A small dose of sweet sorrow….

Posted on January 24, 2019 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Grain grows best in shit.”

~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~

The market on Portobello Road, London, England, April 2013…

All the various parts of today’s Pearl have been present for nearly a week, without having been posted, thanks to my latest uncomfortable realization, to wit; I am becoming unable to write, no matter how willing I may or may not be. This is for two primary reasons, each of which has brought its’ own realizations of a need to make changes in my lifestyle. Since I may not have many more opportunities to do so, I’ll try to relate these epiphanies accurately, and as completely as I can….

The first reason I am becoming unable to write is a quite simple one; I am growing increasingly blind. Though not yet nearly disabled, the macular degeneration taking place in both my retinas is growing increasingly more extensive, & the vision in both eyes, especially the left one (oculus sinister), is becoming blurrier by the day. The difference between them affects my entire visual acumen, making both reading and driving problematic, if not entirely impossible. The blurriness causes me to have to squint hard just to make out normal type and/or fonts, and reading street signs & traffic signs very difficult, as well as visually tiring…. SIGH…. I know I should be getting used to age-related conditions and changes made necessary by physical degeneration, but, it still manages to cause a bit of self-pity, to go along with the eye-twitching & headaches….

Second, I finally realized why I’ve had an unbearably painful stiff neck for more than a full month, affecting both my waking physical comfort, and my ability to sleep, at all, not merely comfortably. Essentially, I find the more time I spend at the computer, the worse it gets, often shooting knife-like sharp shooting pains from neck to mid-back, merely on the act of typing for a few moments. As I am now typing this introduction, I can feel my shoulder stiffening against the pain, and spasms starting to ripple up & down the right side of my back, indicating I need to go walk it off, which, yesterday, took me about three miles before the muscles started to relax, probably because they got tired…. That would warrant another ‘SIGH’, but, I hate repeating myself too often….

The realization I’ve been compelled to come to, & begin to accept, is this…. I can’t do this any more. I cannot read fast enough, or long enough, to gather an adequate number of pearls to fulfill my own requirements; hell, I can’t even read for pleasure as much as I like, as I get tired & frustrated after struggling to read only a few pages. Typing this intro, though not too long for one of my outbursts, has left me gasping against the pain, & I still need to get it posted, after adding an ending section…. Before that becomes impossible, & this gets put off another day, I’m going to deliver my sorrowful apologies now, & warn y’all I may not be back very often, as it will take some extraordinarily compelling thoughts & feelings to get me to sit through this process…. Heck, a couple of haiku is the best I’ve been able to do in weeks.

I will miss being here, and miss all of my Gentle Readers, especially those who have demonstrated such loyal readership for many years…. Willow, chuq, Ashi Akira, Lou, Nadia, the jazz gang at swo8, with love dot I/O, PD, Katiemia (Fred & Katrina), maggiemae, Marie, megaeggs, Soochie, Carolyn the Light Worker, Wolfie of Europa, and numerous others I am sure I am forgetting to mention. They all have maintained their place in my heart, even when I had to stop going by & commenting almost a year ago, for they’ve continued to show up here to let me know they appreciate my work…. and that is a treasure I shall miss experiencing as often, to be sure….

My eyes are about done for the week, I think; this has been hard. I will miss y’all, severely, but, shall try to post now & again, as the impulse occurs, in what little time I can afford to spend at the computer. I cannot do so until I get this posted, so, let’s do that, with some of the most excellent dispatch I have learned of late, to wit:

Shall we Pearl?

“If folks don’t want to do it, it’s hard to keep them from it.”

~~ Yogi Berra ~~

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

In keeping with my newly realized need for shortcuts, I’ve chosen a collection of classical music, a default position for me. Here is someone’s idea of some of the greatest works by famous composers, beginning with Beethoven, & moving on to various others, all of which have stood the test of time. I hope you enjoy it as I do, for the perfect background music to go with study, work, or mere listening pleasure…. Abondanza!….

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

Accentuated Lessons

Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.

Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.

Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.

Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

12/6/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Known and Unknown….

*******

“H=R-E
Happiness equals Reality minus Expectations”

~~ unknown Smart Bee ~~

********

“What use is magic if it can’t save a unicorn?”

~~ Peter S. Beagle, “The Last Unicorn” ~~

********

“I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it
by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect….
I do not want to belong to any organization of a spiritual kind; please understand this …
If an organization be created for this purpose,
it becomes a crutch, a weakness, a bondage,
and must cripple the individual,
and prevent him from growing, from establishing his uniqueness,
which lies in the discovery for himself of that absolute, unconditioned Truth….”

~~ J. Krishnamurti ~~

********

“My friend Data, you see things with the wonder of a child.
And that makes you more human than any of us.”

~~ Yar, “Skin of Evil”, stardate 41601.3 ~~

********

“Once we truly know that life is difficult –
once we truly understand and accept it –
then life is no longer difficult.
Because once it is accepted, it no longer matters.”

