Three portions of the marinated calamari tubes, please….

Posted on April 23, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A man reveals his character even in the simplest things he does.”

~~ Jean de La Bruyere ~~

The Shelbourne Public House

Cork, Ireland

A close look at today’s picture, (click to enlarge), will reveal a perfect pint of Guinness, sitting under the tap on the the right of the bar; it was built, at my request, in the traditional manner, filling the glass straight down from the tap, until foam reaches the top. At that point, the glass is allowed to rest, until the foam retreats down a sufficient amount, at which time the glass is again filled. If necessary, this will go on until it is just right, with about 1/2″ to 3/4″ of foam at the rim…. I asked the bartender to demonstrate the procedure, then gave them the pint to drink, as it was only 11 AM, and I just wanted the technique, and pictures of the process…. She, (the blond at the back of the bar), thought the grey old American hippie was a bit strange, but, took the money, and kept the pint….

Good morrow, y’all…. Thanks to Kaiser, I spent about 3 hours last night with tardive dyskinesia, which gave me the gift of insomnia from midnight to 3 am; such a joy. Needless to say, this made me late to arise, and, consequently late starting today’s mess…. I’ve attempted above to mitigate any angst, with a bit nostalgia from my trip to Europe, in the hopes of eradicating any excess. It seems to have worked, sufficiently well to be able to remember our main goal, to introduce today’s Pearl…. I’m thinking two paragraphs is probably enough, especially since I have nothing more to say on any of this….

Let’s do this…. I’ll tell Luigi to take us in gently, and y’all can actually finish your drinks. We’ll unload at the oyster beds, and immediately break for lunch, okay? Then, we’ll be back on schedule, even if it’s a recycled program from last year…. At this point, obviously, it isn’t going to matter at all; we seem to have lost our way without even moving…. Funny how that works sometimes, eh? Watch your heads as you disembark, ffolkes, it appears our landing disturbed the local fauna, which is making a concerted effort to push the vehicle into the water…. No worries, we’ll just use the electric zapper, and….. There! All fried…. Now we won’t even have to order breakfast…. C’mon, time’s a’wastin’….

Shall we Pearl?

“Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.”

~~ Plutarch ~~

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

Jerry Jeff & I go way back; we spent many a moon-lit night partying back in the 70’s…. I guess I’m getting sentimental in my old age, returning to my roots to spend time visiting old memories of good times…. Well, that, or I’m just getting obsessed…. Hmm…. I suppose I could obsess over worse stuff, eh?…. It’ll do for now, so, enjoy!….

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Jerry Jeff Walker & Loudon Wainwright III ~ Live concert

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https://youtu.be/bvvFOSgPZLI

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Today, I intended to try to create a fresh “meander”, of a rantish nature, but, that plan went down the tubes with my late arrival…. Here, then, to sublimate, an old-school meander, aimed at the pundits who engage in the nasty habit of politics…. (Definition: Politics: from the Greek, “poly”, meaning “many”, and “ticks”, meaning “blood-sucking vermin”…. — Jay Leno)

“…when all government… in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1821

“If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.” — Lin-Chi

“It is said that God is always on the side of the heaviest battalions.” — Voltaire (1694-1778) — Letter to M. le Riche, Feb. 6, 1770

“Democracy is based on the assumption that a million men are wiser than one man. How’s that again? I missed something.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“Liberty don’t work as good in practice as it does in speeches.” — Will Rogers

“Deep in the nature of all these noble races there lurks unmistakably the beast of prey, the blond beast, lustfully roving in search of booty and victory.” — Nietzsche

“A violent man will die a violent death.” — Lao Tzu

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.” — Voltaire

— Bother! said Pooh, as the Borg assimilated him.

To bring this old-school meander to a proper close, a metaphor is, patently, essential…. Here is a perfect closing thought from our old pal, Bill Watterson….

“Today for show and tell I’ve brought a tiny marvel of nature: a single snowflake. I think we might all learn a lesson from how this utterly unique and exquisite crystal turns into an ordinary, boring molecule of water, just like every other one, when you bring it in the classroom. And now, while the
analogy sinks in, I’ll be leaving you drips and going outside.” — Calvin, “Calvin and Hobbes”

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Sharing the Wealth

Lucky are we who live with some adversity,
Such strife to bear leaves us strong and free.
Time is no better spent at a fine university
Teaching us the kind of person we wish to be.

We humans are such contrary creatures
Life lived in ease is our fondest intent.
New perceptions are our strongest features
Learning to cope with troubles we cannot prevent.

Lessons we learn at Trouble’s bent knee
Stay on top in the bag of tools we carry.
Knowledge so earned can keep us free
On our long, strange trip to Charon’s ferry.

Pain is the least favorite of our teachers
Yet such powerful lessons stay forever and a day.
No matter how life presents its features
Strength of will equals what life sends our way.

T’is well to consider such time-tested tools,
To carry them with us as we travel through Life.
Events are less likely to show us as fools,
as we deal with Reality, where peril is rife.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/6/2012.

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“By an epiphany he meant a sudden spiritual manifestation, whether in the vulgarity of speech or of gesture or memorable phrase of the mind itself. He believed it was for the man of letters to record these epiphanies with extreme care (saving them for later use, that is), seeing that they themselves are the most delicate and evanescent of moments.” — James Joyce

In at least one real sense, this statement by James Joyce expresses a large part of why I “Pearl”…. The aphorisms, quotes, taglines, and/or statements you see here, by ancient sages, modern philosophers, comedians, warriors, scholars, hell, the entire pantheon of humanity’s most cogent, powerfully worded wisdom, has served me well, my entire life, helping me to figure out how to live with dignity, with compassion, and, with some degree of competence, if not excellence… learning to live with honor, with happiness, and, most importantly, with trouble… I am always searching for new ways to express what I’ve learned, for what good is wisdom unshared?

I’m not perfect, or wise, for that matter; I am, however, pretty damn happy, and content, though my life is often filled with what many would call severe trouble…. So, I share…. THAT is what Pearling is all about…. our common search for answers to the demands, and questions, with which Reality presents us each moment of each day…. What do you say we go look for some pearls, eh? Maybe one of them will give somebody an epiphany… If not, well, there’s always tomorrow….

“Are you out of my mind?”

— Smart Bee, being a wise acre….

We’ll start again; this one, patently, doesn’t count….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Virtuous and vicious every man must be — Few in the extreme, but all in the degree.”

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

“Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.”

~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero ~~

“Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools.”

~~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~~

“I distrust all systematizers, and avoid them.
The will to a system shows a lack of honesty.”

~~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche ~~

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing it’s best,
night and day to make you everybody else,
means to fight the hardest battle which any human can fight
and never stop fighting.”

~~ e.e. cummings ~~

“Blot out vain pomp; check impulse; quench appetite;
keep reason under its own control.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ~~

“Courage without conscience is a wild beast.”

~~ Robert G. Ingersoll ~~

“Who can remain still until the moment of action?”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

“And unextinguish’d laughter shakes the skies.”

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

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I won’t bore you with the old saw about, “Better late… etc.”, as it would merely serve to annoy y’all, and might be construed as pandering…. Far be it from me to ever commit such an antisocial act…. Instead, I’ll merely say, “See y’all tomorrow”, and let it go at 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.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Dastard Dan dolls on sale, this week only….

Posted on April 20, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The lesser of two evils — is evil.”

~~ Seymour (Sy) Leon ~~

Disco Night on Celebrity Infinity

The day begins…. a very poignant phrase, full of potentiality and promise. Too bad we’re prepared to ignore any and all such GOOD ideas in favor of the usual shit we do here. I can’t say it isn’t a nice phrase, it just doesn’t stand up very well to the ministrations of the iconic forces of nature who hold sway over the events transpiring in this locus. I didn’t ask for it, but, wherever I seem to be ends up as a nexus of universal forces of entropy; chaos not only hangs out here, he’s left this address with all his buddies, (fear, misery, and depression, to name a couple….), who keep knocking at the door, asking to come in….

But, I don’t mind. I just herd them right into the back yard, where they can shuffle around & play with the snakes. It’s all quite civilized; I found it to be a better solution than just firing off a few rounds at them when they crossed the boundary lines. Fewer complaints from the neighbors…. Plus, it saves on ammunition, and if their oldest friend, Trouble, shows up, well, I have them all in one area, where he can join them, and they’re easier to gas….

Okay, I’m done. Fantasy bullshit can be put back in the drawer now. Luigi, we’re all buttoned up here, and I’ve kept everyone distracted while you warmed up the engines…. Let’s take it away, and do this in record time; I’ve got an appointment with my mom’s lawyers in an hour, to strategize for our upcoming case against the PTB. Ffolkes, now you’re completely off track, we’re going in, and going in hot! Hang on….

Shall we Pearl?

