Reality: the bastardized version….

Posted on January 6, 2017 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

Willows, weeping….

Hajime…. I’ve been plowing my way through Aldous Huxley’s essay on The Doors of Perception, a personal exploration of his experiences in taking mescaline during the initial phases of research into its psychic properties, i.e., how it affected the human mind. Extremely interesting discussion, for sure, one which has helped me during my own battles on the mental battlefield we humans often encounter in our own minds (my own battles are the result of 11 plus years of working in a job where violence was a daily risk; that’s a story for another time….). Though the details of his inward journey differ from my own experiences, his observations have assisted me to come closer to a better understanding of my own reactions.

During one of the battles yesterday, to gain some breathing room, I read from the essay, where Huxley’s words stimulated a train of thought regarding our perceptions, leading to a strong confirmation of what I have always known regarding reality, to wit: the universe in which we live exists in a state of duality, which is echoed in our own ability to perceive its qualities. All our senses of perception are predicated on this duality; we see due to the presence or absence of light; we hear due to the presence or absence of sound waves. The same is true for them all; touch, taste, smell, all depend on the duality of existence, which we observe because of that very duality. Naturally, this has implications for our ability to perceive, as well as our ability to act on what we perceive.

To go further along this line of thought is, without doubt, a long and complex exploration, one ill-suited to the intro section of an otherwise innocent blog post. Probably, I shouldn’t have even begun the discussion, knowing full well it wouldn’t receive the treatment, or the resolution required for full understanding. But, that’s okay. What I’ve already stated should provide y’all with enough to think about, and, perhaps, come to some conclusions of your own, which you may share, or not, as suits you. For me, it’s enough to have brought it forth; dropping it on you like this, there’s no guilt for having strained anyone’s synapses so early in the day. Perhaps, it will help you as much as it does me, to distract me from the issues so persistently part of my reality long enough to re-enter the fray with a fresh mind, and new methods of coping.

All that being said, to the usual little purpose, other than to move us along in the process, we’ll move along. It’s done so quite well, you’ll note; here we are, with going on four paragraphs of reasonably interesting blather, patently enough to pronounce as sufficient unto the day. I’ll cease & desist this exploration, which, if continued, could end up as a massive philosophical discussion of the different levels of reality we all know & love so well. Instead, we’ll be grateful, for having smoothly begun what might otherwise been another chaotic example of the power of entropy, which is always enjoyed far too much by Murphy for my taste.

Now I’ve made the obligatory reference to the powers of chaos, which obliquely provides us with proof of our own innocence, we can move on, to the rest of today’s mess, which you’ll find in its usual place as you scroll down the page. I hope you enjoy it; I worked on it for, literally, minutes & minutes. (What? You expected some marathon effort? Get real; it’s just a blog….) Let’s take this opportunity, which is rushing upon us very quickly, to get on with it. That, of course, looks like this….

Shall we Pearl?

“Do not be afraid of enemies; the worst they can do is to kill you.
Do not be afraid of friends; the worst they can do is betray you.
Be afraid of the indifferent; they do not kill or betray.
Yet only because of their silent agreement,
betrayal and murder exist on earth.”

~~ Bruno Yasienski, contemporary Soviet novelist ~~

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

Image from guitarplayer.com via Google Images

What can I say? I just feel like listening to some hot, rockin’ blues. Nobody does it better than Stevie did…. The picture above is from his MTV Unplugged show, but, the music is from Montreux in 1985…. Enjoy!….

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Stevie Ray Vaughan
Live at Montreux 1985

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Accentuated Lessons

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

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

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

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

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

9/27/2012

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

Naked Pearls

Notes on Process & Program

*******

“No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made.
Destiny is made known silently.”

~~ Agnes De Mille ~~

*******

“Nothing endures but change.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

*******

“Je plie et ne romrs pas.”
(I bend and do not break.)

~~ Jean de la Fontaine ~~

*******

“Walking makes the world much bigger
and therefore more interesting.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“A wise man first determines what is within his control;
all else is then irrelevant.”

~~ Epictetus ~~

*******

“Don’t look for the right person; be the right person.”

~~ Will Limon ~~

*******

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

~~ Anais Nin ~~

*******

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

It probably comes as no surprise to anyone but me, but, hey! We’re done. Not unexpectedly, to be sure; I did take an extra day to get this done. Nonetheless, it’s done, and glad to be so. Me, too. Y’all will have to make your own decision on that. To assist you in doing so in a timely fashion, I’m outta here, for the nonce (which just means until tomorrow…). Y’ll take it easy. Or, hard, or however it may come; just take, & enjoy it, whatever it may be. It is, after all, better than the alternative, for most of us. See ya, ffolkes; I’m gonna go play with fire…

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….

Technically, it’s all irony….

Posted on December 15, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Still crazy after all these years.”

~~ Paul Simon, speaking for us all ~~

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” ~~

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

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

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

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

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

Naked Pearls

Simple, basic stuff you need to know….

*******

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

~~ Heraclitus ~~

*******

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

~~ Eugene L’Hote ~~

*******

“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 ~~

*******

“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 ~~

*******

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

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Exploring the color of sound….

Posted on November 23, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I still find each day too short
for all the thoughts I want to think,
all the walks I want to take,
all the books I want to read,
and all the friends I want to see.”

~~ John Burrough ~~

Celebrity Infinity’s Bar, Three Sheets to the Wind…

Hajime…. Some mornings, the irony of what I do here each day becomes too much to bear, unless I retreat into either curmudgeonly irritability, or complete and utter nonsense; while I prefer the latter, the former is more, shall we say, productive, in terms of returning me to relative stability. Naturally, I choose that one, to suit my own lifestyle preferences. Go figure, eh? That’s where the irony comes into the picture, coloring all with its sardonic, pitiless box of crayons, none of which are remotely pastel in nature. Such is life in the Big City, I guess.

Rather than spend a lot of time exploring this well of angst, (which can, conceivably, release demons I’d rather keep caged….), I’ll try to finish off this Pearl, and be done with it for today. Why? Well, why not? Besides, Smart Bee is being ridiculously recalcitrant, making me open and close the program repeatedly to find even one worthwhile pearl. Who needs that sort of aggravation before 8 AM? Not me, for sure. So, I’ll cut this intro short, again, in a valiant attempt to regain some sort of rationality. If you have any compassion at all, you’ll wish me luck…. As for me, well, I’m going to use my often disregarded skill at ruthless time management, in its most efficacious form, to wit: watch this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”

~~ Abraham Lincoln (attributed) ~~

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“In the land of the dark, the Ship of the Sun is driven by the Grateful Dead.”

