Tag Archives: James Joyce

Such a happy eggplant!….

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Ffolkes,

“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”

~~ Isaac Asimov ~~

sonoma spring

Spring in the Valley of the Moon….

Hajime…. We are all living in time, unconsecrated; most of us never know we live, at all, much less with any understanding of what any of it all means. Hence, unconsecrated. But, we go on, regardless, because, hey…. no choice. As long as our lungs pump air in and out, as long as we continue to exist on a planet filled with wonder and pain, we will continue to walk in beauty with eyes closed, oblivious to our own godhood….

I have no idea what prompted that. Nor do I care, for it broke the ice which had formed around my heart & mind. I still don’t know if the drama from next door is resolved, but, it’s been quiet for 24 hours, so, I’ll take it. The vet was here, & found Leelu to have picked up a flea, or three, from somewhere, along with a tapeworm infestation, both exacerbated by the recent heat wave & her apparent allergy to the flea. She’s been treated for both, & prophylactics have been applied to prevent further problems; she’s feeling better, though not yet her fully active self. She’s resumed her habit of wanting attention just as I begin this process, turning me into a cat hammock for a half-hour before she’ll allow me to finish, which is why this is a bit late this morning.

Things calmed down enough to allow me to finish this Pearl, so, I’m going to forgo any further discussion of the possible ramifications of recent events, & just get on with re-establishing the routines so rudely interrupted by real-time issues; first stop is to get this posted before any more interruptions can fuss with me. To enhance the possibility of success, I’ll go do that now, dumping y’all (and myself) back into consensual reality with a bit of a thump, which can happen when I apply such extreme measures. In fact, I’d suggest you hold on to your hat (if you’re wearing one) because the next step is rather steep, and there’s a high wind….

Shall we Pearl?….

“In handling a stinging insect, move very slowly.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

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blue moon soup bandcamp

Image from Album Cover via Google Images

I discovered this group in 2014, during the year’s Dead Covers Project, which takes place each year. Amateur, and some professional, artists make videos of their own version of iconic Grateful Dead songs, posting them on You Tube for the millions of Deadhead’s out there to enjoy. This group is comprised of four young men who play bluegrass music; they were obviously raised by Deadheads, as they play, & obviously love playing, old Dead songs in bluegrass style, with great four-part harmony, and excellent musical competence. Guitar, fiddle, bass, & mandolin, along with exuberant & beautifully blended voices make their versions irresistible. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do; I’ve included a link to their own band website, where you can also listen to the albums they’ve made streamed on various online platforms….

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Blue Moon Soup

https://www.youtube.com/user/BlueMoonSoupMusic

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Comedy_Tragedy

Relative Cynicism, with Caramel Sauce

Absolute stillness follows violent movement,
it can happen during a downhill race,
as an immovable piece of asphalt pavement
meets the once handsome racer’s face.

Yuk, yuk, yuk said that asshole Moe,
after poking both of Larry’s eyes,
bashing face, head, & crotch of Curly Joe
and only ever got hit with pies.

Lonely moments never really come along
when Murphy’s got us in his sights.
Not for money, love, or siren’s song
will he abrogate his natural rights.

All we can do is sigh, or laugh in pain,
as Life portions out our ration of shit.
Silver linings melt in the slightest rain,
so we may as well learn to live with it.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/7/2013

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Notes on Life at Large….

*******

“Every moment is precious. And precarious.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“Nothing is more useful to mankind than those arts which have no utility.

~~ Ovid ~~

*******

“A man of genius makes no mistakes.
His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”

~~ James Joyce, “Ulysses” ~~

*******

“Every action in our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”

~~ Edwin Hubbell Chapin ~~

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“If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’
that would suffice.”

~~ Meister Eckhart ~~

*******

“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education
is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do
when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not;
it is the first lesson that ought to be learned;
and however early a man’s training begins,
it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.”

~~ Thomas H. Huxley ~~

*******

“Many journeys end here,
But the secret’s told the same.
Life is just a candle
And a dream must give it flame.”