“If my decomposing carcass helps nourish the roots of a juniper tree or the wings of a vulture – that is immortality enough for me. And as much as anyone deserves.” — Edward Abbey

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It’s been a tough week, in a lot of ways, though productive in the final sense. I’ve needed a lot of soothing for my spirit, for which, as some of you know, I turn to classical music. I’ve used this one before, but, then, it IS, I think, my favorite piece of all…. Enjoy, please…

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~~ The Four Seasons ~~

~~ Antonio Vivaldi ~~

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https://youtu.be/GRxofEmo3HA

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From 10/21/2012:

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

— Rudyard Kipling ~~

~~ Just So Stories (1902) “The Elephant’s Child” ~~

I first read the phrase “feeding the Elephant’s Child” in a Robert Heinlein novel, many years ago, and enjoyed it as a metaphor for reading/learning, before I knew from whence it originally came. Once I did know (a moment of illumination whose exact placement in time is hazy….), I liked it even more, from an aesthetic standpoint. The above little ditty is brilliant doggerel, astute observation, and deep insight, all presented in a simple, straightforward style, with a powerful, basic lesson for any would-be philosopher, or any one who wishes to encompass reason as their modus operandi, so to speak. Besides which, I find that another piece of Bob’s advice fits well with this one, to wit: “Life tastes better in big bites….”

“Never wear anything that panics the cat.” — P. J. O’Rourke

I like this, a lot. It summarizes perhaps one of the most elemental rules of getting along in the Universe, in essence saying, “You can learn a lot by watching what happens around you…” It is the perfect companion to the concept of learning as presented above, as it contrives to speak to both sides of Reality, i.e., how you approach reality (the clothing you choose to show to the cat….) and how reality will change to react to your approach (the cat’s opinion of your clothing….) It also gives one a subtle warning about how the wrong clothing can produce unwanted consequences, and we all know how an offended cat is likely to respond…. as Mark Twain once remarked…. “A man who carries a cat by the tail is learning valuable things. He will never again be dim or doubtful. Chances are he’ll not carry the cat that way again, but, I say, if he wants to, let him!” You can’t say fairer than that….

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” — Buddha

One can always trust the Buddha to state the most profound thoughts in the simplest way…. I often wonder how he came to such a complete understanding of Murphy, whose presence is acknowledged in all of what the Buddha stated, but whose ministrations seem to have passed by the Buddha’s existence…. either that, or Murphy shows him a lot more respect than he does anyone else alive. At times, it seems that what the Buddha states, such as in this statement, is, in at least one respect, an answer to a question that is raised when Murphy intervenes in our lives…. in simpler words, he explains why Murphy is able to affect us as he does, by cutting through the bullshite we perceive to the truth of what is real….. SIGH…. one of these days, enlightenment will slap me upside the head, and I’ll be able to see Murphy coming…. I hope…

There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.” — Bob Dylan

Often I feel as if not only is life a joke, but it is our duty and purpose on this plane of existence to codify that joke, to put it down on paper, or on screen/disc, to free ourselves from the prison of sobriety, achieving an understanding that everything in this silly universe is here for our amusement, and we have been taking it, and ourselves, seriously for entirely too long….. So seriously, we have begun to offend those parts of the universe that just want us to relax and enjoy ourselves, and the time is growing nearer when we will have to admit that the joke is on us, for not being able to change our inner selves enough to be able to handle the humor of our situation…. See, the universe thinks death is funny…. not because it is cruel, but because death is just another part of life, and it doesn’t care about one more than the other…. See, now, isn’t it funny how you never noticed that?…..

I once read a science fiction novel, whose title and author escape me completely; in all it was very poorly written, with prose that did not live up to the good ideas contained in the plot line. However, it was a great plot line, in all….Specifically, there was one chapter I liked, which had a super-genius taking on the task of finding the solution to a mathematical treatise, an equation so complex and advanced that no civilization in the galaxy had ever been able to completely solve it.

The genius/hero of the book shut himself up in his room for three weeks, working on the problem. At the end, he was thinking so hard he entered a trance-like state, computing while nearly dead…. after a week of this, he suddenly opened his eyes, gave a look of astonishment, and burst into uncontrollable laughter for approximately 25 minutes. When he could finally control himself, he simply said, “It’s a joke….” and would never discuss it again….

In a pearl such as this one has grown to be, there comes a time when I have to decide whether to continue on, to try to reach the conclusion that was nebulously hovering somewhere in my mind as I began, or to admit that I have once again wandered into uncharted territory, and might find it a bit tricky to find my way back to clarity. This is that time…. and I’m leaving it up to Smart Bee, as always…. If I don’t find a proper pearl to carry on the tenuous chain of thought I’ve created, then we’ll take the first one that will appropriately wrap it up as a lost cause….. all within a specified number of attempts…. so, here we go… You’ll know in a moment what will happen….

“In a word, neither death, nor exile, nor pain, nor anything of this kind is the real cause of our doing or not doing any action, but our inward opinions and principles.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap xi

There, see?…. That didn’t take long at all…. and I managed to find the perfect pearl to cover both bases…. In this case, we will use it as an ending quote, since it sort of summarizes a lot of the discussion, after a fashion. It could conceivably also be used as a springboard for further discussion, but this has gone on long enough, and I wouldn’t want to lose anybody due to an injudicious application of excess verbiage, culminating in tedium…. Of course, we may have reached that point some time ago, but, hey, who’s counting?…. Any who, I hope you enjoyed this little foray into not very much….

🙂

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Honorable Request

Days, filled to a brim with fluff and time, pass
dimly into memory, bit by combative bit,
ever mournful, yet loud with life and sass,
only in dream do we meet, and dance, and flit.

Souls, spinning ’round in gleeful wonder, comply
as they must, never given a reason,
somberly proper, yet limber and quite spry,
dancing on to greet each bright new season.

Storms, angered by apathetic care, rage
proceeding into ministerial glare, unknown,
clothed in colors, purified solely with sage,
past an infinite future, already flown.

Life, plumbed to its depths and secrets, keeps
flowing with currents, strong and fairly found,
love stands, asking release, as it slowly weeps,
seeking refuge unasked, to stay honor bound.

~~ gigoid ~~

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We start today’s old-school pearl with what I consider the finest, most accurate metaphor I’ve seen for the state of religion in America today…. The rest of the pearl gives my own take on religion, sort of…. Like all such philosophical representations of what is essentially a matter of deciding whether or not a delusion is connected to reality in any way, it’s a bit amorphous, but, I think you’ll catch the drift….

“Do you think God lets you plea bargain?” — Calvin ‘n Hobbes

“I count religion but a childish toy … there is no sin but ignorance.” — Thomas Jefferson

“My atheism, like that of Spinoza, is true piety towards the universe and denies only gods fashioned by men in their own image, to be servants of their human interests.” — George Santayana

“Faith does not offer the least support for proof of truth.” — Nietzsche

“They talk of me going around and buying souls, like a fishwife come market day, never stopping to ask themselves why. I need no souls. And how can anyone own a soul? No. They belong to themselves…They just hate to have to face up to it.” — Lucifer Morningstar

“In his private heart no man much respects himself.” — Mark Twain

“Cease to be ruled by dogmas and authorities; look at the world!” — H.G. Wells paraphrase of Roger Bacon’s works

Tsze-kung asked, saying, “Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one’s life?” The Master said, “Is not Reciprocity such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” — Confucius (551-479 B.C.)

“All cats are NOT gray after midnight. Endless variety ….” — Lazarus Long

Okay… I know the last one is not speaking about religions; it works just as well, for this subject, though, as it does when applied to its original subject matter, the exact nature of which I will leave as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…. of course….

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Odd moods are nothing new for me; I encourage them. They can, however, complicate life to a certain degree; fortunately, for me, that’s a good thing, as it keeps me occupied NOT killing mundanes…. With that cheery thought to keep us inspired for another day, I’m off. (Duh…) See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless my diagnosis gets changed again….

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

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Saving up for antediluvian pesto….

Posted on April 15, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The world exists for its own sake, not for ours. Swallow *that* pill!”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Absent any routine, creating these Pearls every day has become somewhat choppy, at least from the inside. But, here I am again, bemused and befuddled, yet ready to display that fine sense of nonsense to which I’ve so generously accustomed y’all when you stop by…. Of course, this assumes I have a connection to said nonsense, a state which, normally, is quite accessible for us. Today, there might be some small obstacles to full use, and disclosure, as I’m sure you’ve deduced by now. We’re NOT going to allow that to stop us, no sir…. We’ll push through no matter HOW crazy I get….

Which could be pretty damn crazy; I’ve got priors…. Since I don’t wish to go into all that just now, I’m going to again use my executive powers as blog admin to authorize us to use the powers of a Time Lord, as is our wont in such instances…. Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt, though you might want to down one of those seasick pills; it can get a little rough getting through the entrance slots…. But, no worries, Luigi is a master at it, so, let’s be on our way, okay? Okay….

Shall we Pearl?

“It is impossible to get anywhere without sinning against reason.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

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The Royal Isis

The “Actual” Ferry Cross The Mersey

Here’s the first bit of oddness for today. This song, and band, I’m sure, is one y’all haven’t heard, or thought about in at least thirty years…. Any bets? Ah well, so much for the budget…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is an oldie, but, a goodie….