~~ Egyptian Book of the Dead ~~

50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well Tour

So, I was feeling nostalgic for the 60’s, and, guess what? Yep. Here’s a concert celebrating 50 years of alternative subculture, at its finest…. Enjoy!….

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Grateful Dead
Fare Thee Well
7/5/2015

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Qualifications of Passion

Sweetly and soft, her vision comes insistently stealing,
waking gently welcome strength of safely intimate feeling.
No mundane distractions even feebly compare,
to celestial musics that fill such welcoming air.

Joyous celebration is each minute’s lot
whenever I’m near her, and when I am not.
Just knowing she is real and relatively near
provides a glad and final solution to fear.

Trust can heal, and live up to the test,
and even the worst of us become best;
Love, when given, is a type of realistic example
of how life can be simple, yet more than just a sample.

Memory is forgiving, in the face of the Now,
our lessons of necessity will always show how;
Our future is but illusion, until fully grown,
the only option for survival is to call it our own.

Feathered with hopeful dreams of acquisition,
live the passions that have defined my position.
Universal justice demands satisfaction
love is ever my choice, and my only reaction.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/30/3012

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

Naked Pearls

Another roadside attraction….

*******

“I searched into myself.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

*******

“The world is full of burled and gnarly knobs
on which you can hang a metaphysical system.
If you must.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“We should consider every day lost
on which we have not danced at least once.
And we should call every truth false
which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*******

“If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner,
you have learned how to live.”

~~ Lin Yutang ~~

*******

“Every evil to which we do not succumb is a benefactor.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*******

“You thought, as a boy, that a mage is one who can do anything.
So I thought, once. So did we all.
And the truth is that as a man’s real power grows and his knowledge widens,
ever the way he can follow grows narrower:
until at last he chooses nothing,
but does only and wholly what he _must_ do.”

~~ Ursula K. LeGuin, _A Wizard of Earthsea_ ~~

*******

“Do not go gentle into that good night
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light”

~~ Dylan Thomas ~~

*******

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

There you have it. It’s late, and, it’s weird, so, all good to go. I’ll try again tomorrow, as long as everybody’s aim stays bad…. I mean, if they’re still shooting at me, that means I’m having some sort of effect, right? Right. ‘Course, I AM human, and subject to delusional behavior at the drop of a metaphor… but, what the hell….. See ya, ffolkes…. Just try to stop me….

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….

Sharp fears of poignancy….

Posted on November 22, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

” Do you know that disease and death must needs overtake us,
no matter what we are doing?
What do you wish to be doing when it overtakes you?
If you have anything better to be doing when you are so overtaken,
get to work on that.”

~~ Epictetus ~~

Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, British Columbia

Hajime…. While I’ve managed to put together a Pearl for today, I’m fairly certain it will fall short of our ‘normal’ offering, at least in terms of sustainability, (whatever that particular piece of neo-slang means…). This, of course, is par for this course, since we haven’t made any attempt at ‘normal’ in more decades than I care to remember. Moreover, any such foolish attempt would never get past the alarm system we have set up, to let us know when we are approaching the golden mean, where we aren’t welcome, anyway….

We don’t worry about it much, except on those long, slow, cold winter nights, when we also mourn the loss of our good manners, and other such noisome behaviors for which we have no tolerance, or use. In the final analysis, which is, no doubt, coming soon to a reality near you, we don’t give a tiny shit, especially when we can’t figure out how to stop using the royal ‘we’ as our default mode of expression. In spite of its advantages, it also carries a strong feeling of, well, let’s just call it ‘loser-ism’, difficult to shake off with any dispatch. Plus, you wouldn’t believe how grungy one gets….

Very well, I’ll stop. Or, perhaps, it would be better to say, I’ll start now. Making sense, that is. That makes the patently ridiculous assumption we are capable of making sense, which, as this little outburst makes clear, may not be so easy to accomplish. But, I’ll persist, if only long enough to wrap up yet another intro section filled with dross and drivel. If I don’t wrap it up, the mess tends to spread down the page. In the interests of doing just that, before it’s too late, I hereby declare this section closed. Move along, now, nothing more to see here….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The flesh surrenders itself.
Eternity takes back its own.
Our bodies stirred these waters briefly,
danced with a certain intoxication before the love of life and self,
dealt with a few strange ideas,
then submitted to the instruments of Time.
What can we say of this?
I occurred.
I am not… yet I occurred.”

~~ Frank Herbert, Dune Messiah ~~

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The Doobie Brothers

Image from http://www.louisville.com via Google Images

When I thought about music for today, I tried to think of music that gave me a happy feeling. These guys were the first group that came to mind, with a specific song playing in my head, to wit, “Listen to the Music”…. I didn’t check this concert out ahead of time, but, like most musicians of the era, I imagine they just keep getting better over time…. Enjoy!….

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The Doobie Brothers

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Funny Bones

Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,
from the dance, where
he felt so free, and clean.
Sorrow couldn’t find him there.

Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,
some connection can be found
keeping busy as bees, coping.
Love creeps in, without a sound.

Fat days, skinny nights, passionate
visions of semi-conscious entities,
cannot seem to fully illuminate
or hide our innermost frailties.

Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify
simple rules with every breath
never waiting, anxious to modify.
fear nothing in life, not even Death.

~~ gigoid ~~

5/3/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Notes on Process and Program….

*******

“If you understand, or if you don’t.
If you believe, or if you doubt.
There is a universal justice
and the eyes of truth are always watching.”

~~ Enigma ~~

*******

“A heart is not judged
by how much you love
but by how much you are loved by others.”

~~ The Wizard of Oz ~~

*******

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

~~ Heraclitus ~~

*******

“One must be partially insane to remain sane.”

~~ J. Bothwell Avison ~~

*******

“A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears:”

~~ Montaigne ~~

*******

“We’re not talking about the same thing,” he said.
“For you the world is weird
because if you’re not bored with it you’re at odds with it.
For me the world is weird
because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable;
my interest has been to convince you
that you must accept responsibility for being here,
in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time.
I wanted to convince you
that you must learn to make every act count,
since you are going to be here for only a short while,
in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.”

