Too many random corpuscles….

Posted on August 29, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do.”

~~ Bertrand Russell (1872-1967) ~~

Leelu Magicat, Daughter of Bastet, at her ease…

Hajime…. In my battle to regain a modicum of composure, intellectually, at least, I managed to cobble together a pretty interesting Pearl. It’s a bit longer than usual, but, only because I cheated in the final, old-school section, by using the entire Pearl of Virtual Wisdom as posted on 10/15/2011, only a couple months after beginning here on WP. All in all, I’m content, if not entirely happy, with what occurred; under the given circumstances, it’s the best I can do…. which is yet another situation where “So be it….” becomes appropriate….

To make the transition, from standard reality to mine, a bit smoother, I think a strong display of will power is in order; applying it to an efficient trimming of this introductory section may enhance today’s overall reading experience, enough to make it more palatable than otherwise may be the case. Of course, this presupposes it is edible, or potable, in the first place, but, we’ve been known to make unwarranted assumptions previously, & can’t be expected to change overnight, & most especially, on command. We can, however, be expected to back up those assumptions with a bit of proof. Now, if we could only find some, all would be well. Since we cannot, our only possible alternative is to completely ignore it all, & go on as if nothing at all has taken place…

Mostly, you’ll note, it hasn’t. Let’s see if we can’t find something a bit more entertaining, if no more compellingly ridiculous. We’re getting pretty close to complete absurdity, as I retreat further & further from true reality, hoping to find surcease, if not redemption, in a magnificent display of madness, which, given our predilection for such displays on short notice, might have been possible, had it not been for your alert reaction. Go figure, eh?….

Now, then…. If you aren’t completely confused, well, then, so am I. Let’s see what other madness we can generate….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth
the first time he bites off more than he can chew.”

~~ Herb Caen ~~

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

Chooka Parker

Image from Pinterest.com via Google Images

In 2011, this young man, then 16 years of age, walked onto a stage in Australia, as an entrant in the Australia’s Got Talent TV show. He proceeded to play the piano, but, with a slight twist. He made his song up on the spot, improvising it as he played, expressing how he felt at that moment…. He went on to win that competition, with his second and third improvised songs, (each better than the last….), and now plays all over the world.

Follow the link in the player to his You Tube page, where you can find any number of great videos showing him play, in his unique style, every note improvised. Somebody DID eventually teach him to play standard music, (I suspect he can play anything he hears once, though I haven’t looked into that talent in his case); I watched a clip of him making up a blues/boogie-woogie song about 5 minutes long, which was, without doubt, the most incredible piano work I’ve EVER seen or heard…. Just watch & listen; your mouth will drop open, I guarantee, at his brilliance….

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

Mozart, Reborn
Chooka Parker

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

Illusory Time

Viewed from askance, the river is long;
deep, uncompromisingly intent, swift and strong.
In duality, perception creates our only reality;
such faux metaphoric paradox enforces mutability.

By two we perceive, both zero, and one;
digital, binary, on or off, such fun.
Separate, melded, we exist, knowing not what we know
ego, striving to be solitary, looking above, seeing below.

Furiously asleep, cultural anomaly claims a victim of choice;
validly unconscious, nobody speaks, nary a voice.
Potential escapees stir in dreams, fighting to wake,
until taking the wheel, for their own bloody sake.

Pots boil in due time, when the fire’s hot,
time exists to our advantage; or, not.
The solitary warrior, head bent in pain,
fights on, with, or without gain.

Night fell, day after day it persisted;
of those who knew, none showed any care, or resisted
Angels, ministers, none had any defense, nor grace;
all that remains is a face.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/22/2016

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

An Ancient Pearl

From 10/15/2011….

Ffolkes,

The Sun, life-giving orb of light and warmth, which dies each night, is born again each morning, gloriously aflame with potential. As the world turns in slow majesty, a scene of aching beauty is revealed; small plants and trees stretching their leaves toward the source of warmth, creatures great and small moving over the land, greeting the day with energy and purpose, colorful birds arcing and swooping through the warming air.

With a look at each other, the two young boys grinned, and with a cry of pure joy, took off running toward a nearby stand of trees. Legs pounding as hard and fast as their hearts, evenly matched, they ran with abandon, startling birds and small creatures, laughing in sheer exuberance. When they came to the edge of the trees, they stopped by mutual accord. Breathing hard, they gazed into the shadows, thinking about why they had come, why they were here, filling their souls with beauty at the beginning of the day….

I’m told that constant practice makes for constant improvement, and if this is so, then I should be getting damn close to competence, if not perfection. The paragraphs above are the start of yet another story that will most likely never be told. I write them principally to keep dross from building up in my psyche, and as a sort of contrast to the reality of the rest of the piece. An introductory bridge, as it were, carrying the reader into the realms of thought, where I can then provide you with an upgrade to the DABSDS (Defense Against B___S___ Delivery System) that comes installed in your brain. It gives me a chance to limber up my typing finger, and loosen the mental muscle, which, as we all know, is an essential precursor to the use of these peripherals without sustaining injury.

Today’s group of Pearls is an eclectic one, with a diverse, compelling batch of authors. Cultural values from all over the world, and from many different ages of history are represented here, and I think the variety is part of its strength; it goes to show that wisdom is not limited to one book. Indeed, I believe that the admixture that came together today is greatly enhanced by the contrast of ideas, creating a more powerful effect upon the reasoning mind… hope you enjoy!….

“If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.” — James Thurber

The only real failure in life is the failure to try.

“It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most
people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.” — Deng Ming-Dao

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave Gently they go,
the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know.
But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.

~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music” ~~

“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of–but do it in private and wash you hands afterwards.” — Lazarus Long

“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” — Emily Dickinson

Trust yourselves, my friends, so that ye may trust one another…..y’all take care out there…..

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

It’s done. Looking back over it, I have decided to leave it alone. It’s odd enough as it is. In fact, I’ve done enough damage for one day, so, I’m outta here…. I’ll see y’all next time; no predictions today as to when; we’ll all have to be patient, & allow time to tell…. 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….

Elemental key lime pie….

Posted on May 26, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The deeds you do today may be the only sermon some people will hear today.”

~~ St. Francis of Assisi ~~

Calico in sepia….

Hajime…. There is a little place in my head where ideas form; it seems to live between the state of full mindful consciousness and dreams, though the exact location remains mysterious, as it, like everything else, moves around a lot. Some days, I can find it easily, & the words flow like good wine at a bacchanal. Other days, of which today seems to be one, I can wander for what seems to be weeks in the empty hallways of the mansions of my mind without ever encountering even a whiff of fresh thought. When I sat to begin today, I had intended to discuss the process, but, as the hours, and days passed in my head, I realized such an intention would only make the gods laugh….

Finally, I gave up, as you see by the exposition which opens our missive. Not terribly compelling, but, honest. If there were any way, at this juncture, to go back & start over, I’d consider it well; since there doesn’t seem to be anything, in my head, or in the surrounding locus, that might offer such an opportunity, I may as well just get us down the page, where there is some great music, and an interesting group of rather inscrutable pearls, for y’all to chew on. It ain’t Ibsen, but, it’s art, I suppose. Y’all may, of course, make your own judgment on that, but, for now, it’s our story, & we’re sticking to it.

I don’t believe this horse is going to come back to life, so, I’ll quit beating on it, so we can get on with the rest of this mess. If I had any true compassion, I’d offer my apologies for this intro, but, I don’t. Not at this time of the morning, anyway. But, I do have my sense of ruthlessness, which has saved us many times in the past. That, of course, works like this….

Shall we Pearl?

“Bother!”, said Pooh, as time unraveled around him.

~~ Anonymous Bee ~~

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

While cruising old You Tube videos the other day, I came across this old recording from back in the day (1976, in this case), which gives a very clear idea of why I fell in love with this artist’s work, and have carried that torch for all the intervening years. The only reason she is not my favorite redhead in the world is because I know another one personally. She can’t sing, or play guitar like Bonnie, but, she’s even more talented, in her own way…. Bonnie, who plays and sings like an angel, always makes me smile, and sigh…. and dance….

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

Bonnie Raitt
Old Grey Whistle Test
1976

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

“All men are poets at heart.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“All poets are mad.” — Robert Burton

Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….

Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me
Ah’m not even sure of mah name,
or how Ah come to be;
no idea from where Ah came.

Ah does like a mystery tho’,
puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,
good from bad fo sho,
Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.

If’n Ah cain’t figure out what’s best,
Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,
seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,
‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.

‘Course, he’d lived a good long time,
‘n had lots of stuff go on by;
Went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,
never once used it fer an alibi.

He tol’ me once Ah’d best learn to learn,
school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.
Yer own good measure you can earn,
by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.

Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,
he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,
‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,
kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.

