Emboldened by the intricate scrollwork….

Posted on May 5, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Fewer possess virtue, than those who wish us to believe that they possess it “

~~ Cicero ~~

Are you ever going to finish?….

Hajime…. For some time this morning, while working on what you’ll find below, I considered what might appropriately be used for an opening. Now the time has come to write one, it’s all gone. I’m a bit foggy today, having slept, again, more than expected; of course, my expectations for sleep are dead low, so…. Nonetheless, I don’t think my body, or mind, quite knows how to deal with it, which leaves me in a quandary of confused emotions. I can’t say that state is particularly uncommon, either, but, knowing that makes it no less uncomfortable. Hmph. So be it.

I confess to some nerves today, anyway; Leelu is going in to have her procedure to prevent kittens, an event for which I already am suffering guilt and remorse, even though I know it’s best for everyone. She’ll be at the vet’s until Saturday morning, so, it will be very quiet and subdued around here until then…. Can’t say now how it will sit with me; my PTSD can surprise me sometimes. But, we’ll all get through it, and, now, I’ve used up all there was in my head to put in the intro. Pretty clumsy, eh? Oh, well, we’ll just resort to a very old literary trick, and get where we need to be without further ado. It’s subtle, so, you’ll need to watch closely, or you’ll miss the change….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Mankind has become so much one family that we cannot insure our own prosperity except by insuring that of everyone else. If you wish to be happy yourself, you must also resign yourself to seeing others also happy.” — Bertrand Russell

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Yep. You got it. Classical music, just because I like it, and it’s all I want to hear today…. Deal with it, or leave it off Or, enjoy….. please.

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/UAUMY8er8Cw

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Our rant today will be from the archives, just because I said so. It is about a subject I call A Plague of Evil, which is a euphemism for the sexual abuse that men perpetrate on women every damn day, as a matter of course in this society, which is completely sexist, biased toward men. Our culture is based entirely on their cowardice, exhibiting that cowardice in every aspect of their insanely blind ignorance of themselves, and the world at large…. The simplest way to comprehend the basic flaw in the male of the species is best said this way: men are cowards at heart….

That probably won’t make me particularly popular with most men, but, that’s fine with me, because, quite frankly, I don’t like the assholes anyway…. Let me say this to any males reading this…. just read, and try to set aside your fears & prejudices, none of which you ever thought about before, and just listen up. Try to understand…. much as it strains those almost useless neurons…. And, if you have any questions or comments, use a bit of sense, and make them intelligent, okay? I don’t want to have to put it into the kind of physical message most of you understand best….

From 5/10/2012:

“I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.” — John Lennon

Men are afraid of women… hence all the jokes about them taking over, over slyly ruling us without us knowing it. Men’s fears of just that thing are what cause him to hate women, because they do not understand them, and fear arises out of lack of understanding. Here are a few examples of such lies, the lies that perpetuate the war between the sexes…..

“My notion of a wife at 40 is that a man should be able to change her, like a bank note, for two twenties.” — Warren Beatty

A lady is one who only shows her underwear intentionally. — Smart Bee

— Yo momma……so fat she has to buy two airline tickets. — Smart Bee

“A beautiful woman is paradise for the eyes, hell for the soul, and purgatory for the purse.” — Smart Bee

“Passionate kiss like spider web, lead to undoing of fly.” — Confucius say (No, he didn’t, but liars don’t care….)

Really, really sexist and paranoid, yes? Yes….

The mere existence of these jokes, and others like them, indicates clearly what men are afraid of in women, and that is their sexuality. We… well, men, not necessarily we men, because not all of us hate them… No I don’t understand them, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating or wonderfully different. I am aware of my own self, and my own powers, and they have naught to do with what women can do; I feel no need to compare the two, or to assume one is stronger or better. They are just different, and what is different about women is not to be feared, even if not understood. It is just to be learned, that’s all….and the learning is a totally awesome trip, I assure you….

But, back to the sexuality that men fear. It is because these men have never learned to understand themselves, or their place in the scheme of things, that makes them unable to understand women, and turns their ignorance to fear, from thence to hatred and abuse against them. Men cannot stand the thought that a woman might be more important than him, and that is a certain sign of lack of confidence, and of ignorance. Men who know their place in life, and who are confident of their own ability to cope with that place and its demands, have no need or desire to be more important than anyone; they are complete within themselves….

Too many men in this world don’t come anywhere close to this kind of self-knowledge; most go through life without exercising more than two neurons at once, and those tend to lose function whenever the blood goes elsewhere than the brain (such as during an erection). Most men are so afraid of women that they spend half their life telling jokes like the above, and spreading the nonsensical lies that perpetuate this atrocity.

Yes, atrocity, because it is this fear and loathing, of both themselves and women, that leads to issues such as domestic abuse, sex trafficking, prostitution, and abuse of children. The only women who are actively engaged in these activities are those who have been brainwashed to believe the crap they’ve heard all their lives, and who have given up their own humanity; they are very few in number. Otherwise, it is men who perpetrate these vile actions on women…. all because of their own fear and ignorance…. and I say, shame on them, for they are not men, in my world…. they are vicious, unredeemable beasts, and should be put down like the dangerous creatures they are…..

“In the dark colony of night, when I consider man’s magnificent capacity for malice, madness, folly, envy, rage, and destructiveness, and I wonder whether we shall not end up as breakfast for newts and polyps, I seem to hear the muffled cries of all the words in all the books with covers closed.” — Leo Rosten

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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 ~~

10/2/2012

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Naked Pearls

Pay attention!

*********

“Be loyal.”

~~ Things We Can Learn From Dogs ~~

*********

“Even if you’re on the right track,
if you stand still you’ll get run over by the next train.”

~~ Will Rogers ~~

*********

“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*********

“The great thing about getting older is that
you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.”

~~ Madeleine L’Engle ~~

*********

“Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm.”

~~ Malayan Proverb ~~

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“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

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“Often when he was looking on at auctions he would say,
“How many things there are which I do not need!”

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Socrates, x ~~

*********

“Deem not life a thing of consequence.
For look at the yawning void of the future,
and at that other limitless space, the past.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 50 ~~

*********

“Iyam what Iyam.”

~~ Popeye ~~

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I can’t say how it happened, but, it’s done, so, we won’t complain, or even question. Instead, we’ll use the same trick we used in the intro, and be done with it for today. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless I figure out a way to stop myself….

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….

Effortless dreams, in colorful shoes….

Posted on April 19, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Our quarrel with the world is an echo
of the endless quarrel proceeding within us.”

~~ Eric Hoffer ~~

Not in the mood for love….

Hajime…. Considering the state of the world, as we often do around these parts, it can be difficult to maintain any real hope for the future. However, regardless of how my own intellect sees little chance of surviving through another century for our species, one’s hope for change somehow remains strong. Groundless hope, after all, is the only kind there really is for us humans; we tend to put ourselves frequently into situations for which little hope for success is possible, given our less than perfect hold on reality. But, what the hell? It keeps us busy, so, I suppose its all worth it; if nothing else, it keeps us busy NOT killing things, which seems to be our primary talent…..

Now, relax. Though it sounds ominous, the above is not leading into a rant in the intro; I told y’all we wouldn’t do that any more, and, I’m trying to live up to that. No, such statements are a new technique, wherein I make a short reference to such matters, without falling into full ranting mode, thus saving me, and y’all, the effort of extricating ourselves from such a sticky engagement too early in the Pearl. It also provides some new ways to wander around here, just chatting about stuff that matters not at all, a pastime which, if you’ve been here before, you’ll know we enjoy frequently. We do love our blather, even if it makes extra laundry.