~~- Neil Peart, Rush ~~

*******

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Since I’m already late getting this posted, thanks to hammock duty, we’ll skip the usual tricks or treats you find in this final section, & merely say, see y’all tomorrow, as long as reality keeps itself on an even keel. In case I’ve forgotten to say so lately, thanks for stopping by…. See ya, sooner than you think, expect, or, probably, wish for…. Hah!…..

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 -- 14566

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Oatmeal is multi-talented….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“The Soul is born old, but it grows young;

that is the comedy of life.

The Body is born young and grows old;

that is life’s tragedy.”


~~ Oscar Wilde ~~


Galway stained glass


Church window, Galway, Ireland…


Hajime…. In the TV series, Northern Exposure, Cris Stevens, the local DJ, made the observation: “There’s a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there’s a little Darth Vader in all of us. Thing is, this ain’t no either-or proposition. We’re talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can’t hide. My experience? Face the darkness. Stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. So give that ol’ dark night of the soul a hug. Howl the eternal yes!”


“…being human is a complicated gig.” There are mornings when this phrase assumes a relevance that always amazes. The mental process involved in creating one of these Pearls, as I have discovered of late, is more of a function of will than it is of reasoned effort. The reasons we find to perform those tasks for which we assume responsibility are, of course, personal, not valid for others. This means one must learn to trust oneself, allowing both reason and passion to guide and direct us. When we do, we become both sides of ourselves, which is, ultimately, both our goal, and our raison d’etre, our reason to be….


You may be asking yourself right now, just what is he getting at? Well, that, too, is somewhat personal, but, essentially, what I’m saying is, all you can do is all you can do. In the past weeks, I’ve managed to complete and post a Pearl most days, even those days when it seemed less than productive to even get out of bed. (Yes, there are still demons hanging about….). But, I got it done, and that has, again, saved my sorry ass from falling into the abyss, which exists always, nearby, ready to claim yet another victim to internal fears. In the process, I, necessarily, have been too distracted, too tired, and too unfocused in my mind to perform the other side of blogging, to wit: visiting other sites & exchanging views… In short, I’ve neglected my friends, if only in my own estimation….


I can only offer the excuse above, which, in the larger picture means little, but, in my mind, means a lot. I offer my humble apologies to those who usually see me, and hope to redress my absence in the near future. It’s tough, because, frankly, I’m finding more to engage my attention outside, in the Big Blue Room, a place we all need to remember is our true venue. Cyberspace, while attractive, and quite fascinating, isn’t actually reality, much as it seems it is.


Well, golly! Would ya look at that? Four paragraphs of philosophic blather, bowed, but, unrepentant; cheap at the price, too. I think I’ll go now, & find something better to do. Wanna come with? Okay, follow me….


Shall we Pearl?


“Everything has two handles,

one by which it may be borne; another by which it cannot.”


~~ Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Enchiridion, xliii ~~


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loreena


Last night, I watched this video, describing the elements and processes involved in putting on a tour, as well as the mindset required to do it her own way. It’s a fascinating story, with the added bonus of a number of most excellent performances from live concerts and pre-concert sound checks… The process, as related, reminded me very much of the food catering business, which is essentially the same exact process…. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did….


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Loreena Mckennitt

A Moveable Musical Feast






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Comedy_Tragedy


Off the proverbial cuff….


I never meant to kill that period of time,

it didn’t give me any choice.

It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,

refused me any vote, or any voice.


You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,

just as if I cared.

I knew, though, it would never last,

or ever be fully repaired.


No news, no pictures can bring it back,

once is all we get.

No pleas of public good, or even public lack;

in stone the past is set.


Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,

I’m ready to go on.

Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!

Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?


Now, I remembered, at long, long last,

is all we really can hold.

Every moment goes by so bloody fast,

we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.


~~ gigoid ~~


4/30/2013


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pearls_3


Naked Pearls


Did you know?….


