Tag Archives: Eugene L’Hote

Nary a spare neuron in sight….

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Ffolkes,

“We never reflect how pleasant it is to ask for nothing.”

~~ Seneca ~~

table-ready-leelu

Leelu, Dispossessed….

Hajime…. Though the crisis at Lake Oroville’s Dam has receded to precautionary warnings, and the level of the dam’s reservoir has dropped to manageable levels, it continues to rain here in northern California, to the delight of sea birds & other aquatic creatures, and the chagrin of all the spoiled, self-centered denizens of the human culture, most of whom begin whining after one day of such weather. People are getting testy from the lack of sunshine, it seems, though, personally, I enjoy a spot of rainy weather. That’s due to experience, though, which most folks find hard to assimilate into their thinking apparatus….. but, that’s a tale for another day….

For the nonce, let it suffice to say, it’s wet here. The Pearl you’ll find below is what today’s culture would call a ‘mash-up’, consisting, as it does, of the various parts of other, older Pearls, with a bit of original smarm from yours truly thrown in to distract anyone from any uncomfortable questions, or, noticing anything off. Hey, it works like a charm for the government flunkies who infest the airwaves with their BS, to distract the public from what they’re doing in those back offices & darkened conference rooms; why can’t it work for me? No reason, I think, since humans are so adept at NOT thinking; you’d think we’d find something better to do with all this grey matter we’re wasting, but, no…. we just carry it around from toilet to toilet, moving water from place to place while we dither….

If you couldn’t tell, I’m feeling a bit snarky today; it should work well for me when I start working on the huge ‘discussion’ in my temp files. However, to keep it from getting too sticky here, (it tends to get tacky after it sits a while….), I think I’ll just mention the construction alterations I’ve used today, & get on with it….. Most of what you see below was stolen, from a Pearl first posted in mid-2012. The poem is from that date, as is the final section’s old school entry. This is simply to save time, (Smart Bee went on strike again….), and energy, which can be better utilized later today for a walk out in the storm. So be it, he said, grimly. He also said, watch this….

Shall we Pearl?

“Hope is the fawning traitor of the mind,
which, while it cozens with a color’d friendship
robs us of our best virtue-resolution.”

~~ Lee ~~

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camille-saint-saens-photo2

French composer Camille Saint-Saens

Today’s musical selection is a two hour collection of violin concertos from this man’s work, which I use a lot to provide myself with music, by which to write. I hope it soothes today, as you read the mess I’ve put together….

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Violin Concertos
Camile Saint-Saëns

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Comedy_Tragedy

I Speak Not

I speak not, I trace not, I breathe not thy name;
There is grief in the sound, there is guilt in the fame;
But the tear that now burns on my cheek may impart
The deep thoughts that dwell in that silence of heart.
Too brief for our passion, too long for our peace,
Were those hours – can their joy or their bitterness cease?
We repent, we abjure, we will break from our chain, –
We will part, we will fly to – unite it again!
Oh! thine be the gladness, and mine be the guilt!
Forgive me, adored one! – forsake if thou wilt;
But the heart which is thine shall expire undebased,
And man shall not break it – whatever thou may’st.
And stern to the haughty, but humble to thee,
This soul in its bitterest blackness shall be;
And our days seem as swift, and our moments more sweet,
With thee at my side, than with worlds at our feet.
One sigh of thy sorrow, one look of thy love,
Shall turn me or fix, shall reward or reprove.
And the heartless may wonder at all I resign –
Thy lips shall reply, not to them, but to mine.

~~ George Gordon, Lord Byron ~~

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pearls_3

Today’s final section is, again, graced with the material used in the Pearl posted on 7/13/2012; it carries a flavor tease, of a part of the massive ‘rant’ I’m working on in my spare moments… I hope you enjoy this little group of pokes, targeting one of humanity’s most persistent delusions….

From July, 2013:

Here then is an old-school pearl…. Strung together, each of these distinct ideas blend to become one scathing exposé of society today…. Just what that exposé consists of is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..

“And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the bible were used to beat plowshares into swords…” — Alan Watts

“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” — Arthur Schopenhauer

“What do you mean, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” *YOU* are the free lunch!” — Solomon Short

On a sidewalk near Portland State University someone wrote `Trust Jesus’, and someone else wrote `But Cut the Cards’. — Smart Bee

Those Jesus Freaks
Well, they’re friendly but
The shit they believe
Has got their minds all shut.
— Frank Zappa, “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing”

“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote

and last, but certainly not least….

“Apes evolved from Creationists!” — Smart Bee

Well, there you have it…. perhaps a bit less scathing than sardonic, but attractively presented, if nothing else, eh? Don’t forget to offer a cut to the player on your right before you deal the cards ….