Okay, that’s probably enough. Any more & we’d start dropping readers like dead skin cells. Ooh, that’s an ugly image, isn’t it? I think, maybe, we’d best be on our way down the page, before I get actively gross. I can feel the elegance and grace dropping off our demeanor rapidly, so, it’s just as well we planned to use one of the Tardis toys today. Here, let’s see what this one does, shall we?…. I’ll just push this little green button, and….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke, and found that life was Duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, poor heart, unceasingly;
And thou shalt find thy dream to be
A truth and noonday light to thee.”

~~ Ellen Sturgis Hooper — Life a Duty ~~

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“Life without music would be an intolerable insult.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

I found the quote you see before picking today’s music, which brings us back to the classical genre we enjoyed yesterday. The quote is one I hold to be completely true, so, here is my all-time favorite piece. It also happens to be the piece of music considered by many to be the best single composition ever written, which, though not necessarily a recommendation, does add to its cache. In any case, I hope you enjoy it; it’s actually pretty damn good…

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W. A. Mozart
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

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https://youtu.be/o1FSN8_pp_o

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I’m still working on a fresh piece for this section, which, frankly, is stalled. No worries, it will unjam itself eventually, when the proper sequence of ideas strikes me. To sublimate for today, here is a fairly short discussion of religion, and such relevant nonsense as may apply to that particular delusional state of being…. Enjoy!….

From 9/7/2012:

“Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other “sins” are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is NOT a sin–just stupid.)” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

It would be foolish to try to claim that there is NOT a part of me that wishes there was a God as described by most of the Christian sects, or the Islamic, or Jewish, or any other of the major and/or minor religions in the history of Man. Who wouldn’t want to have all the responsibility for thinking, or for acting within reason, taken out of their hands? It would be wonderful, but as it’s pretty unlikely, to all appearances, that part of me will have to remain unfulfilled….. I’d rather adopt and set the above moral standard as my own, as I happen to agree with it wholeheartedly. It forms the root, the base, the touchstone of all of my morality, the basic raison d’etre for my every decision of whether or not to act, and how to react, from an ethical standpoint of my own choice, without thinking about whether or not it is according to dogma.

I first came across this particular quote from Lazarus when I was about 15 or 16 years old, right when I was taking classes at my parent’s church to fulfill the requirements for admission as an official, saved member of the church (Presbyterian, if it matters….), and wondering how I was going to break it to all of them that I couldn’t do it…. It was a hard decision, but, since the teachers couldn’t answer my questions about Bible incidents that puzzled me (not part of what we studied, but from different chapters I had read…), I stopped attending any services, because I didn’t want to be a hypocrite…. I could even rationalize my decision, as having been made out of concern for the safety of my family and friends, since now the church would conceivably fall down on them if they were with me when I came in…..

“Anybody who wants religion is welcome to it, as far as I’m concerned — I support your right to enjoy it. However, I would appreciate it if you exhibited more respect for the rights of those people who do not wish to share your dogma, rapture or necrodestination.” — Frank Zappa, “The Real Frank Zappa Book”

I also happen to agree with Frank on this one. What I do believe about religion, and the concept of God, or god, or Dog, is my own business, and begins with not pressing it on others, unless they ask; in such cases I will discuss the subject superficially, without expressing any preferences one way or another….. Unless, of course, they begin to proselytize. In THOSE cases, I will use every bit of shock value pop psychology I know of to lead them down some primrose path, messing with their heads until I get bored with them…. which usually doesn’t take long; they’re generally fairly uninteresting people. I tend to prefer people who have a bit of salt to their personality, just a touch of insanity somewhere in their blood…. Such ffolkes are much more fun to be around than folks who spend their time feeling bad about wanting to feel good….. and they annoy me far less often, as a rule…..

If God is omnipotent, why does he need my money? — Smart Bee

“The human condition is such that pain and effort are not just symptoms which can be removed without changing life itself; they are rather the modes in which life itself, together with the necessity to which it is bound, makes itself felt. For mortals, the ‘easy life of the gods’ would be a lifeless life.” — Hannah Arendt

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Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/17/2013

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Naked Pearls

Words to live by….

*******

“To believe with certainty, we must begin with doubting.”

~~ King Stanislaus of Poland ~~

*******

“Virtue is sufficient of herself for happiness.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 250 A.D.) ~~

*******

“Enter freely and leave some of the happiness you bring behind.”

~~ The Insidious Wu Han ~~

*******

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

~~ Oscar Wilde, “Lady Windermere’s Fan”, 1892 ~~

*******

“Death is every man’s final critic. To die well you must live bravely.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“The most important questions in life
can never be answered by anyone except oneself.”

~~ John Fowles, The Magus ~~

*******

“Be excellent to each other. Party on, dude.”

~~- Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure `~~

*******

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I made it. I had my doubts (go figure….), but, all’s well that ends. (We use a slightly more realistic version of that particular phrase around here, as you see….) For the record, it’s Tuesday, and I’m awake. For the balance required, I’ll just say, Whoopee…. No, don’t ask. Just be glad I’m done. I will, as always, issue our standard disclaimer, also known as legally fair warning, I will return tomorrow to do this again. Please don’t ask why, or the auto-defense lasers will start firing. Just wave nicely, and know I’ll be back. It’s pre-ordained….

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….

Baleful gazes and worn-out cliches….

Posted on March 7, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I may be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I’m enjoying the ride.”

~~ Bob Weir ~~

Leelu being diligent….

Advanced Nap Training Session

Hajime…. Oh, what the….? Ah, okay. It’s fine; never mind. Good morrow, ffolkes. And, how are y’all this fine morning. Bet you never thought you’d hear me say that one, did ya? Nor did I, he said, with a crooked grin. Nor did I necessarily mean for such adjective to direct or determine the course of your day, which is, as ever, completely up to you. Me I get tired, very tired, of hearing “Have a nice day!”. and have taken to replying, “Not today, thanks. Got other plans….” It does generally discourage conversation beyond that point, but, hey, I was on my way out, anyway, right?….

Isn’t Leelu cute? I think so, and I’m pretty familiar with cute, having raised a daughter, as well as lived with cats, kittens, dogs, frogs, snakes, and other forms of domesticated and semi-domesticated livestock for my entire life. We had a dog when I was born; another dog taught me to walk. We had goats, parakeets, fish…. If it wasn’t overtly dangerous, I’ve been around them pretty much the whole road I’ve traveled, one way or another. However, none of that is either relevant to the current task at hand, nor, probably, of particular interest to most folks, and even most ffolkes. (I’ll explain that some day, for those who don’t know why I label people in such a manner…. Maybe. Then, again, maybe not. Probably, I’ll forget.)

Okay, where was I? Oh, animals. Or, more prudently, not. Perhaps, at this point, it would be best to go on to another intro-appropriate attempt; the above seems to be a bit, shall we say, off-topic, if not completely non-sequitor? Whatever the hell it is/was, we’re not there anymore, we’re here, fortunately, so, we can, should we choose to accept the mission, hare off in some other idiotic direction. Alternately, we could calmly, and with some dignity, hare off in some other ridiculous direction. Or, I could just stop, and we’ll get on with the rest of today’s mess…. Yes, I think that’s the best idea.

Now, if only we can figure out…. Wait. I know. We’ll do it this way…. Watch close, it’s tricky…. No, no, not for me, for you…. Watch….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

~~ Voltaire ~~

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

Today’s video is, once again, set to default position; this, of course, means you get more classical music. It’s not as if you HAVE to listen, but, if you do, it will soothe your spirit as you read…. Try it, you’ll like it…. It’s not a guarantee, but, trust me, it works….

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Mozart Symphonies

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https://youtu.be/Mv6J25zOanw

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I’m running late, and Leelu wants her time, so, I’m forgoing the rant I had planned to write, using the statement below from Hemingway. Instead, here is the intro section from a Pearl posted about two years ago, which is one of the best I’ve done, both rant, and intro-wise…. I hope you enjoy it, and, of course, treat it with mindfulness for its content….