Without ever sayin’ the word itself,
Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others
not some fake stuff from some shelf,
but, knowin’ whut’s right, ‘n that we’re all brothers.

Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think
to get around the block at least two times.
I s’pose long as my head don’t shrink
Ah’ll keep on doin’ right, ‘n makin’ these rhymes…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/6/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Yet Another Path….

*********

“All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.”

~~ Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace ~~

*********

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing,
of just going along,
listening to all the things you can’t hear,
and not bothering.”

~~ Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne ~~

*********

“He who is unable to live in society,
or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself,
must be either a beast or a god.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

********

“Without the difficulty of being hemmed in,
the tree in the forest would not be forced to marshal its power
to grow toward the light.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

*********

“If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.”

~~ Things We Can Learn From Dogs ~~

*********

“In human intercourse the tragedy begins,
not when there is misunderstanding about words,
but when silence is not understood.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

*********

“Heaven embraces the horizon.
No matter how jagged the profile, the sky faithfully conforms.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

*********

“All men should strive to learn before they die
what they are running from, and to, and why.”

~~ James Thurber ~~

*********

“Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know.
But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.”

~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music” ~~

*********

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

Having fulfilled the minimum standards for a Pearl, I declare it done. So done, I can’t think of anything to say that would improve matters; in fact, it all feels like the slightest wrong move will bring it tumbling down around my ears. I’ll just end it here, quickly, & take my chances it will fly. Y’all have a good day out there in the BBR, as best you may. I’ll do the same, & maybe, tomorrow, we can do this again. Worth a shot, right? 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….

Rotating the stone….

Posted on May 8, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If you have a skeleton in your closet, take it out and dance with it.”

~~ Carolyn MacKenzie ~~

Beauty escapes….

Hajime…. Having spent much of yesterday dancing with skeletons, it’s probably not surprising I’m a bit foggy this morning. Those guys just won’t give up, or slow down, no matter the cost to their terpsichorean partner. But, the alternative is too upsetting to consider, so, we’ll just put it into the kill file, for now, at least long enough to get this Pearl posted. The rest of the day can fend for itself…..

All the correct elements for today’s effort are in place; after all, I did have an extra day to get it done. I have to say, the old-school pearl today is rather good…. So good, in fact, I titled it in Greek, to honor the connection it displays to Peruaosophy, which it supports and clarifies, all at once. For those who aren’t familiar with Peruaosophy, it is my personal codec, my own creation, the axioms on which I have based my existence, so, you might see how this pearl shines so brightly, in my eyes. If not, oh, well; just take them at face value, and their relevance will make itself quite clear. Of course, you’ll also need to employ the power of metaphor, but, that’s de rigeur for us, anyway.

All that said, I’ll be nice, for a change, & bring this to a rapid close, so as to facilitate the rest of today’s demand for attention. Reality has a way of insisting upon precedence, & the consequences of ignoring, or trying to deny those demands, are much more negative than any of us care to deal with. Rather than even go near there, we’ll turn a hard left, (or, right, depending on where you’re sitting, I guess….), into the future, which will, if naught else, get us down the page to the closing section, where we need to be. Elegance, while tricky, is possible when courted with the proper attitude. Of course, we gave up on it long ago, but, hey, it sounds good, & looks good on a resumé.

What? You don’t think so? Hmph. Okay, I guess we’ll need to demonstrate. Watch this, and learn….

Shall we Pearl?

“Do not settle for less than the best your own excellence can command.”

~~ Anne McCaffrey ~~

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

Probably, no explanation is necessary when one feels like hearing the blues. Here is a live concert from one of today’s finest blues guitarists, who is also pretty easy on the eyes…. Enjoy!..

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

Ana Popovic Live

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

Illusory Time

Viewed from askance, the river is long;
deep, uncompromisingly intent, swift and strong.
In duality, perception creates our only reality;
such faux metaphoric paradox enforces mutability.

By two we perceive, both zero, and one;
digital, binary, on or off, such fun.
Separate, melded, we exist, knowing not what we know
ego, striving to be solitary, looking above, seeing below.

Pots boil in due time, when the fire’s hot,
time exists to our advantage; or, not.
The solitary warrior, head bent in pain,
fights on, with, or without gain.

Night fell, day after day it persisted;
of those who knew, none showed any care, or resisted
Angels, ministers, none had any defense, nor grace;
all that remains is a face.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/22/2016

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

Naked Pearls

Τέλεια μαργαριτάρια

*******

“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.”

~~ Roger Miller ~~

*******

“There is no God.
But it does not matter.
Man is enough.”

~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Conversation at Midnight” ~~

*******

“There is no conclusive evidence of life after death.
But there is no evidence of any sort against it.
Soon enough you will know.
So why fret about it?”

~~ Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love” ~~

*******

“Don’t be confused by surfaces; in the depths everything becomes law.
What is necessary, after all, is only this:
solitude, vast inner solitude.
Walk inside yourself and meet no one for hours
–that is what you must be able to attain.”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~

*******

“It is almost impossible systematically to constitute a natural moral law.
Nature has no principles.
She furnishes us with no reason to believe
that human life is to be respected.
Nature, in her indifference,
makes no distinction between good and evil.”

~~ Anatole France ~~

*******

“Wherever your journey takes you, there are new gods waiting there,
with divine patience – and laughter.

~~ Susan Watkins ~~

*******

That must be wonderful: I don’t understand it at all.

~~ Moliere~~

*******

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

I guess it’s done. I don’t see how I can add, or take away anything that would make it any better, so, I’ll do the rational thing, & call it done. To augment & enhance that decision, I’ll end this quickly, so as to reinforce the idea we know what we’re about. I hope you enjoyed today’s mess; the cost to produce it was a bit high, as I would prefer to be. On that rather sardonic note, I shall bid thee adieu until next time, most likely tomorrow, when we’ll try once again to achieve perfection…. Hey, I know; it’s not possible, but, the effort to do so is the lesson, anyway, so….. See ya, ffolkes. Be strange; I am, & I can use the company…..

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….

Totally en passant….

Posted on March 8, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Always do what you are afraid to do.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

Fish? Where?….

(Photo by Lady P….)

Hajime…. I spent yesterday geeking with my computer, but, found it still confused this morning. I managed to get it up & running, and am only here long enough to get this posted. I will be infrequently present for the next few days, & don’t know if or when I’ll have time to write, or post. I will try to at least re-blog each day, but, can’t promise anything, as I have some critical business to deal with out in the BBR, that cannot wait.

Since I will be busy most of today, dealing with all of it, I’ll forgo any trickery here in the intro; even today’s old-school pearl is truncated to five entries, as I don’t have time to find another pair to fill it out. So be it. There IS a new poem, which I hope you enjoy, &, as always, some rather fine music, to go with the first section’s journey into a past Pearl to share some personal views on living…. That’s it, though, and all you’ll get for a while. I’ll be traveling, to see a friend who went into hospice, so, I won’t be worrying much about anything else, until I’ve seen him, & made contact before he travels on to the next world….

For now, that’s all I’ve got, ffolkes. I’ll see you in a day or two, or, whenever I can get back to relative normality…. Onward….

Shall we Pearl?

“A human being should be able to change a diaper,
plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building,
write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying,
take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations,
analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer,
cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein, “The Notebooks of Lazarus Long” ~~

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

From 6/9/2012:

My life, described in six words….

“Looked for love, found it everywhere.” — gigoid, to KDFC DJ Hoyt Smith, 2009….

While listening to the radio one day, the DJ was talking about a meme activity he had been told about via an email earlier that day from a listener. The challenge was to describe your life in exactly six words; he gave several examples of those who had already responded, and asked the listening audience to call in with their own. After a couple of moments the above six words floated to the surface of my mind, almost unbidden, so I called in, and, to my surprise, my call was taken, and my quote was put out over the air.

For life, with all it yields of joy and woe,
And hope and fear (believe the aged friend),
Is just our chance o’ the prize of learning love,–
How love might be, hath been indeed, and is.

~~ Robert Browning ~~

(1812-1890) — A Death in the Desert

Considering that what I said to Hoyt in the above six words, upon reflection, is something I can, and still do, say is as true as the day, it felt kind of good to have it shared over the air…. Fortunately, it didn’t lead to any more than 15 seconds of fame, the time it took to say my name, and my contribution…. It isn’t as if I was hoping it would lead to an appearance on Letterman or anything, but it did feel pretty good, as I am proud of the quote…. (Still am, in fact, and it still rings true…. gigoid, from the future, which is now the present, but used to be the… Oh, never mind….)

Of course, though finding love has never been difficult, I’ve never found the rest of the secret, the other part, about getting love to stay, other than that love between friends that is so important. Our culture, so tenuous in its support of monogamy, provides people with so many ways to leave a relationship without penalty, no one seems interested in making them last an entire lifetime any more. It’s like, “Oh well, that didn’t work… there’s lots of fish in the sea….”, and off they go into the dating world again…. Frankly, it makes me dizzy….

