right through the artery,
in the neck,
spraying blood around
everywhere,
like a pulsing garden hose….
It hurt, at first,
then came the feeling,
of quick relief,
of timeless beauty,
of pain avenged,
of lust aroused,
of outrage aflame,
of deep compassion,
of endless empathy,
of truest love….
Now it’s gone, cast away
like pearls before twine.
(Grin…)
You thought
I was going to call you
a pig,
didn’t you?
Hah!
Well, you’re not.
You’re a person.
I know, because
you’re reading this poem…
if that’s what it is.
I think it is,
so,
maybe it is.
Or, maybe,
it will be,
someday, when it
grows up,
and learns to rhyme.
Whew…
Just in time…..
That’s all.
Reality often sucks wind,
y’know?
S’okay, though….
It keeps us busy,
and out of some of the
mischief,
so much part
of our
nature.
We all can do
only what we
do.
Or, don’t.
Two sides, one coin.
~~ gigoid ~~
8/31/2014
********************************
Naked Pearls
Grin and bear it….
*******
“Believe me!
The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness
and the greatest enjoyment from life
is to live dangerously!”
~~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche ~~
*******
“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
~~ Chinese proverb ~~
*******
“Far more crucial than what we know or do not know
is what we do not want to know.”
~~ Eric Hoffer ~~
*******
“These times of ours are serious and full of calamity,
but all times are essentially alike.
As soon as there is life there is danger.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
*******
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes you get rained out.”
~~ Satchel Paige ~~
*******
“Truth is always exciting.
Speak it, then.
Life is boring without it.”
~~ Pearl S. Buck ~~
*******
“All go down the hooooooole.”
~~ Baby Plucky. ~~
*******
********************************
Having completed my chosen duty, I’m ending this quickly, so as to be able to get it posted in a timely fashion. I can’t say just now when I’ll get another fresh Pearl done; it’s getting hard to predict my ability to sit & write at all. For now, I’ll merely say this: I WILL be back, if only to post another archived Pearl, of which there are legion. For now, y’all be strange; it’s cool out there, and dangerous as hell. Stay alert, & be happy as you may….
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.
Hajime…. The good news is two-fold; I’m definitely feeling better, well enough to sit, with proper alignment, for up to 15 or 20 minutes. Also, I can feel a poem in there, percolating. The other face of these events, sad to say, is less positive; sitting remains problematic after a time, and the poem isn’t ready to bleed out yet. I figure Murphy’s got his eye on things, and will screw them up, best he can, but, not going to worry about that, since that’s par for the course. I’ll try to be patient, & stay with the program, just in case there’s an opportunity to stick it to HIM for a change. Fat chance, right?
I’m unsure as to how much time I’ve got to get this done; my back is good to go, but, always on edge to complain. To forgo having to give up altogether, I’m going to piece this together quickly, & be done with it for the day, hoping for more time tomorrow. Not like me to depend on chance, but, what can one do in the face of such conundrum? Going with the flow seems like the safest path to take, and, by gosh, we’re taking it. Not only will we do so, we’ll do it now, for luck…. Luck’s about the only chance we have, so, let’s go find it…..
Shall we pearl?….
“The function of an ideal is not to be realized but
like that of the North Star, to serve as a guiding point.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
********************************
Naked Pearls
Sublimated Rant
*******
“A short saying oft contains much wisdom.”
~~ Sophocles — Aletes, Frag. 99 ~~
*******
“It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.”
~~ Voltaire ~~
*******
“…You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
~~ Bob Dylan, from “Subterranean Homesick Blues” 1967 ~~
*******
“Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.”
~~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~~
*******
“They begin with making falsehood appear like truth,
and end with making truth itself appear like falsehood.”
~~ Shensione ~~
*******
“The human mind is a dangerous plaything, Boys.
When it’s used for Evil, watch out!
But when it’s used for Good, things are much… nicer.”
~~ the Tick ~~
*******
“I know a lot of people without brains who do an awful lot of talking.”
~~ The Scarecrow, Wizard of Oz ~~
*******
********************************
Accentuated Lessons
Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.
Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.
Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.
Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.
Peace lies within, always…..
~~ gigoid ~~
12/6/2013
********************************
One of these days, I’m going to learn HTML; the things it does might just make more sense if I knew the language. SIGH…. Formatting issues aside, hopefully fixed, it’s done. To keep from blowing it up entirely, I’ll end it here, with the usual caveat. I’ll be back, and that’s all the warning you’ll get…. See ya, ffolkes….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“A note of music gains significance from the silence on either side.”