🙂

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Hmm… well, it seems to have worked; my efforts, despite their randomness, got me here to the final, closing section, without much hesitation, otherwise known as ‘dithering’, and, more importantly, with sanity, if not completely intact, at least still present. That, in itself, is worthy of celebration; too bad I don’t have any champagne. Since I don’t, I guess I’ll just finish this off, & call it a day. While that may be more rational than the alternative, we’re not choosing to do so for any rational reason. No, sirree, Bob; we’re doing it cuz we’re done to a turn. Rather than stick around, chancing awkward questions or comments, I’ll just say, see y’all later, & hope for the best. Besides, I’ll be back, eventually; maybe it will all make sense, one day. Until then, be strange…. it’s cool out there….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….

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Technically, it’s all irony….

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Ffolkes,

“Still crazy after all these years.”

~~ Paul Simon, speaking for us all ~~

pre-outburst

Two seconds from madness….

Hajime…. Framed in the doorway stood a giant…. No, that’s not going to do it.

The sun slowly rose over a grisly scene…. Nope. Try harder….

The old man sat, shivering in the cold, at a bus stop at the north end of town. He rose, stiffly, to board the bus as it pulled to a halt in front of him, shuffling aboard with his tattered valise. Fingers fumbled to push the fare into the turnstile, as the driver waited, impatiently drumming his own fingers on the wheel, as if to hurry the oldster along…..

That’s probably enough. It will have to be enough, because the effort it took to cudgel the above out of my head has already exhausted the small amount of energy/creativity I have this morning. Can’t say why I’m so tired, as I got a good 8 hours down; more age related bullshit, I imagine. Oh, well, at least I managed to put this Pearl together, even if there was no conscious contribution to the end result; the process pulled my blank mind all the way through without even a whimper of protest, or, for that matter, notice.

Since that’s the case, I’ll not bother to make any assumptions, or claims, as to either quality or quantity. It is what it is, and that’s all that it is; it’s a Popeye blog today. I can’t believe I just said that; hell, I’m not too happy I thought it, much less typing it. But, I’m honest, if not talented, so, it will have to do for today. Rather than continue to stumble around here in the intro, why don’t we go down, and stumble around the ending? I think that’s a fine idea….

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ Calvin, “Calvin and Hobbes” ~~

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

Yep. I’m feeling lazy today, so, naturally, I’ll be going with our default music. There’s a good reason for it; just listen, & you’ll know…. Enjoy!…

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Classical Music

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Comedy_Tragedy

Serendipity Morning

My mind wants to fly,
my soul wants to hold close, the source,
strong, the moments of time;
each as precious as golden thread,
binding together such elements of longing desire.

Love hovers, always patient,
seeking the open heart,
reaching for the promise of tomorrow…..
only for one, only for now, only what is real….
Dreaming, the morning calls,
heavy with mordant belief,
replete, and eternally alive…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/1/2013

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Simple, basic stuff you need to know….

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

~~ Heraclitus ~~

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“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.”

~~ Eugene L’Hote ~~

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“Little to little added, if oft done,
In small time makes a good possession.”

~~ Hesiod (B.C. 800?) — Works and Days ~~

*******

“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin;
what else does a man need to be happy?”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

*******

“For fast acting relief, try slowing down.”

~~ Lily Tomlin ~~

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“When in doubt, follow your heart.”

~~ Sagacious Bee ~~

*******

“A single event can awaken within us
a stranger totally unknown to us.
To live is to be slowly born.”

~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~~

*******

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Well, since I made it this far, I guess I’ll go post this…. well, whatever it is. I’ll even do so without any particular contortions here at the end. Instead, I’ll merely say, see ya tomorrow, ffolkes. You might want to put that in your calendar….

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

Featured Image -- 2780

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Montezuma’s second mistake….

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Ffolkes,

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

~~ Euripides ~~

yellow rose

By any other name….


Hajime…. I kinda like this getting done ahead stuff; sure makes this part easier, not having to do it under the pressure of deadline. It takes a bit of creative scheduling, to get it done in between bouts of cat training & being trained by a cat, but, it seems to be working okay. As long as I can keep from talking to bureaucrats too often on the phone, it may even prove to be a workable routine altogether…. Bonus for me, and for Leelu, as she likes status quo, to a certain extent….

Today’s Pearl is a good one, even with an archived rant in the middle section…. The music makes all of it more palatable, believe me…. Just let it play while you read, and it will go down nice and smooth. Trust me. Have I ever failed you? No, of course not. After all, I do get to proof this before it goes out; I find that to be very useful for sticking to the truth, as it gives me time to find & have available any evidence for my assertions. Always handy to have the truth on one’s side, isn’t it?

Not that I’m not human; I’d lie to you for good reason. But, my concept of good, and that of most, differ widely, and, I also provide the opportunity to challenge. As a habit, I will also usually tell you when something is suspect, usually accompanied by a disclaimer, such as “fair warning”…. Then, of course, there’s the nonsense which trips so elegantly from my mind onto the screen for your perverse entertainment, but, we won’t worry about applying any standards to that…. Willie Wonka wouldn’t approve….