*******


“…all life is only a set of pictures in the brain, among which there is no

difference betwixt those born of real things and those born of inward

dreamings, and no cause to value the one above the other.”


~~- H. P. Lovecraft, from The Silver Key~~


*******


“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past,

not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles,

but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”


~~ Buddha ~~


*******


“When we try to pick out anything by itself,

we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”


~~ Muir’s Law ~~

~~ John Muir, “My First Summer in the Sierra”, 1911, page 110. ~~


*******


“A man of genius makes no mistakes.

His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”


~~ James Joyce, “Ulysses” ~~


*******


“Rock gives reality to the otherwise abstract notion of transhuman time.”


~~ Edward Abbey ~~


*******


All’s fair in love and war – What a contemptible lie.


~~ Lazarus Long ~~


*******


“Some days the dragon wins …”


~~ Subtle Bee ~~


*******


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Though I won’t make any claims as to quality, I can honestly say, it’s done, & done well, if only measured by intent. This, of course, makes it imperative I try again tomorrow. It won’t make today any better, or easier to digest, but, it will get us outta here without more bother. I’ll also say, I hope to go surfing today, but, we’ll see how the waves are running before I make any firm commitments. I can also say, honestly, I don’t think I can do any more damage, so, there’s only one thing left, and that is to say, see ya, ffolkes. I’ll be back; it’s not a threat, though you may take it as such, should you be so inclined. It is, as far as I can make it, a promise, one I intend to do all I can to fulfill…. Ta, then….


Y’all take care out there,

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch


dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….



		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
A kaleidoscope of sober myrmidons….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“People do not lack strength, they lack will.”


~~ Victor Hugo ~~


no way


No way you’re leaving without me….


Hajime…. There are days here at ECR when the process by which the Pearls you see posted can only be described as ‘torturous’…. That’s not to say it isn’t a pleasant, uplifting experience, because it isn’t; it’s merely to say it can be fucking annoying. This attitude, patently, is not one that lends itself particularly well to the creative process; around here, that, in and of itself, is therapeutic, if nothing else. But, it is also an attitude which, given its patently less-than-constructive nature, can lead to hours and hours of guilt, if I ever felt guilt. Since I don’t, (gave it up long ago as a bad investment of time….), it’s probably for the best if we just move on to the next stop on the way to the closing section….


If I were really as smart as I believe myself to be, I’d use that paragraph as a jumping off point for any number of ideological forays; instead, I’m going to ignore it completely, by filling in the rest by the numbers. Number two, if we are counting correctly, is to proceed with our morning ramblings, but, on a completely new tack; it’s actually a pity I haven’t a clue as to how to proceed in that direction, without edging over into the realm of either fantasy, or, more likely, sheer insanity, a condition with which I am all too familiar. How, you may ask, can anyone be so calm about being insane? That one’s easy: practice…..


Yes, I am a practicing psychopath; the work is good, and never ending, but, the pay is lousy. Far be it from me to question the dictates of reality, though, so, I just try to ‘go with the flow’, so to speak, in order to maintain the illusion of competency so vital to living in a world gone mad. That, by the way, is an illusion fully 100% of humanity has experience in, to our everlasting regret, I’m sure. Of course, there are numerous reasons we spend so much time insane, each of which is implacable, as well as embedded in our nature. In short, our entire species is, simply, quite insane on at least three levels, of which two are incredibly vital to survival, while the third is critical only in our own estimation. Go figure, eh?


Having, quite clearly, demonstrated the assertion proposed, it becomes clear we may have screwed the pooch, a euphemism both obscure, and all-too-obvious. Rather than continue to beat a moribund equine, let’s do this…..


Shall we Pearl?


“The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror.

It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing.

It receives but does not keep.”


~~ Chuang Tzu ~~


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



Today’s selection of classical music is for a blogging friend, who particularly enjoys classical guitar; I figure over six hours worth should hold him for a time…. I also hope the rest of our Gentle Readers enjoy the feast…. Abondanza!….


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Classical Guitar






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Comedy_Tragedy


Off the proverbial cuff….