~~ M. Scott Peck, “The Road Less Traveled” ~~

********

“A lizard ran out on a rock and looked up, listening
no doubt to the sounding of the spheres.
And what a dandy fellow! the right toss of a chin for you
and swirl of a tail!
If men were as much men as lizards are lizards
they’d be worth looking at”
.
~~ D. H. Lawrence (1928) ~~

********

“Art thou an artist, or art thou art?”

~~ unknown Smart Bee ~~

********

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

Th…th…th…. that’s all, ffolkes. My eyes are done, as is my neck & shoulder. I’m gonna go walkabout for a while, until it all eases off…. I can’t say when I shall see y’all again; it won’t be forever, but, it probably won’t be real soon. In the meantime, be well, be happy as you may be, and maintain a level of strangeness with which you can be content…. I love you all….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

To be real, engage with unreal ideas until full…

Posted on October 4, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Your actions prove what you think of yourself.”

~~ Will Limon ~~

Cathedral at Cobh, Port of Cork, Ireland…

I began blogging here on WordPress in August of 2011, during my first year of retirement. At the time, my health was not great; I lived with chronic pain which prevented any sort of exercise, & at one point reached 250 lbs., on a relatively diminutive frame, (5’7″). Blogging provided me with a means of distracting myself from what seemed to be a long, uncomfortable road toward death. To avoid allowing this to become either excessively lengthy, or excessively maudlin, I’ll merely say the production of a Pearl of Virtual Wisdom each day became both the focus of my everyday routine, as well as a life/mind saving grace….

Long story short, six years passed, during which time I was fortunate, or stubbornly persistent enough to evolve toward a more joyful existence, until, thanks to having resumed personal responsibility for my health & well-being, (achieved by kicking doctors and the AMA in general out of my life….), I am again living in much better balance. My weight is hovering around 175#, (very acceptable…), my arthritis is much better, with concomitant pain reduction sufficient to allow physical exercise (I walk 2+ miles/day….), and, most significantly, spend a LOT less time worrying about all of those things which compelled me to require distraction. To continue the policy of long story short, blogging has become a secondary, or auxiliary, part of my life. Where once I would have felt great angst at not having written, or posted a Pearl, I now feel satisfied, if only at the lack of angst…..

There…. Having once again said much, to little purpose, I feel as if I’ve gone a little way toward making it up to my neurotic tendencies by doing so, though I’m well aware it’s merely another way to distract myself from things I don’t wish to consider right now. If I didn’t keep shortening what could easily become much longer by the addition of sarcasm, nonsense, or blather in general, we’d never even get to the music, much less the old-school pearls. Goodness forfend! As a means of guarantee, here’s a rather abrupt ending to this rather ambiguous opening. Watch closely….

Shall we Pearl?

“The happiness and unhappiness of the rational, social animal
depends not on what he feels, but on what he does;
just as his virtue and vice consist not in feeling but in doing.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, ix, 16 ~~

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

Despite having more than enough time to choose & find some proper music by which to read, I’m going with one of our default choices here on ECR (Exploring Consensual Reality, for those in the pre-coffee darkness…), to wit: a collection of some of the finest classical music on Earth, by some pretty talented composers. All of it has stood the test of time, and, I suspect, will do so again today, here…. Enjoy!….

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

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 ~~

12/19/2014

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

Naked Pearls

More Signs on the Path….

*******

“The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment,
o appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.”

~~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~~

*******

“Hang sorrow! care ‘ll kill a cat.”

~~ Ben Jonson — Every Man in his Humour, Act i, Sc. 3 ~~

*******

“There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man.
The true nobility is in being superior to you previous self.”

~~ Samuel Johnson ~~

*******

“It is a good thing to be rich and strong, but it is a better thing to be loved.”

~~ Euripides ~~

*******

“Education is not a preparation for life;
Education is life itself.”

~~ John Dewey ~~

*******

“Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.”

~~ Tao Te Ching ~~

*******

“No matter where you are, there you are.”

~~ Oliver’s Law of Location ~~

*******

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

I love it when a plan, even an ill-considered plan, comes together…. I wish to point out the rather ‘perfect’ status of our final pearl today, for it perfectly says all there is to say at this point. Not that it matters at all where we are, but, here we are. And, now, we’re not…. or, about to not be. Hmm… That might just be a little TOO subtle, even for me. I’ll just say, be well, ffolkes, and happy as you may be. Being strange is also an option, one I strongly recommend…. See y’all in a day or three…

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Significantly trivial….

Posted on September 20, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A handful of sand is an anthology of the universe.”

~~ David McCord ~~

Ancient Pepper Tree….

As may have been noted, I was absent yesterday, but, I can’t seem to work up any particular regrets for having been so. You see, I’ve come to realize I just don’t have the same investment in writing I once had. My inner serenity seems to be free of the compulsion to spend so much time in getting what it is IN my head OUT of it, & while I do miss some of the sense of satisfaction writing well can engender, there is no longer any sense of pressure or necessity. I have to say that’s a gift, but, one of those two-sided kind, because it also feels like a loss. At this moment, neither seems as important as they once were, but, the discussion of it at least gave us an opening paragraph upon which to build….