Okay, we’ve touched enough bases to have completely stalled the game, so, let’s be off to the oyster beds…. I think we’ll use this old-fashioned method to get us down the page, which looks like this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“War would end if the dead could return.”

~~ Stanley Baldwin ~~


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joan baez

Joan Baez in 2014

Image from YouTube.com via Google Images

My musical preferences, as well as my political and cultural perceptions, were influenced greatly by this woman, as is most likely true of many people my age. Her voice, always regarded as one of the purest vocal instruments ever heard, can move from range to range, and melody to melody, with the ease of a slow-moving river, taking the listener’s emotions along for the ride, just from the power of what is heard…. Often, the words don’t matter, though, to be sure, she sang songs that made a big difference in the culture of the time, songs which continue to influence music today…. A legend for good reason, she is, simply, one of the very best singers ever to have raised voice….


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Joan Baez Live

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We the People...

    A new piece is in the works, sort of, but, nowhere near being ready. Hence, the following politirant from the archives, simply because I can, and it bears repeating…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is one of my better pieces, if only for the tone…. Plus, it kinda goes with the music selection for the day….

From 3/2/2013:

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

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

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

Okay, that’s a good start…. Now, we all know that politicians lie to us…. It’s what we’ve taught them to do, by our calm acceptance of all the other lies they’ve told, from the very beginning. We expect them to lie… then, when we catch them at it, there is this huge public outcry, as if it had never happened before. Sometimes, the behavior of the American public toward the political beast reminds me of a shark…. to wit: no memory of the past to slow down their willingness to rush into dangerous situations….. For millions of years, sharks and dolphins have lived together in the oceans. For just about all that time, whenever a shark attacks a dolphin, it gets killed, unless the dolphin is injured in some way, or, it is a baby inadvertently left alone. Always, if things are even, the shark dies, because the dolphins are smarter, and faster swimmers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ignorance kills daily. “

~~ Smart Bee ~~


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Comedy_Tragedy

Raging at Aging

As old as you feel, we are told, is old as you are,
custom assures such vision will carry us far.
Reality begs to differ, may it be so bold
it is really quite painful, and very, very cold.

The power and strength felt in our halcyon youth
desert us with age, yet another unwelcome truth.
Irony rules our time here on this bountiful earth
as we reflect the changes over time since our birth.

As physical powers fade from this fragile shell,
we learn our mind can serve us quite as well.
The strength that once filled our bones and hearts
is now applied by our will, to more arcane arts.

Life’s greatest gift is our freedom of choice
no matter how often we forget, we still get a voice.
Energy, or apathy, by our will we may choose,
failing to do so, our only way to lose.

Each of us lives in the grip of time and space,
always seeking our balance, our own chosen place.
One must accept reality, for it is true at the core,
all we can do, is all we can do, and nothing more.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/17/2012


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pearls_3

    Today’s final pearl is a nine-star classic style, speaking in the usual obscure way of how to look at, and approach, the complex issue of living in a complex universe as humans…. whatever THAT means…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this one, if used correctly, will end up making you feel okay about it all….

“Look round the habitable world: how few
Know their own good, or knowing it, pursue.”
 
~~John Dryden — Juvenal, Satire x ~~


“Words form the thread on which we string our experiences.” — Aldous Huxley, The Olive Tree

“The weather-cock on the church spire, though made of iron, would soon be broken by the storm wind if it did not understand the noble art of turning to every wind.” — Heinrich Heine

“One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try.” — Sophocles

“The bow too tensely strung is easily broken.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 388

“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote

“All life is a conjugation of the verb “to eat”” — Subtle Bee

“If the name is not correct, the words will not ring true.” — Confucius

There are places I remember all my life,
though some have changed,
some forever, not for better,
some have gone and some remain.
All these places had their moments
with lovers and friends I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living.
In my life I’ve loved them all.

~~ The Beatles ~~


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Well, that went well. But, then, it had little choice, given the smooth way it came together. Not your usual Pearl, to say the least, but, then, we do try for a lack of consistency, which we often succeed at avoiding…. In fact, I think we’ll stop there, before I get myself into a hole I can’t get out of without falling back in…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Fair warning….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
This bear’s brain has been softened!….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“We have met the enemy and they are us and you are me and we are all together”


~~ Walt Kelly, Lennon, and the Beatles ~~


Alaska Grand Adventure 013


     Given the state of affairs in which most of us exist, it seems pointless to bother explaining my own particular brand of insanity; nobody would blink, or wail, or fall down in shock and awe. Of course, if my own oddities don’t cause any sort of public display of astonishment, beyond the occasional snort of disdain, or the random chortle at my discomfiture, (only present, I assure you, because it’s too damn early in the day for such philosophical discussions)…. well, then, I wouldn’t expect to astound my audience with tales of strange behavior on the part of our Beloved Ruling Class, or that of my own particular nemesis, the dogma dogs….