I never meant to kill that period of time,

it didn’t give me any choice.

It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,

refused me any vote, or any voice.


You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,

just as if I cared.

I knew, though, it would never last,

or ever be fully repaired.


No news, no pictures can bring it back,

once is all we get.

No pleas of public good, or even public lack;

in stone the past is set.


Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,

I’m ready to go on.

Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!

Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?


Now, I remembered, at long, long last,

is all we really can hold.

Every moment goes by so bloody fast,

we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.


~~ gigoid ~~


4/30/2013


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


pearls_3


Naked Pearls


A Polymath’s path….


*******


Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum —

“I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.”


~~ Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary” ~~


*******


“Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.”


~~ The Beatles ~~


*******


“A man of genius makes no mistakes.

His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”


~~ James Joyce, “Ulysses” ~~


*******


“We are all born mad. Some remain so.”


~~ Samuel Beckett ~~


*******


“How does it feel?

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown?”


~~ Bob Dylan ~~


*******


“Logic doesn’t apply to the real world.”


~~ Marvin Minsky ~~


*******


Calvin: “People think it must be fun to be a super genius,

but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.”

Hobbes: “Isn’t your pants’ zipper supposed to be in the front?”


~~ Calvin (Bill Watterson, “Calvin and Hobbes”) ~~


*******


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Well, that was fun. Sort of. It’s done, anyway, so, I suppose I should find some way to gracefully close this mess. Hmm…. I guess ‘graceful’ isn’t on the agenda today. Oh, well….. This, then, will have to do, as I am now completely baffled as to any new direction to take. I know…. I’ll just drop y’all like the proverbial hot potato, which will get us all out of here, and, give y’all something about which you may unleash those pent up feelings you’ve been holding on to for too long. See, I can be nice. I can also be gone, and, I am…. See y’all next time, provided the universe cooperates…. I’d say we have even odds on that….


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


Kowabunga!


À bientôt, mon cherí….

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Three portions of the marinated calamari tubes, please….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“A man reveals his character even in the simplest things he does.”


~~ Jean de La Bruyere ~~


Day 5 023


The Shelbourne Public House


Cork, Ireland




A close look at today’s picture, (click to enlarge), will reveal a perfect pint of Guinness, sitting under the tap on the the right of the bar; it was built, at my request, in the traditional manner, filling the glass straight down from the tap, until foam reaches the top. At that point, the glass is allowed to rest, until the foam retreats down a sufficient amount, at which time the glass is again filled. If necessary, this will go on until it is just right, with about 1/2″ to 3/4″ of foam at the rim…. I asked the bartender to demonstrate the procedure, then gave them the pint to drink, as it was only 11 AM, and I just wanted the technique, and pictures of the process…. She, (the blond at the back of the bar), thought the grey old American hippie was a bit strange, but, took the money, and kept the pint….


Good  morrow, y’all…. Thanks to Kaiser, I spent about 3 hours last night with tardive dyskinesia, which gave me the gift of insomnia from midnight to 3 am; such a joy. Needless to say, this made me late to arise, and, consequently late starting today’s mess…. I’ve attempted above to mitigate any angst, with a bit nostalgia from my trip to Europe, in the hopes of eradicating any excess. It seems to have worked, sufficiently well to be able to remember our main goal, to introduce today’s Pearl…. I’m thinking two paragraphs is probably enough, especially since I have nothing more to say on any of this….


Let’s do this…. I’ll tell Luigi to take us in gently, and y’all can actually finish your drinks. We’ll unload at the oyster beds, and immediately break for lunch, okay? Then, we’ll be back on schedule, even if it’s a recycled program from last year…. At this point, obviously, it isn’t going to matter at all; we seem to have lost our way without even moving…. Funny how that works sometimes, eh? Watch your heads as you disembark, ffolkes, it appears our landing disturbed the local fauna, which is making a concerted effort to push the vehicle into the water…. No worries, we’ll just use the electric zapper, and….. There! All fried…. Now we won’t even have to order breakfast…. C’mon, time’s a’wastin’….


