Tag Archives: Don Quixote

No, no, not the taffeta!….

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Ffolkes,

“Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go;

it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow”

 — Alice M. Swaim

8-30-2014 003

    Today’s picture, which goes well with the opening pearl, is one of my own. The flower is one I found while out walking, picking this one to put on my hat for the day, as is my habit whenever I go out. When I got home, the gorgeous thing was still fresh and beautiful, so I laid it on the black surface of the couch, and took some shots of it, in addition to a couple others, including one of how it looked on the hat….. I am very pleased with this shot; the colors are both vivid and delicate at once, and the background black makes it almost glow… Not bad for an old curmudgeon, eh?

Now that my shoulder is back in the socket, after getting thrown out by patting myself so hard on the back, I think I can continue to type… not that it seems to make any difference in anything. It’s a good thing I don’t do this for money, or for self-promotion; I’d be starving, big time. I’m pretty sure the sobriety and deeply controversial nature of most of my ranting, along with the length of what I write, has been striking many of my usual readers with its repetitive qualities, such that not many are stopping in very often of late to read…. Oh, I’m getting readers, and have had some great dialogue in the comment section; just not a lot of traffic overall….

S’okay by me… I write to stay sane. I also figured out something the other day, as I sat one early evening, thinking about, well, stuff…. I do that a lot…. just sit, and think. Always have; it seems to provide me with the time alone in my head that I need to feel as if I’m keeping up with things in there; you know, sweeping out old bullshit, programming new stuff, planning for future events, examining new ideas and stuff learned for validity, truth, and/or flaws in reasoning, stuff like that…. If it were a computer (my head) you could call it file maintenance, or defragmentation, or maybe running a registry cleaning software program…

Any who, while sitting and thinking, I realized that the routine I’ve developed over the last three years has been my mind’s adaptation to retirement, which it accomplished in order to keep me young…. All my life, I had routines that I built to deal with the demands of life, all of which involved getting up early in the morning, to get a jump on the necessary thinking, organizing, and just plain waking up that can make the difference between a good day, and a bad one, no matter what kind of work I, or anyone, is involved in; good planning makes for good outcomes…. Now that I have no real reason to get up in the morning, my mind decided to give me one, and made it necessary for me to write….. otherwise, I would certainly have gone mad…. stark raving mad, rather than my current level of mild anxiety mixed with unpredictable, intermittent emotional fragility, easily handled…

So, my job now is to write each day, in order to keep the demons from staying too long, joining up with their mates, and giving me REAL problems to deal with… If in the process, I can write something that makes someone smile, or think, or burn with outrage, or fall on the floor laughing, then I’ll be content…. Money isn’t necessary to make me feel satisfaction; I get mine from a well-turned phrase, or an apt insult to someone who deserves more than I can hit them with…. it’s enough for me….

Why look! I’ve meandered and blathered again, mostly about stuff that means little to nothing, and have again arrived at a suitable jumping-off point just at the right moment, when I’d finished my egotistic drivel…. This means we don’t even need to use one of the emergency methods, though, we did go a bit long again…. S’fine…. it’ll all come out in the wash, right?

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be!” — Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote

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Since the intro went so long, even without ranting, I’ll go old-school in this section, to try to keep from scaring anyone away this early…. Here is a pearl with parameters set to poke at our Beloved ruling class, and the public morality that allows them to keep on keepin’ on with their unruly shenanigans…. Hopefully, today, we’ll see some blood….

“Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an ‘inconvenience.’ We have opted instead for an authoritarian system *disguised* as a Democracy.  We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there.” — Frank Zappa

“A man that expects to train lobsters to fly in a year is called a lunatic and is locked up. But a man that thinks people can be turned into angels by legislation is called a reformer and allowed to walk free.” — Mr. Dooly

“A pig ate his fill of acorns under an oak tree and then started to root around the tree.  A crow remarked, `You should not do this.  If you lay bare the roots, the tree will wither and die.’ `Let it die,’ said the pig.  `Who cares so long as there are acorns?'” — Smart Bee

“Nothing links man to man like the frequent passage from hand to hand of cash.” — Walter Sickert (1860-1942)

“And the Clinton administration launched an attack on people in Texas because those people were religious nuts with guns.  Hell, this country was FOUNDED by religious nuts with guns!” — P. J. O’Rourke

“Sure we’ll have Fascism, but it will come disguised as Americanism.” — Huey P. Long

“Instead of giving money to found colleges to promote learning, why don’t they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything?   If it works as good as the Prohibition one did, why, in five years we would have the smartest race of people on earth.” — Will Rogers

Not too shabby at all; there’s some sharp sticks in there, ffolkes…. hope they caught one of the bastards right in the eye….. I love starting the day with some good red, American politician blood flowing…. It keeps all of us on our toes to see that shocking red color, and to know it’s our own fault if we let it continue this way…. Besides, they breed like flies, and there’s always another one ready to step into the old one’s shoes, bloody or not…. Sometimes, I swear, shooting politicians is like trying to stem the tide…..