“Cowardice … is almost always simply a lack of ability to suspend the functioning of the imagination.” — Ernest Hemingway

From 2/25/2014:

Terrible things could happen now…. they could, you know. And, we’ll deserve every second we experience of mind-numbing, soul-chilling, petrifying terror, because, hey, we’re the ones who left the door wide open, inviting it to enter our domain, bringing with it our ultimate doom…. Yes, it’s our own damn fault, and we will know the truth of the matter, because we have been warned, having previously been given wisdom such as this….

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” — Albert Einstein

This is not new wisdom, that we’ve never before seen or suspected; history has provided us with innumerable instances proving the truth of this aphorism….. Time after time throughout our short span of existence on this world, we find examples of men or women who had prior knowledge of an issue, and, by their silence, allowed it to take place, to the detriment of all…. It doesn’t make it right, but, it is certainly not an uncommon issue for mankind…. Such issues are not, perhaps, of those we are given by Reality, our favorite gifts, …. In fact, many don’t look on this, or any knowledge, as gifts, and THAT is a big part of the entire problem….

Our problem is a failure of spirit, that has to do with a basic virtue, one that has been claimed as the basis for all other virtues; without this characteristic, none of our finer qualities are ever seen in the light of day…. That pillar upon which all other virtue rests, then, is Courage…. Yes, plain and simple, courage….

I have found, in my fairly long life, that most of mankind, I’m afraid, are cowards…. I’m not an exception, though it IS something I’ve tried hard to mitigate…. Fear is a hard thing for most of us to admit, even though it isn’t considered abnormal; it’s strength, and the way it causes us to lose control frightens us… However, that is also its saving grace, as the guilt one feels, for having given in to it, can, and does, stimulate us to greater effort, whereupon we can find that courage within ourselves, the next time we are in danger of giving in…. This is how almost everything we do, and have done, of an ethical nature, ever gets done…. because someone discovers they DO have the courage to act when there is danger to themselves, or to those for whom they care…..

That is what it takes, you see…. No virtuous act can ever take place, unless good people have the courage to act in the face of the Evil that exists, in spite of the fear they feel in the presence of that Evil. If they don’t summon, or find somewhere with themselves, the courage to act ethically, or morally, if that is needed, then Evil has free rein to let itself out to play in human affairs, to the detriment of us all….

Each of us has to find that courage within ourselves, the courage to put aside our fear, to carry on with what we know to be right, even though expediency and comfort are left behind in such cases…. Living with honor and integrity is never the easiest path we can take; it is always fraught with danger, because it doesn’t avoid evil, because it’s too hard, but, rather, confronts it, endeavoring to deal with it in a straightforward, upright fashion…. thus, preserving one’s own honor, when forced to have truck with what always leaves us feeling a bit dirty….

Now that we have wandered so far afield this morning, I’m not sure what will happen to this Pearl…. Minor ranting isn’t uncommon in the intro, but, I do try to limit it to no more than eight or ten paragraphs, so we don’t take forever to get into just the first section…. a resolution which, this morning, is NOT unfolding according to plan…. Allow me to sum up, and get on with it, if you will…

All of what I wrote above is true and complete, to the best of my knowledge, and constitutes a fairly accurate assessment of today’s situation here on planet Earth…. Evil is out there, and when we… that’s you, and me…. fail to stand up to it, look it in the eye, and tell it to “fuck off, you bloody sod!”, then it will continue to manifest its existence, causing untold pain and suffering for us all…. So, be brave, ffolkes, and don’t let Evil have its way without at least some token resistance, ‘kay?…. “Kay!…..

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Asked what he gained from philosophy, he answered, “To do without being commanded what others do from fear of the laws.”” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi

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To finish off this section, here is the perfect pearl to go with the above….

“It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.”

~~ Arthur C. Clarke ~~

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Mad Dogs at Bay

Wicked, angry red scenes of imminent demise
haunt my dreams each night.
Fearful visions of destructive surprise
leave me sweating in terror, as well they might.

Small, mean, ugly, with beady little eyes,
pundits gather like maggots, bloated and vile,
grunting, snuffling, mumbling outlandish lies,
enslaving the ignorant with patience and guile.

Society’s denizens exist as volunteer slaves.
Living and dying by script, completely blind.
Never allowing any resentment, no making waves.
Never knowing joy, nor any peace of mind.

Free men will not be controlled, ’tis said;
No coercion, no illusion can cloud their sight.
No threats, no pain, no fear they dread;
their only duty to keep to the right.

Dreams are mere reflections of our inner fears,
whispering, close against doors shut fast.
Mocking our mostly irrelevant tears,
clearly marking the future as our sordid past.

~~ gigoid ~~

7/15/2015

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Our final pearl today is somewhat esoteric. In general, it speaks of the mind, and how we learn to use it, but, it’s not quite that simple, I think…. You’ll see…. Enjoy!….

“If you think education is expensive,
Try Ignorance.”

~~ Andy McIntyre ~~

“I am defeated, and I know it, if I meet any human being from whom I find myself unable to learn anything.” — George Herbert Palmer

“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” — John Cotton Dana, libraria (motto of Kean College of New Jersey)

“In the end it will not matter to us whether we fought with flails or reeds. It will matter to us greatly on what side we fought.” — G. K. Chesterton

“The hands that help are better far than the lips that pray.” — Robert Green Ingersoll

“The effect of one upright individual is incalculable.” — Oscar Arias

“There are no dangerous thoughts; thinking itself is dangerous.” — Hannah Arendt

“What we know is not as important as who we are.” — Subtle Bee

“Knowledge by suffering entereth,
And life is perfected by death.”

~~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning ~ A Vision of Poets, Conclusion ~~

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Once again, we have reached the final section, without having, to my knowledge, caused any bloodshed, unless it be amongst the targets of my vitriol, for whom bloodshed is the intended result. Having thus spit out the last of my humanity, I shall fold my tent, and fade into the sunrise, or sunset, depending on where you reside on the planet. Are we confused yet? Good. My job here is done. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; of that you may be sure….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Tracking the venomous rose-hued starling….

Posted on March 6, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Confucius. ~~

Gandalf

Image from liketowastemytime.com via Google Images

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

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

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

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

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ Heraclitus ~~

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

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Tom Waits
On Broadway

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https://youtu.be/zUyDvnSAJU0

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

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

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

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The Present

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https://youtu.be/3XA0bB79oGc

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

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

Paytriotism

by Dean J. Baker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

©Dean J. Baker

Link to Blog “Tormenting the Monkey”

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

Links to Dean’s work and social media

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

https://www.createspace.com/5876855

https://www.facebook.com/DeanJBakerPoetAuthorComposer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Zinc patterns are drifting south…

Posted on March 2, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap,
whence everyone must take an equal portion,
most people would be contented to take their own and depart.”

~~ Socrates ~~

Heralding Spring ~ Street Scene

Hajime….. Life’s a funny thing, don’t you think? Now, perhaps, if you’re like me at all, the first thought to enter your mind upon reading that is to make an internal decision as to the meaning of ‘funny’, then react according to that meaning. Personally, I tend to smile first, at the irony of a human being trying to assign meaning to a word in English, especially one with such a multitude of meanings, and, shades of meaning. It’s one of the best parts about the language, it’s flexibility…. as well as one of the more confusing aspects it displays. After all, life itself is ambiguous, by nature, so, a language used to talk of it needs to reflect that.

I believe that should do it. I’ve set a tone of rational discourse, so as to provide some camouflage for what is below, which may SEEM rational and organized, but, in truth, is a cobbled-together mess, hampered as I was by a new, surprise physical issue, a gift from the past to remind me of my former foolishness. Well, it seems that way, anyway. In short, I got distracted, by a new source of pain, about level 8 or so, in my ankle, which severely limited my ability to walk or move around…. This, naturally, made everything harder, not to mention more painful. I’m not complaining, per se; I’ve dealt with the pain of a sprained ankle literally dozens of time in my life, so, that isn’t the problem…. It’s getting anything done in my usual routine that became impossible….