Shall we Pearl?




“Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.” 


~~ Plutarch ~~




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




    Jerry Jeff & I go way back; we spent many a moon-lit night partying back in the 70’s…. I guess I’m getting sentimental in my old age, returning to my roots to spend time visiting old memories of good times…. Well, that, or I’m just getting obsessed…. Hmm…. I suppose I could obsess over worse stuff, eh?…. It’ll do for now, so, enjoy!….




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Jerry Jeff Walker & Loudon Wainwright III ~ Live concert



















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Dont keep calm




    Today, I intended to try to create a fresh “meander”, of a rantish nature, but, that plan went down the tubes with my late arrival…. Here, then, to sublimate, an old-school meander, aimed at the pundits who engage in the nasty habit of politics…. (Definition: Politics: from the Greek, “poly”, meaning “many”, and “ticks”, meaning “blood-sucking vermin”…. — Jay Leno)


“…when all government… in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1821


“If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.” — Lin-Chi


“It is said that God is always on the side of the heaviest battalions.” — Voltaire (1694-1778) — Letter to M. le Riche, Feb. 6, 1770


“Democracy is based on the assumption that a million men are wiser than one  man. How’s that again?  I missed something.” — Robert A. Heinlein


“Liberty don’t work as good in practice as it does in speeches.” — Will Rogers


“Deep in the nature of all these noble races there lurks unmistakably the beast of prey, the blond beast, lustfully roving in search of booty and victory.” — Nietzsche


“A violent man will die a violent death.” — Lao Tzu


“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.” — Voltaire


— Bother! said Pooh, as the Borg assimilated him.


To bring this old-school meander to a proper close, a metaphor is, patently, essential…. Here is a perfect closing thought from our old pal, Bill Watterson….


“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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Comedy_Tragedy




Sharing the Wealth


Lucky are we who live with some adversity,

Such strife to bear leaves us strong and free.

Time is no better spent at a fine university

Teaching us the kind of person we wish to be.


We humans are such contrary creatures

Life lived in ease is our fondest intent.

New perceptions are our strongest features

Learning to cope with troubles we cannot prevent.


Lessons we learn at Trouble’s bent knee

Stay on top in the bag of tools we carry.

Knowledge so earned can keep us free

On our long, strange trip to Charon’s ferry.


Pain is the least favorite of our teachers

Yet such powerful lessons stay forever and a day.

No matter how life presents its features

Strength of will equals what life sends our way.


T’is well to consider such time-tested tools,

To carry them with us as we travel through Life.

Events are less likely to show us as fools,

as we deal with Reality, where peril is rife.


~~ gigoid ~~




Written 9/6/2012.


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lao




“By an epiphany he meant a sudden spiritual manifestation, whether in the vulgarity of speech or of gesture or memorable phrase of the mind itself. He believed it was for the man of letters to record these epiphanies with extreme care (saving them for later use, that is), seeing that they themselves are the most delicate and evanescent of moments.” — James Joyce


In at least one real sense, this statement by James Joyce expresses a large part of why I “Pearl”…. The aphorisms, quotes, taglines, and/or statements you see here, by ancient sages, modern philosophers, comedians, warriors, scholars, hell, the entire pantheon of humanity’s most cogent, powerfully worded wisdom, has served me well, my entire life, helping me to figure out how to live with dignity, with compassion, and, with some degree of competence, if not excellence… learning to live with honor, with happiness, and, most importantly, with trouble… I am always searching for new ways to express what I’ve learned, for what good is wisdom unshared?


I’m not perfect, or wise, for that matter; I am, however, pretty damn happy, and content, though my life is often filled with what many would call severe trouble…. So, I share…. THAT is what Pearling is all about…. our common search for answers to the demands, and questions, with which Reality presents us each moment of each day…. What do you say we go look for some pearls, eh? Maybe one of them will give somebody an epiphany… If not, well, there’s always tomorrow….




“Are you out of my mind?”