I can’t say I know what the problem is in society that dooms relationships these days; if I did, then it wouldn’t be a problem, as I’d know what to avoid…. What I do know is that on (at least) five occasions in my life, I’ve given my heart to a woman, and spent all my energy giving my all to that relationship, faithfully and fully. On all of those occasions, the woman eventually decided, for their own personal reasons, that they didn’t want to continue, and left. I guess they like Will Shakespeare more than I do… as they seemed to take on his attitude…..

“I dote on his very absence.” — William Shakespeare ( Though I hold most of his work to be crap and nonsense, even he came up with something coherent occasionally….)

I’ve been fortunate, I guess, in that, of those five times, only three were painful in their intensity, leaving my heart shattered, my life in tatters; two of them were relatively amicable breakups. (Sure they were; that’s what I keep telling myself….) But, I’ve just gotta say, it hurts when a woman I’ve loved for 23 years, and intended to die with, decides she’d rather pursue other options; it hurts, and it hurts a lot…. I can testify, from the evidence of a more recent nature, it also hurts when a woman has said she loved me for ten years, and has been lying the whole time…. That kind of betrayal brings a very lasting pain, and is slow to pass…

I hear you reproach, “But delay was best,
For their end was a crime.” Oh, a crime will do
As well, I reply, to serve for a test
As a virtue golden through and through,
Sufficient to vindicate itself
And prove its worth at a moment’s view!
. . . . . .
Let a man contend to the uttermost
For his life’s set prize, be it what it will!
The counter our lovers staked was lost
As surely as if it were lawful coin;
And the sin I impute to each frustrate ghost
Is–the unlit lamp and the ungirt loin,
Though the end in sight was a vice, I say.

~~ Robert Browning ~~

(1812-1890) — The Statue and the Bust

Pain is an old friend of mine, though, in all its various guises, and I know it always passes in time. Now I am looking for love again, in my own time, still trying to find that one woman who can be both loving and honest. The ones I’ve known so far have all had a problem with that last part…. it’s not something our society teaches well. But, until I find her, I’ll have to make do with the pain…. But, I know she is out there, somewhere….. There’s got to be some woman who would enjoy being worshiped by an old, fading, but faithful, romantic curmudgeon with a soft spot for dogs, cats, kids, & a good laugh, along with a severe case of wanderlust to complicate the issue….

In the desert a fountain is springing,
In the wide waste there still is a tree,
And a bird in the solitude singing,
Which speaks to my spirit of thee.

~~ Lord Byron ~~

(1788-1824) — Stanzas to Augusta

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

This was found along with the above discussion; it’s too good to NOT include, so, you get it today, as a bonus pearl…. It’s pretty much a stand-alone anyway, requiring nothing to make it whole and complete….

The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.

~~ The Buddha ~~

I can’t think of a single thing that needs to be added here, so I won’t….. As Nike says, “Just do it….”

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

I’m in a hurry, as noted, so, here is one of our default music selections to help move us along the necessary path…. Enjoy!

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

Playing For Change

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

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave.
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know.
But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.

— Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music”

*******

Motif en passant…

Death becomes me, I shouldn’t wonder;
or, perhaps, she merely beckons?
Ah, well, perhaps ’tis both, or, neither;
knowing how, now, might give pause,
or rise to such crescendo
exposing the crack in reality’s mask.

Such a burden to bear only comes
to those who wear the dark’s mark;
murder, slain by Cain’s evil twin,
on a Tuesday, of course;
Mondays have always been reserved
for expedience, the blessing of the coin.

Allegory chases metaphor around the parlor table
as eternity scoffs at such paltry buffoonery;
for those waiting upon the latest schedules
intricate mazes with traces of sincere regret
forgive the sins of all who travel, bereft
of any claim to legitimacy.

Patterns in simple fabrics wear better,
whenever reality intrudes.
Fabulous notions simply will not make the grade
until fashion completes a viable task.
All the petty reasons devised in haste
fall gently into place, softly saving grace.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/5/2027

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

Naked Pearls

Five notes on Life at Large….

*******

“He that will not reason is a bigot.
He that cannot reason is a fool.
He that dares not reason is a slave.”

~~ William Drummond, “Academical Questions” ~~

*******

“I wonder why. I wonder why.
I wonder why I wonder.
I wonder _why_ I wonder why
I wonder why I wonder!”

~~ Richard P. Feynman ~~

*******

“Patience serves as a protection against wrongs
as clothes do against cold.
For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases,
it will have no power to hurt you.
So in like manner you must grow in patience
when you meet with great wrongs,
and they will be powerless to vex your mind.”

~~ Leonardo da Vinci ~~

*******

“It is easier to pull down than to build up.”

~~ Latin Proverb ~~

*******

“A hug is a heart to heart talk.”

~~ Bobby Matherne ~~

*******

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

Not only am I in a hurry, I’m in a big hurry. So, I’ll merely say, see y’all later, & leave it at that. Be well, be as happy as you may, and, be cool. There’s no sense go out without some dignity, & that is about all we humans have left….

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….

Substitute candidates from Poughkeepsie….

Posted on June 21, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Since we cannot know all that is to be known of everything,
we ought to know a little about everything.”

~~ Blaise Pascal ~~

Tracy Arm Glacier Melt Runoff, Alaska

Hajime…. In the past five years, my sanity has been somewhat of a hit and miss proposition. Now, for some, this might be an issue, which could conceivably cause difficulties in life. However, I don’t suffer from insanity; I revel in it, so, the process is not the same as it is for anyone else, with a typical view of sanity vs. the opposite side of the coin. In my world, being sane is merely a judgment, usually made by others, for others, using only their own silly rules to make the decision, just as if they actually knew what was real, and what was not. Silly humans….

In my world, we believe in humanity, and reality; we, or, I, since I’m really not a royal, know our body and mind are NOT separate things; neither is our sense of “I” anything more than an illusion, created by the power of our imagination to help us find the sense of order our mind requires, to separate us from our perceptions, so the power of our intelligence can imagine itself as real, rather than merely the resultant outcome of a biological process. poorly understood. In truth, we are not separate from what we perceive; to believe so sets us on a path of delusion, for reality does not actually conform to our imagination, much as we like to believe it does.

This belief has led us into a real mess, but, since we are still in the intro, perhaps we should wait to explore such deep matters. In fact, it’s probably a deep and wide enough of a subject to fill up an entire section, with severely rant-like qualities. We’ll see how it goes. We like to rant, but, we don’t know if we are up to it. Uh oh…. Now we’ve done it; we’re stuck in the royal we again. Shit. We hate when that happens. Oh, ’tisn’t a necessarily bad thing, just weird. We know, we’ll use the old royal coping mechanism, so diligently applied by the real royals we see, to wit: sheer denial. We shall act as if we do not see, or hear….

We shall also end this intro here, before it becomes any more onerous, or moves any further from the confines of true reality. We shall hope to fall out of the ‘we’ mode soon, but, if not, well, so be it. Let us try to shock it out, by using one of the more radical Tardis toys to move us along. We shall push THIS button….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Think of doubt as an invitation to think.”

~~ Dubious Bee ~~

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

Image from amazon.com via Google Images

I often retreat into the past when I’m feeling this way, to find those things forgotten over time. I decided, once breaking out of the royal ‘we’, I was in the mood for some class and style. I can’t think of a better example than one of my first crushes…. Miss Peggy Lee….

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

Miss Peggy Lee

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

https://youtu.be/LCRZZC-DH7M?list=PLAeI1ntmJCZM8Rq6pArnBsNCsN_j-FLRr

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

The rant I’m working on isn’t ready; for all the hype and delay, it better turn out pretty damn good, I’d say, but, we’ll see. For now, here is a self-directed rant, with some pointers to take you on a journey through your mind’s interpretation of reality, to look at some of those things in our public life which are part of what I see as humanity’s issues of contention with reality…. In short, if you follow the dots, the picture will show why we’re all wobbly….

*****

“Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves.
Whistle and dance the shimmy, and you’ve got an audience.”

~~ Diogenes ~~

*****

“You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.”

~~ James Thurber, “The Thurber Carnival”, 1945 ~~

*****

“Every sensible man, every honest man,
must hold the Christian sect in horror.
But what shall we substitute in its place? you say.
What?
A ferocious animal has sucked the blood of my relatives.
I tell you to rid yourselves of this beast
and you ask me what you shall put in its place?”

~~ Voltaire ~~

*****

“Like…If guns are outlawed,
the lawyer population will explode out of control.”