When I think of the centuries of progress we have lost by listening to these fools, it depresses me, deeply; no other human activity plays such a large part in holding us back, as does the delusion of a supernatural force at large in the universe that, according to those who buy into that sort of thing, has some sort of obsession with having us worship them, bend our will to them, and otherwise surrender much of our humanity in order to make this delusion happy…. Now, if you were offered that as a deal for a used car, would you take it? Would you make that deal? I don’t think so; we all know how much used car salesman have OUR interests at heart…. Tricky Dicky taught us that….


I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Ranting before I even wake up, it seems, as I am, just now, finally awake enough to take note of what my fingers have been up to the last few minutes…. It seems my sub-conscious mind is chewing on the subject of dogma dogs, and their deleterious effects on human culture, since first gaining popularity back in the early days of our civilization’s rise from living in caves to living in cities built of metal and brick… Not that this “rise” has taught most people to think any more efficiently than when their most complex need was where to find another animal to kill. Hell, most of the folks alive today wouldn’t last ten minutes if they had to feed themselves, if there was no Burger King nearby….


Ah well, I suppose it’s only natural for me to complain; I am, after all, a human, with the same faults and prejudices most of us fall prey to, with, perhaps, just a few less delusions than is usually the case. Some of us humans have learned to pay attention to that little voice that whispers to us when we are told something that challenges our understanding; most people give that up to avoid having to think, or make decisions for themselves about what to believe. Those of us who have decided not to engage in such weakness, unfortunately, don’t seem to be able to convince the rest of the world of how little they actually see, or understand…. Instead, the world trudges on toward its doom, blithely blind to their own danger, or their own part in creating that danger.


Having now completely lost all track of where we might be in this process, I think I’ll abandon all hope, and just go on with the rest of today’s Pearl…. There doesn’t seem to be much point in belaboring this point any further; I’m mostly preaching to the choir, anyway, I think; most of my Gentle Readers, I find, are of that part of humanity that doesn’t buy into the bullshit being tossed around by the BRC; it might be more effective if anyone who actually needed to know this stuff would stop in to read…. But, that probably wouldn’t work, anyway, as they’d just bail the first time I asked them to think, or to answer a question they don’t understand…. SIGH….


But, we’ve managed to get far enough down the page to allow me to get us out of here without further claptrap (wonderful word, that….), so, I’ll just turn this little wheel here, push this lever down, press this button, and, voilá, we’re outta here!…. Hold on to your loose packages, ffolkes, the turn here is a bit sharp….


Shall we Pearl?


“In the handbook, it says that most people ignore the strange and unusual;  while I myself *am*… strange and unusual.” — BEETLEJUICE


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


I feel like a bit of political satire, with a dash of impropriety, and some well-earned snark…. in other words, let’s see what our old friend Russell Brand has been up to of late, shall we?….. He is one of the few people in the public eye who is actively proposing world-wide revolution against those who would kill us all in achieving their own ends…. Here is his interview on Letterman last month, with a number of other available videos listed at the You Tube page where the link leads…. Listen up, ffolkes, he’s telling it straight….







Russell Brand on David Letterman – October 13th 2014 – Full Interview 































 


 




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“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live.  It is asking other people to live as one wishes to live.” — Oscar Wilde


I’ve ranted already, filling up a great deal of the intro with my usual diatribe against organized religion, and the dogma dogs who would have us believe all that nonsense, so, I’ll spare you another one today, and proceed with an old-school pearl to serve the same purpose…. This one is, obviously, aimed at those foolish, but dangerous predators who prey upon the weak and gullible among us…. a group which sadly includes the greater portion of humanity….


Note, please. the first entry, which attempted to warn people against these liars and manipulators, is part of a work written long before the birth of Jesus Christ, the dogma dogs’ most frequent choice for their insane machinations….


“Some foolish men declare that a Creator made the world.  The doctrine that the world was created is ill-advised, and should be rejected.  If God created the world, where was He before creation?  How could God have made the world without any raw material?  If you say He made this first, and then the world, you are faced with an endless regression … Know that the world is uncreated, as time itself is, without beginning and end.” — The Mahapurana, Jinasena


“The Church hates a thinker like a criminal hates the police.” — Smart Bee


“To certain individuals of small minds and overweening ambition, there is no greater insult than to be proved wrong.” — Thomas H Dyer 1984


“People in general are equally horrified at hearing the Christian religion doubted, and at seeing it practiced.” — Samuel Butler, in “Samuel Butler’s Notebooks”


“Worship the gods, listen to their advice, but don’t lend them money.”– Smart Bee


“Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others.” — Oscar Wilde  “Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young”


“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau


Smart Bee is a bit testy this morning; these are the best I could find…. So, I’ll leave you with a short statement of my own advice when confronted with someone trying to get you to swallow their hook, line, and sinker…. to wit:


“Get a taste of religion. Bite a preacher!” — Smart Bee, with gigoid’s full agreement


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


Some poems, and poets, need no introduction, nor adornment…. Enjoy!