However, to build anything worth reading on top of such a mundane, less-than-exciting introduction might prove to be more than my rustic, and rusty skills can achieve. Rather than embarrass myself in the attempt, I believe we’ll take a different route, & try for a bit of nonsense & blather, which comes rather naturally to me. Of course, you already knew that, but, sometimes, one needs to restate the obvious, if only to ensure it’s appreciated…. The obvious can become rather fractious when ignored, with a tendency to sneak up & twist your ear, hard, should it be ignored too long. Trust me on this; you don’t want to go there….

Now, some might think I’m being overly paranoid about reality; they’d be forgetting Murphy, & I can attest to the foolishness of ignoring that particularly obvious, and obnoxious force of nature/reality. I won’t even bother to point out the disadvantages, for the experience of them teaches the lesson much better than I ever can. In fact, I believe I’ve come to another realization of something obvious, to wit: this is getting pretty deep, & it would probably be best to just get on with the rest of today’s mess…. I’ll take my own advice, & save us all some time, as well as, in my own case, some embarrassment I don’t need any more of….

Shall we Pearl?

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving,
and tolerant of the weak and strong.
Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.”

~~ George Washington Carver ~~

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

Wolfie Mozart

On those occasions when I don’t wish to either spend a lot of time, or energy, to decide what sort of music to include in one of these Pearls, I generally go with some sort of classical music. Today I feel like the best, so, naturally, it’s Mozart; I also feel like violins, so, here is an album uploaded to YT which contains ALL his violin concertos…. Y’all can decide for yourselves which one is best…. Enjoy!

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

Lamenting Empathy, No Grace

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

12/19/2014

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

Naked Pearls

Steps on the Path….

*******

“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 ~~

*******

“Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen.”

~~ Samuel Paterson ~~

*******

“Man is what he believes.”

~~ Anton Chekhov ~~

*******

“If the end does not justify the means – what can?”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune.”

~~ Nicholas Ling ~~

*******

‘A man never so beautifully shows his own strength,
as when he respects another’s weakness.”

~~ Rules of a Gentleman ~~

*******

“With virtue you cannot be entirely poor…
Without it you cannot be really rich.”

~~ Chinese Proverb ~~

*******

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

Having made it this far, it only makes sense to finish it off before it begins to stink any worse. Ah, well, they can’t all be good; I just wish it weren’t so easy to be bad. In today’s case, I think it came out a draw, which, I also think is good enough, & I’ll take it. I’ll see y’all in a day or two, depending on which part of my head takes control…. of course. Be well, & happy,& strange; all are preferable to the alternatives….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

As if….

Posted on September 13, 2018 by gigoid

FFolkes,

“Seek not happiness too greedily, and be not fearful of happiness.”

~~ Lao-Tzu ~~

Big Ben, et al..,, London, England – 2013…

Even though I had cobbled together the necessary parts for a complete Pearl, I wasn’t going to post today, for the simple reason I had too much to do out in the BBR to sit long enough to compose anything fresh, such as an intro, or the discussion of Labels upon which I’ve been cogitating. However, the events which occurred as I engaged reality were, sadly, bigger than me, ending in more drama than I care to even consider, much less experience. My bozoid over-reaction has sent me into the wind, so, I thought, why not?

For me, it’s most likely a good thing, if only for the short term. For y’all, well, as usual, you’ll need to make your own judgments on that. In the extremely short term, practically in the moment, it means this….

Shall we Pearl?

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us
to an understanding of ourselves.”

~~ Carl Gustav Jung ~~

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

Johann Strauss

Image from Wikiwand via Google Images

As has been made clear in the past, I love classical music. This composer is one everyone has heard of, even if they don’t know it; his Blue Danube Waltz may be the most well-known piece of music of all time, though that is a guess, based on only experience. In any case, today I’ve included a compilation of a number of his best and/or most famous works, which I hope you enjoy as much as do I….

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

A Failure to Germinate

Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.

Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.

Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.

I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.

My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.

Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/27/2012

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

Naked Pearls

Random Notes….

*******

“Think not that thy word and thine alone must be right.”

~~ Sophocles, “Antigone”, 706

*******

“All that is harmony for thee, O Universe, is in harmony with me as well.
Nothing that comes at the right time for thee is too early or too late for me.
Everything is fruit to me that thy seasons bring, O Nature.
All things come of thee, have their being in thee, and return to thee.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, “Meditations”, iv, 23 ~~

*******

“Do not speak of what men deserve.
For we each of us deserve everything,
every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead Kings,
and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger.
Have we not eaten while another starved?
Will you punish us for that?
Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate?
No man earns punishment, no man earns reward.
Free your mind of the idea of *deserving*, of *earning*,
and you will begin to be able to think.”