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GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS

FERRY ‘CROSS THE MERSEY

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https://youtu.be/os4_U3_L5nY

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“No people in the world ever did achieve their freedom by goody-goody talk and moral suasion: it being immutable law that all revolutions that will succeed, must begin in blood, whatever the answer afterward. If history teaches anything, it teaches that.” — Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)

This short politirant is from 1/12/2012, describing issues we are still dealing with in today’s political world, only, now, they’re even worse….

The Bill of Rights is History

The gravest danger threatening society in this country has been realized. The United States Bill of Rights has been repealed by collusion of the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court, and the President; it was signed into law on December 31, 2011, and takes immediate effect on January 1, 2012 (uh, yesterday). It is suggested you read this quote from the article, read the article, then return here for our discussion of its content….

The “Bill of Rights has come to a sudden and catastrophic end with the President’s signing of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a law that grants the U.S. military the “legal” right to conduct secret kidnappings of U.S. citizens, followed by indefinite detention, interrogation, torture and even murder. This is all conducted completely outside the protection of law, with no jury, no trial, no legal representation and not even any requirement that the government produce evidence against the accused.” –excerpted from the article

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034537_NDAA_Bill_of_Rights_Obama.html#ixzz1iKFhRgjN

The party is now over. Big Brother has assumed control, and the rest of us will be hard pressed to wrest control over our lives back from them without a fight of some kind. The introductory statement above, alluding to collusion amongst the separate branches of our government, is made clear by the very fact that, for this document to even be considered as legal according to the Constitution, the Judiciary Branch would have to be in tacit and written agreement with the two other parts of our three part system, thereby reneging on their duty to act as a check to the legislative and executive branches, to safeguard our Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

All of the first ten given rights in the Bill of Rights have been declared null and void, without any objection from the judiciary. It seems fairly obvious that this country is now in the hands of people who have no regard for human rights, unless it pertains to their own; anyone who disagrees out loud with their new regulations don’t deserve any rights, in their eyes. And according to this new legislation, foisted on society while it was busy being distracted once again by rhetoric and illusory holiday seasons, anyone who is even suspected of being against these laws may now be kidnapped in the dark of night, with never a word of justification of any sort to anyone; none is now required, there is no oversight at all.

Considering some of what has been written here, and in other places where the author’s work may be found, they will be coming for me very soon….oh excuse me, someones at the door…. be right back…..

Note from 2015: Well, they didn’t get me that time, obviously…. My only thought on this now can be expressed this way:

And the sentence you’re paying is too high priced
While you’re living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he’s made on your dreams

~~ Traffic ~~

~~ The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys ~~

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Premises, premises….

Tricked, I stumble, and I fall
dreaming, through an abandoned palace.
Frightened and wary, unheard my call
fading into memory, no cup, no argent chalice.

The people, crushed, cry out to be freed
asking only to take part, or travel.
Nascent oaths spotlight such bursting need
fed by treachery, deep from our well.

Only the wicked shall find their way blocked
justice seeks them, snug in their hole.
Faint praises never touched, but naked, stalked
singing no gospel, no soul, no rock and roll.