~~ Don Juan ~~

*******

“My skin,
my bones,
my heretic heart
are my authority.”

~~ Catherine Madsen ~~

*******

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

Well, there you go. It’s a Pearl. I can’t tell just now whether it’s worth the name, but, it’s done, and that’s what counts right now. I suppose, if it doesn’t make the grade, y’all will be happy to let me know….. In the meantime, I’ll make another attempt, & be back tomorrow to subject y’all to it…. Perhaps I should say, I’ll be back to share it with y’all…. Either way, I’ll be here…. Take that as you will…. See ya, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Madras pants in seasonal colors….

Posted on May 24, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A fire eater must eat fire even if he has to kindle it himself.”

~~ Salvor Hardin ~~

~~ from Foundation, by Isaac Asimov ~~

Alaskan Taxicab

Hajime…. As I begin today’s post, several, no, many things are running through my head, most of which are unprintable, thanks to the reappearance of Murphy in this process. I’m trying to ignore his usual tricks, including the bloody mess in the water closet, so, that’s the last we’ll speak of it. It’s just depressing, anyway. Instead, I’ll jump right into some light housekeeping, in a manner of speaking, so we can get on with the rest of today’s mess, such as it may be.

I’ve been home from Texas for three full days now, but, still haven’t fully recovered from either the jet lag, or the near-complete exhaustion into which I drove myself, in order to do what I had promised to do. I completed my vow, but, with a slightly reduced degree of my usual excellence, due to a number of factors, led by the difficulties presented by my own reduced physical abilities, which tended to complicate all the rest. That, of course, is an obscure reference to getting old, a wall against which I am still banging my head too often. But, it got done, and done to a turn, so, all is well, with a good time had by all.

I have managed to put together a Pearl, complete with a fresh rant-like discussion. A new poem is leaking out, but, hasn’t quite gelled enough to finish, so, we’ll outsource there today. In some ways, I’d call what we have today a standard Pearl, not too shabby, but, not blindingly bright. So be it. It’s going to take some time, I think, to get back to our normal (hah!) routine, but, with Leelu’s help, we can do it. Perhaps my decision to return to Facebook will complicate matters, but, it’s good, I think, to take ourselves out of our comfort zone now and again, and, it certainly won’t hurt me to socialize a bit more….

All that said, to our usual lack of purpose, and, the obligatory lack of clarity, I’ll get this slow on the toad, so we can all get on to something more productive, if less fun. I suppose I should issue one or more of our usual warning/disclaimers, but, I’ve decided, from now on, y’all are on your own in that respect. If y’all don’t have a clue by now how it goes around here, well, you’ll just have to deal with it as it is, for, we have done all we can do to prepare you sufficiently to protect yourselves…. In short, welcome to reality…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“The stupid are deaf to the truth;
they hear, but think that the wisdom applies to someone else.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

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It’s been a while since posting at all, so, naturally, Murphy has stepped in with his usual precise timing, to throw a spanner in the works. First day back, & I find myself late, and rushed to get it done…. Hence, our default musical choice, again chosen for the picture which drew my eye…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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

Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/v83uhOqSHu8

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“In the arena of human life
the honors and rewards
fall to those who show their good qualities in action.”

~~ Aristotle, Nicomachen Ethics (4th c. BC) ~~

Though he lived more than 2500 years ago, Aristotle is still regarded as one of humanity’s greatest minds. There are points in his writings which indicate certain fallacies, but, most, if not all, may be attributed to the time in which he lived, for no man, or woman is free from the prejudices or assumed facts with which he is raised, and lives his life. Given that caveat, his thoughts on ethics, morality, and philosophy remain one of the standards by which excellence in thinking is judged.

If we can assume the validity of this aphorism, it clearly indicates how our modern world, so full of conflict and strife, has reached such a dangerous point in our journey toward developing a mature culture, able to survive into the unknown future. If we may define ‘human life’ as those parts of culture which best describe humanity’s hope for that future, then the culture we have been manipulated into accepting has nothing to do with being truly human, for all the honors and rewards go to those who display our most destructive characteristics, such as lack of compassion for others, the ability to deny their own responsibility to the species at large in favor of personal gain, and the use of their imagination for self-service, rather than for humanity at large.

Thus it is clear to me, because we have denied the ethical, human side of our nature, we have become a culture which is slowly, but, inevitably, heading for self-destruction. Moreover, thanks to the part of our modern culture which encourages dependency and mental laziness, almost all of those who will die in the imminent chaos are completely unaware of the danger, or their own part in bringing it to their own lives. As long as those who control the media, especially television, most of the world will go to their deaths without ever knowing of their peril at all…..

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

~~ Arthur C. Clarke ~~

I’ve written on this subject previously, as you know; some might say I’ve beaten this poor horse to death. But, given the absolute cluelessness of the general public on this planet, I would think some repetition might be necessary. In fact, given that same reluctance to use their minimal powers of reasoning, some serious pounding with a two-by-four piece of pine might also help it sink in, thought that remains a question. The need for the masses of humanity to WAKE THE FUCK UP is greater now than ever, I think; it’s also completely unlikely to happen….

When I returned to my online haunts, I checked in at chuq’s blog, where a lot of the discussion revolves around politics, and foreign policy, with a bunch of our current election news thrown in for discussion. I’m going to let y’all off easy today, by ending today’s rantish piece with my comment from the first post I saw…. It’s a good summary of how I’m feeling, politically, these days, so, we’ll go with it, and leave it at that for now…. As y’all know, I’ll probably come back to this again, because it’s all I can do….

“SIGH…. After seven days of completely ignoring politics, I can only say how ‘odd’ it all seems with a bit of perspective. I am reminded of the old joke about, “but, if you do, it only encourages them!”

The only way left to defeat the corporations, who are the real enemy (governments are merely the tool with which they distract us), is a complete boycott of their systems, returning to barter as our form of economics, which places value on human effort, not on illusions, ideas which do not exist in the physical world. If we didn’t pay our taxes, they wouldn’t have anything with which to threaten us, would they? How would they pay their myrmidons to arrest us all?