~~ Odo, The Prison Letters (Ursula LeGuin,”The Dispossessed”)

*******

“We live in the kind of world where courage is the most essential of virtues;
without courage, the other virtues are useless.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.”

~~ Euripides, Orestes (408 BC) ~~

*******

“From out of all the many particulars comes oneness,
and out of oneness come all the many particulars.”
— Heraclitus

*******

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

“Random” was a better choice than I knew. Who would? Not I, for sure and for certain. The best thing is, it’s done. The next best (well, maybe….) is, I’ll most likely do it again, soon. For the nonce, this is not only the best I can do, it’s all I can do. You know how that goes, right? Okay. Be well & happy as you may be, ffolkes…. ‘Twould also be for the best if you remained as strange as possible. Trust me on this….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Time, in a small bottle….

Posted on September 8, 2018 by gigoid

FFolkes,

“People wish to be settled:
only as far as they are unsettled
is there any hope for them.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Circles” ~~

The Shelbourne Public House, Cork, Ireland….

The past few days, since acquiring Bob (my new computer), have been a blur of ‘flow’, while I navigate the learning curve for a new O/S, and go about rebuilding my pile of resources for writing this blog (pictures, quote databases, templates, ad nauseam….). While mostly fun, it has its drawbacks, some of which are connected to the re-establishment of the necessary routines to manage time, and to my need for exercise (away from this chair); I’m not going back to my former degree of ill-health. For the preponderance of time, however, the challenges and distractive nature of intellectual endeavor have provided me with what my Irish friends/ancestors might call ‘grand craic’, or, in American slang, a helluva a good time….

So far, my only disappointment has been the time NOT spent writing down my own thoughts & feelings; I’ve begun two discussions, but, both have been handicapped by the time needed simply to figure out how this damn computer works with the new O/S. I guess complaining about it won’t get them done, so, rather than go any further down that road, I’ll just say this: it’s in the works, but, without deadline. For now, I am content to cobble together these Pearls minus the bonus of my own blather. And, please, no raspberries from the cheap seats; this isn’t an excuse, because there’s no mandate; it’s just a filler, so the intro doesn’t appear too anemic.

Now I’ve pulled my own covers, let’s just go on to what we’ve got today, without any attempts to justify, or excuse the content, or lack thereof. In short….

Shall we Pearl?

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

As y’all have probably noticed by now, my musical tastes run to older stuff, whether ’tis rock & roll, jazz, popular, or classical in genre. While perusing choices on You Tube (my go-to source for any human activity), I found this excellent compilation of the works of Wolfie Mozart, beginning with one of his finest piano pieces. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do…. Abondanza!…..

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

A dream, weeping….

“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said
with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.
“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….
what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”

So, we plucked up our dreams of old,
to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,
stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,
for luck, and perfect proof against charms.

Storms follow the sun, but, never stay;
lessons round every corner, all free.
Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,
the journey becomes the reason to be.

Simple kindness manifests untold riches,
in defiance of common cause’s demise.
Bold courage, hanging in stitches,
mends wounds that come as no surprise.

Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.
Too much pain cannot apprehend
the salient, sharp points of epiphany,
nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.

Folly dogs even the simplest truth,
fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,
alienated as a loose rotten tooth;
it often hides itself, for a long while.

Sought after eons ago, we cried out,
to believe, to suffer no more doubt.
But found instead good reason,
for love, and truth, from season, to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

8/30/2014

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

Naked Pearls

Signposts on the Path….

*******

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

~~ Antoine de Saint Exupery ~~

*******

“Common sense is instinct, and enough of it is genius.”

~~ Josh Billings ~~

*******

“Do thou restrain the haughty spirit in thy breast,
for better by far is gentle courtesy.”

~~ Homer ~~

*******

“Every man is a divinity in disguise,
a god playing the fool.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*******

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing,
no wind is favorable.”

~~ Seneca (the Younger) ~~

*******

“You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.”

~~ Oliver Goldsmith ~~

*******

“I’m sitting on my SPEED QUEEN..
To me, it’s ENJOYABLE..
I’m WARM..
I’m VIBRATORY..”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

*******

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

I suppose it’s not Ibsen, but, it’s art, anyway, such as it is. Ah, well, we do what we can do, & as I’ve said, any number of times, all you can do is all you can do. Having done so, I’ll quit bothering y’all with any further displays of personal angst, & take my leave. In fair warning, I’ll be back, with more of what I cannot describe. Perhaps, one day…. but, then, perhaps not, as well. On that ambiguous note, I leave you with our common wish, to be well, be happy, and, well, you know….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Moments of acute clarity….

Posted on April 10, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I can handle reality in small doses, but as a lifestyle it’s much too confining.”

~~ Lily Tomlin ~~

The bar at The Old Swan, London, England….