Only the promised will remember the way
from unforgiven trails of sorrow.
To live life, and give death no sway,
saving grace for our only tomorrow.

~~~ gigoid ~~

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Today’s final old-school pearl had simple parameters for the search to find appropriate aphorisms…. Those parameters can best be stated thus: What is it like to be gigoid, the dubious? What does it MEAN! Let your mind flow with these nine stars, and you will know….

Into the silent land!
Ah, who shall lead us thither?

~~ J. G. Von Salis (1762-1834) — The Silent Land ~~

“Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star.” — Confucius

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle

“A closed mind gathers no thoughts.” — Smart Bee

“Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense.” — Carl Sagan

“I love those who yearn for the impossible.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust

“Only the imagination is real; I have declared it time without end.” — William Carlos Williams

“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” — Confucius

“I joined Scientology at a garage sale!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well…. I’m speechless, for which, I’m sure, you are eternally grateful. It’s done; y’all know what that means, right? Right. We’ll all have to deal with it as best we may. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..

So be it….. gigoid has spoken.

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

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

The politics of chicanery….

Posted on April 14, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

This space left blankish.

Faux Spring in February

Considering the state of affairs out in the Big Blue Room these days, it’s a wonder I can even think of writing. All my instincts are telling me to head for the hills, taking all that is important with me, to find a place to hole up until the events we are witnessing have reached a more stable configuration, one which won’t be such a danger to those of us who refuse to be slaves. No doubt, it will come sooner than we expect; that is the nature of such catastrophes…. If humans were smart enough to see such things coming, history would have looked much different, and we’d already have settled the entire solar system by now….

But, our own nature is not only holding us back from achieving our true potential, it is ensuring we will never make it off the planet, not before making it our only hope of survival…. But, as is plain, this is beginning to resemble a rant, which was NOT my intention; in fact, I’d hoped to make this a shorter intro than usual. That plan, of course, is now defunct, as I’ve already blathered and meandered twice as long as I’d thought to when I began…. It’s a gift….

However, today we will reject the gift, in favor of moving on. In fact, I’m applying good old #4 right now, without any planning, or warning…. This means we’ll need to supply y’all with some clothes to get home, but, we keep those on hand, so, no worries…. Don’t fret, you won’t LOSE them; we’ll just launder them for you, and you can pick them up tomorrow…. For now, I’d suggest you hold on to something, as we’re going in, hard and fast…. Luigi, take it away!…..

Shall we Pearl?

“All the troubles of man come from his not knowing how to sit still.” — Pascal

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No need to introduce this artist; I don’t believe there is anyone in this country, or most others, for that matter, who doesn’t know who he is…. And, with good reason; this album, in my mind, is his best of his work…. Y’all may think otherwise, and that’s cool; he’s written enough to go around….

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

Bob Dylan
Blood On The Tracks

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

https://youtu.be/YwSZvHqf9qM?list=PLknidvzcLCRECQa02iFlqRGYeh2OgHOXK

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written 12/23/2011, published on Socyberty, via Triond:

Hope for Sale, as is….

Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens.

[Against stupidity the very gods fight in vain.]

~~Friedrich Schiller, The Maid of Orleans ~~

St. Thomas Aquinas is commonly accepted as being a pretty smart fella by those who know and care about such things….He was the Catholic priest of the Dominican Order (died 1274 A.D.) who is credited with the famous aphorism, “Beware the man of one book…” Indeed…..our society is ill, suffering horribly from D.I.S., Deliberate Ignorance Syndrome, and no cure is in sight….

It is a very sad commentary on the overall health of our society when the political scene, as charmingly reported in the world media, so obviously and consistently devolves into guerrilla tactics (surprise attacks & divisive propaganda). Ubiquitous, these tactics are perpetrated by one segment of the political scene upon another with the sole intent of obstructing the current administration’s activities and policies, with no regard given to whether the targeted concept or activity is beneficial in any respect. The daily headlines seem to proclaim the world’s events as a scene of unrelenting, sinister internecine warfare amongst the diverse segments of political society.

The forefathers of this country, from all indications, had a different view of how the political process should unfold, one where the parties that lost in each election would assume the role of “loyal opposition” rather than the current evolution of the model, which is mostly reminiscent of how children react when denied a wish; otherwise known as “playground politics.” From the moment the newly elected President takes the oath of office, the opposing party’s pundits begin their campaign of derision, sly inferences, and outright lies intended to besmirch the Presidential (or Senator, Representative, or other opposition Joe Bloe) reputation and position, attempting to stop any and all attempts to make any changes not in their own narrow, biased platform.

Both modern incarnations of the Republican and Democratic Parties (along with every other less influential but power hungry organization sending forth combatants into the public arena) seem to share this hateful agenda, though the tactical parameters seem to be somewhat less bloody on the left, if only physically. Those on the right of the political spectrum seem to have less of a sense of restraint, and consistently carry out a non-stop campaign after each lost election to find fault with every word the President (or the First Lady) utters, crying “shame!” at every small piece of dirt they can dig up. However, pundits of all these persuasions, pressed to justify their picayunity, will reluctantly admit to the faith-based nature of the platform upon which they stand. Men of one book, indeed!

In truth, it’s more than sad, it’s tragic. Democracy, as originally conceived by the men who began this country, is a concept that, applied fairly and rationally, offers some chance for all of society to achieve a dignified existence, free of hate and persecution. But the reality is that any real chance of achieving true democracy is being eradicated by human avarice and deliberate ignorance.

It doesn’t appear upon examination that there is any evidence at all that our species at large is going to make any of the physical, mental, and spiritual changes that just might prevent our planet from sending us down the path to extinction. Maybe, that isn’t so tragic after all…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A classic old-school pearl…..

“The truth is always the strongest argument.” — Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Phaedra, Frag. 737

“One who is plenteously provided for from within needs but little from without.” — Goethe

“An intelligent mind is a mind which is not satisfied with explanations, with conclusions; nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another form of conclusion. An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind, a mind that is watching, learning, studying.” — J. Krishnamuti

“You cannot believe in honor unless you have achieved it. Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.” — George Bernard Shaw

“A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” — Buddha

Happily may I walk.
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful all around me.
In beauty it is finished.

~~ Navaho Night Chant ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well…. I don’t know exactly how, but, it’s done, and I’m not going to fuss with it. In fact, I’m bailing, before anyone can catch me…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Once trussed, bake in a medium oven until done….

Posted on April 10, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Remember this,–that very little is needed to make a happy life.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) ~~

~~ Meditations, vii, 67 ~~

~~ Young Redwoods ~~

Yet another day of arising late; my routine is gone. I am not entirely sure I want to find it again, though; it wasn’t working all that well to begin with. I suppose I should find some other way to open up the day’s activities, but, I’ve been doing this so long now, I feel weird if I don’t write first thing in the morning…. So, y’all will just have to continue to put up with my near-insanity for a while longer, until I figure out how to get past whatever it is that is making it hard….

Since I’ve set the stage for it so well, I can hardly NOT take advantage of the opportunity to get out of the intro quickly. I see one of the less popular, but quite safe entries into the oyster-beds, so, we’ll use it, and be done with it…. If you’d kindly rack your weapons, and put down your beverages, the pilot will take us right in…. Ready? Let’s go…

Shall we Pearl?

“The effects which follow too constant and intense a concentration upon evil are always disastrous. Those who crusade, not _for_ God in themselves, but _against_ the devil in others, never succeed in making the world better, but leave it either as it was, or sometimes even perceptibly worse than it was, before the crusade began. By thinking primarily of evil we tend, however excellent our intentions, to create occasions for evil to manifest itself.” — Aldous Huxley — The Devils of Loudun

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15112676-wolfgang-amadeus-mozart-1756-1791-on-engraving-from-1908-one-of-the-most-significant-and-influential

I have mentioned previously how the music of Mozart is good for the brain; strict scientific studies have proven that people who listen to Mozart while using their minds consistently perform better while the music is playing, than when it is not…. In tests, in physical actions, in decision making, everything we do with our minds is improved by his music…. Here is a good long collection of it, with the link showing many more….

Go, improve thyself!….

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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

https://youtu.be/pzQqvi1-hHE

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Image stolen from Talesfromtheconspiratum.com

Hi,

I’m one of your constituents, and I’m calling to urge you to end the NSA’s unconstitutional mass surveillance under the Patriot Act. NSA surveillance illegally invades my privacy, along with millions of other innocent people, without making me safer.

202-224-3121

Congressional Switchboard

The above lines are the suggested words to use when calling your Congressional representatives, both Senator and Congressman, to tell them to NOT sign the newest version of the Patriot Act, and to let the people be free once again….

This, of course, is both a cheat, and a treat. I won’t even bother to tell y’all why it’s so important; trust me, it is…. The cheat is, this is all the ranting you’ll see today. The treat is exactly the same….

Just call, say those words, then hang up. Enough of them, and we might even get them to pay attention; it’s worth a shot, and, if they don’t, then, they will have proved exactly whose side they are on, yours, or. their own…

And remember, ffolkes, the following pearl is gospel truth….

“History is a tool used by politicians to justify their intentions.”

~~ Ted Koppel ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pure Truth: Elsewhen

Everything I say and do, I’m sure,
only comes from what I know.
If what I’ve said or done is good, and pure,
I can say it’s not just for show.

Sometimes people don’t quite get me.
It can be a pain, for sure.
I try not allow it to keep me from being free,
especially when my thoughts may be impure.

In fact, I try quite hard most of the time,
to keep from hurting folks.
If any culture more often approached sublime,
I wouldn’t have to take so many pokes.

Now I’ll make another sacrifice, for y’all,
not for karmic advantage, not merely so….
But, to save me from yet another downfall,
I’ll stop here; ensign, make it so….

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) ~~

~~ Essay on Criticism, Part ii, Line 15 ~~

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin

“Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do.” — Bertrand Russell (1872-1967)

“The sin that most needs to be loved and forgiven is the state of mind that sees human beings as sinners.” — Thaddeus Golas in The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment

“He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little.” — Horace

“It is the quality rather than the quantity that matters.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C. – A.D. 65)

I reflected how soon in the cup of desire
The pearl of the soul may be melted away;
How quickly, alas, the pure sparkle of fire
We inherit from heaven, may be quenched in the clay.

~~ Thomas Moore (1779-1852) ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, ffolkes, another one bites the dust…. I’m not going to comment at all about this one; it was constructed mostly without my conscious input. The mere fact it is done is somewhat of a surprise, but, a good one, which I will now take advantage of in the most egregiously opportunistic manner…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless I talk myself out of 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

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Softly, softly banging drums….

Posted on April 8, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

No flies on gigoid.

This is why.

‘Twill be sufficient unto the day to say this: Axiom # 2 is more right than even I had believed…. For those unfamiliar with Peruaosophy (my own response to Sartre, Plato, and the Stoics… If they can have their own philosophy, so can I…..), Axiom #2 says: “The nature of the Universe is Change. Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.” Boy, did I hit that one on the head, or what? (I should tell you: anyone who actually says, “what?” will be shot where they sit…. or stand….)

All of that being said, I’ll leave it at that, to create a bit of confusion, and/or, frustration in the Gentle Reader. I heard somewhere it’s a good technique for getting someone interested enough to read further…. How’s it working? Oh, I guess maybe talking about it kinda ruins the effect, doesn’t it? Oh, well…

I guess it’s all going to be a wash today. Not surprising, considering I’m up two hours late, and not feeling up to much (as this intro section indicates clearly, so far….) I think I’m going to have to go all executive again, to get us out of here in any reasonable amount of time, or with any degree of competence at all…. Not only that, I’ll have to do it quickly, or, I have the feeling it won’t happen at all…. Ah, I’ve got it….

Ffolkes, we’re done here, so, we’ll go on to the rest of this massive collection of farcical…. hmm. Can’t think of a single word in English that would describe what’s happening here, so, I’ll just pretend I never said any of that…. We are done here, so, we’re going to dive now, just as if we knew what we were doing…. Stay alert, ffolkes, I think you’ll need it today….

Shall we Pearl?

I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright;

And round beneath it,
Time in hours, days, years,
Driv’n by the spheres

Like a vast shadow mov’d;
in which the world
And all her train were hurl’d.

~~ Henry Vaughan ~~

~~The World ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guess who….

I’ve read just about every Sherlock story ever written, by Sir Arthur, or anyone else. I’ve watched as many of the movies as I could, too, with my favorite Sherlock played by Jeremy Brett (well, Basil Rathbone, of course, set the standard by which all the others are judged; even with that, I believe Brett was marginally superior in the role, as I feel his own personality was of a similar bent…. This video is one I haven’t watched yet; it has Peter Cushing in the title role, in one of the most entertaining stories Doyle wrote…. Enjoy!….

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

Sherlock Holmes ~ The Blue Carbuncle

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

https://youtu.be/eAPWPDL9aMU

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since I am so late, I cannot complete the rant I’m working on today. As is my habit, then, here is one from the archives to take its place…. It’s a bit long…. Deal with it, it’s just words….

“No one is fit to be trusted with power. … No one. … Any man who has lived at all knows the follies and wickedness he’s capable of. … And if he does know it, he knows also that neither he nor any man ought to be allowed to decide a single human fate.” — C. P. Snow, The Light and the Dark

From 3/15/2013:

“Republican views of the world differ from Democratic views of the world. The reason for this is that these views are based on different compilations of misinformation.” — Smart Bee

There are moments, such as this one, when I believe the people, or person, who put together the database known to me as Smart Bee, is perhaps the most intelligent creature on this planet….. I’ve been ranting about politicians for years, trying to show people how dangerous it is to believe ANY of the stuff that either party is slinging at us to try to convince us they are worthy of our votes. Now, in one short aphorism, of two lines, we are given a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of the crap we hear from them…. Essentially, this says that every one of them is full of shit, and everything they say and do is destined to fail, because it is ALL based on incorrect information, or, to be more accurate, on unwarranted assumptions about reality…..

The most important part of this description is its impartiality of indictment. Both parties are brought into scrutiny, and found wanting, of any real knowledge of the truth, because they are both basing all of their premises on false beliefs, just for starters. Add to that, since they are politicians by choice, their genetic predisposition is to self-aggrandizement, and they show an inherent inability to tell the truth. It becomes rather easily seen why our society has become, well, insane…. It’s a short trip to crazy from where they begin the journey…. and they don’t take any detours on the road….

You see, both parties are convinced of a complete falsehood, one that humanity has been struggling with for centuries…. This lie is so basic, it colors and affects everything they do to try to manipulate the world into going the way they wish it to go. As long as they continue to try to do this, our society is doomed to failure in the long run, for the lie goes against the very nature of reality…. Simply put, these people believe they can legislate morality…. They believe that they can make laws, and people will go against their very nature to follow them, in spite of the fact that the law they propose is contrary to what comes naturally to humans, to wit: self-centered, grasping behaviors that only benefit the perpetrator, and no one else…..

We have laws against stealing…. and the most accomplished thieves we see in our culture wear suits and live in Washington D.C. We have laws against killing each other, but, people still get killed, and, if the killers do so while wearing a flag, or a badge, they are considered heroes, no matter how many they kill. We have laws that supposedly protect women, children, and the aged, from suffering abuse, but, just look around you, and you will see no end to the depredations that society allows to be perpetrated upon these three most vulnerable members of our society, all very much within the legal limits of the public morality, as given in the law books….

“[…] For all our conceits about being the center of the universe, we live in a routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner […] on an
unexceptional galaxy which is one of about 100 billion galaxies. […] That is the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to
understand that.” — Carl Sagan

The people who get involved in politics, and religion, for much the same reason, believe they are special, and entitled to take all they can from the universe, because they are the be-all, and end-all of the evolutionary ladder. It says so right there in the Bible….. They don’t care that reality says differently, because their sense of denial has been fine-tuned since shortly after they were born, and they are capable of ignoring facts right up until they slap them in the face…. (Witness the Republican melt-down in the last Presidential election, when the Republican party got slapped in the face by their own lack of contact with reality…..)

In spite of all the massive amounts of evidence to the contrary, these folks believe in their own divine entitlement as the lords of creation, chosen by God to do with this planet as we would, without regard for any of the other creatures that live here with us, or for the beauty and balance of the land that sustains us. As far as they are concerned, other people and animals, and natural resources, are theirs to do with as they wish, with God’s blessing…. The fucking assholes…..

I apologize for the vulgarity, to my readers, but not to those at whom it is directed…. To them, I say, fuck you, and fuck you again…. I regard all politicians, priests, preachers, police, lawyers, judges, and corporate misogynists of all shapes and sizes to be INSANE…. floridly, and viciously insane, without any of the moral standards that the rest of mankind embraces. These assholes are responsible for our imminent demise through environmental destruction of the ecosphere, as well as for the endless preying on the weak and vulnerable to suit their own depravity, and lack of moral fiber.

“All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind.” — Joseph Conrad

Sexual slavery, corporate collusion to fix wages and prices, legislative corruption and oppression, judicial malfeasance and more corruption, governmental incompetence, religious repression and collusion with politicians, all serve the purposes of the ruling class to a T, no matter how much suffering it causes to others…. As long as they have what they want, nothing anyone else says or does matters at all….

I hate to be a harbinger of bad news, but, I call ’em as I see ’em, and I see what is real…. None of what is wrong in the world will change, until the major portion of mankind makes a change of spirit, and the people, as a whole, decide that the few among us who are bold enough to act must, in fact, act. The evil among us will not go away, or stop, of its own accord, and waiting for them to come around to a more amenable state of mind isn’t going to work, as that just isn’t going to happen.

If we wish to survive, they have to go, and mankind must find a new way to get along with each other than the out-dated ways we have been trying for millennia… Those old ways leave too much power in the hands of people who will give in to the temptation that goes along with such power over others, and must not be allowed to happen any more, not if we wish to survive to see any future at all….. The universe doesn’t care one way or another, so we’ll have to be responsible for our own actions…. as we have always been, and have always been afraid to admit….

“If we do not permit the earth to produce beauty and joy, it will not produce food either.” — Joseph Wood Krutch

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

Well, that was fun, eh? We’ll let Zippy have the final word….

“I feel better about world problems now!” ~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I use my own work today simply because it’s there, & I don’t have to go look for it…. This is one my personal faves, as it hits very close to home for me… go figure….

Elemental, dear Watson….

Don’t worry,
it’s not
me
you hear
screaming.

It is
only
my bones,
giving in,
to
cowardly,
pathologically,
repetitive,
fucking,’
complaints
of
past abuse,
and
all the fun
we had.
playing,
hard.

I don’t mind
too much;
I can spend my
TIME
in another space
in my head,
pretending
my bones
don’t
exist….

It
is,
indeed,
a shame
they
always
come
back….

Fuck.

It
hurts.

More proof,
I guess,
either
God isn’t,
or,
He is.

He isn’t?
Oh,
Well….

Ante up.
Deal.

He is?
Then,
I don’t fucking care
who
doesn’t like it,

I say,

He
is
a bully,
a coward,
a hypocrite,
and,
truly,
an enormous asshole.

I suppose,
God
is
what comes,
to,
and
from,
People,

because

they
feel
a need,
for
someone
to
blame,
for
a
Universe
they
cannot
understand
or
accept.

I
will
take the complaints.

After all,
they
are
my bones.

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In keeping with today’s theme, the following is a pearl from a few years ago, created on another day where ranting was proscribed by circumstances completely within my control. I hope you enjoy it….

From 5/4/2013:

Ranting may or may not be on the agenda today; hard to tell what will happen out in the BBR to stimulate outrage, but, it’s a good bet I’ll see something to jerk me around…. In the meantime, I’ve got a bit of time, so we’ll go see what kind of trouble Smart Bee has up its sleeve today…..

— Bother! said Pooh, as he fell into the toilet.

“I take a simple view of life: keep your eyes open and get on with it.” — Laurence Olivier

“Always forgive your enemies– nothing annoys them so much.” — Oscar Wilde