Oops…. sorry, all you folks over there at the NSA…. I used the words “shoot” and “politician” in the same sentence; it’s a figure of speech. We’re only shooting insults, not bullets…. Bloody idiots…..

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Here is another new poem, just bled out yesterday, that speaks for itself….

Retrospective, defined in folly….

Yesterday
I wrote a poem.

It bled out of my head,
like I’d been struck with
an axe,
right through the artery,
in the neck,
spraying blood around
everywhere,
like a pulsing garden hose….

It hurt, at first,
then came the feeling,

of quick relief,
of timeless beauty,
 
of pain avenged,
of lust aroused,

of outrage aflame,
of deep compassion,

of endless empathy,
of truest love….

Now it’s gone, cast away
like pearls before twine.

(Grin…)

You thought
I was going to call you
a pig,
didn’t you?

Hah!

Well, you’re not.
You’re a person.

I know, because
you’re reading this poem…
if that’s what it is.
I think it is,
so,
maybe it is.

Or, maybe,
it will be,
someday, when it
grows up,
and learns to rhyme.
Whew…
Just in time…..

That’s all.
Reality often sucks wind,
y’know?

S’okay, though….
It keeps us busy,
and out of some of the
mischief,
so much part
of our
nature.

We all can do
only what we
do.

Or, don’t.

Two sides, one coin.

~~ gigoid ~~


Hmm…. well, that was…. is…. something different, for sure, and for certain….

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“I was brought up in the other service; but I knew from the first that the Devil was my natural master and captain and friend.  I saw that he was in the right, and that the world cringed to his conqueror only from fear.” — George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), “The Devil’s Disciple”

It is possible, if one reads with intelligent absorption, and open perception, to hear the echoes of sardonicism in Shaw’s words; for my own part, I can almost SEE his tongue, firmly lodged in cheek, while he wrote this, struggling with all his might not to burst out into maniacal laughter….. This may have been the single most satisfying phrase anyone has ever had the fortune to write; it pokes the entire Western culture, with its overbearing elitism, its incredible arrogance, its pompous, stuffy demeanor, and its sheer insane insistence on basing an entire society based on a set of delusions fostered upon them by insane fanatics with no other morality than the dictates of their own perverted fears of the unknown, right in the proverbial eye….

It’s wonderfully antagonistic, too… I like that. Shaw had a lot of fun with this one, for, by it’s nature, his contention sets itself up in direct opposition to every point of morality favored by those in Christian society; since his own philosophical structure is NOT based on delusions, it is simple for him to see, and point to all the nonsense in the dogma that is supposed to act as the guide for his behavior…. which only enrages them, as they have no hold on him, or any way to shut him up, without showing themselves as the lying, or at least, misguided fools they are….

Now, I could discuss (rant about) this for a long time, and would enjoy every moment. It’s great fun to think up ways to annoy those hidebound dinosaurs; it IS a bit dishonorable, as it is not very nice to engage in battles of wit with unarmed opponents, but, then, I’ve never been very nice… not about this. But, in hopes of luring perhaps a few of my readers back, I’ll use this opportunity to reproduce an old-old-old school pearl, first posted here on 10/31/2011, when the entire Pearl of Virtual Wisdom was an old-school format…. So, what you will now see is the whole Pearl from that date….. Enjoy, it’s a good one…..

Ffolkes,

Due to circumstances that are completely within my control, I have  lot to do today, so I will be using the old format for this morning’s offering, with just a short intro, and then some mighty fine virtual food for thought. Between fighting off depression, scratching for change, and juggling creditors, I have neglected my homework, which only hurts me, so there ya go. I sleep a lot, probably because when I’m asleep, I feel more in control of my life.