— Smart Bee, being a wise acre…. 


We’ll start again; this one, patently, doesn’t count….


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


“Virtuous and vicious every man must be — Few in the extreme, but all in the degree.”


~~ Alexander Pope ~~


“Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.” 


~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero ~~


“Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools.” 


~~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~~


“I distrust all systematizers, and avoid them.

The will to a system shows a lack of honesty.” 


~~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche ~~


“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing it’s best, 

night and day to make you everybody else, 

means to fight the hardest battle which any human can fight 

and never stop fighting.” 


~~ e.e. cummings  ~~


“Blot out vain pomp; check impulse; quench appetite; 

keep reason under its own control.” 


~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ~~


“Courage without conscience is a wild beast.” 


~~ Robert G. Ingersoll  ~~


“Who can remain still until the moment of action?” 


~~ Lao Tzu ~~


“And unextinguish’d laughter shakes the skies.”


~~ Alexander Pope ~~




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


I won’t bore you with the old saw about, “Better late… etc.”, as it would merely serve to annoy y’all, and might be construed as pandering…. Far be it from me to ever commit such an antisocial act…. Instead, I’ll merely say, “See y’all tomorrow”, and let it go at that….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








dozer3




À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Dorothy, this is DEFINITELY not Kansas!….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“A thing may be too sad to be believed or too wicked to be believed or too good to be believed; 


but it cannot be too absurd to be believed in this planet of frogs and elephants, of crocodiles and cuttle-fish.”


~~ G. K. Chesterton ~~


— Maycock, The Man Who Was Orthodox —





day2 London 012



    It is said that one can find anything, anything at all in Portobello Road, and, if the hour or so I spent wandering there on my stay in London can be considered as typical, I’m inclined to believe it to be true. The photo above, which I took when I was there, shows just one small alleyway market, off the side of the road’s main thoroughfare which, though a street only 20 feet wide from curb to curb, was jammed with market stalls holding what appeared to be every variety of movable commerce known to Mankind…. There was, of course, a lot of modern crap, repeatedly, if not rudely offered by many vendors, but, there were also great deals on antiques, rare books, stamps, and thousands of, well, anything anyone wants….


Now, if you were to ask me why I picked this particular picture this morning, I doubt I could tell you, since I didn’t. Pick it this morning, that is…. I picked it out yesterday, as has been my wont of late…. Now, five minutes after cutting & pasting it in, I no longer remember, and will have even less clue tomorrow morning, when this is actually being written, using notes made by the Time Lord software, about what will, or even what is supposed to happen then…. which takes me even further from knowing anything about WHY this picture is so perfect… but, it is, so, I’m not going to worry about it, or we may never get out of the intro section…


Not that we ever had a real chance to do anything about that; since introducing the rather special and appealing side effects of using the powers of a Time Lord, a number of contradictory, yet, unfathomable patterns of the apparent rules by which the Universe operates have shown themselves to have been altered to a very small, but significant degree… This wouldn’t be any cause for alarm, if it weren’t this particular set of rules…. These are those rules that all of us depend on, like, the sky is blue, and one moment follows the next; you know, the basic structure of the Universe rules….


Anyway, they’ve been changed…. just a little, but, now we can no longer depend on this moment being anchored where it is in Time; it could break loose at any moment, and end up sending us a millennium into the past…. or, it could dump us three days into the future, with events already happening about which we have no clue, with no chance to ever find out what happened…. It could get a bit ugly, if the BRC happens to notice; it may take a while, as they are usually pretty well focused on their own bullshit, but, it’s bound to come to their attention, when nobody is paying any attention to them while watching the incredible light shows that always accompany such alterations to the fabric of space and time….


There…. I see it only took four paragraphs of almost pure blather to set the proper tone for today’s missive; this is good, as it’s relatively late, according to routine. Since it is, I won’t bother to drive all this home any deeper; we’ll just sort of fade out here, like with a good sound system that uses a good control system that can keep the tone pure as it fades from our perceptions, leaving us ready to absorb all the finer nuances of what may follow…. Nice, eh? Not bad for a low-tech solution to a high-tech issue, especially given the lack of advanced engineering or programming techniques available to us by law….