~~ Valley Bee ~~

*****

“JAPAN is a WONDERFUL planet
— I wonder if we’ll ever reach
their level of COMPARATIVE SHOPPING…”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

*****

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

Recently, there was yet another insane shooting spree by an idiot. This poem is one I wrote about three years ago, after a similar event…. I hope you enjoy it, though ‘enjoy’ may not the most precise word I’m seeking…. But, I hope you enjoy the process….

Modest sounds of impatient concern….

Crowds converge at the raw and grisly scene,
comatose to compassion, curiosity tugging at the hem
with sharp, oh, sharp tools made obscene,
filing the essence of future hopes in spite of them.

Yet who has won the keys to the treasure,
who whipped up the fear of another brother?
Who spent the dreams of the old in selfish measure,
with such arrogant blindness grave issues to smother?

Fateful decisions may prompt still another pause,
to catch and release collective images of insanity.
Surely legitimate anger arises with ample cause
wallowing in self-made entrepreneurs, fluent in profanity.

A quartet of eternities must pass to guarantee change,
regardless of need, or desire, or autonomous manipulation.
Ancient rules and modern aggression is only passing strange
when golden delusion grasps futilely at its related illusory station.

~~ gigoid ~~

8/18/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Random Thoughts on Life at Large

*******

“Who combats bravely is not therefore brave,
He dreads a death-bed like the meanest slave:
Who reasons wisely is not therefore wise,–
His pride in reasoning, not in acting lies.”

~~ Alexander Pope — Moral Essays, Epistle i, Line 115 ~~

*******

“A man cannot speak but he judges himself…
no man thoroughly understands a truth
until he has contended against it.”

~~ Emerson ~~

*******

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”

~~ Henri Bergson ~~

*******

“Man is not disturbed about things, but by his opinion about things.”

~~ Epictetus ~~

*******

“Happiness is the harvest of a quiet eye.”

~~ Austin O’Malley ~~

*******

“Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;

Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.

It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution’s power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.

It well may be.

I do not think I would.”

— Edna St. Vincent Millay

*******

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

~~ William Rose Benet ~~

*******

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

It’s done. I’m way late, and not at all sure I didn’t forget something, but, as we’re fond of saying downtown, oh, well…. Fuck it. That’s another favorite in the places I hang out, so, we’ll go with that, too. At least, we’ll do that until tomorrow, when I’ll try again to reach some sort of coherent plateau, where I might find my center. If not, well, I’ll try again the next day. So be it. See y’all then, if nobody catches me at it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Born to be mild….

Posted on May 26, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“What men really want is not knowledge but certainty.”

~~ Bertrand Russell ~~

gigoid leaving his mark in Beijing, 2004….

Hajime…. To answer any untoward remarks before they occur, yes, my hair was short. In fact, this picture shows how I looked about a week after the very last haircut I got; I haven’t cut it since. The picture was taken during a short trip to China, where I tried, without notable success, to secure a job teaching English in their schools for a year, under contract. However, I mis-prepared, and was unable to secure a position before my savings got too small to stay….

I did spend 10 days in the capitol of China, where I met, and made some great friends, a couple of whom still communicate occasionally. This photo was taken by one of the other teachers seeking jobs, with whom I stayed, in a bar in some random alley, called hutongs, in which much of the street and night life takes place. This particular hutong was lined with about 20 or 30 bars, all with different themes of music and/or decor, to attract tourists and their Chinese fans, all of whom want to practice their English. There is a rather extensive community of expatriates and traveling young people who also tend to gather there, to mingle and find someone with whom to speak their own language

A bit of history is always good, right? So we are told, anyway. Good morrow, ffolkes. I am up, tired and late, again, but, have a Pearl to post, so, all will eventually be well. Well, it will be, if Leelu and I can come to terms today. She’s being a bit rude this morning; can’t say why. She’ll get over it, as will I, if I can get this done. To help with that, I’ll use the old red-tape scissors on the intro, & get us on our way without any further BS, or nonsense, or, well, anything at all…. It’s actually pretty easy, and works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I bid him look into the lives of men as though into a mirror, and
from others to take an example for himself.”

~~ Terence — Adelphoe, Act iii, Sc. 3, 61, (415.) ~~

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

Today I felt like hearing a ‘voice’. This lady’s voice is, quite simply, the best of my generation….. This is her 75th birthday celebration, which, naturally, she celebrated on stage, in New York. Enjoy, ffolkes; she’s the best…..

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

Joan Baez Live 2016
75th Birthday Celebration

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

https://youtu.be/4b0XeJNK-Sk

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

I’m still recovering from my trip, thanks to my advanced years, all of which seem to continually catch me unawares…. Here is a discussion from the archives, to sublimate today’s angst….. Enjoy!….

From 1/27/2013:

“Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way.” — Native American Proverb (Blackfoot)

Right! What a wonderful pearl! Not only is it short and sweet, it’s just packed with insight and implied wisdom…. In my mind, when I read it, I get a vision of a fireworks fountain, spewing light and beauty into the air, in blazing, colorful sparks…. A bit fanciful, but that’s the impression I got upon seeing it the first time…. You see, I’ve been thinking a lot of late, about Death vs. Life, due most likely to the fact that my own time to face that specter is approaching, seemingly ever more rapidly, as it tends to do later in our lives. When we look back over the time we’ve had on this Earth, the time left seems so short….

But, it isn’t really any shorter, nor, I’ve come to believe, is there anything to fear from Death’s approach. We all get to live just one day at a time…. Nay, not even so much…. we live one moment at a time, and we can’t make it go faster, or slow it down. So, worrying about what might happen in the future is a waste of the moment, and not worth the effort of doing so. In addition, I’ve come to the conclusion that what happens after Death comes for us isn’t anything to fret over, either, because, logically, death is merely a transition phase, from one level of perception to another, with the other being a reality for which we do not possess the ability to perceive, lacking some organ, or some mental awareness that is needed to do so…..

There is no evidence at all that consciousness, as we understand it, persists on this level of reality after the body has died. On the other hand, there is also no evidence at all that it does not continue to exist, on some other level that we are not aware of; add to this the simple fact that in our universe, according to physical laws, energy, in ALL of its forms, cannot be destroyed, only changed in form. The Law of the Conservation of Energy has been proven many times, and is not a matter for dispute. When one considers consciousness, i.e., the MIND, as a form of energy, it makes perfect sense to assume that it changes forms when we die, but is not destroyed. It is the only logical answer, as far as I can see….

The wise women and men of the Blackfoot tribe apparently were aware of this, as well as being aware that the universe exists as a duality, with each characteristic of reality having its opposite complement, that defines and proves its very existence. We see the world in these opposites, so it is very easy to be fooled into thinking that what we see is the true nature of that reality…. but, it isn’t, because those two opposites are all part of the same grand scheme of things, and cannot be separated, not in reality…. only in our minds, where we separate them in order to comprehend them….

“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” — Murphy, courtesy of Smart Bee

Why does he do that? Why wait until I’ve spouted off for almost a thousand words before dropping these little bombs? Ah well, fuck him, and his bloody white horse! Everything I said above is the absolute truth, in my mind, so Murphy can just go f__k himself. Even though this aphorism is also true as the day is long, I don’t think I’ve gone so far astray that it applies… so, in spite of the Irish asshole, we’ll push on….

I have yet to discern any reason that can logically, or even speculatively, answer the question of why we don’t remember any of the time we’ve spent dead, or whatever it’s called when we’re busy not living on this plane of existence. You know, before you were born? And after we die? All of that is a long time, and since it is logical to assume the energy that makes up our consciousness is still in existence when we aren’t alive, in the classic sense, then it is also logical to assume that our minds are busy doing….. something else.

What that may be, well, your guess is as good as mine…. But, some folks’ guesses aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on…. I doubt seriously that the typical version of Heaven is a likely scenario, nor is Hell…. I regard those as just the unscrupulous concepts created by the BRC and/or priestly hierarchies to try to control the populace, not having any basis, or evidence to support them, in reality. In fact, there is ample evidence that shows otherwise, if one is open to perceiving it….. I figure what Robert Heinlein said once is the best way to look at it, “There’s no evidence that says we live after death; there is also no evidence saying we don’t. Soon enough, you will know, so why worry about it now?” (That may be slightly paraphrased, but the idea is precisely accurate….)

Ah well, this subject, due to its nature, is one that we, or I, could ramble on about all day, and, from the looks of things, almost have done so. Life and Death are popular subjects, understandably enough, and since we all are experts, there’s no lack of stuff to read about it; everybody’s talking, as Glenn Campbell said. But, since we have the rest of this Pearl to finish, I guess I’ll let this go for now….. Just keep in mind, ffolkes, Death isn’t anything to fear, because, if nothing else, Life itself is proof of our continued existence after it is gone…. Think about it….