I Speak Not 


I speak not, I trace not, I breathe not thy name; 

There is grief in the sound, there is guilt in the fame; 

But the tear that now burns on my cheek may impart 

The deep thoughts that dwell in that silence of heart. 

Too brief for our passion, too long for our peace, 

Were those hours – can their joy or their bitterness cease? 

We repent, we abjure, we will break from our chain, – 

We will part, we will fly to – unite it again! 

Oh! thine be the gladness, and mine be the guilt! 

Forgive me, adored one! – forsake if thou wilt; 

But the heart which is thine shall expire undebased, 

And man shall not break it – whatever thou may’st. 

And stern to the haughty, but humble to thee, 

This soul in its bitterest blackness shall be; 

And our days seem as swift, and our moments more sweet, 

With thee at my side, than with worlds at our feet. 

One sigh of thy sorrow, one look of thy love, 

Shall turn me or fix, shall reward or reprove. 

And the heartless may wonder at all I resign – 

Thy lips shall reply, not to them, but to mine. 


~~ George Gordon, Lord Byron  ~~




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


Since Smart Bee is a bit out of sorts, we’ll go with a choice from the archives…. This pearl was first posted on 7/13/2012, though, to look at it, you’d think it was made to go with the rant section above….

——————-


Here then is an old-school pearl…. Strung together, each of these distinct ideas blend to become one scathing exposé of society today…. Just what that exposé consists of is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..


“And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the bible were used to beat plowshares into swords…” — Alan Watts


“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” — Arthur Schopenhauer


“What do you mean, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” *YOU* are the free lunch!” — Solomon Short


On a sidewalk near Portland State University someone wrote `Trust Jesus’, and someone else wrote `But Cut the Cards’. — Smart Bee




Those Jesus Freaks

Well, they’re friendly but

The shit they believe

Has got their minds all shut.


~~ Frank Zappa, “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing” ~~




“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote


“Apes evolved from Creationists!” — Smart Bee


Well, there you have it…. perhaps a bit less scathing than sardonic, but attractively presented, if nothing else, eh? Don’t forget to offer a cut to the player on your right before you deal the cards ….


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


Well, I’ve done it again, Ollie…. There’s no going back now, and, since I never intended to do that, anyway, we can proceed to close this out with only minor guilt, which, I’m happy to say, I gave up years ago…. We all need a hobby, right? Right…. On that note, I’m outta here, ffolkes…. See y’all tomorrow….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Breaking News!… Christie, Obama both wear paisley pants to give State of Union: film at 11….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


I still find some of my humor, and a great deal of wonder, at the beauty and majesty of the universe, right here inside my head….. which, if you stop to think about it, is a good place for it to be.      😉  Today, I’m struck by how little terror the empty screen holds for me, in contrast to the last couple of days, when it seemed as if I was to be forever destined to look at my writing in the Hunter S. Thompson manner, which is to say, with fear and loathing well established as our starting point… In essence, it’s a living-on-the-edge, damn-the-torpedoes, full-speed-ahead, let-Chaos-rule sort of viewpoint, complete with bloodshot, weary eyes, no shave, and a grim outlook on people, and life at large….


On the other hand, it’s morning again, and thanks to our resident furry alarm clock, I’m up and typing, coffee in hand, (it’s harder than it sounds….), wondering where my whimsy will lead us today…. I’ve got a lot to do out in the BBR today, so I want to be done with this in a timely fashion…. Since I’m also feeling like I should keep it all fresh today, I’d best not fool around too long here in the intro, and just get into the meat of today’s effort….


I’m a huge carnivore, (never understood why people fight against evolution….), and, Leonardo da Vinci’s patent vegetarianism notwithstanding, don’t believe ANY of the hype I hear from the rabbits who follow that belief….. Sorry, ffolkes, a good steak just makes my whole persona feel right, so I have no intention of spending half my life hungry, wondering if I should kill and eat the nearest, handy vegan….


Hmm…. I’m not sure just what happened there, or how we got to that particular point in my craziness….. The mere mention of meat shouldn’t be  sufficient stimulus for that sort of outbreak of curmudgeonry, especially when used in a metaphoric sense. It must have been one of those psychosomatic anomalies that occasionally strike all of us, sort of a crossing of wires in the brain that causes the meanings of words to turn from one meaning to another, without warning or intent…. I suppose we could name it a form of literary epilepsy, whose seizure activity is characterized in this manner, with shifts in mental paradigm, often without warning…..