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” — John Kenneth Galbraith

“If you don’t like yourself, you can’t like other people.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

“If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” — Chinese Proverb

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it–even if I have said it–unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” — The Buddha

Not too shabby, I’d say…. all good words on how to live; taken together, you have a recipe for peace on Earth…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m not sure what to think of this one; I cheated unmercifully. But, it’s done; therefore, it’s done. I’m going to count my blessings, and escape before anyone can take me to task for it…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

If that isn’t pond scum, we’re screwed….

Posted on April 7, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Not to be cheered by praise,
Not to be grieved by blame,
But to know thoroughly ones own virtues or powers
Are the characteristics of an excellent man.~~ Saskya Pandita (1182-1251) ~~

Photo of Mars Terrain by NASA’s Curiosity Rover

Once again late, I have no choice but to ruthlessly trim all the dross and drivel from whatever happens here today. It would be nice to be able to find a routine again, but, since I don’t seem able to do so, I’ll continue to find some way to cope on a daily basis. Of late, this has required some rather extensive trimming of the amount of nonsense I’m using; not easy when it falls so naturally from my mind to the screen. But, it’s working, so, I’ll keep at it….

All that being said, as usual, to little purpose, I’ll use my new-found ruthlessness to make the executive, and therefore, least compassionate decision to yank the plug on this intro, regardless of how it may seem to those who don’t do this sort of thing on a regular basis. Or, for that matter, to anyone at all. It’s not personal; it’s bidness…. Don’t take it amiss, but, you all should DUCK! NOW!….. Whew, sorry, got a little close that time…. Never mind, we’re done, and now, we’re gone….

Shall we Pearl?

“I once wanted to save the world. Now I just want to leave the room with dignity.” — Lotus Weinstock

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Usually I try to put something relaxing, or entertaining here. Today, you’re out of luck in that respect, because I saw this yesterday (thanks, Lou!…) over at my friend’s blog site (https://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/john-oliver-government-surveillance/).

Ffolkes, this is a video EVERYONE needs to view…. So, go view it…. Sheesh, do I have to tell you EVERYTHING?….. Go on, now….

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

Last Week with John Oliver

Government Surveillance

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

https://youtu.be/XEVlyP4_11M

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m late, and the video section covered the rant, so, here is an old politirant from 2013, to use the Churchill method of bringing a point home…. This is the tremendous whack, by those lights…. Probably falls a bit short, in that respect, but, it ain’t bad, and I like the words I coined for the political parties, too…. Enjoy!….

From 9/19/2013:

“A lie would have no sense unless the truth were felt as dangerous.” — Alfred Alder

So, I was going to forgo a rant today, giving my back, and your brains, a bit of a break, but, when I went to peruse the news, I saw the latest discussion of what is happening in the House of Idiots in Washington, D.C., regarding the budget resolutions being discussed, wherein the possibility of a shutdown is threatened, if the Retardicans and Demobutts can’t come to some kind of compromise. It seems the Retardicans are still upset about Obamacare, and the notion of helping the middle class, as well as the lower classes (gasp!), to obtain medical insurance coverage at a reasonable cost. This idea, of being fair and ethical, seems to have struck them in the wrong place, and they have been whining and complaining ever since it became law, frantically searching for ways to undermine the whole program, with the ultimate goal being to stop it altogether….

The entire issue, of course, is just smoke, to cover up the simple racism that these assholes won’t cop to…. It is STILL stuck in their craw that they somehow allowed a BLACK MAN to get elected to the highest public office. They have looked for, and desperately latched onto, every possible way they could find to block every piece of legislation the White House has espoused, no matter how much such legislation would help the public, ever since Obama was first elected. The publicly stated goal of the Retardican Party in 2008, right after the election, was to make Obama a one-term President; having failed at that, their new goal became the eradication of ANY laws, or any beneficial reforms, that were accomplished during his administration…. Hence, the campaign against healthcare reform, which, ultimately, is not in their best interests, but, hey, who needs common sense?….

I’m almost too disgusted with the entire bunch of them, Retardicans and Demobutts both, to even continue this rant….The right wing continues to shoot itself, and the public, in the foot with their intransigent inflexibility, and their unreasoning paranoia about the POTUS, while the left side continues to wander around letting whatever the administration says or does go without question or review, as if somehow a man who was politician enough to get elected to the Senate, then the Presidency, all of a sudden became the world’s most truthful man…. Sorry, folks, it just doesn’t follow….. such trust in ANYONE who is an elected official in this country is plain silly, and doesn’t show much real common sense….

I see NO ONE in the public venue whom I would trust to make decisions for me, on ANY subject, much less those that can affect my life, and the quality of same…. Sorry, I just don’t see ANYONE who seems to be honestly interested in anything beyond their own agenda, and those agendas have nothing to do with mine, or what I see as beneficial for everyone…. They just don’t…..

I also, unfortunately, don’t have any viable solutions, which is why my rants often are short…. I mean, I do know what would help, and that is for everyone in the world who does have common sense to get together, join forces, and tell the assholes to stop…. But, they have guns, which they are practiced in using to get their way, whereas, most of US aren’t willing to contest matters on that level, so, that probably isn’t ever going to happen….

Not until more of our side are willing to use force to get our way, just as they have always done…. Since I don’t see it happening, we may as well just kiss our asses goodbye, because the eventual outcome of such idiocy is death, and I don’t mean individually, but rather, as a species…. Stupid is as stupid does, as somebody once said, and when I look around the world these days, stupid is pretty much all I see…..

Hell is the place of those who have denied;
They find there what they planted and what dug,
A Lake of Spaces, and a Wood of Nothing,
And wander there and drift, and never cease
Wailing for substance.~~ William Butler Yeats ~~

~~ Responsibilities and Other Poems (1916).The Hour-Glass ~~

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Time for a bit of T.S…..

Sweeney Among The Nightingales

Apeneck Sweeney spreads his knees
Letting his arms hang down to laugh,
The zebra stripes along his jaw
Swelling to maculate giraffe.

The circles of the stormy moon
Slide westward toward the River Plate,
Death and the Raven drift above
And Sweeney guards the horned gate.

Gloomy Orion and the Dog
Are veiled; and hushed the shrunken seas;
The person in the Spanish cape
Tries to sit on Sweeney’s knees

Slips and pulls the table cloth
Overturns a coffee-cup,
Reorganized upon the floor
She yawns and draws a stocking up;

The silent man in mocha brown
Sprawls at the window-sill and gapes;
The waiter brings in oranges
Bananas figs and hothouse grapes;

The silent vertebrate in brown
Contracts and concentrates, withdraws;
Rachel née Rabinovitch
Tears at the grapes with murderous paws;

She and the lady in the cape
Are suspect, thought to be in league;
Therefore the man with heavy eyes
Declines the gambit, shows fatigue,

Leaves the room and reappears
Outside the window, leaning in,
Branches of wisteria
Circumscribe a golden grin;

The host with someone indistinct
Converses at the door apart,
The nightingales are singing near
The Convent of the Sacred Heart,

And sang within the bloody wood
When Agamemnon cried aloud,
And let their liquid droppings fall
To stain the stiff dishonoured shroud.

~~ T.S. Eliot ~~

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Since Smart Bee is still on strike, I’ve dipped into the archives again, for a pretty good old-school pearl…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

From 9/20/2013:

Oh boy! I’ve ranted, approximately, and found a really great poem, so, at this point, I get to go old-school, which just makes my day…. I love this process, as it makes me use my head just the way I like, with both discipline and randomness, all in a good cause…. Well, it’s a cause, anyway…. good and bad are distinctions I prefer to avoid, as they tend to rope one into certain positions, and I don’t like to let myself get trapped like that…. Any who, whatever the rationalization used, this one should come out well, as I’m going to use very loose reins, and allow Smart Bee to do most of the work…. What better way to start the day, as long as one has sufficient coffee as a prophylaxis against any undue conceptual manipulation.?… Let’s see what that little devil has going today, shall we?…..

In pride, in reasoning pride, our error lies;
All quit their sphere, and rush into the skies.
Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes:
Men would be angels, angels would be gods.
Aspiring to be gods, if angels fell,
Aspiring to be angels, men rebel.~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 123 ~~

“Everybody gets free BORSCHT!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Don’t lose your head to gain a minute.
You need your head, your brains are in it.

— Burma Shave

“Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool.” — Smart Bee

“When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.” — A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

In looking back at this group, I see it would be possible, perhaps, even, advisable, to stop here, and use this as a five-star pearl, with a pretty good point to it, if one is slick enough to trip over it…. But, it just doesn’t feel done to me, so we’ll see what more SB can come up with to bring this to its full potential….

“No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.” — Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592)

“He is able who thinks he is able.” — Buddha

There you go….

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Well, it FEELS okay; it also seems a bit catch-penny, if I have that phrase correctly used, to mean choppy and ill-favored…. Ah well, it fulfills the primary characteristic we’re looking for; it’s done. So, I’m gonna fly, while I can…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Hearken to the Call of the Mild….

Posted on April 6, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“In the vacant places, we will build with new bricks.”

~~ T.S. Eliot ~~

Pastoral Urbanity

All euphemisms aside, I feel like crap. Nothing particularly vile going on; pain is a constant, of course, but, it’s not bad today. No, I believe it’s another of my physical ailments giving me its usual fits, which, though infrequent, are rather debilitating. Such being the case, this will have to go quickly, as I just don’t have a lot of energy…. SIGH…. I HATE starting the day tired & grumpy…. well, I don’t mind the grump so much, but, trying to get going when fatigued is a pain in yet another anatomical area of great renown….

Ah, well, such is life, as we say on the streets… Well, I say it a lot; other folks, not so much. Regardless, I’m losing my train of thought here, trying to decide whether to continue this farce, or throw it out & start over…. Instead, I think I’ll give up altogether. It worked so well yesterday, what the hell, eh? Let’ give it another shot….

I’m done. Go read the rest, such as it is….

Shall we Pearl?

“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” — D.H. Lawrence

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Image from You Tube via Google Images

This man wrote two of the best songs ever written in the English language, yet not many know his name, aside from every musician in the recording business…. For years he was what is termed a “studio” performer, only playing with others as a musician, and allowing others to record his songs…. Then, someone heard him sing; he eventually cut a couple of albums, before he became too uncomfortable in the limelight, which he never sought at all… Among musicians, he is a legend; to the general public he is a minor footnote…. Whatever he is, I consider him one of the best…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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