~~ Anne Morrow Lindberg ~~
Always Alert….
Hajime…. Today is the 240th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in this country. I have personally witnessed this 65 times in my life, though never with the degree of reluctance I feel today. I am reluctant to celebrate, or show pride in a country which is currently engaged in numerous unjust conflicts around the world, all of which have nothing to do with any sort of justice, or anything other than corporate greed. Anyone who thinks our nation is justified for the misery and death we have caused by our interventions is welcome to tell me why; I doubt seriously I’ll have any trouble pointing out the discrepancies in any possible evidence presented….
To be honest, I am sick to death of politics, and corporate avarice, and ignorance, and all the other human failings I see in play in our society, all of which are denied, or ignored by both the public at large, and those who claim to be the leaders of our culture. So sick of it, I intend to ignore today altogether, just to get a bit of space from all the negativity that I associate with the loss of honor I see as responsible for our current status as a nation. I refuse to show pride in what I see us doing; there is no ethical or moral justification for any of it. So, this is the last y’all will hear about it today; I’ll even pick an archived rant that speaks to another issue, to be sure….
Since that’s the case, perhaps it would be best to get on with it. I guess this intro section isn’t quite up to our usual standards, which cannot be termed as standards of excellence without the risk of being called a liar; nonetheless, it will have to do, as I’m not going to do it over. Hell, it’s been a struggle to get it this far; starting over isn’t in the realm of possibilities I’m considering. In fact, the only consideration I’m thinking of now is how to get us the hell out of here before this gets any stranger…. I guess I’ll just be ruthless, which looks like this….
Shall we pearl?….
“The more I traveled the more I realized
that fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.”
~~ Shirley McLaine ~~
********************************
Violeta Parra
Image from billboard.com via Google Images
A few days ago, I included a South American activist/artist, Victor Jara, for our musical selection. Today’s inclusion is a contemporary of his, also from South America, a woman who is also actively working for justice for the people, through her music, and her actions off-stage. Abondanza!…
********************************
Violeta Parra
********************************
********************************
********************************
“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 theater?” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xxxvi, Of the most Excellent Men
From 4/17/2014:
“A government that fears its people is a government that should be feared.” — Smart Bee
“The US government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country’s citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities has concluded.”
My initial reaction to this opening line from the article to which the link leads was, “Oh. Really? How droll….” In case it’s unclear, that is sarcasm….
My second thought was, “Duh…”, because, well, hey, no-brainer, right? It’s only obvious, and has been since the 1850’s, when the “military-industrial complex” became a real person, at least in the courts….. The third thought that went through my mind was, “Why did I have to read this on the front page of a BRITISH news paper, while never having seen a single article on the report from an American news outlet?”
But, then, hey, oligarchy, right? That means the elite, the rich, the BRC, or, as I’m fond of calling them, the Asininnies, don’t want to hear about it, so, none of the news outlets THEY control will ever show that report, or, if they do, it certainly won’t be on the front page…. Any more than they wish to have ANY of their shenanigans paraded in front of the public eye; they’re well aware of how badly the rest of the country would react to that, if the notion that they were oppressing the rest of us, and worse, shamelessly lying about it all, ever became a common perception….
I could spend a few paragraphs here, detailing to you just how they lie, or relating just how often, and how completely these assholes are fucking over the rest of society…. but, it isn’t necessary, when such a plain and obvious indictment is right there in front of me, a report that does nothing if not confirm what I’ve been trying to get across to the people out there who need to know, for a long time now….
“[E]lections amount to little more than choosing between the scum that floats to the top of the barrel and the dregs that settle to the bottom.” — L. Neil Smith
The perverted masters of society, consisting of that 1% who control the money and resources of our planet, usurped our system of government within DAYS of the signing of the Constitution, and have continued to solidify their control for the last 240 years since that event…. Their biggest victories have come from their purchases, which gave them exclusive possession of the souls and loyalty of the judges in the federal court system, first in the early 1800’s, then, later, to the huge win in the middle of that century, when corporations were first declared to have the same rights as real people, a decision which ensures the establishment in society of the legal precedents that ensure their complete control….
What normal, real person, with merely their own skills and efforts as resources, can compete, monetarily, or time-wise, with a corporation, to buy the loyalty of congress and the courts? Only its owners, or the owners of other governments, er, corporations, who have the resources to contest what they wish, can hope to supply any restraint upon what they desire…. No average person has the time or resources to spend on any issue that a corporation can bring to bear, thus guaranteeing the common man’s views will NEVER take precedence in the courts….