Capitalism must go, so must governments, and religion. Together, they have been used, as tools of manipulation, to direct the entire world for the benefit of just a few, disregarding any moral considerations in favor of their narcissist, sociopathic selfishness. It’s time for them to go away, and leave the rest of us be…. That includes all the Democrats, all the Republicans, all the Popes, and Imams, and Prophets, and ALL the bankers…. along with all the other assholes who sell their souls to the corporations, so they can be part of the elite….

…. may they rot in their own version of hell, instead of giving it to everyone else…. & you can tell ’em I said so.”

So be it.

gigoid has spoken….

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

A Book

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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Naked Pearls

Instructions for Life

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“Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.”

~~ James Shirley — Contention of Ajax and Ulysses, Sc. 3 ~~

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“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever.”

~~ Gandhi ~~

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“The closing of a door can bring blessed privacy and comfort
— the opening, terror.
Conversely, the closing of a door can be a sad and final thing —
the opening a wonderfully joyous moment.”

~~ Andy Rooney ~~

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“As threshing separates the wheat from the chaff,
so does affliction purify virtue.”

~~ Richard E. Burton ~~

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True wealth is measured not by what you accumulate,
but by what you pass on to others.

~~ Larry Wall ~~

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“I leapt headlong into the sea,
and thereby have become better acquainted with
the soundings, the quicksands, and the rocks,
than if I had stayed upon the green shore,
and piped a silly song, and took tea and comfortable advice.”

~~ John Keats ~~

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“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth,
so virtue appears from good deeds,
and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.
To walk safely through the maze of human life,
one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.”

~~ Buddha ~~

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It’s late, but, it’s done, as well as I can do it, given the current status of reality. So be it. As noted, peripherally, above, all we can do is all we can do. Since it is patently clear we’ve done all we can do, I’ll quit pounding on the poor wee beastie, & allow it to expire of its own accord. As is my habit, I’ll try again tomorrow, with, presumably, fewer issues with which to deal. Hope springs eternal, as they say. See y’ll tomorrow, ffolkes; that’s the only warning you’ll receive…..

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.

“Do unto your data that which you can undo.”

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Definite traces of apoplexy….

Posted on May 16, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“All men are created unequal.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

Looking south from La Bufadora, Ensenada, Baja Mexico

Hajime…. Today’s effort, which has already suffered a start-over, is rather eclectic, general, and long enough to choke a horse. But, it’s okay, because it’s all proven material, having come from yet another deep dive into the archives. As noted previously, I’m leaving on a trip tonight, and won’t be posting tomorrow morning, unless I have time to find one to re-blog (yeah, that’s the ticket….). So, I’ve tried to put together a worthy one to hold y’all until I can return to the keyboard with something fresh…..

In order to keep from making it TOO long, I’ll make this intro short, as has been our habit of late. It’s a good habit, I think, especially considering some of the intro sections we’ve created in the past, many of which approached a thousand words or more. But, we’re not going that route today; in fact, now I’ve related that, we’re done here. Let’s go on to the rest of today’s mess, before Murphy notices we’re gone, okay? Okay….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Since everything in life is but an experience perfect in being what it is,
having nothing to do with good or bad,
acceptance or rejection,
one may well burst out in laughter.”

~~ Long Chen Pa ~~

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We are going with our default today, simply to save time & energy, of much use elsewhere in today’s schedule…. Enjoy!….

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/hDhTqF3_JWs

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Today’s rant is a general, all-purpose rant against the Asininnies, from the early part of 2013, while my supply of angst was nearly limitless. It’s a bit lengthy, as I took shots at most all those I consider to be part of the problems we face in today’s world. I hope you enjoy it….

From 3/15/2013:

“Republican views of the world differ from Democratic views of the world. The reason for this is that these views are based on different compilations of misinformation.” — Smart Bee

There are moments, such as this one, when I believe the people, or person, who put together the database known to me as Smart Bee, is perhaps the most intelligent creature on this planet….. I’ve been ranting about politicians for years, trying to show people how dangerous it is to believe ANY of the stuff that either party is slinging at us to try to convince us they are worthy of our votes. Now, in one short aphorism, of two lines, we are given a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of the crap we hear from them…. Essentially, this says that every one of them is full of shit, and everything they say and do is destined to fail, because it is ALL based on incorrect information, or, to be more accurate, on unwarranted assumptions about reality…..

The most important part of this description is its impartiality of indictment. Both parties are brought into scrutiny, and found wanting, of any real knowledge of the truth, because they are both basing all of their premises on false beliefs, just for starters. Add to that, since they are politicians by choice, their genetic predisposition is to self-aggrandizement, and they show an inherent inability to tell the truth. It becomes rather easily seen why our society has become, well, insane…. It’s a short trip to crazy from where they begin the journey…. and they don’t take any detours on the road….

You see, both parties are convinced of a complete falsehood, one that humanity has been struggling with for centuries…. This lie is so basic, it colors and affects everything they do to try to manipulate the world into going the way they wish it to go. As long as they continue to try to do this, our society is doomed to failure in the long run, for the lie goes against the very nature of reality…. Simply put, these people believe they can legislate morality…. They believe that they can make laws, and people will go against their very nature to follow them, in spite of the fact that the law they propose is contrary to what comes naturally to humans, to wit: self-centered, grasping behaviors that only benefit the perpetrator, and no one else…..

We have laws against stealing…. and the most accomplished thieves we see in our culture wear suits and live in Washington D.C. We have laws against killing each other, but, people still get killed, and, if the killers do so while wearing a flag, or a badge, they are considered heroes, no matter how many they kill. We have laws that supposedly protect women, children, and the aged, from suffering abuse, but, just look around you, and you will see no end to the depredations that society allows to be perpetrated upon these three most vulnerable members of our society, all very much within the legal limits of the public morality, as given in the law books….

“[…] For all our conceits about being the center of the universe, we live in a routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner […] on an unexceptional galaxy which is one of about 100 billion galaxies. […] That is the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to understand that.” — Carl Sagan

The people who get involved in politics, and religion, for much the same reason, believe they are special, and entitled to take all they can from the universe, because they are the be-all, and end-all of the evolutionary ladder. It says so right there in the Bible….. They don’t care that reality says differently, because their sense of denial has been fine-tuned since shortly after they were born, and they are capable of ignoring facts right up until they slap them in the face…. (Witness the Republican melt-down in the last Presidential election, when the Republican party got slapped in the face by their own lack of contact with reality…..)