Fortunately for all of us, I DO know what paradigms are, so we won’t have any problems with the grammar police, or the dictionary nerds. Plus, I have one of those discount cards, that gives us permission to use any and all such terms without penalty, even if used incorrectly (which doesn’t happen here, of course….). Besides, we’re almost to the end here, and I can pretty much do as I wish at this point: it won’t affect the final scoring at all…. Of course, y’all know what this means, don’t you? Yep…. It’s time to dive….


Shall we Pearl?…..


“Down with ignurance!” — Smart Bee

_____________________________


“I have formed a very clear conception of patriotism. I have generally found it thrust into the foreground by some fellow who has something to hide in the background. I have seen a great deal of patriotism; and I have generally found it the last refuge of the scoundrel.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Judgement of Dr. Johnson, Act III


This, of course, is a perfect lead-in for a righteous rant about the Beloved Ruling Class, and all the other Asininnies who make our world such a difficult place to live. I have the outrage, I have the vocabulary, and I have the target…. What I don’t have today is an issue…. I just went over to peruse the headlines at a news site, and nothing strikes me as anything more egregious than usual…. Wells Fargo is complaining about something affecting their bottom line…. California officials are complaining that solar energy is making it hard for utilities to make any money…. Another mass shooting, this time at a university, and a case of one police officer shooting another, so, I COULD, I guess rant on gun control again….


But, I don’t FEEL like gun control today…. It would be a fairly easy one, as we have another crazy person running around shooting at innocents at Princeton (OMG, it’s someone who hates future Ivy League lawyers!….. I wondered where my brother went….), as well as another case of a policeman using his weapon to demonstrate my contention perfectly, that the police are no more able to use them with any intelligence than is anyone else…. I haven’t read the article yet, just saw the headline, but, no matter why this man shot his partner, it was obviously NOT an example of them acting as if they had any real sense, or integrity…. Unless, of course, he shot the guy to protect someone else, in which case there MIGHT be some excuse for his actions, depending on other factors as well…


I could get back into my rants from the last couple of days; there is still plenty to explore in the spying issue, but, nobody put anything newsworthy up yet today on that subject, so I’ll wait for the next round of lies to come out of the White House before commenting again…. Seems only fair to let them throw out their best shots, so I can shoot them down as they come, rather than spending my time poking at them before they’ve spoken…. They’re too easy a target at that point, and I like a bit more of a challenge in my ranting…..


So, what we’ll do here, to soothe my spirit from NOT having the release of a good rant to help out this morning, is to go to Smart Bee, where we’ll look for some of what I like to call “indictment” pearls, to take some well-deserved shots at the BRC, along with whomever else in the group of Asininnies I can find ammunition for…. Shall we Pearl?….


“If we applied government standards for determining the amount of salt in food to the question of how much matter there is in the universe, we would conclude that the universe is matter-free.” — Kolak & Martin, Wisdom without Answers


“Why is it that there are so many more horses’ asses than there are horses?” — G. Gordon Liddy


“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote


“In America, you can go on the air and kid the politicians, and the politicians can go on the air and kid the people.” — Groucho Marx


De la peau de lion l’ane s’etant vetu, Etoit craint partout a la ronde. (Dressed in the lion’s skin, the ass spread terror far and wide.) — Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695)


An Elementary-School student’s comment on politics: “Some of our presidents never did much else and are famous only because they became president.” — Smart Bee


“Fetch the holy hand grenade …” — Monty Python


Okay, so, I guess I have to confess…. No, I don’t always know what a pearl will do, or say, when it comes down to it…. But, it always seems to work out, so, having worked for the government myself in various capacities for quite some time, close enough is good enough for me….

_____________________________


The Dalai Lama has told us “We were put on this world to be of help to others, and if you can’t be of help, at least do no harm.” To honor that good advice, as well as the compassion behind it, here is one of my own poems, from some time in 2012, about the process of writing, as it occurs in me….




Painful candor


I sit, and ponder, then try to write…

seeking always to keep from sounding trite.

My record so far is less than grand;

we’ll not be striking up the hometown band.


Poems come to me, with cadence and rhyme,

that’s the easy part, every time.

Finding words of wisdom herein to include,

makes short shrift, however, of my attitude.


Still the words keep floating up in my head,

harbingers of danger, of wisdom, of dread.

Challenge is issued, in the weight of persuasion

Fey shadows of intent for any bright occasion.


Following along becomes habit and routine,

which naturally tells us where we have been.

New vistas beckon just out of sight

Pulling me forward, from day into night……


~~ gigoid ~~


_____________________________


I’ve already given you more than enough justification for me to avoid ranting today; I have the distinct feeling that it wouldn’t work out well, for me, or for the universe at large, so, I’m going to continue the current policy of NOT getting too involved in reality today, beyond the issues that already have priority appointments with my attention-span.