“The adventure is over. Everything gets over, and nothing is ever enough. Except the part you carry with you.” — E. L. Konigsburg

“One never realizes how much and how little he knows until he starts talking.” — Louis L’Amour

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

Confidentially Paranoid

Only when the bright sunlight of dreams draws nigh
can the dark glass of reality factor true value..
Destiny’s horses run in fear as time goes dry,
for grappling with fate in such traitorous venue.

In pallid costumes made of graven cast-off tales,
fallen angels and demons show the measure of faith.
No sad transactions should escape these well-marked trails,
no angry relatives cast insults to a sedentary wraith.

Meaning can always hide in literal cold intent,
yet show mere facets of honor to perishable youth.
Sincere contentions leave with sorrowful bent,
while bastardly arguments fill in poorly for the truth.

Gone are moments filled with florid blasts of rhyme
left to moulder on the shoulders of unreasonable hope.
Only courage can save these measures of unspoken time
to gather new issues, powerfully broad, painful in scope.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/25/2015

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

Our final pearl today requires a bit of explanation. Well, more of an apology, really, but, we’ll go with the former, for dignity’s sake. These pearls all picked themselves; I had nothing to do with the choices. I found myself in an old, familiar state, wherein I cruise through the database, and let my hand on the mouse have free rein, connected only to my unconscious mind. The results are generally fairly subtle, but, this one reaches for new heights of obscurity. That’s fine with me; that always makes it a challenge to figure out the final conclusion, especially given the simple fact there isn’t always one to figure out. Sometimes, the mountain is just a mountain…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this one’s quite a ride….

Serendipity is where you find it….

*********

“The cold wind that blows before and after time.”

~~ T.S. Eliot ~~

*********

“If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd,
take a look back every now and then
to make sure it’s still there.”

~~ The Cowboy’s Guide to Life ~~

*********

The head thinks,
the hands labor, but it’s
the heart that laughs.

~~ Liz Curtis Higgs ~~

*********

I postpone death
by living,
by suffering,
by error,
by risking,
by giving,
by losing.

~~ Anais Nin ~~

*********

“It’s not true that life is one damn thing after another;
it is one damn thing over and over.”

~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay ~~

*********

“Dharma: What is the greatest mystery of all?
Yudishthira: That each day, death walks the earth,
and we continue to live as though we were immortal.”

~~ The Bhagvad Gita ~~

*********

“Forward goes the vanguard of the lunatic fringe,
tickling the death clowns of normality.”

~~ HealNorm ~~

*********

“Change is disruptive–that’s the point!”

~~ Karen Bredfeldt ~~

*********

“Toes, knees, NIPPLES.
Toes, knees, nipples, KNUCKLES…
Nipples, dimples, knuckles, NICKLES,
wrinkles, pimples!!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

*********

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

I did it. I wasn’t entirely confident it would get done, but, after a short conversation with a friend in Europe, and some minor scuffles with Leelu, it’s finished, at least to the point I’m done with trying to get it to look any better. Once again, we’ll trust the process, and go post what we have. I will try again, as is my wont. Moreover, I’ll do that, and be back tomorrow; habits die hard. See y’all in the morning, ffolkes; I seem to have little choice in the matter….

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….

Don’t flatter the sycophants, Eddie; they’ll start preening….

Posted on November 19, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Don’t take life too serious. It ain’t no ways permanent.”

~~ Pogo, by Walt Kelly ~~

Subtle colors on an abandoned church ~~ Galway

Hajime…. I’m beginning to like the martial opening we’ve been using lately; my life, for the past nearly thirteen months, in retrospect, seems to have been one long battle with my own body, simply for the sake of expediency on the part of a corporate slave, mistakenly labeled a doctor. I have hopes the battle is nearing an end, but, in the meantime, I remain in a position of being an insomniac for days at a time, in spite of all I have tried to do to hasten or mitigate the process of surviving this external assault upon my health. Tonight is looking as if I’ll be up again until dawn, at which time I’ll either collapse, or find a pocket of energy to pass a semi-normal day. Ah well, at least the pain relief part is working; that’s a big plus….

There. The whine has been served; sorry there aren’t any crackers to go with it. We’ll have to make do with a bit of cheesy humor to cut the acidity a trifle. Hmm, how ’bout this?

What did the chicken say when she laid a square egg?….

“Ouch!”

If that isn’t cheesy enough for y’all, I’ll just have to consider myself a failure, because it’s the best, or, in this case, the worst I can do. Hey, it made a young pitcher smile during a game, many years ago, when I told it to him to calm him down after two straight walks. If it got a smile out of a stressed-out young athlete in the middle of a game, y’all can certainly give it at least a raised eyebrow, or maybe a snicker. Snickers are good; I sure wish I could still eat them. Sadly, the nuts would cause way more trouble than a few moments of bliss is worth.

Okay, so, let’s see how we’re doing…. A bit of complaining disguised as introspection, check. A strong touch of silly, check. Cool childhood memory, check. Surreal non-sequitor following a VERY odd segue from smarm to candy in one and a half sentences, double check. Not bad for somebody who’s been up for, hmm, let’s see now…. oh, right. About 64-plus hours, and counting. Let’s see YOU be funny that far into the throes of clinical insanity! Hah!

I see now, it’s time to get on with this. If I don’t, I’m liable to do, or say something I’ll regret, and, like Lazarus said, “When the ship lifts, all bills are paid. No regrets, ever.” I’m not sure what he means by that (yes, I am….), but, it sounds pretty intelligent, and right now, it’s also the best I can come up with. Rather than try again, I’ll merely say this: Luigi! Get us the hell out of here, now!

Shall we Pearl?….

“I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am.” — Samuel Johnson

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

Asleep At The Wheel

Image from amarillo.com via Google Images

I remember growing up on the music style epitomized by this band, later learning to play quite a bit of it myself, when my friend Tommy and I would get together to play guitar. The style is called western swing; this group has epitomized the sound for as long as I can remember…. which is getting to be a pretty long time now…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s called easy listening….

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

Asleep At The Wheel

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

https://youtu.be/CziPAbs3ROY

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

Rocky Outcrop on Mars

Image by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, November 2015, from Space.com

You may well wonder why an image from Mars adorns the top of today’s ranting section. Since I’m the one who put it there, I suppose that makes me responsible to tell y’all WHY I would rant about some random piece of rather unattractive real estate on another planet. SIGH….

Well, if I MUST explain something so obvious, I’d best be about doing it, hadn’t I? Okay, it’s like this. The article on Space.com mentioned the picture was causing some excitement among scientists, as it seems a great many of the rocky soil you see is just jam-packed with all sorts of useful minerals, metals, and other substances of industrial use to Earthly technology. In other words, Mars is an untapped treasure chest of materials which are growing scarce on our planet…. Is it becoming any clearer? Does that suggest anything rantable to anyone?

I hope so, for it certainly does to me. Our species has almost turned this planet into one large desert; give us a century or two, and there won’t be a growing thing left on Earth, but for in greenhouses, possibly underground, using solar power to run the machines, since, without plants, the climate and landscape would not be somewhere anyone would wish to live. The resources on Mars means we have an entire NEW planet to rape, and pillage, and turn into another vast series of skyscrapers, freeways, and parking lots.

Oh, joy….. Get it now? When you or I look at such a picture, we see the endless vista as a chance for exploration, and the possibility of increasing our understanding. There are many in our world who will look on it as land to be developed. And, if, as the report mentions, the rock on this hill is a treasure mine of a group of valuable substances, you can bet there is some oligarch or speculator type out there in the banking world who is already looking into securing the mineral rights, and the right to build McDonald’s signs all the way to the horizon….

“Well, they paved Paradise, put up a parking lot, with a pink hotel and a swinging hot spot….” — Joni Mitchell

While I wish I could finish this rant, circumstances have intervened to preclude further diatribe. I know, you’re disappointed. So am I. But, it’s now a bit after 3 AM, and my brain is officially off-duty at 3. Anything I tried to logic from here could turn ugly, so, we’ll leave it for another thyme. It’s nice having access to a Tardis, I’ll admit; even when I fall asleep at the wheel, it takes me where I need to go, which is not Mars. Not today, anyway. I may end up there, should my presence be required, but, that’s a pretty long shot, I’d say.

Basta. Let’s go see what happens down below, before we get silly, and spoil the whole tenor of the section….. Ranting in soprano, or baritone, for that matter, isn’t as easy as it may sound…. Especially in the thin atmosphere on Mars….

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

I’m not certain, but, I’m pretty sure this one was written on a day much like today has been/will be, may the memory of it fade quickly from my ken…. again. It’ll do, for now, again….

Dead Hands,Typing…

Puzzled anew by anomalous blocks of pain
caught, bemused, chained to routine, insane.
Stilled within breathless beauty
Engaging epiphany, insistent, called to duty.