Pitiful, isn’t it? Ah well, life is Change, and this situation too shall pass in time. I’ve procrastinated almost as far as I can with the homework, though I’m sure I’ll come up with at least one or two ways to put it off before I actually get to it. I’m creative in that respect, if in no other…….any who, here are today’s Pearls, all of which can be found in Category “Finest Kind Stuff”………

“To be “matter of fact” about the world is to blunder into fantasy…. and dull fantasy at that, as the real world is strange and wonderful.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“All the knowledge in the world is not wisdom”. — Albert Einstein

“Invisible Pink Unicorns are beings of great spiritual power. We know this because they are capable of being invisible and pink at the same time. Like all religions, the Faith of the Invisible Pink Unicorns is based upon both logic and faith. We have faith that they are pink; we logically know that they are invisible because we can’t see them.” — Steve Ely

(Sound familiar? Has a certain Tea Party ring to it, no?…..)

You ‘d scarce expect one of my age
To speak in public on the stage;
And if I chance to fall below
Demosthenes or Cicero,
Don’t view me with a critic’s eye,
But pass my imperfections by.
Large streams from little fountains flow,
Tall oaks from little acorns grow.

~~ David Everett ~~
 (1769-1813)
 — Lines written for a School Declamation —


The wages of sin are high but you get your money’s worth. — Smart Bee

“Please come home with me…  I have Tylenol!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Well, there you go, Ollie, another fine mess…..and in Technicolor too!  Y’all take care out there…..

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With this Pearl, I declare this blog officially back to relative normalcy; up at the usual time, finished at an appropriate hour, and posted before 7 AM…. I’ll take it.  In fact, I’ll take it as it is, and be done with it for today…. I’ll see you mañana, amigos…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

Kowabunga!


On the path of least resistance….

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Ffolkes,
Reality can be a slippery slope around here, especially in the early morning, and today is no exception. I looked at the clock while in bed, and saw it was 0515; I could hear the coffee finishing up brewing in the kitchen. I blinked, and rolled over to get up, and the clock now reads 0656…. I lost an hour and more, to a bloody blink! Now you can understand why I never pay for my reality; I can never count on it being where or when I left it, and it’s never in the shape I think it  should be in….. which is, I know, my fault, as I am the one who determines the shape it takes, merely by viewing it….SIGH… I wonder if I could out-source this whole getting up procedure?…. It might be worth looking at….

As might be surmised, this morning finds me a bit on the groggy side, which, as a rule, tends to have a deleterious effect on the introduction. So far it isn’t too bad; at least it’s not a rant. Early ranting turns everything dark, and dreary, and who needs that in the morning? Certainly not me…. Ranting first thing does get things moving right along, though, and provides a direction. If only it were more elegant, or at least funny, it would be an acceptable beginning. But, rants usually are neither elegant, nor funny, unless we are talking about Mitt the Twitt, in which case funny just can’t be kept out of the picture, as he takes pretty careful aim at his foot every time he opens his mouth…..

Ah well, I suppose we should just get on with it, eh? Slip on a mask, grab some flippers, and let’s go Pearling!….

I was sane once… didn’t like it. — Smart Bee
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FOOL, n.  A person who pervades the domain of intellectual speculation and diffuses himself through the channels of moral activity.  He is omnific, omniform, omnipercipient, omniscience, omnipotent.  He it was who invented letters, printing, the railroad, the steamboat, the telegraph, the platitude and the circle of the sciences.  He created patriotism and taught the nations war — founded theology, philosophy, law, medicine and Chicago.  He established monarchical and republican government.  He is from everlasting to everlasting — such as creation’s dawn beheld he fooleth now.  In the morning of time he sang upon primitive hills, and in the noonday of existence headed the procession of being.  His grandmotherly hand was warmly tucked-in the set sun of civilization, and in the twilight he prepares Man’s evening
meal of milk-and-morality and turns down the covers of the universal grave.  And after the rest of us shall have retired for the night of eternal oblivion he will sit up to write a history of human civilization. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

The Devil’s Dictionary was first published in the late 1800’s, and was considered to be quite radical, even for that time in history, when literature was at what might be called a peak of influence on society. The scientific industrialization of manufacturing that took place in this time, in the days after the Industrial Revolution began, created similar growth in other areas of human endeavor, including philosophy, medicine, and psychology. However, the growth that took place was completely in the physical world; spiritually, there has been no change at all; if anything, we have seen an overall decline in the advance of human consciousness.

Mr. Bierce seems to have learned to channel the future, for almost every entry I can find from the book is as relevant to Now as it was when first published. I find this definition of FOOL to be as perceptive and insightful as it is funny, and that is saying something, considering it makes most ffolkes ROTFL.   🙂  (Sometimes, text language is cool!….)  The comedy that we call politics that is the highlight of the daily news outlets in today’s world could have been scripted using this definition as a cast call.