Hajime…. Though the process of creating Pearls of Virtual Wisdom has evolved over the years into its present state, and I have learned to trust its relevance and integral coherence, the simple process of finding worthwhile material, either my own, or from another source, with which to open the festivities has always been the most problematic part to complete. I can’t say exactly why that is, but, ’tis true, nonetheless. I only mention it at all because today’s effort is a perfect example of this conundrum; if you hadn’t noticed, I’ve blathered now for an entire paragraph, without making any sort of progress toward getting it completed. In short, I can’t think of much of anything particularly cogent, or even silly to say…. Ah, well, at least we’re started….

All that said, to our usual lack of purpose, I suppose ‘twould be best to forgo any further attempts to gain credence, & simply get on with the rest of this mess… and, mess it may seem. All the correct parts are in place, and there’s even a new poem, as promised, with which I am content, if not sure yet how it turned out…. Sometimes it has to grow on ya, kinda like mold. Anyway, there’s also a rather cute & obscure set of Naked Pearls, all of which point out some relatively lesser known points on Life @ Large…. At any rate, y’all will make your own decision, of course, as to how it all comes off, as always. Me, I’m going to get it posted, & be off for a walk in the rain….

Without any further ado, let’s do this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“And now there is merely silence, silence, silence, saying all we did not know.”

~~ William Rose Benet ~~

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

Yep…. Even though I’ve had days to decide what to put in this section, we’re still going to end up with a default choice…. so, we may as well just sigh, and resign ourselves to hearing some of history’s finest music…. It’s a tough row to hoe, but, somebody’s got to do it, eh?…. Try to enjoy it anyway….

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

Classical Guitar Music

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

The Journey Becomes The Destination

We eat life, with every glance, every breath,
purposefully consumed to fill our amorphous need;
Every taste inebriates imagination, subtle as death,
waiting for us all, echoing life’s passionate greed.

Who wants to live forever?
Why do we think it matters?
We all live forever;
we always have.

Entropy becomes serendipity, grace made real;
intricately simple, infinitely complex instants are born,
passing review only until freed, fluid stainless steel
flowers, upon ancient crowns, never shorn.

All that is,
always was;
all that is,
shall always be.

Metaphor, and all its ilk, becomes lost in mystery’s lure,
until illumination consumes the capacity for truth.
Adversely, reaction sits in, replacing true rapture
with sad remnants of one old telephone booth.

Only in darkness
can we see the light.
Only in silence
can we hear the music.

An ancient muse seeks proper language, forever remote;
within the within, without entering without.
Improvising life works as if learned by rote,
the same as in dreams, no doubt.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/10/2018 to 4/9/2018

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

Naked Pearls

Esoteric notes on Life @ Large….

*******

“Of all lies, art is the least untrue.”

~~ Gustave Flaubert ~~

*******

“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

*******

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves;
otherwise we harden.”

~~ Goethe ~~

*******

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark;
the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

~~ Plato ~~

*******

“After the first death, there is no other.”

~~ — Dylan Thomas ~~

*******

“Which way shall I fly
Infinite wrath and infinite despair?
Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell;
And in the lowest deep a lower deep,
Still threat’ning to devour me, opens wide,
To which the hell I suffer seems a heaven.”

~~ John Milton, “Paradise Lost”, Book iv, Line 73 ~~

*******

“Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it,
you will live along some distant day into your answers.”

~~Rainer Maria Rilke ~~

*******

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

I did it, ffolkes. Damn good thing too, cuz, late as it is, this one would have bugged me if I hadn’t pushed ahead until it got posted. Which I will now proceed to do, as soon as I issue the standard caveats, to wit: Be well, be happy as you may be, and, of course, exercise your right to be strange…. See ya, ffolkes; as Arnie has said, to such good effect, I’ll be back….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Trimming the sails of reality….

Posted on March 17, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.”

~~ Maori proverb ~~

Nice day to ride a ferry….

Hajime…. I had intended to post this yesterday, but, an outbreak of demonic possession took place, distracting me from even entering cyberspace at all. I suppose it’s not entirely unexpected; one gets accustomed to such diversions after the first century of such wars. And, yes, time is completely distorted during such battles, whereupon seconds become minutes, minutes become hours, and days become a century of pain and/or misery. Now, if I could discover how to change the spelling of the latter, if only in my own head, then life would be full of mystery, rather than misery. SIGH…. I know. Pipe dreams…. from an empty pipe….

Today, the wars continue, though it may be, given the advantage of a holiday such as this one, the end result will be more of a skirmish than a pitched battle. One is allowed to hope, even if that hope is, well, hopeless. At least, if it looks like I’m losing, I can retreat into my Irish, (translation, a snootfull of Jameson’s finest…..), & postpone any outcome until tomorrow. Happy days!….

Upon checking back, I find this to be only the second fresh Pearl I’ve completed this entire month. Sad as that may be, it does compel me to finish off this rather awkward beginning quickly, & get on with this before I lose my nerve, which is already on the cusp of explosion. How about I use this old #4 I found sitting around; it’s still one of our most effective techniques to pull us out of any potentially disastrous holes, one of which I see approaching now. It’s kinda cool, and works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“True love in this differs from gold and clay,
That to divide is not to take away.”