Knees bent in lieu of a faithful rendition
suffuses, confuses, locked into stale perdition.
Clearing corrosion with hands encased in stone
Singular frozen follicles, masked by bone.

Partial focus brings unfiltered flavors to light
coloring each particle in simple delight.
Forlorn, novel conceptual artists singing in tune
nine notes in harmony, soft as the moon.

Honed blades of carbon steel flash in rhyme,
filling sensual receptors well past closing time.
Borrowed from neighbors in a week-old game
still bloody, without a proper name.

No flooded memories can justify such cost
no simple stationery, bilious, afraid, lost.
Ten times ten will never be enough
To fill so empty a stolen trough.

Bartering simplicity takes well into the night
solidly temporary pillars turned bright.
Unknown to all the pretty children who came
none were called, none had any remaining flame.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 2/25/2015

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

This one is a classic pearl; short, pithy statements, deep, wide, and clear. Of course, you have to follow the bouncing idea ball, but, hey, I can’t do everything! Don’t worry, you’ll see; this one’s easy…..

How admirable, he who thinks not,
Life is fleeting,
When he sees the lightning!

~~ Basho ~~

“Wonders never cease, as long as you never cease to wonder.” — Reflective Bee

“If you do not wish a thing heard, do not say it.” — Klingon proverb

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

“Without music, life would be a mistake.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“Ignorance of one’s misfortunes is clear gain.” — Euripides

“There is no God. But it does not matter. Man is enough.” — Edna St. Vincent Milay, Conversation at Midnight

“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.” — Edward Abbey

“Everything is simpler than you think and at the same time more complex than you imagine.” — Goethe

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

Though I have little recollection of doing so, it seems to be done. I’ll take it, as it’s getting hard to stay focused. I think I’ll go pace a while. Y’all can go do whatever you like; me, I’m going to pace, and dream of sleep….. See y’all tomorrow, unless I AM sleeping….

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….

Perspective ALWAYS matters….

Posted on November 16, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“According to the proverb, the best things are the most difficult.”

~~ Plutarch (46-120 AD) ~~

~~ Of the Training of Children ~~

A Garden Path in Galway

Hajime…. We take drugs very seriously at my house… Now, before anyone goes off on some weird tangent, I’ll say this: first, I found the statement in Smart Bee, and it fit so well, I had to steal it…. Second, it’s perfectly true, but, not in the way most folks would think it might be construed. What I mean by such a statement is exactly what it says; we take them, and very seriously.

That being said, we may now proceed on to more important things, such as getting this fucking Pearl done, as it didn’t get done yesterday, thanks to some levels of pain I haven’t experienced in over a decade…. What great fun we had, remembering back to those days of yesteryear, when life was shit, with no cherry, on top or anywhere else….. ‘Twas indeed a day to remember to forget…..

Fortunately for us all, pain, like any memory, fades in time, and, though this morning bodes ill for another such day, I have my plans to deal with it, involving yet more drugs…. But, don’t worry, they’re legal in this state. I mean, OF COURSE, they’re legal, if reluctantly. I’m quite sure, if the Big Pharma companies had their way, it wouldn’t be, for the use of these “drugs”, which have been used my mankind since the time we lived in trees and caves, promises, in time, to put them out of their very lucrative business, which involves keeping everyone sick, so they can sell them more poisons.

End of mini-rant. Let’s go on to the rest of today’s mess, shall we? It promises to be a little more pleasant, at least in tone, if not quality. But, then, if you wanted quality, you’d be somewhere else, now, wouldn’t you? Yep. Don’t worry, I know exactly how good all this is, compared to the general run of things online, so, don’t worry you’ll hurt my feelings. Besides, me and pain, we’re old friends…. For now…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. Keep this in mind; it may offer a way to make him your friend. If not, you can kill him without hate -and quickly.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

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

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

Yep, you know what that picture means, don’t you? Yep. Classical music, which is all I can think of to play right now…. might have something to do with the Grateful Dead jam I’m listening to, which sounds much like a long classical, bohemian piece….. until now, as they begin to break into a jauntier tune, (I Know You Rider), in a famous jam from 1979 or so….. Ah well, you can’t hear it, anyway, unless you’re a Deadhead, and go download it yourself…. But, you can enjoy this collection of great older stuff…. Your choice, as always…..

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/jgpJVI3tDbY

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I don’t have it in me to rant, but, given the above statement from Albert, I think we can put together an old-school pearl to show just how the world has been put into the position we now find ourselves, as well as who is to blame, and, how we can make the necessary changes…. Quite a lot for a few quotes, isn’t it? Well, you’ll see…. Enjoy….

“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde

“The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)

“You cannot conquer a free man, the most you can do is kill him.” — Lazarus Long

“Forbid a man to think for himself or to act for himself and you may add the joy of piracy and the zest of smuggling to his life.” — Elbert Hubbard

“As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy.” — Christopher Dawson, “The Judgement of the Nations”

“It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.” — H. L. Mencken

“For every disease that doctors cure with medicine, they produce ten in healthy people by inoculating them with that virus which is a thousand times more powerful than any microbe: the idea that one is ill.” — Marcel Proust (1871-1922)

“The highest treason, the meanest treason, is to deny the holiness of this little blue planet on which we journey through the cold void of space.” — Edward Abbey

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Since yesterday was one of my worst days ever, I thought a poem written on a very similar day might work. You tell me….

Gauges of Pain

Consciousness devolves in pools of gripping fears
holding hostage any hope of serenity,
sharp stabbing motions and greedy tears
nary a moment passes without common calamity.

Always a surprise, nothing soothing ever found,
leaving only breathless clinging pain,
salvation seemingly absent, it muffles all sound,
bringing ever more sadness and rain.

Solitude is ever present to claim my time,
lonely hours and relentlessly long days,
no radio plays such music in secular rhyme
happy, vibrant voices belong to elder ways.

Life can be justified it seems to say,
by hopeful favored moments of pleasure,
seemingly friendly, pointing out the only way,
to bring back happiness in minimal measure.

Days of horror and embarrassing tears
serve ever to drive wretched hours to withhold
promising naught but sorrow in coming years,
black, bitter memories that never grow old.

Cold, cold the days fly by,
can it really be our only token?
Never to say, or know just why
the pain never stops, even when spoken…

~~ gigoid ~~

(Yes, yesterday was NOT a good day…. why do you ask?…..)

Griefe brought to numbers cannot be so fierce,
For, he tames it, that fetters it in verse.

~~ John Donne ~~

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I’m somewhat surprised at how this pearl turned out; it was mostly serendipity at work, I believe, which dictated the icon you see adorning the top of this final section. It’s a long pearl, with 13 gems shining out with some brilliance. The opening from Keats, and the close by Bryant may, at first seem out of place with the rest of the pearls, but, in truth, the form the perfect bookends to the ideas between, marking a section with some of the more off the beaten track when it comes to advice on living life with some style to go along with the virtue we all seek…. (Sure we do..) Enjoy!

In a drear-nighted December,
Too happy, happy tree,
Thy branches ne’er remember
Their green felicity.

~~- John Keats ~~

~~ Stanzas ~~

“A priest advised Voltaire on his death bed to renounce the devil. Voltaire said, “This is no time to make new enemies” — Attribution unclear

“A gift of flowers will soon be made to you. Don’t eat them this time.” — Cute Bee

“First, learn to love yourself, and then you will learn to love others.” — Chen-It Ong

“Waiting is.” — R.A. Heinlein, ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’

“Think it more satisfactory to live richly than die rich.” — Sir Thomas Browne

“Smile, but sharpen your knives.” — Found without attribution; probably a Fremen proverb (the original would have said “chyrsknife”)

“None but a fool is always right.” — Hare

“It’s not true that life is one damn thing after another; it is one damn thing over and over.” — Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)

“Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is nigh at hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 17

“Character is a victory, not a gift.” — Our old friend, Anonymous

“Courage conquers all things.” — Ovid

The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year,
Of wailing winds and naked woods and meadows brown and sear.

~~ William Cullen Bryant ~~

~~ The Death of the Flowers ~~

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

It’s done. In the final analysis, that is all that can be said of it, as it should be. Having fulfilled my self-imposed duty for the day, (while making no claims of quality, lest we find ourselves in court), I’ll take my leave, post-haste, to go begin the process of consuming sufficient herbal oils and essences to mitigate my agony…. Wish me luck, ffolkes, I’ll need it…. See y’all tomorrow, come Hell, or High Water…. I’ve been through both of late, so, that’s no empty promise….

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….

After all, it’s only a goose….

Posted on July 28, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life wouldn’t you say?”