In spite of all the massive amounts of evidence to the contrary, these folks believe in their own divine entitlement as the lords of creation, chosen by God to do with this planet as we would, without regard for any of the other creatures that live here with us, or for the beauty and balance of the land that sustains us. As far as they are concerned, other people and animals, and natural resources, are theirs to do with as they wish, with God’s blessing…. The fucking assholes…..

I apologize for the vulgarity, to my readers, but not to those at whom it is directed…. To them, I say, fuck you, and fuck you again…. I regard all politicians, priests, preachers, police, lawyers, judges, and corporate misogynists of all shapes and sizes to be INSANE…. floridly, and viciously insane, without any of the moral standards that the rest of mankind embraces. These assholes are responsible for our imminent demise through environmental destruction of the ecosphere, as well as for the endless preying on the weak and vulnerable to suit their own depravity, and lack of moral fiber.

“All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind.” — Joseph Conrad

Sexual slavery, corporate collusion to fix wages and prices, legislative corruption and oppression, judicial malfeasance and more corruption, governmental incompetence, religious repression and collusion with politicians, all serve the purposes of the ruling class to a T, no matter how much suffering it causes to others…. As long as they have what they want, nothing anyone else says or does matters at all….

I hate to be a harbinger of bad news, but, I call ’em as I see ’em, and I see what is real…. None of what is wrong in the world will change, until the major portion of mankind makes a change of spirit, and the people, as a whole, decide that the few among us who are bold enough to act must, in fact, act. The evil among us will not go away, or stop, of its own accord, and waiting for them to come around to a more amenable state of mind isn’t going to work, as that just isn’t going to happen.

If we wish to survive, they have to go, and mankind must find a new way to get along with each other than the out-dated ways we have been trying for millennia… Those old ways leave too much power in the hands of people who will give in to the temptation that goes along with such power over others, and must not be allowed to happen any more, not if we wish to survive to see any future at all….. The universe doesn’t care one way or another, so we’ll have to be responsible for our own actions…. as we have always been, and have always been afraid to admit….

“If we do not permit the earth to produce beauty and joy, it will not produce food either.” — Joseph Wood Krutch

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Today’s poem is from a poet who has graced our pages before. Simply put, she’s one of Mankind’s treasures, though she was a broken spirit, with a lost soul, who finally ended her own pain. Before she left us, she gave us the power of her genius; it wasn’t enough to save herself, but, what she wrote gave it all to the world….. I hope you enjoy this example of that genius….

Insomniac

The night is only a sort of carbon paper,
Blueblack, with the much-poked periods of stars
Letting in the light, peephole after peephole . . .
A bonewhite light, like death, behind all things.
Under the eyes of the stars and the moon’s rictus
He suffers his desert pillow, sleeplessness
Stretching its fine, irritating sand in all directions.

Over and over the old, granular movie
Exposes embarrassments—the mizzling days
Of childhood and adolescence, sticky with dreams,
Parental faces on tall stalks, alternately stern and tearful,
A garden of buggy rose that made him cry.
His forehead is bumpy as a sack of rocks.
Memories jostle each other for face-room like obsolete film stars.

He is immune to pills: red, purple, blue . . .
How they lit the tedium of the protracted evening!
Those sugary planets whose influence won for him
A life baptized in no-life for a while,
And the sweet, drugged waking of a forgetful baby.
Now the pills are worn-out and silly, like classical gods.
Their poppy-sleepy colors do him no good.

His head is a little interior of grey mirrors.
Each gesture flees immediately down an alley
Of diminishing perspectives, and its significance
Drains like water out the hole at the far end.
He lives without privacy in a lidless room,
The bald slots of his eyes stiffened wide-open
On the incessant heat-lightning flicker of situations.

Nightlong, in the granite yard, invisible cats
Have been howling like women, or damaged instruments.
Already he can feel daylight, his white disease,
Creeping up with her hatful of trivial repetitions.
The city is a map of cheerful twitters now,
And everywhere people, eyes mica-silver and blank,
Are riding to work in rows, as if recently brainwashed.

~~ Sylvia Plath ~~

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Our final pearl of the day is a short, five-star statement which speaks of some of the more subtle, but, important points about how to live life well. Short it is, but, I guarantee, it’s long on wisdom…. Sometimes, it’s the shorter pearls that pack the most punch….

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“It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person,
“Always do what you are afraid to do.””

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

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“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair,
but manifestations of strength and resolution.”

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

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“It is not good for man to achieve all they wish.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

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“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
~~- Aristotle ~~

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

~~ Basho ~~

*******

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Oddly, for a change, today’s thrown-together-in-a-rush Pearl came together smoothly; so smoothly, I’m caught without much to say here at the end. I’m not going to predict its quality, any more than I would ever do so, but, it feels okay, and we’ll let it fly solo, just as it is. So be it. Hopefully, I’ll have time to find a re-blog for tomorrow; after that, it’s all up in the air as to what may occur. But, then, that’s pretty much always the case, and not just here on ECR. See y’all down the road a piece, ffolkes. I may be late, but, I’ll be here, come what may….. 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….

Faith is apathy of the mind….

Posted on May 13, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

At least I thought I was dancing, ’til somebody stepped on my hand.

~~ J. B. White ~~

Trinity College, Dublin

Hajime…. Generally, I don’t make any attempt to connect the opening quote to anything below; that space is for a general concept to lead into the day. Today’s selection, as it turned out, matches perfectly with my current state of mind, so, serendipity strikes again….. The past couple weeks have been a trial for me, in at least two senses. I suspect it is the barometer’s up & down dance over that time that is causing the greater part of the pain I’ve been experiencing, as the weather does it’s spring thing. Since that pain has been so ubiquitous, my PTSD decides to chime in, threatening to send me into the abyss that ever waits on the edges of my perception, down into the dark hole of my mind, where nothing seems to have any color, or life…..

Since I also have reality to deal with, which currently involves planning a trip, executing it, and maintaining the rest of my life simultaneously, time becomes an enemy, as my mind wanders in lost corridors, and things don’t get done. For one who prefers to live with some dignity and direction, it only adds weight to that which must be carried while climbing out of the abyss. The upshot of this, at least here on WP, is that my writing suffers from stultification, and, I don’t go out online to visit all those sites I like to follow, to provide the mental stimulation my mind craves. For this part, I can apologize, and say, have patience with me, as I will eventually make it by to comment, and interact.