So, I’m up early to try to cobble a Pearl from nothing…. and, I’m almost there…. One last part, & we’ll be good to go. To foster the success of that plan, I’ll dump you right here, so we can get the slow on the toad, before the toast gets soggy. I’d hang on if I were y’all; this method gets a bit unstable going around the corners….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The hour is striking so close above me,
so clear and sharp,
that all my senses ring with it.
I feel it now: there’s a power in me
to grasp and give shape to my world.
I know that nothing has ever been real
without my beholding it.
All becoming has needed me.
My looking ripens things
and they come toward me, to meet and be met.”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke, from Book of Hours ~~

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“Life without music would be an intolerable insult.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Today’s musical choice reflects the quote at the top of this section, a statement with which I am in complete agreement…. My life would be much less enjoyable without classical music, and this young lady’s talent shows us why…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Classical Guitar
Xuefe Yang

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https://youtu.be/QCe5EsLlyVw?list=PLfdMKJMGPPty_Gdn0U8pohWKEpeJZer-n

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Naturally, since so little got done yesterday, we’re going to the archives…. Way back in the archives, to be exact, to the early days of this blog on WordPress…. Here are two short discussions, centered around some rather tasty pearls…. Enjoy!….

From 12/22/2011:

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

“He who does neither is eligible to join the crowd as a Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2012.” — gigoid

Although there are moments, when I’m reading some new report on the latest verbal bomb from the Republican gallery of fools, that I despair for the race, I have to admit it’s really handy for us writers. Every day, sometimes several times, we are presented with material by these folks, who seem to not only have the habit of shooting themselves in the foot, they seem to enjoy it, or at best are using it as a campaign tactic to draw attention. There isn’t even any need to go deep to look for stuff the politicos would rather you didn’t know, because they have taken it upon themselves to offer that information in their own statements, made obvious by their loquaciousness on certain subjects, and their reluctance to speak on others.

It’s almost as if they are printing up pictures of themselves with arrows pointing to their most vulnerable points; I really don’t understand how so many obviously unqualified and downright idiotic people ever got the notion that they could possibly do this. The only thing I can come up with is that they are completely out of touch with objective information, and have determined that subjective judgments are sufficient reason to qualify them for the Presidency.

In other words, they are delusional, as that word is defined as continuing to hold as truth information that has been proven false. Now do we really want folks who suffer from delusional thinking to be the one with the button that launches the nuclear holocaust? I don’ know about you, but I would give that question a resounding “NO!”…..and not feel a whit of guilt…..
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“The world is full of burled and gnarly knobs on which you can hang a metaphysical system. If you must.” — Edward Abbey

Here then is a logical mind. My evidence? His reluctance to impose an invented set of rules on a world that resists any such restraint is, in my mind, eminently sensible. Why do we have to make up stuff to try to explain how the universe functions? What quality does our curiosity have that compels us to seek out some kind of system to help us to deal with reality as it is? Humans seem to want some kind of order to their existence, and for some reason, can’t seem to come to terms with things the way they are. They seem to need to apply their own set of prejudices to the world, an impulse stemming from some unknown inner compulsion that has held back the tide of human progress for just about our entire history.

My own opinion is that human nature, being what it is, noted way back in the old days, that a man with no principles can manipulate other people through their own set of behavioral rules. By balancing a friendly, smiling face with a completely sociopathic conscience, they have been able to keep most of mankind in thrall ever since we first started farming and coming together in cities to trade. And they continue today; as a matter of fact the news of late has been full of evidence of their millenia-long hold over the rest of humanity. We (the gullible masses, identified by H. L. Mencken by the word ‘the booboisie’) have even given them a name; we now call them the 1%.

“The distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the last analysis they rest on force.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

The battle lines for Armageddon have been drawn, and the combatants have chosen their sides; the war is coming, and I wouldn’t do a thing to stop it, because freeing ourselves from the people who live for power is our only hope for survival as a species. The 1% probably believes that they will be the only survivors of a world-wide catastrophe, and odds are, they may be right. But I’ll be damned if I’ll go without putting up an epic fight, for my life, and my liberty……

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” — Walt Kelly (in POGO)

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It’s a day for Emily, I think. I also think we’ll go with one of her best-known poems, just because…. Enjoy! Many millions already have done….

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea,
Yet never in extremity
It asked a crumb of me.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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Hmm…. Well, I did try, but, SB is in a snit, apparently, and won’t give me anything usable. We’ll have to fall back ten yards, and punt. Here’s a pretty good little pearl from a couple years ago…. Enjoy!….

From 2/23/2014:

All things considered, it’s been an interesting morning here at ECR…. I was up a bit late, but, the morning’s routine went smoothly, so I began to write in an unusually comfortable, clear-headed state, an event that, arguably, made the intro as coherent and organized as it is, for a change. The rant above not only went well, it went epic, and quite agreeably, from my standpoint, so, we’re good there, too. I’ve repeated myself with the poem, but, that’s merely a factor of how good it is….

That, of course, brings us to section three, and the obligatory, and, in this case, most welcome, old-school pearl…. We’re shooting today for a seven-star necklace of gems that will make me spew coffee through my nose, from laughing so hard and unexpectedly…. Let’s see what SB can come up with to accommodate us….

“I think, therefore, I am.” — Rene Descartes
“I think I think. Therefore, I think I am.” — Smart Bee
“I think I am. That’s close enough.” — gigoid the dubious

“It is most difficult to acquire wisdom without first having survived a whole mine field filled with folly.” — Smart Bee

“If you are wearing one brown and one black shoe, you have a pair like it somewhere in the closet.” — The Rule of Elderly Survival

“It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.” — Smart Bee

“Eternity’s a terrible thought. I mean, where’s it all going to end?” — Tom Stoppard, _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead_

“On one occasion Aristotle was asked how much educated men were superior to those uneducated: “As much,” said he, “as the living are to the dead.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi

“There are worlds out there where the sky is burning and the sea’s asleep and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there’s danger, somewhere there’s injustice, somewhere else the tea’s getting cold. Come on Ace, we’ve got work to do…” — The Doctor, Survival [Last lines of last episode]

It seems Smart Bee had a different agenda than mine…. S’fine…. I like this one better, since I didn’t have to suffer the nasal spew…. I’ll leave you with that image, reluctantly….

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There you go It’s all rather a cheat, but, it’s done, so, who cares? Not me; getting done was my entire purpose here today, so, I won. Moreover, I did it before the cat woke up, which made it much simpler. I’ll try to get myself squared away, ffolkes, but, given how long a road that may turn out to be, it may affect the next few Pearls…. Oh, they’ll show up, one way or another…. but, I can pretty much guarantee you won’t see a big jump in quality any time soon…. ‘Course, I’ve been wrong before, too. In any case, 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

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Ladders climbing themselves….

Posted on February 29, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Learning isn’t a means to an end; it is an end in itself.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

But, I SWEAR I saw a mouse in here…

Hajime….. Okay, so here’s the deal today. I’m tired, having spent a long, if not particularly onerous night, attempting to garner enough sleep to warrant getting up, Abandoning the battle at about 4:44, according to my little bedside time monitor, I arose, only to remember I had forgotten to get sugar while at the store, and would be seriously short for my first cuppa this morning. SIGH…. Getting old’s a pain, y’know?

So be it. Life’s full of disappointment, and this one doesn’t rank too high on the scale, so, we’ll just ignore the pain (everything’s relative, y’know…. When I’m low on caffeine & sugar, thing can get, for me, a bit strange…), and get on with the slow. Of course, it means we’ll be shortcutting where I didn’t get this done yesterday, (which also had its share of time-altering issues….), so, y’all may as well be prepared for a bumpy road. Can’t be helped, & you’ll get the usual apology note in your email, if you provided it.