It ain’t a particularly pretty picture, ffolkes, but, it IS an accurate description of modern reality…. more than we could hope, and certainly more than we could ever need, or want…. but, accurate, nonetheless….
Enough so to thoroughly disgust me, to the point I’m not going to rant any more…. I’m getting too worked up…. I can feel my blood pressure going up as I type, never a good thing….. So, we’ll switch modes, and go find some pearls with which to round out this discussion, hopefully with some humor, or at the very least, some bloodthirsty accusations of perversion against those assholes who thing we are not on to them….. Enjoy!….
“Hope is very dangerous….” — Servalan
(In our society, it is not merely dangerous, it is toxic….)
“After 2% of the vote is in, the networks tell us who won. It makes the other 99% of us feel a bit unnecessary… How come the networks are so good at picking the presidential winner, and so bad at picking hit shows?” — Smart Bee
(You don’t think they have information they’re not sharing with us, do you? Nah…. of course not…. Why would they do that?….)
(If you believe that, I have a wonderful opportunity for you, a chance to own the biggest bridge in New York, for a very nominal price…. Cash only, no checks….)
“When neither their poverty nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content.” — Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
(This is required learning in the schools that produce the fleets of lawyers who inhabit the halls of government…. Check it out sometime, how ALL the actions our leaders take are designed to keep from arousing the public’s ire, by avoiding the stimulation implied in this rule codified by The Prince….)
“There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.” — Bob Dylan
“All military type firearms are to be handed in immediately… The SS, SA and Stahlhelm give every respectable German man the opportunity of campaigning with them. Therefore anyone who does not belong to one of the above named organisations and who unjustifiably nevertheless keeps his weapon… must be regarded as an enemy of the national government.” — SA Oberfuhrer of Bad Tolz, March, 1933
(I keep expecting to see a bill with this wording hit the floor of the House any time now, with a few minor changes to reflect the passage of time…. Every time there is another random shooting in this country, the pundits break out something like this to put through Congress, in the deluded hope that it might change something, which they refuse to believe cannot be changed, without changing human nature….)
“All you have to do is… Spot The Looney!” — Monty Python
(A very apt description of the voting process here in ‘murrica….)
“Being against torture ought to be sort of a bipartisan thing.” — Karl Lehenbauer
(One would think this is true, until you actually look at what they are DOING, instead of what they are SAYING….)
“Faith: not wanting to know what is true.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
(Another fine delineation of how the voting process works in the oligarchy we call home…. Plus, do you see how smoothly this dovetails in with what the preachers preach from their pulpits?…. Funny how that works, eh?….)
Okay, so that’s eight pearls, an even number, which will never do…. We’ll go with one last pearl, in what I know to be a futile attempt to bring one of them down for good…. I’ll try to make it a good one, a fitting finish to an epic melding of irritated ranting and old school pearling….
“For in religion as in friendship, they who profess most are ever the least sincere.” — Sheridan
(I probably don’t need to make this suggestion, but, you can substitute the word “politics” for “friendship” in this, without changing or reducing its validity…. which is why it’s here….)
********************************
Territorial imperative….
Beauty must define,
as augment to existence,
as life must be more
than mere subsistence.
Nature demands more.
Truth helps.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/15/2012
********************************
Naked Pearls
Like ice, on the verge of melting….
*******
“. . is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing Falsehood.
It is the attempt to see the Light without knowing Darkness.
It cannot be.”
~~ Frank Herbert, Dune ~~
*******
“He bids fair to grow wise who has discovered that he is not so.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 598 ~~
*******
“Doubt is the key to knowledge.”
~~ Persian Proverb ~~
*******
“You cannot learn to fly by flying.
First you must learn to walk, to run, to climb, to dance.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
*******
“That’s the way things come clear.
All of a sudden.
And then you realize how obvious they’ve been all along.”
~~ Madeleine L’Engle ~~
*******
“Be happy. It’s one way of being wise.”
~~ Colette ~~
*******
“I just forgot my whole philosophy of life!!!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
*******
********************************
In the elegant words of Hasan, the Moor, “I have fulfilled my vow.” Though I won’t commit to labeling it ‘good’, or ‘bad’, or even ‘indifferent’, I will say it’s done. Which gives me the perfect excuse to bring this to a final conclusion, probably best stated as, “Huh?”. No matter how we choose to view it, we’re outta here, with our common caveat, to wit: I’ll be back. I’ll even go out on a limb, and predict that will happen tomorrow. Go figure…. See ya, ffolkes…
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
gigoid 