~~ Shelley, “Epipsychidion” ~~

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

Yep, It’s a default day. Go figure, eh? Ah well, at least we know it’s good music; it has, after all been popular for several hundred years. Not a bad recommendation, to my way of thinking…. Enjoy!….

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

Classical Music for Winter

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

A Seasonal Approach

Absolute stillness grips a frozen field,
anticipating dawn with such patient yield
morning burgeoning in dark winter’s hold
brings promise of tales yet to be told.

Lengthening days of pale sun unto night
slowly tell of time’s subversive flight
bringing such original songs of natural fire
with melodies complex in casual attire.

The months are certain they will always win
it is just the way it has always been.
None may argue, nor yet slow life down
Nor dim the eternal beauty of nature’s gown.

Winter evolves from fall into spring,
sending flocks and hearts ever awing.
Summer follows suit, t’other way ’round
Spring into fall, often without a sound.

Life is meant to be lived, beginning to end
choices abound, and change can be a friend.
Yielding with grace to reality’s compelling ploy
fills our plain existence with clean, honest joy.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/2/012

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

Naked Pearls

Points to ponder….

*******

“It is a great advantage for a system of philosophy to be substantially true.”

~~ George Santayana ~~

*******

“You can’t think your way into a new way of living:
you live your way into a new way of thinking.”

~~ Henry Nouwen ~~

*******

“Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced,
not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious,
but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.”

~~ Tom Robbins ~~

*******

“There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man.
The true nobility is in being superior to you previous self.”

~~ Samuel Johnson ~~

*******

“You can’t study the darkness by flooding it with light.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay.
Love isn’t love ’til you give it away.”

~~ Oscar Hammerstein II ~~

*******

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

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

*******

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

There you have it, such as it is. I’m a mess. mostly, so, I can’t say for sure how long it might be for the next fresh Pearl. Time, that blabbermouth, will tell, as it always does. While I’m gone, whether walkabout or at war, y’all be well, be happy as you may be, and keep on keepin’ on, best you can. See ya, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Exquisitely intricate twine….

Posted on February 7, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Food, sleep, fear, propagation;
each is the common property of men with brutes.
Virtue is really their additional distinction;
devoid of virtue, they are equal with brutes.”

~~ The Hitopadesa (600?-1100? A.D.) ~~

Defiant Beauty

Defiant Beauty….

Hajime…. It’s been a week or more (I’m too lazy to actually stop to figure out the exact interval…) since I last posted a fully fresh, fully filled-in Pearl, & I said I’d post, so, to avoid any significant build of inner angst (some folks call it ‘guilt’, but, not me, nosiree…. too personal….), I’m going to go ahead with what I’ve cobbled together, so I can work on a properly constructed piece of work, one with which I can be content. With this one, I am, if not content, then, tolerantly bemused. There’s a good older poem of mine, some fine music (three centuries of music enthusiasts can’t be ALL wrong….), and a number of excellent pearls strung together to make up the final, always odd finishing section of old-school pearling. Not bad, given the severe shortage of time spent at the computer in creating it….

Whatever my reasoning, or, euphemisms used, it’s going to have to serve, because I’m too invested in playing in the real world to stop at this point, with so much of the world still to explore. I’ll work hard to finish off the new poem, if only to get it out of my head, so, it won’t be long before the next fresh Pearl shows up. I’m sure, by now, y’all are thrilled to hear that. Well, perhaps ‘thrilled’ puts a strain on your credulity, but, you know what I mean, right? If not, boy, I’ve been doing something wrong, or, have been gone too often for my irony to register. SIGH…. Oh, well, that’s Life, y’know? Delicious ambiguity….

For now, let’s quit fooling about, & get on with what I have for y’all to enjoy today. I’ll even refrain from employing any of the customary BS, & just say this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Just being weird is enough.”

~~ Truthful Bee ~~

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

mozart2

We’re going with a default selection today, to save time and cognitive angst which builds up the longer I take to make a decision on it. We’re also going with my personal favorite composer, for similar reasons… I do hope you enjoy it; I intend to do so as well…. Abondanza!….

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

Classical Music

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

Comedy_Tragedy

The new poem isn’t done; it’s leaking out in small pieces. Here is one of my better efforts from 2013….

After the odyssey….

Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound

Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.

Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.

Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.

Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/10/2013

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Further Notes on Life @ Large….

*******

“It is in changing that things find repose”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

*******

“Anyone can hate. It costs to love.”

~~ John Williamson ~~

*******

“If you want to be happy, be.”

~~ Leo Tolstoy ~~

*******

“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.”

~~ Anne Sexton ~~

*******

“The Soul is born old, but it grows young;
that is the comedy of life.
The Body is born young and grows old;
that is life’s tragedy.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

*******

“Be not anxious about what you have, but about what you are.”