That said, I’ll put together another old-school pearl for this section, hoping that Smart Bee is in the mood to help out a little with the selection process…. Only time will tell, so, we may as well be getting on with it…. After you…. Oh, and keep that safety harness snapped to the life-line, okay? The insurance folks get all hot and bothered when we forget to remind y’all…. Don’t know why, they’d just raise the rates if anyone dared make a claim…. as is their standard policy…. Hmm, maybe there IS a rant in there…. Nah!….


“I have seen the future and it is just like the present, only longer.” — Kehlog Albran, The Profit


(Hah! See, now, you KNOW this one isn’t real, because, hey, future, longer? Boy, is that one backwards!…. If anything, our future is shorter, by several millennia….)


“Now and then an innocent man is sent to the legislature.” — Frank McKinney Hubbard (1868-1930), “Abe Martin’s Broadcast”, 1930


(Innocence never lasts long there, though, as we all know their primary function is the rape of the public treasury, so, I’m sure any innocents who end up in the legislature lose it fairly rapidly…. and, sorry, I got distracted…. This will be the last comment, lest I begin to rant inadvertently…..)


“If a person wants to be atheistic it’s his God-given right to be an atheist” — Michael Patton


“Authority has every reason to fear the skeptic, for authority can rarely survive in the face of doubt.” — Robert Lindner


“Truth is sacred; and if you tell the truth too often nobody will believe it.” — G. K. Chesterton, ILN, 2/24/06


“And yet, seasons must be taken with a grain of salt, for they too have a sense of humor, as does history.  Corn stalks comedy, comedy stalks tragedy, and this too is historic.  And yet, still, when corn meets tragedy face to face, we have politics. — Dalglish, Larsen and Sutherland, “Root Crops and Ground Cover”


“A fool and his words are soon parted.” — William Shenstone


This one almost got away from me, but, on that final note, we’ll call our battle with coherency a draw, and leave it at that…..

_____________________________


The video on the screen shows a small room, looking at the corner, where, in front of two windows, one on each wall, a desk sits, laptop open in a position of prominence, with a healthy-looking printer on a pedestal, and shredder next to the desk, by the table to the right, on the floor. In the old, ratty 1950’s style office chair in front of the desk sits a grizzled character, medium height, thick build, sporting a long ponytail, held back by two bands, folding the receding remnants of salt and pepper hair, that would otherwise have stretched nearly to his hips, down his back into a disciplined work mode…. Typing madly, brow furrowed in concentration, he pauses to move his torso in an odd fashion, apparently stretching the muscles in the back… As he does, he winces, as obvious pain strikes somewhere, then, setting his face again, he attacks the keyboard….


Mumbling to himself, he bursts out suddenly, “Assholes!”, then types madly for a long period…. All of a sudden, he stops, stares at the screen, laughs quietly, then, rubbing his hands over his face, takes a sip of the tall coffee cup at the end of the table…. He gazes  at the screen, reading, makes a few small edits, then uses the mouse for a few moments…. Again, he gets up, and leaves the room, and is gone for ten or more minutes…. Upon returning, he sits, clicks the mouse once, turns around, suddenly looking directly into the camera…. “Surprise!”, he says, “it’s all just a dream, and you aren’t REAL!”….. With that, he turns to the keyboard, and ignoring the camera, begins to type again…..


I thought it might be fun to do a bit of fantasy fictional writing, to practice my descriptive skills….. In case those skills aren’t as powerful as I would have liked them to be, I’ll just break down and verify that, Yes, that was a picture of me, in gigoid mode, constructing a Pearl, and, No, I won’t be doing it again…. I just thought it worked here, and, since I was right, I’m not going to worry about whether or not it A) makes any sense, or B) makes any difference, in anything…. See, karmic neutrality, and literary integrity, all in one swell foop…. I, having done ALL the possible damage I can do, am outta here…. See ya….


Y’all take care out there,

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….




—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.


gigoid


dozer3



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Maintaining a plethora of peregrines….

			
						

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Ffolkes,

Gosh…. I actually don’t have anything to complain about! What a novel concept! I think I like it…. The sun is shining, I’m not in pain, the birds are singing, and all is well in the world…. Perhaps this is an omen, of good things to come today. Sure, that’s it….


Now that we have dispensed with the shallow lies and dubious wishes, we can get on with the true business for which we are gathered…. and it has nothing at all to do with shallow lies….  🙂   Heh, heh, heh….


Sorry… sometimes I just can’t seem to help myself….. I start typing and this stuff just dribbles out, like the saliva that pools up on one side of your cheek when you lay on one side for awhile, and doze off…..  It’s probably just as hard to wipe off, I’m sure. Well, we’ll all just have to put up with it, because it obviously isn’t going to stop until I’ve driven you all completely batty, waiting for me to get around to something a bit more rational. Or at least funnier….