All that said, in apology, and in hopes of climbing another step up the wall, I’ll try to put together a Pearl, which will, no doubt, get posted late, but, done. It won’t be too fresh, but, we’ll do what we can. In order to give myself the time to do so, we’ll forgo any fooling around here, and be on our way, post haste….. In fact, we’ll go right now. Watch this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“‘Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him declare
“You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.”
As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose
Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.
When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark,
And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark:
But, when the tide rises and sharks are around,
His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.”

~~ Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” ~~

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Yep, you guessed it. The intro should have been enough to tell you we’d be going default today. But, don’t worry, even if you missed it, you can still enjoy the music…. Abondanza!…

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/R0kl9xFVSnI

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As noted above, there isn’t anything in my head worth putting on paper, or screen. Instead, here is a collection of pearls I’ve been putting together for a rant, which, taken by themselves, work fairly well to lead one on their own private rant, in their heads. Just follow the bouncing ideas, to the obvious conclusion you find at the end…. Or, just laugh along at the Asininnies, as we take our best shots…..

“There are some jobs in which it is impossible for a man to be virtuous.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

Good Question….

“The words of the prophets were written on the subway walls.”

~~ Simon & Garfunkel ~~

“Who will protect the public when the police violate the law?” — Ramsey Clark

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.” — Dwight Eisenhower, April 16, 1953

“Do not be afraid of enemies; the worst they can do is to kill you. Do not be afraid of friends; the worst they can do is betray you. Be afraid of the indifferent; they do not kill or betray. Yet only because of their silent agreement, betrayal and murder exist on earth.” — Bruno Yasienski, contemporary Soviet novelist

“All governments require enemy governments.” — Edward Abbey

“As a man can drink water from any side of a full tank, so the skilled theologian can wrest from any scripture that which will serve his purpose.” — Bhagavad Gita

“Real eyes realize real lies”

~~ wall graffiti in Palestine ~~

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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 ~~

2/25/2015

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Naked Pearls

Random Thoughts on Life

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“Although it is tempting to resent disaster,
there is not much use in doing so…
Whether we remain ash or become the phoenix is up to us.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

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“If you cannot find it in yourself, where will you go for it?”

~~ Confucius ~~

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“Love isn’t love until you give it away.”

~~ Buddha Bee ~~

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“Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself,
for he shall never cease to be entertained.”

~~ John Powell ~~

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“Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

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“It is good for a man to eat thistles and to remember that he is an ass.”

~~ E. S. Dallas ~~

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“Faboo!, Would you like to see me make bubbles with my spit?”

~~ Wakko Warner ~~

*******

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Well…. I’m pretty sure it’s done; I’ll check, but, it feels okay; today, that will have to do. I can’t say if I will get around to visiting other sites today; I am still teetering on the edge, and have a lot to do to prepare for my upcoming trip. If I don’t please know I will return, and I’m not ignoring anyone; just gotta do what must be done. I will, for the sake of my own sanity, try again tomorrow to put a Pearl together, hopefully with less trouble and effort than was required today. Regardless, I’ll be back…. and, sorry for parroting a bad actor. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; odds remain good….

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….

Abrogating moral rectitude in mufti….

Posted on April 15, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Since it is Reason which shapes and regulates all other things,
it ought not itself to be left in disorder.”

~~ Epictetus — Discourses, Chap. xvii

Prophetic Globe

Trinity College, Dublin

Hajime…. Little did he know just how little he knew; in this he joins hands with most of humanity…..

Good morrow, ffolkes. No, I’m not sure where that came from. It just sort of flowed out when I began to type, and, voilá! Instant aphorism on human nature, a fascinating subject which continues to elude the understanding of mankind, despite centuries of trying to come to terms with it. An objective view of the way our species has approached the quest to find themselves does not inspire much confidence; most of our history shows a firm intention on the part of most people to deny all which makes us human, in favor of fulfilling their base desires for power and control over their peers, in order to assuage their innate fear of their own inadequacy.

Now, I know it’s not a good policy to rant in the intro, but, hey, I’m human, so, back off, mate. As such, I do what FEELS best, and then try to repeat the feeling as often as possible, regardless of how it affects anyone else. This particularly human trait is, as far as I can see, the fatal flaw in that nature, one which can, and, obviously IS, leading us on a path to self-destruction, through the denial of our own capabilities, and the abrogation of virtue in favor of comfort. This, to me, is clear, yet, for most of mankind, it is an issue of which they seldom, if ever, even contemplate.

SIGH…. At this point in the narrative, it becomes clear this is going not much of anywhere useful for our purpose, which is to post a Pearl of Virtual Wisdom. If I continue this discussion, we may never even get to the music, so, to keep things on an even keel, and moving, we’ll go on now, leaving this subject for discussion below. Perhaps this will save some time, and, if nothing else, makes it seem as if we are sure of what we are doing. The cat seems to agree, even if she would rather I threw some paper for her….

We’re going to go now, and, I’d suggest you hang on; Luigi’s at the helm, so, things can get a bit rambunctious. It won’t take long, though; just remember to breathe through it…. Here we go….

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ John Dewey ~~

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Playing For Change

Today’s musical selection comes again from the Playing For Change playlist. This one is a recording of 75 Cubans from around the world playing and singing the song that means ‘home’ to them, whether they are in Cuba, or anywhere in the world….. This is for Mari, whose family had to flee Cuba in the latter part of the twentieth century, when she was just a child. She now writes some of the most powerful poetry I’ve ever read, and still dreams of returning one day…. Enjoy, and then go donate to the cause, for it’s a good one, making peace through music….

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Guantanamera

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https://youtu.be/blUSVALW_Z4

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“A rich man has no need of character.”

~~ Hebrew proverb ~~

There is just so much wrong with this statement, it is difficult to know where to begin. To my way of thinking, this piece of folk ‘wisdom’ can be viewed as the single most destructive idea mankind has come up with in our entire cultural history. If one embraces this idea, individually, or as a society, the resulting culture would be, and, to be honest, has become, a parody of human nature, bringing out the very worst of our fears and inadequacies, using them to lie, to cheat, and, live a life of conflict and trouble. To assume this attitude is to deny the connection to all other life, demanding reality conform to the shape of our most degrading fears, with no attempt to reconcile these with any other entity. In short, it gives every person alive the clear permission to act like an asshole.