~~ Pope St. Gregory I ~~

*******

“How admirable,
he who thinks not,
‘Life is fleeting’,
When he sees the lightning!”

~~ Basho ~~

*******

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

I did it. Again. I don’t know how, or why, and don’t wish to tempt fate by trying to figure it out. I’m just going to be happy with what there is, & move on to different, if not better things. Y’all enjoyed it, I hope; if not, well, as Epictetus said, happiness & freedom begin with a clear understanding that some stuff isn’t within our control Cute, eh? And, just tricky enough to be true. I’ll see y’all in a day or two…. Be well & happy, 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

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Chilling the bones of metaphor….

Posted on January 14, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world
is to be in reality what we would appear to be;
all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves
by the practice and experience of them.”

~~ Socrates (BC 469-399) ~~

Glacier melt in Tracy Arm Fjord….

Hajime…. At my age, I should have learned not to expect rational, or even polite, behavior from any of my fellow humans; I’ve certainly witnessed enough evidence of the absence of either quality in the majority of those who call themselves ‘people’ during my time here on this planet. But, as has been noted by many, hope springs eternal, so, I keep making the attempt to relate to people, only to find disrespect and entitlement without reason. It seems the act of common courtesy has become lost from society, in the simplest of interactions between the members of that group. The most obvious is in the area of basic communication habits, such as those involving the use of a telephone….

In today’s culture, damn near everyone I can find uses their “smart” phone to screen calls; nobody, except, apparently, me, actually answers their phone. Instead, they let it go to a voice mail box, to leave messages that apparently don’t get listened to, for nobody returns calls, unless it suits their own needs or purposes. The simple courtesy of a timely response seems to have been displaced by narcissistic entitlement, and the disrespect that is implied when communication is ignored. It has become, in my experience, an event of noteworthiness when someone actually answers the phone when I call, even businesses. Nobody wants to actually speak with anyone else; texting, which removes the responsibility of exchanging emotional cues from speech, is the default response, and that is often ignored as well…. and, I just don’t get it….

I could continue in this vein for a long time, but, I don’t believe anyone else cares enough to either read it, or respond to such complaints… which, ultimately, also says a lot about the state of modern culture. Also, I have noted a distinct drop in the traffic here on ECR, due, no doubt, to my own absences, from here, and from visiting other blogs. Of the registered 700+ followers of this blog, perhaps 10 or 12 still stop by with any consistency, and only two or three even let me know they’ve been by by leaving a “Like” or a comment. It seems there are still a small percentage of people out there who care to demonstrate the respect of acknowledgment without first receiving it; mostly, I have no idea how many ffolkes drop in, unless I want to chase down the stats in one of the WP admin pages.

It’s early in the morning, about 0430, pre-dawn here in California, and I’ve been up a couple hours dealing with a resurgence of PTSD symptoms, brought on by assaults upon my tender sensibilities by a series of rude responses I have received during attempts to connect with people. At this point. a statement I made yesterday in response to a Facebook query to describe how I felt right then is still appropriate; I stated I was feeling ‘indiscriminately homicidal’…. Today, perhaps, it is even stronger, so, I guess I’ll be avoiding the rest of my species today, if only to avoid the inconvenience of having to dispose of the corpses that might conceivably accrue by daring to go out & try to relate with any of them. SIGH…. ah, well, so be it….

At least the angst built up by this war with my inner demons has stimulated me enough to post some fresh material; hell, this is the first time I’ve ranted in a couple months. Though I can’t say it felt very good to release all this deitrus, I suppose it will eventually show some positive effects. One may hope, may one not, even if hope is a futile pastime? One may…. so, I shall. I shall also show a bit of the courtesy I so desperately miss in others, by cutting off any further blather, in favor of getting on with the rest of today’s mess. I hope you enjoy it, futile as it may have been as a form of therapy…. In any case, let’s do this, eh?….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Kindness is more important than wisdom,
and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.”

~~ Theodore Isaac Rubin ~~

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

Today’s musical selection is, for me, an obvious one. I need the soothing sounds of a classical nature; it’s my default, and today, it’s also yours. I hope you enjoy it as much as I intend to…. Abondanza!….

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

Classical Music

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

Further Proof

No evidence exists, no rumored promise
of a guide on the path we seek.
Salient information lies hidden, seeking solace;
each possibility lost, no longer unique.

The past cascades through today, resolute;
finished and gone, by all reputable report.
Common failings decry any fever in the root,
as pillars of salt offer up little retort.

Longitude has latitude, one dimension to the next;
truth and lies, mirrored, transform on first exposure.
Born in chaos, living in change, by guile and pretext;
artful insanity, with no rational cure.

‘Tis no wonder, some do say now and then,
such creatures are doomed, by their own hand.
Cursed by the force of their very own ken,
until only the leaving seems very grand.