Day after day, we are bombarded with the latest outrageous mouthings of the POTUS,  and his stand-up sidekick straight man, Mitt the Twitt, the SCOTUS, Senators, Congressmen, televangelists, female ex-governors who can’t seem to keep their mouths shut, preachers we wish would crawl back under a rock, and the latest token “awww” story of a kitten rescue. (Yes, yet another instance of some idiot human starting a fire, and making the local government spend a couple tens of thousands of dollars to make sure her/his cat is safely out of their now-useless domicile….)

I suppose the constant parade of human folly that passes before our eyes each day could be considered as comic relief. Goodness knows we could use a little humor, after having to watch another group of daily screw-ups by the bozos on the bus, to wit: all of us. Every day we are given more examples of how cruel people can be to each other, or how much more terror can be caused for the largest number of innocent people. One has only to switch on the TV, or check out the front page of a newspaper, or an online news outlet, to see at least one or two stories that will curl your hair and toes, just to think about.

I know it just made my day a couple days ago to see Romney’s latest statement…. you know, the one where he promised his constituents that if he were elected, his first task would be to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision on the health care bill, effectively stating that yes, we would be going back to the Stone Age for the next four years…. Also interesting is his unstated but obvious belief that, as President, he can do whatever he wants, including setting aside Supreme Court decisions…. something I think he neglected to check against the Constitution…. He’s just out there, smiling and waving, and parroting what his handlers want him to say, and all is good, in his mind, wherever he keeps it….

Ah well…. at least I’ll never lack for material. In fact, there is so much of it to choose from, finding one to use can be a sticky process, and requires a session in the grooming area after handling so much tacky stuff…. But, I AM sixty-one, and have learned to think ahead a little…. I do put my hair into a well-bound up pony tail, to keep it from getting all mucked up while I’m immersed in the crap they put into circulation.

That one thing, foresight, is the single most telling, and most valuable, advantage I’ve found to getting older. One doesn’t get caught so often in activities requiring clean-up afterward, and all that is required is to be prepared for it…. just like most of Life, isn’t it?  We can go through life and give in to the urge to be a full time bozo, otherwise known as a Fool…. or you can open up your eyes and brain, and at least keep from getting stuff all over your shoes and/or hair….
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Along The Field as We Came By

ALONG the field as we came by
A year ago, my love and I,
The aspen over stile and stone
Was talking to itself alone.
“Oh who are these that kiss and pass?
A country lover and his lass;
Two lovers looking to be wed;
And time shall put them both to bed,
But she shall lie with earth above,
And he beside another love.”

And sure enough beneath the tree
There walks another love with me,
And overhead the aspen heaves
Its rainy-sounding silver leaves;
And I spell nothing in their stir,
But now perhaps they speak to her,
And plain for her to understand
They talk about a time at hand
When I shall sleep with clover clad,
And she beside another lad.

Alfred Edward Housman

Culture break…. One is always welcome after ranting about stuff that will never change…. kind of like Don Quixote and his windmills, I guess, though not as sweaty….. besides, I like this poem. It’s simple, and easy on the spirit; it doesn’t ask a lot from the reader…..
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“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs – jolted by every pebble in the road.” — Henry Beecher

“You can observe a lot just by watchin’.” — Yogi Berra

Whenever I need to lighten up, I go look in the mirror…. it’s always good for a giggle or two. When I write, I tend to gravitate toward darker material for discussion. Probably has to do with the fact there is so much out there in reality with which I have issues. Of course, we all have issues with reality; seldom have I met a person who is completely content with their lot. Like Gilda Radner said, “There’s always something!….” Having chosen to write this blog about those things I see that are worthy of discussion, those things are bound to reflect my own nature. Can’t help it, any more than you can…. we are what we are…

“I yam what I yam, and that’s all what I yam; I’m Popeye the Sailor Man!” — Popeye

Being able to laugh at myself is possibly the most valuable tool I possess for smoothing out the bumps on the path of life. Once, when I was much younger than now ( “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now…. Neil Young) I wrote, “The path to serenity is most likely an uphill climb, but the road doesn’t have to be bumpy, or strewn with rubble….”  Or something like that….. It’s still true today, even if it has been edited in my mind over time…. Life is tough, there is no denying, but it is also filled with beauty and joy. In fact, the degree of pain and distress one is able to withstand is always equal to the joy that has been experienced; one just needs to be able to notice the beauty as it presents itself. Then it is always with us, ready to help us smile through the next crisis, knowing the pain will pass, as it always does…. as Yogi says……

“It ain’t over til’ it’s over.” — Yogi Berra

“And then, it’s over” — gigoid
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Well, like the author said, it’s over…. at least for today. Here’s hoping you have a good one…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!