I see this attitude as a root cause of all the wars mankind has engaged in through history; it fosters divisiveness, bigotry, racism, and discrimination, with no attempt to define justice for anyone at all. To anyone embracing such a position, the needs and rights of others become immaterial; to them, the only thing that is important is their own desires. This, to my mind, is not merely stupid, but, inhuman; those who act without virtue do not belong to the same species as do I; they have abrogated their humanity.

I had originally planned to rant about this for a long time; there is a lot with which to take umbrage in those who live to take advantage of others as a matter of policy. But, I find myself unwilling just now to put myself through the wringer; this subject tends to stimulate my adrenal gland, and I’m not going there today. Instead, I have put together a pretty good seven star pearl to take my shots for me. It’s not a rant, but, it will do for an indictment…. The people who buy into the statement at the top of the section are, in my mind, the root cause of all of the other issues with which humanity is currently engaged; the war, the racism, the injustice, all can be traced to this attitude on the part of one segment of humanity, which decided many thousands of years ago they were better than everyone else, and have maintained that insane delusion, at the expense of the rest of mankind, for all that time….

Here then are some comments on how to spot them, how to look at them, and, hopefully, how to bury them, once and for all….

“Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.” — Nietzsche, “Thus Spake Zarathustra”

“I see little divinity about them or you. You talk to me of Christianity when you are in the act of hanging your enemies. Was there ever such blasphemous nonsense!” — George Bernard Shaw, The Devil’s Disciple

“I know of no book which has been a source of brutality and sadistic conduct, both public and private, that can compare with the Bible.” — Lord Paget

(Need an example? “When Yahweh your gods has settled you in the land you’re about to occupy, and driven out many infidels before you…you’re to cut them down and exterminate them. You’re to make no compromise with them or show them any mercy.” — Deuteronomy 7:1 (KJV) There’s more, even worse insanity in that one short chapter, but, that gives the flavor…)

“Collective responsibility brings a lowering of moral standards.” — Freeman Dyson

“A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty. There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self.” — Eric Hoffer

“Without civic morality communities perish; without personal morality their survival has no value.” — Bertrand Russell

“Between those who use their neighbors, and those who use a cane.
Between those in constant power, and those in constant pain.
Between those who run to evil, and those who cannot run.
Tell me which ones are the cripples, and which ones touch the sun.”

~~ Ceili’s Muse “What you do with what you’ve got”~~

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I Must Have Wanton Poets

MUST have wanton poets, pleasant wits,
Musicians, that with touching of a string
May draw the pliant king which way I please:
Music and poetry is his delight;
Therefore I’ll have Italian masks by night,
Sweet speeches, comedies, and pleasing shows;
And in the day, when he shall walk abroad,
Like sylvan nymphs my pages shall be clad;
My men, like satyrs grazing on the lawns,
Shall with their goat-feet dance the antic hay;
Sometime a lovely boy in Dian’s shape,
With hair that gilds the water as it glides,
Crownets of pearl about his naked arms,
And in his sportful hands an olive-tree,
To hide those parts which men delight to see,
Shall bathe him in a spring; and there, hard by,
One like Actæon, peeping through the grove,
Shall by the angry goddess be transform’d,
And running in the likeness of an hart,
By yelping hounds pull’d down, shall seem to die:
Such things as these best please his majesty.

~~ Christopher Marlowe (1563 – 1594) ~~

~~ Edward II, Act 1, Scene One ~~

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

Our final pearl is a simple, random collection that talks about Life at Large. Any conclusions not made obvious are the responsibility of the Gentle Reader, just like in the real world….

“All is flux, nothing stays still.” — Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.)

“Just as there are laws of Conservation of Matter and Energy, so there are in fact Laws of Conservation of Pain and Joy. Neither can ever be created or destroyed. But one can be converted into the other.” — Spider Robinson

“…the greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor. It is the one thing that cannot be learned from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars.” — Aristotle, _Poetics_, 22, 1459a 5-7

“The questions remain the same. The answers are eternally variable.” — Subtle Bee

“The great mountains of the world are a great remedy if men but did know it against our modern discontent and ambitions. In the hills is wisdom’s fount. They are deep in time.” — E. R. Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros

“And it is not our part here to take thought only for a season, or for a few lives of Men, or for a passing age of the world.” — Gandalf

“Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” — Albert Einstein

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

Well, it’s done. Since I was only half-conscious for much of it, I shan’t comment on its quality, or even its quantity. I will however, make another attempt at coherence tomorrow, if all goes as planned. But, then, y’all know what they say about plans. Regardless, I’ll be here; 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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Improbable causes in a sugary glaze….

Posted on April 10, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.”

~~ Plautus (254-184 BC) ~~

~~ Rudens, Act ii, Sc. 5, 71 ~~

Life Adjusting to Need

Hajime…. Having battled much of the night to achieve what small portion of the waters of Lethe I was destined to drink, the new battle this morning, to complete a worthy Pearl, assumed new parameters, as the sheer anger and fatigue which are the unnatural result of the night’s unwelcome conflict vie to assume the upper hand, thus directing the tenor of today’s mess. Since, as you see, this has created such a high level of pedantry, almost to the point of pomposity, I have to assume the anger has won…. FUCK!…. I have to say, I’m really tired of being tired…. A little break from the pain would be nice, as well….

All that said, to our normal lack of purpose, other than the value one receives from the act of venting, perhaps it would be best to just get on with the day’s business, such as it may be. I’ve got some good stuff, and some not-quite-so-elegant stuff, and, maybe even some great stuff. All that is for y’all to judge, as I am, of course, not the one to ask. Mostly, it’s all standard stuff, but for the most excellent poetry selection today, from a blogging friend who lives in Tokyo, which I will go out on a limb to predict you WILL enjoy immensely.

Other than that, I can’t say exactly what happened, as much of it was slapped together while trying NOT to think about reality; it’s been stuck in a non-pleasurable configuration for several days, as the weather flip-flops from sun to rain, causing the barometer to fluctuate madly, sending my hips, shoulders, back and neck into a series of contortions/spasms/complaints that have been, shall we say, as much a pain in the ass as they were in their own locations. Hmph.