Fred Neil

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https://youtu.be/FO6CNj5YVF8?list=PLBAAF803C0E45B369

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Those who have been here a while will understand why Kokopelli graces the ranting section today. I’m incredibly late, besides struggling with debilitating physical issues; naturally, this means we go to the archives…. Here is an excellent rant, if a bit long….

From 12/21/2013:

Below, you will find the rant to which I referred above…. it’s another long one, thanks to the support I again found in the archives, but, it’s worth the read, for it will all point toward the rant I’m planning for tomorrow, one that will be a culmination, and a summarization, of all the rants I’ve done up to this point…. For today, please read, and pay attention to this, as it will end up being important for all of us…. a point which I hope to make clear tomorrow….

In order to achieve the proper understanding of this issue, and the following discussion, aka a ‘politirant’ of first magnitude, the article attached to the following link should be read first…. It contains some interesting information that is critical to the dialogue that may ensue, or, in any case, for a full data set to use for analyzing the issue at large…. Go ahead, we’ll wait here….

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Judge-NSA-program-is-likely-unconstitutional-5068946.php

It isn’t often this happens twice in a row, but, since I’m always attuned to the possibility of serendipity, it did…. happen twice, that is…. Below, you will find a rant I posted back in early March of this year, which, given the information contained in the article attached to the above link, is astoundingly accurate as a response to the actions demonstrated by the administration in this entire scenario….

First, let me say that I’m very, very happy that a federal judge had the courage and integrity to stand up against the tide of administrative pressure, which, as we all should realize by now, originates from the dens of the shadowy corporate masters, and special interest groups who dictate society’s course to suit themselves…. If you haven’t noted this from what you see happening everywhere in the public sector, well, I can’t convince you, but, it remains, nonetheless, the truth, well-documented in the news….

The government, of this country, and just about every other in the world, is in the control of the corporate special interests who control virtually ALL the money, and, along with that, ALL the resources needed to keep society working. It has been this way for millennia, and they are only getting better at the controls they possess over the happenings in the world around us, honed by centuries of practice and deception…. They are so good at it, virtually nobody even realizes the true nature of their control, or the extent of it…. and, that is just how they like it….

But, there are moments when a bit of progress is made in keeping at least a minimum of mankind free of much of their influence, and this ruling in a federal court is one of those moments in history…. It still remains to be seen whether the rest of the federal courts, up to and including the Supremes, will continue to see the actual truth, or whether they’ll begin to color it, too, with the paint provided by the special interest groups, in whose best interests lie the abrogation of the amendments…. For the moment, though, we can be encouraged, at least a little bit…

I was especially heartened by two parts of this report…. First, the judge acknowledged James Madison, as one of the framers of the Bill of Rights, speaking of his obvious and well-placed mistrust of just this scenario, of corporate interests dictating the abrogation of civil rights, such as in this case, the Fourth Amendment, by those in power, and how Mr. Madison would be “aghast” at how far it has come true today….

Second, I was encouraged to see the steadfast dismissal of the reasoning by the administration’s lawyers on the basis of constitutionality, as it goes to prove the contention by Eric Snowden, that the laws and policies being perpetrated by the NSA would be found to be such, to wit: illegal according to the Constitution of the United States…. which would, in turn, prove his innocence under the laws of our country, which, theoretically, rewards those who speak the truth in defense of their fellows….

Good to know SOMEONE is paying attention in the judiciary system…. even if one of the Shrubs appointed him… That, apparently, didn’t turn him away from the Constitution, unlike the POTUS who gave him the job, who was on record as thinking some of the Bill of Rights went too far in giving people certain rights….

Further than that, the arguments presented below are the correct response to the above, which also goes to prove one small point, to wit: even nine months ago, I knew something was wrong in the pictures I was seeing out in the real world…. Enjoy!….

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From 3/2/13:

He who imitates evil always goes beyond the limits of the example, whereas he who imitates what is good, always falls short.” — Confucius

Perfect! If ever a quote could be applied to fit one group of people, this one would; it fits the folks who occupy elected office in this country like the proverbial glove. Ooh! Ooh! Here’s another one….

“Ignorance: When you don’t know something and somebody finds it out.” — Jethro Burns

Okay, that’s a good start…. Now, we all know that politicians lie to us…. It’s what we’ve taught them to do, by our calm acceptance of all the other lies they’ve told, from the very beginning. We expect them to lie…. then, when we catch them at it, there is this huge public outcry, as if it had never happened before….. (Shakes head, sighs….)

Sometimes, the behavior of the American public toward the political beast reminds me of a shark…. to wit: no memory of the past to slow down their willingness to rush into dangerous situations…. For millions of years, sharks and dolphins have lived together in the oceans. For just about all that time, whenever a shark attacks a dolphin, it gets killed, unless the dolphin is injured in some way, or, it is a baby inadvertently left alone. Always, if things are even, the shark dies, because the dolphins are smarter, and faster swimmers.

After millions of years, you would think the sharks might learn to let them alone, but, they don’t, which is evidence of their lack of ability to learn. The American voting public has the same problem…. they never learn to expect to be lied to, and always seem surprised to learn that their elected officials are, shall we say, less than perfectly honest? It, quite frankly, drives me nuts…. What is it about people that does that to them? Why are they so unwilling to use the mind that sits between their ears, rather than just carrying it around from toilet to toilet, which is all most folks seem to do with it? I wish I knew….

“There is one way to find out if a man is honest – ask him. If he says yes, you know he is crooked.” — Groucho Marx

I’m starting to feel a bit of anger, actually, and I have a hard time not letting it out on the voting public, the idiots. But, it really isn’t all their fault, as the people who run for office are the ones who are actively imitating evil, and, obviously, exceeding the limits of their example. And the voting public can’t help never being able to quite reach the good for which they reach. This is why I get angry about it…. The folks who run for office tell the public they are going to work for the people when they are elected; we all know they are lying, but we elect them anyway. Now, how stupid is that? Pretty stupid, in my book….

On the one hand, the stupidity displayed by the politicians is deliberate, in its adherence to principles of theft and prevarication; on the other hand, the stupidity displayed by the voting public is, perhaps, not deliberate, but at minimum, misguided, and, ultimately, just as evil, in placing its trust in evil people. In the dispassionate view held by the universe, stupid is as stupid does, and the sentence of death is the same for both types of stupidity, deliberate and unconscious. It doesn’t care about why, it only looks at results….

What can be done about this? Not a damn thing…. Not only do I find that most people are unconsciously stupid, but they are stubborn about it, even when it is clear how being stupid is hurting them. Rather than use their minds to find a new way of dealing with these issues, they retreat into platitudes and dogma, and run right back out to vote for another idiot who promises them manna from heaven, or, more accurately, from Washington D.C. If confronted with their idiocy, they become even more stubborn, as they are unwilling to accept they might be wrong, and refuse to either examine any evidence of being wrong, or, will deny its existence altogether. (See quote # 4 in section one, above… Plato knew this about people, hundreds of years before Jesus was born….)

The politicians, who choose to live in stupidity, by lying and cheating and stealing from their own people, don’t even WANT to choose otherwise. Why should they? They’ve got it easy, with a ready supply of host bodies on which to practice their symbiotic parasitism, a body that not only accepts all their lies, but encourages them to even further depredations with their complete acquiescence with whatever the politicos want. All the politicians have to say is that the public is in danger, from this, that, or the other, and the public will allow them to do whatever they choose, as long as they feel safe from whatever fictional fantasy they have been told is dangerous….

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift; the rational mind is faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” — Albert Einstein

It’s an interesting spectacle to observe from the sidelines, but it arouses in me a strong feeling of sadness, with the anger underlying, as I watch, day after day, as so many millions of foolish people get taken advantage of by a few assholes. It definitely makes me want to buy a gun, even though I would only use it if pressed; I have a feeling I may get pressed some day, if I continue to make noise about all this.

I’m fairly well protected thus far by a lack of notoriety; the BRC and the PTB aren’t going to worry about me until I have an audience a lot larger than a couple of hundred folks, of which perhaps fifty regularly read my work. If what I am saying began to gain popularity, and was being read by millions, I’d be in danger; until then, I’m as safe as I can make myself with the tools at hand; which, if I say so myself, are not entirely inconsequential….. If I said any more, I’d be giving away my precautions, and that wouldn’t do, so, just rest assured…. I am ready to deal with anything short of assault weapons, with what I have on hand….

“Many, if not all, of my presidential opponents are certifiable idiots.” — Miriam Defensor Santiago — The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1993

See? I’m not completely alone! Actually, if you pay close attention, you will note this was uttered by a politician, about their peers, so it really doesn’t count as support of what I’m saying here. What, exactly am I saying here? Hmm, okay, since I’ve already written about 1200 words or so on this, it’s a good place to wind it up…. so, here goes….

Ffolkes, you are being lied to, daily…. hell, more like hourly, by those who have been elected to office to look out for your interests. I hate to tell you, but those folks never intended to do anything of the sort. So, it would be a good thing if everybody in this country would OPEN THEIR FUCKING EYES AND GET A DAMN CLUE!!!!!….. I don’t think I can say it any clearer than that…. That’s all, for now….

“Ignorance kills daily. “– Smart Bee

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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,
and 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 noses grow round & red, keep hair tightly curled.
Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,
you’ll never once regret any price you pay.

~~ gigoid ~~

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I’m not sure about this old-school pearl; the parameters weren’t set solidly before beginning to search. It seems my subconscious had something to say, but, it sure escapes me what that might be. The only thing I can figure is, all of them would produce the reaction you see in the above picture of the laughing monk, even if each one were told to Buddha himself…..

“All time in all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all bugs in amber.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughter-House 5

“Cato said the best way to keep good acts in memory was to refresh them with new.” — Francis Bacon (1561-1626) — Apothegms, No, 247

“Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.” — Sigmund Freud