~~ Kirk, “The Wrath of Khan,” stardate 8130.3. ~~

This artist’s concept released April 17,…This artist’s concept released April 17, 2014 by NASA/JPL-CALTECH depicts Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone. The hunt for potential life in outer space has taken a step forward — an international team of researchers has confirmed the existence of the first Earth-sized planet within the “habitable” zone of a star. The exoplanet dubbed Kepler-186f was first spotted by scientists using NASA’s Kepler telescope, according to research published Thursday in the US journal Science. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: “AFP PHOTO HANDOUT-NASA/JPL-CALTECH/ T. PYLE “/ NO MARKETING – NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS NO A LA CARTE SALES / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==T. Pyle/AFP/Getty Images

Earth-like exoplanet, artist’s rendition

Image created from data taken by the NASA Kepler Deep Space Telescope- @ nasa.gov

Good morning…. In the outer reaches of the galactic spiral, circling a small yellow star, on a small, blue/green planet, an old man sat, gazing in blank confusion at the screen of a computer, wondering how in the universe it had come to this…. Then, of course, I woke up, to find myself again pounding the keyboard with abandon…. One of these days, when I begin this process, I’ll actually be awake, and coherent…. I don’t suppose it will make much difference; It’s been almost four years, and I still don’t have a consistent method for opening the damn thing…

Oh well…. As they’re fond of saying out on the streets, fuck it. Let’s just pretend it isn’t 0216 AM, and we’re actually happy to be up and doing…. Maybe we can fool Murphy into thinking we got the jump on him today…. Luigi! Fire it up, and get us out of here!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Life is like quotations. Sometimes, it makes you laugh. Sometimes, it makes you cry. Most of the time, you don’t get it.” — Smart Bee

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

The Who’s Latest Tour Logo

http://thewho.com/tour/

Pictures of The Who are apparently very well protected; trying to find one that did not require some sort of major attribution took forever, and, was ultimately unsuccessful. The logo above is from the home site for the band, advertising their 50th year anniversary tour, joining The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and a number of old rock bands in celebrating a half-century of making music…. Here for your enjoyment is an older concert, from 1970….. Enjoy!….

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The Who

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

https://youtu.be/61foW5x2cmo

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

Most days, in this section, if I’m not going to rant, I’ll use an older piece. Guess what?

Yep. It’s another selection from the archives, but, relax…. No ranting today. It is now 0352, & I’ve been up for over two hours, having been driven from my very comfy bed by the ache in my joints, enough to keep me from staying asleep, or, getting back to sleep after awakening…. If I attempted to rant, there is no telling what might happen; my brain is so fatigued, the defensive restraints on my deepest feelings of anger and frustration at the world are not merely weakened, they’ve been deleted. Whatever I chose to rant about probably would never be the same….

Fantasies about having any real effect on Reality aside, I really don’t trust myself today to even pick out something appropriate…. So, here is an entire Pearl from the early days here on WP, before I’d developed/evolved the current format… It will do…. Enjoy the break, ffolkes…

From 10/15/2011:

Ffolkes,

Casting a jubilant look at each other, the two young boys grinned; with a cry of pure joy, they took off running toward a nearby stand of trees. Legs pounding as hard and fast as their hearts, evenly matched, they ran with abandon, startling birds and small creatures, laughing in sheer exuberance. When they came to the edge of the trees, they stopped by mutual accord. Breathing hard, they gazed into the shadows, thinking about why they had come, why they were here, filling their souls with beauty at the beginning of the day……

I’m told that constant practice makes for constant improvement, and if this is so, then I should be getting damn close to competence, if not perfection. The paragraphs above are the start of yet another story, which will most likely never be told. I write them principally to keep dross from building up in my psyche, and as a sort of contrast to the reality of the rest of the piece. An introductory bridge, as it were, carrying the reader into the realms of thought, where I can then provide you with an upgrade to the DABSDS (Defense Against B___S___ Delivery System) that comes installed in your brain. It gives me a chance to limber up my typing finger, and loosen the mental muscle, which, as we all know, is an essential precursor to the use of these peripherals without sustaining injury.

Today’s group of Pearls is an eclectic one, with a diverse, compelling batch of authors. Cultural values from all over the world, and from many (well, two or three, anyway) different ages of history are represented here; I think the variety is part of its strength. It shows, metaphorically, of course, wisdom is not limited to one book. Indeed, I believe the admixture that came together today is greatly enhanced by the contrast of ideas, creating a more powerful effect upon the reasoning mind….. Hope you enjoy!….

“If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.” — James Thurber

“The only real failure in life is the failure to try.” — Smart Bee

“It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.” — Deng Ming-Dao

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know.
But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.

~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music” ~~

“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of–but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.” — Lazarus Long

“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” — Emily Dickinson

Trust yourselves, my friends, so that ye may trust one another….. Y’all take care out there…..

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

When I was in my teens and twenties, I wrote some poetry. When I look back on it, I wonder why, because it was pretty bad. I gave up trying to write any at all, aside from an occasional haiku, which I’ve always found to be rather simple to create…. When I retired, & began writing more, I still had no urge to try my hand at it again, until I started writing this blog, and reading a lot more poetry myself… In late 2012, around August, a poem burst out, and I’ve been writing more ever since…. This wasn’t the first to come out after my long hiatus, but, one of the first few, for sure…. Enjoy, please….

Piraeus calls me, silently.

Sizzle, sizzle, crash, bang, boom.
Intellect burning with subsequent doom.
Lingering long over decisive style,
Whistling up chaos all the while.

Such frozen thoughts may shatter,
Should we infer, but, no matter.
Firing blanks is children at play
Blooded sages all gasp in dismay.

Nonsense is good sense at times
Mundane objectives trip lightly in rhymes.
Fallen angels dance on a pin
Until each sinner enters within.

Fast moments with natural rain
Bring ashes, yet still must remain.
Final thoughts clamor for more
Find them only on a far distant shore.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/6/2012.

Well, it’s a start….

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

If this pearl, and Pearl, had struggled any harder to NOT get done, I’m not sure what I would have had to do. Now that I look at that statement, I’m even more impressed with the strength of the resistance, as it has completely discombobulated me…. and, isn’t THAT a great word? Discombobulated. Say it out loud to yourself…. Isn’t that cool?

Anyway, this pearl tried very hard to not get posted; don’t ask me why, because I don’t even WANT to know…. In addition, it came out a little funny…. not ha, ha funny, either. In fact, I think it would be best, at this point, to just let it speak for itself, for whatever good it will do…. Enjoy, ffolkes; if nothing else, it’s a nice little trip into fantasy land…. Well, except for the fact it’s mostly talking about Life and Reality…

“I like life. It’s something to do.” — Ronnie Shakes

“A good place to start is where you are.” — Charles Wolf, Jr.

“Our own heart, and not other men’s opinions form our true honor.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“Don’t teach your children what to think; just teach them to think.” — Tannenbaum

“Not all who wander are lost.” — J. R. R. Tolkien

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

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” — Albert Einstein

“Don’t worry about a thing because every little thing is gonna be alright.” — Bob Marley

“So as this only point among the rest remaineth sure and certain, namely, that nothing is certain. . .” — Pliny The Elder

Actually, that’s not bad… not bad at all….

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

We are unsure of just what happened here today, but, remain confident in our heart all will be well, if we only stay the course. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by your expectations of quality you would find here; it’s not our fault Reality does not respond to even our royal ministrations. You may, if you wish, apply for a refund, but, good luck. (I’m using the royal/3rd person ‘we’ to avoid full personal responsibility for the above; it’s intended to distract y’all from blaming me for this…. Did it work?….)

All that said, in place of the standard disclaimer, I think I should let this one go to it’s fate. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, when we find out the latest in the ongoing war of nerves called Life at Large…. It’s the only game in town, so we may as well learn to play.

To honor that intention, I leave you today with a final thought, which may happen now and then around here. It’s a good one to start the day….

“Despite its suffix, skepticism is not an “ism” in the sense of a belief or dogma. It is simply an approach to the problem of telling what is counterfeit and what is genuine. And a recognition of how costly it may be to fail to do so. To be a skeptic is to cultivate “street smarts” in the battle for control of one’s own mind, one’s own money, one’w own allegiances. To be a skeptic, in short, is to refuse to be a victim.” — Robert S. DeBear, “An Agenda for Reason, Realism, and Responsibility,” — New York Skeptic — (newsletter of the New York Area Skeptics, Inc.), Spring 1988

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….

Immodest noises of patient concern….

Posted on May 6, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I have been a stranger in a strange land.”

~~ Old Testament — Exodus ii: 22 ~~

Luna ~~ Earth’s Moon ~~ Farside view

(click to see enlarged view ~ it’s awesome…)

Image from the European Union Space Administration via Space.com

Good morning, ffolkes…..

Lately, I’ve been leaving the intro right there, with pretty good results. However, this morning (a morning unlike any other, which, thanks to the conveniently timely application of Time Lord powers, is yesterday afternoon, about 18 hours from now, in the past, which will soon be the present, no longer the future; of course, now can never be the future again, unless….. Oh, never mind…), I must comment, if superfluously, on the opening quote, which you see above the moon up there at the top today.