All that said, to our common regret, I am sure, we’ll get on with this, before my courage fails. I suppose this means I either have to use one of the Tardis devices, or just fake it, to get us on the toad. Ah, I know, I’ll use my extensive knowledge of cosmic judo, and use a hip-throw….. Or, maybe a leg-sweep…. It won’t matter, they’re expecting Jell-o…. See ya at the oyster beds….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Civilization is fun! Anyway, it keeps me busy!!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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Those familiar with routine here will recognize the logo, and know we’ll be having classical music today. As usual, the mix chosen was picked because it had the picture that grabbed my attention…. Enjoy!….

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/BTCd6h_uQt4

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As noted in the intro, the archives are to play their part today. Here is a relatively short discussion of one of our favorite delusions, religion, and the tendency of humans to indulge in such nonsense…. Enjoy!…. I did.

From 12/28/2012:

“A desire not to butt into other people’s business is at least eighty percent of all human wisdom… and the other twenty percent isn’t very important.” “You butt into other people’s business. All the time.” “Who said I was wise? I’m a professional bad example. You can learn a lot by watching me.” — Jubal Harshaw, in Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein

I would guesstimate that more than 90% of everything I believe about life and the world has its roots in this book by Robert Heinlein, based on the comments of Jubal Harshaw, one of the book’s main characters. Jubal managed to have something to say about just about everything in human culture, and had his own distinct opinion on all of it. Of course, these reflected Heinlein’s own beliefs, but we weren’t supposed to think about that at the time, and had no real effect on anything other than Bob and his friends. The rest of us just appreciated his ironic sense of humor, and the common sense he displayed in such an entertaining fashion.

Medicine, psychology, memory, society, culture, custom, religion and theosophy, politics and political theory, philosophy, military history and structure, strategy, tactics, literature, writing, circuses, carnivals, astronomy, space travel, telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, weaponry, and a host of other subjects…… Every one of these subjects is part of the story Heinlein weaves, as he creates a figure who embraces the entirety of human culture and history, and attempts to change mankind in a way that can help us to overcome those parts of our nature that are giving us problems, and eventually will lead to our demise as a species. This book, Heinlein’s magnus opus, is his attempt to show humanity the way to save ourselves from our own stupidity and ignorance…..

Sadly, Heinlein is aware also that our fatal flaw is just that…. fatal. His protagonist, Michael Valentine Smith, who offers humanity the salvation of personal revelation, and of personal responsibility, is, in the end, killed by a mob of unbelievers, becoming the same sort of religious martyr as Jesus Christ, with, as Heinlein so aptly shows, the same probable chances of success, i.e., none…. Nothing of what Jesus taught humanity has been incorporated into society; anyone who says it has is delusional. Humanity not only has NOT adopted the philosophy of that great Jewish reformist, but has utterly rejected it, and belittled it, by perverting its precepts, twisting them to suit their own agenda, and acting in ways that are diametrically opposite to what Jesus was teaching.

I defy anyone to provide evidence that what I just said is not true, and invite them to present it here, so it can be discussed. The teachings of Jesus Christ have been corrupted by preachers and priests, politicians, corporate masters, and every other human who desires power over others. The rules of flexibility and love for fellow men that he taught have been turned into obedience to authority, and submission to temporal rulers, as those who wish to control society twist the words, and mangle the concepts that were intended to help in another way.

“Jesus only told half the story. The truth *will* set you free. But, first it’s going to piss you off.” — Solomon Short

I don’t know about y’all, but I think, even if it does piss me off, I’ll take the truth…..

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Haiku

All my poetry
seems to be gone walkabout.
An original.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/28/2016

Fine and Good, Good and Fine

A pig in a poke’s got nothing on me,
cuz I’m as confused as a man can be.
This ol’ world’s got me spinnin’ around
cussin’ and spittin’, a penny for a pound.

Forty ‘leven times since I was a kid, well,
I’ve fallen in love, ‘least too close to tell.
Every damn time, it all went to crap,
Forty ‘leven times I’ve felt like a sap.

‘Course, each time it happens, I forget the last;
why not? I’m havin’ such a blast….
Livin’ in each moment, filled with joie de vivre,
’til it’s all gone away again, nothin’ left up my sleeve.

Don’t want y’all to think I’m sad or blue,
life’s full of sorrow, lots for me, and/or you..
T’other side of that coin, we can be glad,
is joyful love, and that ain’t at all bad.

My road’s been littered with parts o’my heart,
each one colored with trust, which ain’t always smart.
Yet, long as I don’t lose my connection to joy,
I’ll find my own true love, and be a happy boy.

It’s been some kinda fun, even when I’d take a fall,
and doin’ it over makes no sense at all, at all
Day after day, I keep on keepin’ on, as it’s said;
Guess I’ll keep on doin’ that ’til I’m dead.

‘Nuff said….

~~ gigoid, tongue firmly in cheek ~~

3/23/2013

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Naked Pearls

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“What are fears but voices airy?
Whispering harm where harm is not,
And deluding the unwary
Till the fatal bolt is shot!”

~~ William Wordsworth ~~

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“I have found power in the mysteries of thought.”

~~ Euripides ~~

*********

“9. Love deeply and passionately.
You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.”

~~ Instructions for life ~~

*********

“Our minds possess by nature an insatiable desire to know the truth.”

~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero ~~

*********

“Keep the juices going by jangling around gently as you move.”

~~ Satchel Paige ~~

*********

“If you bring forth what is within you,
what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is within you,
what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

~~ Jesus Christ (Gnostic Gospel Of Thomas, Saying 70) ~~

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“Among what he called his precepts were such as these:
Do not stir the fire with a sword.
Do not sit down on a bushel.
Do not devour thy heart.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Pythagoras, xvii ~~

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“There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

*********

“O to be self-balanced for contingencies!
O to confront night, storms,
hunger, ridicule, accidents, rebuffs
as trees and animals do!”

~~ Walt Whitman ~~

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Having thus completed my duty, to my surprise and delight, I shall forthwith take my leave, stage virtual. But, don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow. The universe, it seems, leaves me little choice in the matter, and, who am I to argue with an entire universe? See ya….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Fitted with dubious shoes at midnight….

Posted on February 25, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Laughter is by definition healthy.

~~ Doris Lessing ~~

Whew! This writing gig isn’t as easy as it looks…

Hajime….. While perusing the suggested Pearls at the bottom of yesterday’s post, I came across what is possibly the best Pearl I did in 2012…. The whole thing was, if I say so myself, well-done, succinct, and cogently written. I’m rather proud of it, having forgotten it completely, so, I intend to use parts of it shamelessly today… Since the rant section runs a bit long, we’ll go with a new, very short poem today…. We’ll begin right in the intro, which went like this….

Ffolkes,

Can you say pusillanimous? No? Nor can I….. pity…..

Now that the facts in the matter have been established beyond all doubt, we may turn to more important questions, such as why is he talking like that? Or perhaps, why DOES Murphy have to stick his big nose into my business every damn day? Now, these are meaty subjects, and well worth our undivided attention. Of course, should we provide that, I’m afraid that it may send the entire Roman and Greek pantheons into hysterics. They’re SO prudish since being de-deified….. I suppose conservatism is a natural reaction to bad news and cowardice combined; it certainly seems to be the case in this country amongst the, shall we say, non-cognoscenti…..

There, that’s out…. better out than in, I always say (just ask anybody…). I’m not going to apologize for that bit of phantasm; ’twas necessary to my health for it to come out. I will say that I hope I didn’t startle the horses, or make the babies cry; such was not, I assure you, my intent. No, sheer unbridled relief was the intent, and that has been achieved, so, what say we NOT press our luck, and go straight on into today’s dive, hmm? I think that would be best, for all concerned….. let us Pearl…

Well, I like it. In fact, we’ll take it. Onward, fellow cognoscenti….

Shall we Pearl?….

“To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue.”