Okay, all done, with complaints, chatty blather, and, probably, readers. What the hell; I’m gonna go finish anyway. If anyone is still there, well, I’ll see you down the page…. Now, if I can figure out how this works….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Do not be too moral.
You may cheat yourself out of much of life.
So aim above morality.
Be not simply good; be good for something.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

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

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

As might be suspected, its a day for defaults. Around here, that simply means we go with classical music, picked, as always, according to which picture I saw on You Tube that drew my eye…. Enjoy!…

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/R0kl9xFVSnI

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

“Now, that the sovereign power and deity, whatsoever it is,
should have regard of mankind,
is a toy and vanity worthy to be laughed at.”

~~ Pliny The Elder ~~

Okay, so, here’s the deal. I had picked out three pearls on which to base today’s discussion (read: rant…) on religion. However, as I sat to begin, my angst dissipated in the pain each shoulder screamed at me, as they popped when I moved to start typing. Rather than attempt to maintain a coherent train of thought while dealing with that, I have collected another four pearls, to try to make up for, and furnish, the proper indictment of the persistent delusions I believe have held humanity back from reaching our potential for more than 10,000 years.

To get the full effect, stretch your mind from the first pearl, above, through the second, below, on to the final pearl from one of our founding fathers; you’ll get the proper perspective on this perversion of spirit with which we have contended for our entire history. As a final treat, I’ve included a link to the blog of another friend, who lives in Canada…. It’s a compilation of memes, all of which have a cogent comment on modern life, and some good advice on how to face it with aplomb, if not serenity…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s probably easier than another 2000 words from me on a subject I’ve probably beaten far too often for anyone’s comfort, though, sadly, not to death….

“The gods can either take away evil from the world and will not, or, being willing to do so cannot; or they neither can nor will, or lastly, they are both able and willing. If they have the will to remove evil and cannot, then they are not omnipotent. If they can, but will not, then they are not benevolent. If they are neither able nor willing, then they are neither omnipotent nor benevolent. Lastly, if they are both able and willing to annihilate evil, how does it exist?” — Epicurus — Aphorisms, c. 300 B.C.

“Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.” — Niven’s Law

“If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.” — Bertrand Russell

“The missionaries go forth to Christianize the savages–as if the savages weren’t dangerous enough already.” — Edward Abbey

“Whenever they burn books, they will also, in the end, burn people.” — Heinrich Heine

“Any system of religion which has anything in it which offends the mind of a child cannot be a true system.” — Thomas Paine

https://talesfromtheloublog.wordpress.com/2016/04/09/philosophical-memes-instead-of-radical-memes-that-make-your-face-red/

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

Yesterday, on the blog of a Gentle Reader I am happy to call friend, I read his haiku for the day. It was such an excellent poem, in spite of of its brevity, I had to share it today with all who stopped by. It is below the next paragraph; if you don’t love it, your poetry gene must have been damaged. For me, this can banish the thought of every bad morning I’ve ever had, in three lines…. I hope you enjoy it. I’ve included a link to his site, where you’ll find a lot of other fine poetry and prose, well worth reading….

Afterward, you’ll find a haiku from me in response to his, and, another poem, whose title and author is, at this point in time, completely unknown to yours truly. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be me, maybe somebody else…. Thanks to the Tardis, I’ve got time to figure it out…. Enjoy!….

Sparrows trill, chirp, trill

Sparrows trill, chirp, trill
The right rhythm to wake me up
Soft light through the curtain

~~ Ashi Akira ~~

https://ashiakira.wordpress.com/2016/04/09/sparrows-trill-chirp-trill/

*********

Ashi Akira
grand master of haiku
living peace poems.

~~ gigoid ~~

*********

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

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

I was going to try to explain this pearl, at least to a degree, as it seemed to be a bit abstruse as it came together; then, I rearranged the entries a trifle, and, whoa! It works, all by itself. Go figure, eh? Now, if y’all have any trouble figuring it out, you can try one of two time-tested methods for doing so. First, read each one, without any thought of direction; let them all percolate a bit, then decide if anything floats up to give a clue. Second, read the first, and last, for a quick clue. Third… oh, right, only two. Never mind; I think it’s pretty self-explanatory, anyway. If not, well, you got to read nine cool things you can work into conversation when appropriate….

“Out of the shadow of night, the world rolls into light. It is daybreak everywhere.” — Longfellow

“All is flux, nothing stays still.” — Heraclitus

“Only a life lived for others is a life worth while .” — Albert Einstein

“Real life is, to most men, a long second-best, a perpetual compromise between the ideal and the possible; but the world of pure reason knows no compromise, no practical limitations, no barrier to the creative activity.” — Bertrand Russell

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” — Ambrose Redmoon

“The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of other men! A weird life it is, indeed, to be living always in somebody else’s imagination, as if that were the only place in which one could at last become real!” — Thomas Merton, “Seven Storey Mountain”

“And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.” — The Beatles, The last lyric of their last song

“There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go.” — Tennessee Williams

“How he lies in his rights of a man!
Death has done all death can.
And absorbed in the new life he leads,
He recks not, he heeds
Nor his wrong nor my vengeance; both strike
On his senses alike,
And are lost in the solemn and strange
Surprise of the change.”

~~ Robert Browning — After ~~

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

Though I cannot claim any particular credit for having reached this point, it’s done. I’ve used as many short-cuts as I could find, but, all in all, I think it works. Time, as it always does, will tell. For the nonce, I’ll take my leave, and go try to find the wherewithal to do this again tomorrow morning. If I can get through today, there’s a pretty good chance I can fulfill my chosen duty for tomorrow, and, that, in the final analysis, is always a good thing. For me, if for no one else, which is, I know, all-too-human of me. Go figure. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; I dare anyone to try to stop me….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Tracking the venomous rose-hued starling….

Posted on March 6, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Confucius. ~~

Gandalf

Image from liketowastemytime.com via Google Images

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

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

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

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

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ Heraclitus ~~

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

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

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

Tom Waits
On Broadway

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

https://youtu.be/zUyDvnSAJU0

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

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

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

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

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

The Present

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

https://youtu.be/3XA0bB79oGc

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

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

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

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

Paytriotism

by Dean J. Baker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

©Dean J. Baker

Link to Blog “Tormenting the Monkey”

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

Links to Dean’s work and social media

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

https://www.createspace.com/5876855

https://www.facebook.com/DeanJBakerPoetAuthorComposer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

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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