Generally, when I include something from the Christian Bible, whether Old, or New Testament, or whatever version, it is for the purpose of sardonicism, or, as an example of the delusional content one finds in such copious abundance nested within its pages. I don’t really mean to be mean; it’s just the sheer implausibility of the whole story made any sense to me, and I don’t understand how anyone with a functioning neuron can buy into any of it. This, I suppose, makes me sound somewhat antagonistic to them, though I’m really not… I just wish they weren’t so fanatical about everyone else having to feel the same way. (You’ll note I didn’t say think the same way…. It wouldn’t apply….)

This particular phrase may be, in my estimation, and, according to my memory of what I’ve read of the silly collection of improbable stories, (That comes to approximately 95% of it… Well, c’mon! Nobody reads every single “Absophel begat Paraceltic, who begat Miriam, Peter, and little Bubba, etc….” I’ll bet YOU didn’t read every damn one of them!…. We ALL skipped over that part….), simply put, the truest statement in the entire book…. As well, it has the added caveat of being applicable to just about every thinking person on this planet, thanks in large part to the massive power of delusional thinking so encouraged by faith-based religions….

“I have been a stranger in a strange land.” What a powerfully vague metaphor, vague enough to suit each and every person who finds themselves, as I often do, wondering just how the hell we ended up here, where almost everyone we see, or engage with, is pursuing illusions, based on delusions, manipulated by amoral, evil versions of themselves, rushing down a dark corridor toward a future none of them, master or slave, are going to like at all…. From what I can tell in over 60 years of watching people, most of them aren’t real happy with what they already have for a life….

It’s getting really, really weird out in the BBR, ffolkes, especially if one is able to view the overall picture of all the crap happening, all over the world, as we, and the majority of everyone alive, even those who believe in supernatural safety nets, blindly rush headlong toward a final solution to the problems plaguing this planet….

Oops…. Did it again, didn’t I? Oh, well, it’s going to happen now and again; try not to let it worry you. All of us have our own axes to grind, and our own gardens to tend. Maybe, since we’re alive, there is hope…. We are human, after all, and our imagination has, so far, been equal to the task of figuring out how to get us where we need to be, physically, and, intellectually.

Now, if it can extend that influence to the advancement of the human spirit, to allow us to mature past the need to prey upon others, there is a slight chance we may live to see new stars, new planets, new galaxies…. In short, our true legacy, to understand the Universe, as best we may…. The Universe itself doesn’t care, one way or the other, whether we do, or not; it makes a big difference to me, and a lot of other ffolkes, I’d think….

Shall we Pearl?

“Never frighten a little man. He’ll kill you.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

How’s THAT for a quick change of direction?…..

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Sherlock is The Man, of course, when it comes to deductive reasoning and the power of observation. I think this is my favorite story of his exploits; it certainly lends itself well to the movie/TV genre, as produced by the BBC. Here is one of two adaptations of the story, this one with Peter Cushing in the title role, the other, which I could not find in the version I saw on YT, (don’t know where it went) starred Jeremy Brett as Sherlock. Both are excellently done, with humor, and typical Holmesian deductive investigation…. Enjoy!….

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Sherlock Holmes

The Blue Carbuncle

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https://youtu.be/eAPWPDL9aMU

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Here’s a pretty good rant from quite a while ago…. For some unknown reason, I’m always surprised at how relevant these old rants remain in the current world…. It’s as if humanity has completely stopped progressing in any direction but one of self-destruction…. SIGH….

From 8/27/2012:

“In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

In perfect demonstration of the accuracy of Herr Nietzsche’s assertion, I give you, Senator Dan Quayle, a veritable paragon of Christianity, speaking, with absolute faith, and insane illogic, the rigid and hateful prejudices as obsessed over by the Church of the Brain Dead….. one of many such cults common to the not-so-outer-fringes of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and other religions, all of which are prone to creation of pockets of entirely too vocal enclaves of zealous fundamentalists, who spew their strident hatred and bigotry all over the innocent, and the different….

“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)

After you have recovered from the shock of encountering (again) such abject inhumanity, racism, bigotry, you name it and they are doing it (‘they’ being anyone who even listens to this tripe without gagging, and including any other religious zealotry as practiced in other religions beside the Christian cults) (cults is the correct word, trust me….), I’d like to scare you even further, so take a deep breath….

“If I seem to take part in politics, it is only because politics encircles us today like the coil of a snake from which one cannot get out, no matter how much one tries. I wish therefore to wrestle with the snake.” — Mahatma Gandhi

The just released, official platform of the Republican Party for the 2012 election, lays out in clear detail the very spirit of what Mr. Quayle is quoted to say above. Their stances on women’s healthcare and basic rights to decide for themselves how to live, LGBT rights and marriage (in)equality, immigration, tax cuts for the rich, tax raises for the middle class, continued reliance on the same failed economic policies that killed the economy (trickle-down theory, supply side economics), cuts and actual elimination of Social Security and Medicare for seniors, voter suppression techniques reminiscent of the post-Civil War era….all are designed to turn back the clock to the middle of the last century, and further, in the case of women’s rights, and voter’s rights for minorities (which are no longer minorities….).

“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” — H. L. Mencken

The frightened white, rich bankers and politicos are starting to realize that they are no longer actually in the majority…. close, but not enough to matter, since many, many of us honkies are technically on the other side of the fence, having more faith in humanity and basic human rights, than in religious zealotry, and fear under the guise of politics.

“I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleges, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives.” — Tolstoy

This is so true….. It is insight like this into the very nature of man that frightens the beloved ruling class, and has since the time of Tolstoy, and before. The complacent culture that has derived from the young, energetic society of our forebears has lost the will to suffer change. They cannot imagine life different from what they know, and don’t wish to know.

Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for the rest of us here in the real world, there are now more of us than there are of them….. provided all of us who know, and care, get out there to vote in November. It is a matter of making the, to me, obvious choice, to take a path that leads to a future for all of us, instead taking us back to a time that no longer exists, and is meant only for a few….. It’s a no-brainer, to my way of thinking….

“Is a tattoo real, like a curb or a battleship? Or are we suffering in Safeway?” — Zippy the Pinhead

Take care ffolkes, we don’t want to end up suffering in Safeway…… really, you don’t want to do that….. I can testify…..

A disciple of another sect once came to Drescher as he was eating his morning meal. “I would like to give you this personality test”, said the outsider, “because I want you to be happy.” Drescher took the paper that was offered him and put it into the toaster- “I wish the toaster to be happy too”. — AI koan

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Written 9/6/2012:

Dreaming, I wait….

In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.

Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.

Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.

Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.

Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.

When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.

Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Smart Bee is in full rebellion, it seems, so I’ve sent it to a resort for a day or two to recover its equilibrium…. Here is a pearl from the archives…. Enjoy!….

From 5/6/2013:

Just so everything today isn’t old and creaky, I’m putting together an old-school group of pearls for your delectation…. Hopefully, this, too, will feel the freedom of a Murphy-less morning, and turn out well, and quickly…. I think this one might make it onto the Quiz, so you might want to take notes….

Cogito, ergo sum. (I think, therefore I am) — Rene Descartes

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind; Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave. I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.” — Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music”

“God is an invention of Man. So the nature of God is only a shallow mystery. The deep mystery is the nature of Man.” — Nanrei Kobori,
— late Abbot of the Temple of the Shining Dragon, Kyoto, Japan

Made still a blund’ring kind of melody;
Spurr’d boldly on, and dashed through thick and thin,
Through sense and nonsense, never out nor in.

~~ John Dryden (1631-1700) — Absalom and Achitophel, Part ii, Line 413 ~~

“A note of music gains significance from the silence on either side.” — Anne Morrow Lindberg

“To a rational being it is the same thing to act according to nature and according to reason.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vii, 11

Cogito sum, ergo sum. Circa basta. (I think I am. That’s close enough.) ~~ gigoid

That turned out well, I think, and this is my blog, so that’s good enough…. 😆

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

Thus, the cookie crumbles….

For another day, anyway…. I mean, it’s not as if I’m responsible for excessive Entropy, now, is it? Just because more of it seems to happen here than in other loci, doesn’t mean we aren’t done for the day…. And, the cool part is, if I’m wrong about that, there’s always tomorrow. Even if the powers of a Time Lord aren’t available, as they were today, we always have tomorrow, right? Right? Hey, where did everybody go?…..

See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, though, who I’m talking to I’ll never know…. Sheesh!…. Crumbs EVERYWHERE!…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

gigoid

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

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Edna St. Vincent-Millay

Too many random corpuscles….

Elemental key lime pie….

Rotating the stone….

Totally en passant….

After all, it’s only a goose….

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