“I have a grip on reality, just not this particular one.” — Liberated directly from the subconscious mind of gigoid, the dubious, articulated by Smart Bee, in Telepathic Mode

“It is important to do what you don’t know how to do. It is important to see your skills as keeping you from learning what is deepest and most mysterious. If you know how to focus, unfocus. If your tendency is to make sense out of chaos, start chaos.” — Carlos Casteñeda

“How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise!” — Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Odyssey of Homer, Book xiii, Line 375

“When the fox gnaws — smile.’ — Lazarus Long in Robert A. Heinlein’s Time Enough For Love

31. Read between the lines. — Instructions for life

“All mimsy were the borogoves.” — Lewis Carroll

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Don’t ask me where I’m going,
Just listen when I’m gone
And far away you’ll hear me singing softly to the dawn

~~ Pippin ~~

Well, it’s done, thankfully…. Rather than dwell on whether it was worthwhile, I’m going to go…. elsewhere, to do something else. I will, most surely, see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Just whack it once; she wouldn’t mind….

Posted on April 2, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“All you need is love.”

~~ Lennon/McCartney ~~

Gratuitous image by gigoid

As consciousness reluctantly returns, reality assumes its normal 3 AM look, a rather fuzzy, amorphous vision, darkly blunted. Stumbling up, heavy-lidded & dizzy, bumping into walls & doorways, the smell of coffee draws me inexorably into the kitchen, to meld sugar, milk, and brewed, crushed beans into morning’s ambrosia. The first sip, as always, brings the world into focus, sharpening the edges of my perception, until, finally, I can lift my eyes up, to look out the window at the darkness of the pre-dawn darkness, where amorphous shadows twist and dance, a silent, windy ballet.

Not too bad for a zombie, eh? Can’t seem to get my brain going today, no matter how hard I flog it…. Something MUST be done!…. I know, I’ll stop writing, and go get more coffee, the first cup having mysteriously disappeared. I could have sworn it was a lot bigger, but, I guess I just sucked it up as if somebody would snatch it away from me. Be back in a couple of nanoseconds…. Is there another kind, when on a computer?….

Okay, so, that didn’t work. Since over 5 million nanoseconds have passed since last typing, I can’t say I saved myself much time by taking a short break. Ah well, it’s just as well. Somebody was going to have to make an executive decision soon, anyway, or the rental on the overheads would have run out before we had a chance to pay the bill. Of course. all that’s on autopay, but, ya never know. I like to keep track…. No, I have no idea where ANY of that came from….

Ah, the hell with it, I can’t think of any more tricks, or delays that would help; it’s all going to turn to crap, more so than it already has, if I try. That does it…. Okay, ffolkes, we’re now going directly to the oyster beds, with no more detours. I’m using our most efficient, ruthless method, so, please make sure the splash-guards are in place. Hang on to your neighbor’s hand, and, if you have a god, you should probably pray to it…. Okay, Vinnie, take her down!….

Shall we Pearl?

“Four thousand throats may be cut in one night by a running man.” — Klingon Soldier, “Day of the Dove,” stardate unknown

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There have been scientific studies made that prove the genius of Mozart’s music. Students who listen to Mozart while studying score significantly better than students who don’t; as well, if his music is played during a test, EVERYONE who takes it scores better than when it isn’t played. So, here is about 3 and a half hours of his best stuff; use the time well, ffolkes. Whatever you do, you’ll do it better…. No shit.

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphonies 38-41

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https://youtu.be/MDjWbfbbNTw

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Image from astrogems.com via Google stock images

Ffolkes…. Today, I feel like NOT ranting. Yes, there is much about which to rant in today’s world. For today, it can all go to hell, as far as I’m concerned. My brain is taking the day off to contemplate the workings of peace….

gigoid has spoken.

So be it.

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Anyone who comes here a lot will know this lady’s work. She is one of my favorite modern poets; I found her on WordPress very soon after starting to blog here….. Ever since, I am continuously astounded by the depth of her talent as a poet; she has an amazing connection to herself, and a unique vision; what more should anyone need?…. What she does with that is amazing…. I’ve included a link to her site after the poem, so you can check out her other work…. Enjoy, please; you will, if you have ANY taste at all….

Old Memories Of Paris, Café Au Latte

Old memories of Paris, café au latte,
iron wrought on a kitchen sink
where she slimmed her figure
on a butcher block.

She dangled like a wind chime,
toes on pointe,
testing the winds and
the Gods on
Wisdom of Love.

Pretty little music box, my doll,
bathing in sunlight
through reflections of The Tower at
dawn. I asked her what she saw.

Her answer was as black as a widow
living off space between sun flower seeds.
I turned to her soul and spoke
to her in cotton,
she understood,
souls always understand what is next,
and why.

I led her to confession.
She rattled all the way,
dangling eight unworthy legs –
shooting silk like
it meant nothing,
because that is all she had ever known.

By sunset, she had dried up.
Everything that she had devoured
had taken over
and spit her spirit out.

~~ Maggie Mae ~~

http://maggiemaeijustsaythis.com/2015/03/29/2271/

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Okay, so…. this pearl is, well, I don’t know what this pearl is. It’s here. It’s done. That’s all I know…. We all will have to deal with that, now, won’t we? We’d best get to it….

“Reality is what bumps into you when you stand still with your eyes open.” — Solomon Short

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

“Stop thinking, and end your problems.” — Lao Tzu

“Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.” — Aristotle (B.C. 384-322)

“Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.” — Oscar Wilde

“He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.” — Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

~~ Navaho Night Chant ~~

Works for me…. You may go on now….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What happened? Did we finish? Oh, okay, I see by the condition of the pilot (passed out in the cabin…), we have. I think it’s best if I stop now. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Well, with the usual caveat, of course…. – if they don’t get me for this one….

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

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

But, it’s so STUDIOUS! Quick, let’s polish it!….

Posted on March 31, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If ever you had to kill someone, could you do it?”

~~ Turlough, TERMINUS ~~

The Pillars of Creation

NASA Hubble Deep Space Telescope Image

I’m so late today, I had intended to NOT post. But, I got done what needed to be done, and still have some time before my inner timekeeping function begins to panic, so, I’ll be ruthless, in what I cut from the usual amount of dross and drivel, to get us down the line….

That being said, look! It’s a way out of the intro!. I’m taking it, and I don’t care how anyone feels about it…. Hang, ffolkes, it will definitely get bumpy today…. You might want to take a few test tugs on your security belts, to make sure they’re not old & corroded…. Here we go….

Shall we Pearl?

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” — Norman Cousins

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Very simply put, this one will get you going…. It’s my favorite character from the classic children’s show, Sesame Street…. I believe this character was once voted the most popular character on Children’s television, but, if not, he should have been…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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

Oscar The Grouch

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

https://youtu.be/q8IHMctrKCg

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Image stolen from Talesfromtheconspiratum.com

Obviously, there’s no time for a rant, but, I had some classic shots saved up to throw at the Asininnies; I’ll use them now….. It’s pretty clear what the message here is, ffolkes. I shouldn’t have to tell you…..

“Truth is always the enemy of power. And power the enemy of truth.” — Edward Abbey

“To understand political power aright … we must consider what state all men are naturally in, and that is a state of perfect freedom to order their actions … within the bonds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man.” — John Locke

“Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others.” — Edward Abbey

“Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.” — John Maynard Keynes

“The price of liberty is, always has been, and always will be blood: the person who is not willing to die for his liberty has already lost it to the first scoundrel who is willing to risk dying to violate that person’s liberty. Are you free?” — Andrew Ford

“It cannot be called ingenuity to kill one’s fellow citizens, to betray friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; by these means one can acquire power but not glory.” — Machiavelli

“The best way to lose freedom is not to do anything.” — Smart Bee

“Sometimes when I look at my children I say to myself, ‘Lillian, you should have stayed a virgin.'” — Lillian Carter

“Vice President Quayle is a leading candidate for an award, as best actor in a still photograph.” — Smart Bee

Sorry about that last one, ffolkes, really. I couldn’t help myself…. Onward, he said, with an evil smirk….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only because there isn’t time to search…. Hey, it’s not THAT bad!….

Is It Alive?

Fighting into the light, words push hard to exist
each step closer to real brings another unique twist.
Shedding meaning for meaning, until bright, alone, and right
sculpting useless shapes, yet undefined, in pale morning’s light.

Never knowing the face is part of the lasting charm
bringing elegant focus, before sounding the alarm.
Advantageous time sends out messages, fears finding voice,
mulling options for flexibility, virtually without choice.

Fortunate man, who embraces the power of change;
’tis magical knowledge, bonding common to strange.
Weaving words of wonder, made strong by love and duty,
into a tapestry of life, and everlasting beauty.

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Much may be known of a man’s character by what excites his laughter.”

~~ Goethe ~~

I hate to say this, but, there is a point to this 11-star pearl; I just forgot what it was. I’m pretty sure it’s one of those points that wouldn’t make you bleed, so, it’s probably just as well. Besides, if you just let your mind coast, and it doesn’t come to you, well, I’ll bet you still smiled at least once. I wouldn’t be surprised if you even groaned a time or two…. No matter what you may think, the last pearl is the correct answer to any comments that might be engendered, for sure and for certain….

“Silliness is the last refuge of the doomed.” — Opus

“Bite off, dirtball.” — Richard Sexton, richard@gryphon.COM

“Always store beer in a dark place.” — Lazarus Long

“A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful. He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful. Chances are, he isn’t likely to carry the cat that way again, either. But if he wants to, I say let him!” — Mark Twain

“I’m the one who’s got to die when its time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.” — Jimi Hendrix

“Given a conflict, Murphy’s law supersedes Newton’s.” — Smart Bee

“Do you ever think about the end of the world as we know it?” — Calvin

“It can’t work.” — Wolfgang’s Third Law

“In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain.” — Pliny the Elder

“Insanity — a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.” — R. D. Lang

“Aw, gee, Wally ….” — Beaver Cleaver

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I apologize in advance for this Pearl, should it need it. It is probably the most scattered I’ve ever created…. Ah, well, such is life, as we say on the streets…. Plus, it’s done, so, to save myself any further build-up of angst, or embarrassment, I’m outta here. See y’all tomorrow, with a bit of luck….

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

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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Just whack it once; she wouldn’t mind….

But, it’s so STUDIOUS! Quick, let’s polish it!….

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