~~ Gentle Bee ~~

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

Clapton, Bruce, & Baker ~ 2005

Image from http://www.mirror.co.uk via Google Images

When I went to look for music for today, I was feeling in the mood for something raucous & driving. I can’t think of a better concert for just that combination of music, with three of the legendary best musicians in all of rock & roll, coming together nearly 40 years after breaking up their original group. Enjoy, ffolkes; this concert is, literally, one of the best ever seen, or performed….

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

Cream Reunion 2005

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

https://youtu.be/iF-pMingp6A?list=PL72C23EF77CEADE68

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

Socrates

    I feel like one
    Who treads alone
Some banquet-hall deserted,
    Whose lights are fled,
    Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed.

~~ Thomas Moore — Oft in the Stilly Night ~~

As promised in the intro…. shameless…. I have altered some of the formatting to make it look better, reflecting our current look. None of the words themselves were altered, at all…. Oh, for those who wonder why the verse from Tom is above this section…. All I can say is, think about it, and, all you’ve learned here at ECR…. This piece turned out to be fairly lengthy, taken together as it was; so be it. I think it’s worth it….

From 4/12/2012:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

~~ Matthew 7:15 ~~

Why look! There’s one of them now!….. Gosh, if it wasn’t for Matthew, we’d have never even noticed him…… thank God! No telling how much he traumatized those sheep…. C’mon grab your rifle, we’ll take him out before he goes rabid or something….

The above short piece of conversation was not me…. would I be that sarcastic? What? Well, I resemble that remark!….. Shame on you! Pulling covers like that! How will these folks who wear blinders all the damn time ever save themselves, if they can’t even see through what a preacher tells them? I’m afraid there isn’t much hope for them…. they’re doomed to a lifetime of ignorance, and its just rewards….. ah, well, such a pity…. The rest of mankind was hoping they’d get a clue, and try to come with us down the road of reason, and on toward survival, but, I suppose that folks are entitled to their own opinions, no matter how grossly ignorant, and bigoted. Well, as long as they don’t try to drag anyone else along with them to perdition; that would be a real shame…..

“Being intelligent is not a felony.
But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.”

~~ Robert Heinlein ~~

___________________________________

“If you are out of trouble, watch for danger.”

~~ Sophocles ~~

Sophocles states one of mankind’s earliest attempts to make people aware of Murphy’s law, to prepare them, as it were, to deal with its unpredictable tendency to manifest at the most inopportune times. I can personally attest to the continuing relevance of this statement in reality, having encountered such danger on numerous occasions, and always when distracted by the absence of any other problems. It’s kind of like figuring out your taxes, finding out you will get a big refund, then having the car eat a piston on the way to mail the tax return forms….

“If you rely on Murphy’s law, everything will go as planned
(but don’t count on it.)”

~~ Sullivan’s Observation ~~

I just have to say, if you will pardon my French, Murphy is an asshole. Of course, my no doubt bad habit of calling a spade a spade (even if it is obviously a shovel) is probably the main reason he bothers me so much. But, knowing that doesn’t alter his stink, nor does it give him the right to fuck with people who haven’t done a damn thing to deserve it. I think that is what annoys me so much about him; he is so damnably inefficient in his application of his power over reality. No sense to his choices at all, at times.

Oh sure, occasionally, he’ll get one right, and one of the beloved ruling class, or one of humanity’s ever-present number of true assholes will get what they so justly deserve at his hands. But, more often, it is the little guy just struggling along, trying to make his way through a life that offers no breaks, and no bonuses, who is the butt of his adolescent humor. It’s really a pain in the arse, if you know what I mean….

“This isn’t hell.
This is where you get sent when you’ve been bad in hell.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

___________________________________

BRAIN, n. An apparatus with which we think what we think. That which distinguishes the man who is content to _be_ something from the man who wishes to _do_ something. A man of great wealth, or one who has been pitchforked into high station, has commonly such a head full of brain that his neighbors cannot keep their hats on. In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, brain is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of office.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Once I stopped chuckling over the wit, and then got over the sadness engendered by its truth, this little gem came directly to today’s lineup. Not because it will cause a good discussion, or even that it is either egregiously wrong, or demonstrably correct, though it is certainly the latter. No, I am impressed more by the fact that this was included in the original version of The Dictionary by Mr. Bierce, which was published sometime in the mid-nineteenth century, over 150 years ago. Truly a vision of the future, as well as a stunningly life-like representation of the present….. and well worth including here, all by its lonesome…..

___________________________________

“Everything I have said and done in these last years is relativism by intuition… If relativism signifies contempt for fixed categories and men who claim to be the bearers of an objective, immortal truth… then there is nothing more relativistic than fascistic attitudes and activity… From the fact than all ideologies are of equal value, that all ideologies are mere fictions, the modern relativist infers that everybody have the right to create for himself his own ideology and to attempt to enforce it with all the energy of which he is capable.” — Benito Mussolini, _Diuturna_

As I read through this, I at first thought it was a parody, that someone was having us on, as it were. But then I realized that this person was perfectly serious, and was astonished at the arrogance, the narcissism, and the sheer unbridled effrontery of the author, if such he may be called. Then I saw the author’s name, and my mind went, “Aha! That explains it….” It is hard to know where to begin to perform a logical critique of so much nonsense, but once begun, it practically tears itself apart, displaying the inconsistencies that are inherent in any such ambition and greed thinly disguised as logical justification.

Benito starts off by using words which, according to their definitions, do not apply to the subject at hand; he gets around this little fillip by redefining the meaning of the words, thus allowing him to use them as assumptions that justify the pseudo-logical arguments that follow. He then finishes it off with a conclusion that is a complete 180 degrees from the actual truth of his assertions, thus turning an apparent discussion of ideologies and philosophy into a stand-up comedy routine, one that isn’t funny in the slightest…… And we all know where he ended up…. swinging slowly from a rope around his obese neck (at least figuratively, if not literally), applied by his fellow countrymen in just compensation for his evil…. and regardless of his obviously insane state of mind…..

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

Balance

Practicing being
mindful, always present now,
we learn how to flow.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/24/2016

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

Naked Pearls

Observations on Life at Large ~ Redux

*********

“We could never learn to be brave and patient,
if there were only joy in the world.”

~~ Helen Keller ~~

*********

“”Every great advance in natural knowledge
has involved the absolute rejection of authority.”

~~ Thomas Henry Huxley “

*********

“Whatever occurs from love is always beyond good and evil.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*********

“Ridicule is the best test of truth.”

~~ Lord Chesterfield ~~

*********

“Freedom is always and exclusively
freedom for the one who thinks differently.”

~~ Rosa Luxemburg ~~

*********

“How can you buy or sell the sky?”

~~ Chief Seattle, 1852 ~~

*********

“It was the saying of Bion,
that though the boys throw stones at frogs in sport,
yet the frogs do not die in sport but in earnest.”

~~ Plutarch ~~

*********

“The chief good is the suspension of the judgment,
which tranquility of mind follows like its shadow.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Pyrrho, xi ~~

*********

“Chaos is but unperceived order.”

~~ attributed to Fred Hoyle ~~

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

Having thus completed my vow, I shall take my leave, until tomorrow, when I’ll make yet another effort at attaining some sort of literary competence… Fat chance, right? Ah, well, so be it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the ol’ pump keeps pumpin’….

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….

Instant gratification on sale tomorrow….

Posted on February 19, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If a fish is the movement of water embodied, given shape,
then a cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air”

~~ Doris Lessing~~

I deleted ALL your files….

Hajime….. If there were any method available to tell, I would tell you. Since, however, such a method has yet to be discovered, we’ll have to make do with the older version, where I just say it out straight and clean…. Okay, here goes….. Hang on…. Wait for it…. Alright, here you go….