Perhaps, but, then, say those who doubt,
it’s all part of how it works, in fact.
We can’t know, really, what it’s all about
without completing the final act.

Is there any hurry?

~~ gigoid ~~

6/23/2016

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

Naked Pearls

Yep….

*******

“Any fool can know.
The point is to understand.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

*******

“Anywhere is walking distance, if you’ve got the time.”

~~ Steven Wright ~~

*******

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

~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~

*******

“In the moment between stimulus and response lies freedom.”

~~ Steven Covey ~~

*******

“Before you can be creative, you must be courageous.
Creativity is the destination, but courage is the journey.”

~~ Joey Reiman ~~

*******

“Every action in our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”

~~- Edwin Hubbell Chapin ~~

*******

~~ Odo, “The Prison Letters” (by Ursula LeGuin, “The Dispossessed”)

*******

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

Well, it’s done. I can’t say, nor will I attempt to say, anything about how it may have turned out; I’ll leave that to anyone else who cares to make note of it. I’m going walkabout, before the rest of the world around here gets up, so I won’t have to talk to any of them. I’ll see y’all, probably fairly soon, as writing does help me stay moderately sane, or, at minimum, less insane than the usual case. On that less than positive, but, realistic note, I shall bid thee adieu, until we meet again. See ya, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Total eclipse of the smart….

Posted on January 4, 2018 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A wise player ought to accept his throws and score them, not bewail his luck.”

~~ Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Phaedra, Frag. 862 ~~

Early morning in Galway….

Hajime…. Aha! It isn’t 0 and 1… it’s 0 and infinity! Or, rather, ‘twould be, if we were able to perceive reality with more discrimination. Mostly, we’re not, so, we stumble around this old ball o’mud with our mouths open & our minds shut, pretending we are the lords of creation, when what we are, at base, is a pack of over-active, under-achieving apes with aggressive tendencies, and very little consideration for the other inhabitants who live here with us. SIGH…. Such promise, too. Ah, well, perhaps in our next incarnation, our species will have learned, as well as ‘earned’, a bit more of the basic understanding which might do well to ease our path away from self-destruction, seemingly our most developed talent….

As might be construed, my thoughts have turned maudlin again, in spite of having hovered close to what feels like a major epiphany for some days now, under the impetus and influence of my current reading, difficult as has been to perform the act of reading itself. It seems age is catching up to me again, in the worst way I can imagine. My eyes are giving out, & make it very hard to read for long, or well, at all. Even the act of typing/writing is becoming more problematic, as the letters swim around, mixing & melding with each other until the whole mess is nearly incomprehensible. Not to say it isn’t always so, but, not being able to make out the individual letters does complicate the process, slowing it considerably, not to mention increasing the threat of typographical inaccuracy, always a risk for us self-styled philosophers…. BIG SIGH….

Nonetheless, I have persevered, long enough to complete a freshly constructed Pearl for your perusal, and for the release of my angst. Bingo…. I love two for one. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to work our way around the maudlin starting phase, into the proper outcome, to wit, moving down the page to the rest of the material. I think I know how to do that; it’s actually fairly simple, really. All I actually have to do is this… Watch close, or you’ll miss the turn….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.
One brave deed is worth a thousand books.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

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

This won’t hurt. Those familiar with the process here on ECR will recognize the icon atop this section as our indicator of default musical choice, to wit, classical music. They can reassure the rest of y’all who might otherwise be worried such music will be boring, or beyond their taste…. trust me, just listen while you read, and you’ll see… it truly doesn’t hurt, and, if given half a chance, can actually be soothing to the spirit…. Let’s have a listen, shall we?…

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

Classical Music

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

Penance, Made Simple

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

10/23/2012

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

Naked Pearls

Random notes on Life @ Large….

*******

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

~~ Calvin, to Hobbes ~~

*******

“I am going to seek a great perhaps.”

~~ Francois Rabelais (1494-1553) ~~

*******

“How you do anything is how you do everything.”

~~ Zen proverb ~~

*******

“It’s not peace I want, not mere contentment.
It’s boundless joy and ecstasy for me.”

~~ Kugell ~~

*******

“Sometimes I think we’re alone.
Sometimes I think we’re not.
In either case, the thought is quite staggering.”

~~ R. Buckminster Fuller ~~

*******

“It matters not so much what you sing, but why”

~~ J.S. Bach ~~

*******

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

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

*******

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

My sense of accomplishment, while probably unwarranted, is solid enough to be able to declare this one ‘done’. And thank goodness for that! My sociability is straining at the seams, & it’s probably just as well I’ve reached an ending point, which I shall proceed to take advantage of unmercifully. I shall try to post again in the near future, but, the way things seem to be going, it might be a few days before I can pull one together enough to suit my OCD need to get it right. However it works out, I will be back; on that you may rest assured. Y’all be well, & happy as you may be; I’m doin’ pretty much the same, with a strong dose of strange added in…. See ya, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

gigoid

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

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