Funny, isn’t it? How funny is so relative…. and so personal. See, I thought the saliva piece was pretty good, but I also thought it was kind of tacky, y’know? Too much Benny Hill-style buffoonery, when I was really hoping for more of a George Carlineseque-style, an expansively witty, pretension-killing patter…… Maybe I should have used a locker room joke?….. Ah well, we’ll never know now….


Odds are, the way it’s going so far, nothing is going to happen unless I just seize control, and dive in. Y’all can join in, if’n y’wanta…. If nothing else, it should prove interesting….. and I mean that in a good way, really….

___________________________________


“I show a clear pattern of unpredictability.” — Smart Bee


This made me grin. I can’t help it, it just did. Since its uncanny resemblance to me is not quite enough to make it a pearl, as much as it may be a true and complete picture of me in today’s state of mind, I’ll play fair, and go on, without any further (intentional)  instances of unpredictable behavior….. Really, I will try…. But don’t blame me for what we end up with…. it could be more drivel relating to Mitt the Twitt, and you know what that means…. blood, & gore, & guts, & veins in my teeth!


It is alleged that when Einstein and his wife visited the Mount Wilson Observatory in California, Mrs. Einstein pointed to a particularly complex piece of equipment and asked its purpose. Their guide said that it was used to determine the shape of the universe. “Oh,” she said, not at all impressed, “my husband uses the back of an old envelope to work that out.” — Also Smart Bee


Now THAT is a story worthy of pearl status, and if I am not mistaken, has been utilized as one in the past. Not that I’m going to go check or anything like that, but I’m pretty sure I’ve already used this up, so we’ll try again….


“The people who say you are not facing reality actually mean that you are not facing their idea of reality. Reality is above all else a variable. With a firm enough commitment, you can sometimes create a reality which did not exist before.” — Margaret Halsey, No Laughing Matter (1977)


Bingo! This is the clear winner here, as we all are, provided we can take this idea in, and use it in a constructive fashion. It’s the finest kind of pearl, one that stimulates, and tickles, and surprises, and inspires, all at once. This brings into focus my entire purpose in exploring the boundaries, or lack thereof, of Consensual Reality, the one we all agree on….


We agree to acknowledge the perceptions we share, yet, even in our agreement, we are unique, because our vision, our perception of that reality, is one that only we can see, and our interpretation of that set of perceptions is one only we can make…. Ensuring and magnifying that uniqueness, it joins with all the other unique visions to make a reality that is whatever we wish it to be…..


“Reality is the leading cause of stress for those in touch with it.” — Jack Wagner


“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” — Philip K. Dick


Stay real, my friends!…..

___________________________________


I Speak Not


I speak not, I trace not, I breathe not thy name;

There is grief in the sound, there is guilt in the fame;

But the tear that now burns on my cheek may impart

The deep thoughts that dwell in that silence of heart.

Too brief for our passion, too long for our peace,

Were those hours – can their joy or their bitterness cease?

We repent, we abjure, we will break from our chain, –

We will part, we will fly to – unite it again!

Oh! thine be the gladness, and mine be the guilt!

Forgive me, adored one! – forsake if thou wilt;

But the heart which is thine shall expire undebased,

And man shall not break it – whatever thou may’st.

And stern to the haughty, but humble to thee,

This soul in its bitterest blackness shall be;

And our days seem as swift, and our moments more sweet,

With thee at my side, than with worlds at our feet.

One sigh of thy sorrow, one look of thy love,

Shall turn me or fix, shall reward or reprove.

And the heartless may wonder at all I resign –

Thy lips shall reply, not to them, but to mine.


George Gordon, Lord Byron


I can only say, “Incredible!”  And, in spite of my usual habit of running off at the mouth, that is enough…. simply, incredible…

___________________________________


Here then is an old-school pearl…. Strung together, each of these distinct ideas blends with the others to become one scathing exposé of society today…. Just what that exposé consists of is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..


“And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the bible were used to beat plowshares into swords…” — Alan Watts


“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” — Arthur Schopenhauer


“What do you mean, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” *YOU* are the free lunch!” — Solomon Short


On a sidewalk near Portland State University someone wrote `Trust Jesus’, and, someone else wrote `But Cut the Cards’. — Smart Bee


Those Jesus Freaks

Well, they’re friendly but

The shit they believe

Has got their minds all shut.

— Frank Zappa, “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing”


“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote


and last, but certainly not least….


“Apes evolved from Creationists!” — Smart Bee


Well, there you have it…. perhaps a bit less scathing than sardonic, but attractively presented, if nothing else, eh? Don’t forget to offer a cut to the player on your right before you deal the cards ….   🙂

___________________________________


It is said that one day, a seeker will come, bringing the staff of power to the Monkey King…. oh, wait…. that’s another story, and the beginning at that. This is supposed to be an ending….


Since that is the case, I suppose there is nothing left to do but end it…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..




—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.


gigoid


Dozer
Kowabunga!