It’s too late. I’m sorry, but, in spite of everything I was able to do, and, in direct opposition to every effort made by a number of compassionate volunteers, it’s just not going to happen…. The sign says we’d have it on sale tomorrow, but, the vendor just couldn’t get his shit together to ship it on time, so, it’s going to be late, again…. I guess that’s what we get for trying to obtain the instant gratification of desires everyone in this plane of existence seems to have to have; such a rare item is, as you can see, a bit hard to come by…. Ah well, maybe next week…

That, you might wish to note, is one of the very rare occasions in which you will ever see a reference to a title of a Pearl IN the actual Pearl it graces. I decided when I began this process, almost twenty years ago now, to never connect the title and the material in the piece. Don’t ask me why; I didn’t know then, and I care less now. Such is life with a self-defined curmudgeon of relatively advanced years, who has, through a lifetime of practice, become quite adept at doing exactly as he wishes, and reality be damned. It can get a bit crusty, but, it suits me.

I think that’s quite enough blather for one day. If I don’t stop here, this could get a bit top-heavy. Since I AM driving this bus, what I say must go, so, we’ll just pretend it’s the right thing to do, and do it. I would suggest, given the return of Luigi to the pilot’s chair today, you secure your personal safety restraints, and put your adult beverage down in the holder provided for that purpose. You might also wish to call your insurance guy, to make sure you’re up to date….. The rest of you…. look busy, the proctor’s on board today…. Hit it, Luigi!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“He should not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.”

~~ Elrond ~~

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

Tom Waits

One of my Gentle Readers mentioned their fondness for this artist. Let it never be said I ignore the wishes of my readers…. I do, but, let it never be said, for I didn’t do that today…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this one is another Original…. and, it’s an album I haven’t heard yet…. Yay!….

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

Tom Waits
Mule Variations

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

https://youtu.be/c_OkcVLBB9A

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

I’m working on a rant to end all rants (so to speak), but, it’s stalled for the moment. Here is a set of rules which I haven’t posted in a while, but, is worth a repeat every once in a while. It’s a list I try very hard to live by, as it was all stuff the Sarge embedded in my persona, to my endless gratitude… These rules, if followed by ALL men, would make the world a very different place than the one in which we actually live…. Read them, and, I think you would agree…

Last posted on 11/18/2013:

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

Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/17/2013

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

Today’s final old-school pearl is a bit esoteric, but, not so much it’s obscure…. Mostly, it’s just good stuff to know about Life, Reality, and All That Stuff…. Enjoy!….

“By letting go, it all gets done.”

~~ Tao Te Ching ~~

*********

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

*********

“Silence speaks with eloquence.”

~~ R. Reiley ~~

*********

“Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d’etre oblige de’en pleurer.”
(I make myself laugh at everything, in case I should have to weep.)

~~ Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais ~~

*********

“Unless you love someone, nothing else makes any sense”

~~ E. E. Cummings ~~

*********

“One of the sayings of Diogenes was that most men
were within a finger’s breadth of being mad;
for if a man walked with his middle finger pointing out,
folks would think him mad,
but not so if it were his forefinger.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Diogenes, vi ~~

*********

“All authority is quite degrading.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

*********

“Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.”

~~ Clarence Darrow ~~

*********

“Life without learning is death.”

~~ Cicero ~~

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

At this point, undue confidence would be out of place; I’ll merely say, it’s done, and, I’m glad, for it looked a bit shaky there during the process. Since this ain’t go gift horse, we won’t peer too closely into its mouth, lest we see things we should regret. No regrets, ever….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless my insanity assumes a more significant role in reality before then….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Truck stop pastries for lunch & dinner….

Posted on January 31, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it.”

~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~

The Spanish Arch ~ Galway, Ireland

Hajime…. Bilious clouds of noxious fumes rose up to obscure the hallway, as Perry Gomes carefully passed by the broken pipes, from which the gases were leaking. Perry thought to himself it wasn’t surprising, when two buses full of commuters crashed into each other, then bounced into the pumping station; a bit of damage was to be expected. Perry, who worked for the company which maintained the gas lines, was tasked with going into the mess to assess the damage. As he peered down the hallway, in the light of the near-useless flash, he could see something moving, thrashing about against the walls, smashing all in its path. “My God,” he thought, “it’s an intro to a Pearl! How will we ever fix that!”

No telling, actually. Perry’s obviously got his work cut out for him, and, since we are responsible for his being in the situation in the first place, we abandon him to his fate with some reluctance. However, should we wish to get today’s mess on the toad, we’ll need to ignore any and all distractions, just to find the wherewithal within to do so. Not an easy task when one is still wandering around in a creative daze, having just come up with yet another way to NOT write an actual introduction…. It’s a gift.

That said, and, thankfully, done, we’ll make our usual executive decision, and put the slow on the toad. We have no regrets, other than having again fallen into the royal ‘we’, just as if we had time to deal with it. Fuck it. I’m done with this. We are outta here, now…. Watch this!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The psychic task which a person can and must set for himself
is not to feel secure,
but to be able to tolerate insecurity.”

~~ Erich Fromm ~~

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

Today’s music is a nod to one of my blogging friends, who prefers to listen to his classical music played on the guitar. Here is the man who single-handedly brought this kind of music to the world’s awareness, back in the mid-twentieth century…. Considered to be the Master of the guitar, his expertise and artistry are legendary, for good reason…. Enjoy!….

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

Andres Segovia
Classical Guitar

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

https://youtu.be/uRz3AQx21y8

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

Not only do I not have a rant ready, I don’t even feel like ranting. Go figure. At least, this way, I get to use my new icon again…. Here’s a short discussion & old-school pearl about the wisdom mankind pretty much ignores….

From 6/27/2014:

“Waste not the remnant of thy life in those imaginations touching other folk, whereby thou contributest not to the common weal.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 4

I end up using a lot of quotes from Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, all of which seem to me to be pretty well-reasoned and insightful re: human nature, and ethical/moral behavior….. In fact, I find there are as many, or more, insightful, reasoned philosophers who lived before Christ was born… (not that I care that much, but, it’s the point in time our society has agreed upon to use as the basis for our calendar, thus making it the obvious, most convenient, and expedient, choice as a marker, in order to organize people into their time periods for reference and identification)…..

Marcus Aurelius, Socrates, Plato, Plutarch, Aristotle, Cato, the Elder and the Younger, Gautama Buddha, Lao Tzu, Confucius, and a host of others from all cultures in the world, passed their wisdom to us throughout the ages, and have always seemed to me to be superior in their reasoning to any of the more modern philosophers to whom I’ve been exposed….. which you will see reflected in the quotes you see here…. I have no apology for that, and don’t plan to change it, so, I hope y’all enjoy them, because they’re not going away…. In fact, I’m going to put together a pearl with parameters limiting it to quotes over 1500 years old, or more…. I would suggest you enjoy it, but, it’s not necessary with such classical wisdom to offer….

“Before enlightenment, one carries water and chops wood. After enlightenment, one carries water and chops wood.” — Zen Proverb

“Whatever you can lose, you should reckon of no account.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 191

“…for the most part happiness consists in being willing to be what you are.” — Erasmus

“As surgeons keep their instruments and knives always at hand for cases requiring immediate treatment, so shouldst thou have thy thoughts ready to understand things divine and human, remembering in thy every act, even the smallest, how close is the bond that unites the two.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 13

“Nothing made the horse so fat as the king’s eye.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of the Training of Children

“He is a fool who lets slip a bird in the hand for a bird in the bush.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Garrulity

“The trouble with Nixon is that he’s a serious politics junkie. He’s totally hooked… and like any other junkie, he’s a bummer to have around: especially as President.” — Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939), journalist — The Great Shark Hunt, Jacket Copy for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1979)

(Oops! Sorry, that slipped in there due to appending to the clipboard, rather than overwriting…. but, it’s kinda cool, I think, so, it can stay…. just ignore it after reading, and go on to the final pearl, which you see in its designated place, right down there on the line below this….)

“It behooves a prudent person to make trial of everything before arms.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Act iv, Sc. 7, 19, (789.)

Since we were so rudely interrupted by Hunter’s oh-so-poignant observation of reality, I’ll add one more, to show that the ancients possessed as subtle a sense of humor as any modern pundit, for sure and for certain….

“Anaximander used to assert that the primary cause of all things was the Infinite,–not defining exactly whether he meant air or water or anything else.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Anaximander, ii

Well, a bit disjointed, but, it works for me…. So be it…. gigoid has spoken

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

Off the proverbial cuff….

I never meant to kill that period of time,
it didn’t give me any choice.
It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,
refused me any vote, or any voice.

You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,
just as if I cared.
I knew, though, it would never last,
or ever be fully repaired.

No news, no pictures can bring it back,
once is all we get.
No pleas of public good, or even public lack;
in stone the past is set.

Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,
I’m ready to go on.
Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!
Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?

Now, I remembered, at long, long last,
is all we really can hold.
Every moment goes by so bloody fast,
we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/30/2013

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

It’s old-school, and, classic; seven stars of virtual wisdom, all about being human…. such as we are….

“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.” — Vernon Sanders Law

“‘Casting Out Fear’ ought to be the motto over every school door.” — A.S. Neill

“Don’t ask of your friends what you yourself can do.’ — Quintus Ennius

“I exist as I am, that is enough.” — Walt Whitman

“Anacharsis said a man’s felicity consists not in the outward and visible favours and blessings of Fortune, but in the inward and unseen perfections and riches of the mind.” — Plutarch, The Banquet of the Seven Wise Men, 11

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” — Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

“Though nothing can bring back the moments of splendor in the grass, of glory of the flower, we will grieve not . . .” — Wordsworth “Intimations of Immortality”

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

I have fulfilled my chosen duty. I’m tired, and Leelu wants her play time, in her new cat tower. Therefore, without further nonsense, I shall bid thee adieu for another day. Hope yours goes well; I’m planning on hiding today, so I can avoid any jail time. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the warrants don’t come through….

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….

Drifting pieces of abject devotion….

Posted on January 29, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“For one human being to love another human being:
that is perhaps the most difficult task
that has been entrusted to us,
the ultimate task, the final test and proof,
the work for which all other work
is merely preparation.”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~

Guarding her flock of toys/prey….

Hajime…. I would call today’s Pearl a bit eclectic, but, that might be dignifying it more than it deserves. Given the extra time it took to complete it, one might think it would be better; so much for that idea. Smart Bee was more than a little reluctant to cooperate, not to mention the mitigating circumstance of my own lack of chutzpah during the process. It did, however, get done, so, we’ll refrain from any further complaining, which would only detract even further from any value there might be to be found today….. Hmph.

Disgruntled, I am. Yoda-ish, too. Fortunately, I also have the wherewithal to make decisions on my own behalf, which, today, may be our only hope of getting anywhere at all. In fact, I have a feeling if I don’t make it right now, I may just blow this whole deal…. I don’t usually give in to unreasonable fears, but, hey, there’s always something, right? So they say, anyway, and, I’m taking them at their word today…. Here’s how that looks….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

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

Jorma Kauknonen

Image from wikiwand.com via Google Images

Jorma Kauknonen is probably a new name for many of my Gentle Readers, though not all, I am sure. One of the finest guitarists to come out of the hippie era in San Francisco, he was an integral figure in the development of rock & roll into what it is today. As lead guitarist for first, the Jefferson Airplane, then Starship, and Hot Tuna, he set a standard for musicianship reached by few….. This takes a bit of time to get going, but, believe me, he rocks…. Enjoy!….

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

Jorma Kaukonen

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

https://youtu.be/GK9bPsHtJ3I

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

Here is one of my first rants on the subject I have tagged The Plague of Evil….. Not to worry, it’s short, and my writing wasn’t up to current standards…. but, the message is clear…..

From 10/29/2012:

“Abolition of a woman’s right to abortion, when and if she wants it, amounts to compulsory maternity: a form of rape by the State.” — Edward Abbey

This is a difficult pearl to write, as it turns out….. I’ve been cutting and pasting it ahead now for a week or two, trying to get past the anger I feel whenever I think about the number of asshole men who actively perpetrate the oppression of women in our society, a number far too large for my taste, and one I hope to make smaller before I leave this world…. one way or another.

I’d prefer to have them listen to me, and consider what I say to them, and subsequently change their ways…. but, if it takes more than that, say, the judicious application of brute force upon their person, well, I hope to be able to oblige them…. because, in my world, any man who is cowardly enough to try to assume his delusional superiority over women deserves whatever they get from other men, as well as from women strong enough to fight back….

“You’re a very strong woman… Though this would be a traumatic experience that you would never forget, I think that you would be very successful in
life.” — Senator Dan Quayle telling an 11-year-old girl — why he would want her to have the baby if she were raped by her father, 10/18/88 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)

Note, please that this quote from the Quail was made 20 years ago…. yet, the Republican party includes this very atrocity as a part of its platform…. disguised of course, and never directly addressed, or even obliquely alluded to, but, these attitudes are just the same now as they were then; perhaps even worse.

A very similar statement, just one of several in the same vein, was made in the last couple of weeks by a currently running candidate for the Senate, and the R/R ticket has steadfastly refused to speak out against what the man said…. or about any of the other statements by the low-class misogynists now inhabiting the entire Republican party. In fact, Lyin’ Ryan is already on record as having made the same assertion as Mr. Quayle did in 1988, earlier in this year’s campaign.

“The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life — the children; those who are in the twilight of life — the aged; and those who are in the shadows of life — the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” — Hubert Humphrey

These asinine fools would have us believe that their entire concern in this issue is for the fetus…. when in reality it is their own sexual insecurities that they are protecting, by taking the decision about any such matters, involving women’s health, out of the hands of the women involved, and putting it in the hands of men, who are deathly afraid of the women’s sexuality, because they automatically feel inferior…. This creates the reaction of rage, or anger, which always covers our fears, and these cowards in men’s clothing cover it all by spouting their lies and insanity even more….

I find at this point that I must bring this to a (temporary) end…. I am not paying attention to the lesson of today’s first section, and my anger at these assholes is getting to the point where I want to put away the computer and pick up my stick, to go looking for a few of them to bludgeon until some of my anger is released. That, while satisfying in the short run, would no doubt lead to complications I’m not prepared to accept, so….. But, I’ll be back to this subject, be sure…. I need to ask all those women out there who are supporting Romney and Ryan just when it was they lost their minds….

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

When life calls, ready or not….

Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.

Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.

Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.

Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.

Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/10/2012

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

Naked Pearls

Odd Bits of Truth

*********

“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”

~~ William Makepeace Thackeray ~~

*********

“All the magick of creation exists within a single, tiny seed.”

~~ Magi ~~

*********

“Not every truth is the better for showing its face undisguised;
and often silence is the wisest thing for a man to heed.”

~~ Pindar ~~

*********

“We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.”

~~ Eric Hoffer ~~

*********

“Aristotle was once asked what those who tell lies gain by it.
Said he, “That when they speak truth they are not believed.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Aristotle, xi ~~

*********

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

~~ Essays: First Series (1841) “Self-Reliance” ~~

*********

“It is the edge and temper of the blade
that make a good sword,
not the richness of the scabbard;
and so it is not money or possessions
that make man considerable,
but his virtue.”

~~ Seneca ~~

*********

“The fear of death is more to be dreaded than death itself.”

~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 511 ~~

*********

“The more you love, the more you can love
—and the more intensely you love.
Nor is there any limit on how many you can love.”

~~ Robert Heinlein ~~

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

All I can say today is, we’ll be back tomorrow, with a greater effort, if not superior results…. Of course, given this one, getting better shouldn’t e too difficult…. I’ll be back, ffolkes. You can take it as a threat, a promise, a warning, or, a joke…. take your pick. I’ll be here, regardless….

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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