Shall we Pearl?


(I don’t usually use any pearls that may cause any friction, or feelings of divisiveness between the genders; it’s a fruitless and actually destructive pastime. But, this little gem from Balzac, though it sounds as if it would, is actually a very deep piece of insight into human nature, and into the proper and loving relationship between a husband and wife. In short, it’s deeper than it seems, and requires one to look beyond the surface words to the meaning beneath… which is always good exercise for the mind, anyway…. This COULD have been expressed MANY ways; I like this one, just because it’s got a tone of phlegmatism that appeals to me….)


“He who enters his wife’s dressing room is a philosopher or a fool.” — Balzac


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


The lateness of our start today has resulted in some good luck for y’all…. I don’t have the time, or the inclination to rant; I’d have to go find something to rant about, and while that wouldn’t necessarily be difficult of time-consuming, the ranting itself could easily get out of hand, time-wise…. So, I’ll be nice, and just create a nice random, old-school pearl for this section today, and worry about ranting later….


Have fun, & I hope y’all appreciate this; it’s more difficult than you may realize to hold in what I customarily spit out each morning, and there could conceivably be a price to pay out in the real world, as whatever angst I’ve built up since last letting it out builds up…. If it gets too hard to hold in, it could come out on some unsuspecting bureaucrat, or even a police myrmidon, and that can conceivably be either a good thing, or a bad one, depending on which end of the rant one ends up on…..


Ah well, that’s the chances we all take in life; there’s no way to think of EVERYTHING, and sometimes, Reality is just on its own, y’know? Like today…..


“Appearances to the mind are of four kinds. Things either are what they appear to be; or they neither are, nor appear to be; or they are, and do not appear to be; or they are not, and yet appear to be. Rightly to aim in all these cases is the wise man’s task.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxvii


“At birth we woke to dream in this world between.” — Kan’ami Kiyotsugu


“It is a fundamental law of nature that nothing ever quite works out.” — Murphy’s Seventh Law


Government Intelligence – Another OXYMORON! — Smart Bee


“History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love (1972)


“Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.” — Oscar Wilde


“At ebb tide I wrote a line upon the sand, and gave it all my heart and all my soul.  At flood tide I returned to read what I had inscribed and found my

ignorance upon the shore.” — Kahlil Gibran


What an excellent pearl! It showed itself quickly, and managed to take a good poke at government, religion, and human nature, and hand out some good advice for living seemingly, all without breaking a sweat…. Nice!


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


I’m in the mood for a bit of classical poetry today…. Enjoy! In fact, let’s make it a two-fer…. Have a care, ffolkes, these are small, but, they’re filling….






A Coat


I MADE my song a coat

Covered with embroideries

Out of old mythologies

From heel to throat;

But the fools caught it,

Wore it in the world’s eyes

As though they’d wrought it.

Song, let them take it,

For there’s more enterprise

In walking naked. 


~~ William Butler Yeats ~~



_________________________________




A Crazed Girl


THAT crazed girl improvising her music.

Her poetry, dancing upon the shore,


Her soul in division from itself

Climbing, falling She knew not where,

Hiding amid the cargo of a steamship,

Her knee-cap broken, that girl I declare

A beautiful lofty thing, or a thing

Heroically lost, heroically found.


No matter what disaster occurred

She stood in desperate music wound,

Wound, wound, and she made in her triumph

Where the bales and the baskets lay

No common intelligible sound

But sang, ‘O sea-starved, hungry sea.’


~~ William Butler Yeats ~~




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


This is another of those rare Pearls, which created itself by merely popping up on screen, one after another, in a row…. How can I say no to such persistence and dedication? I can’t…..


“Much that passes as idealism is disguised hatred or disguised love for power.” — Bertrand Russell (1872-1967)


“All the world ‘s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. At first the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms. And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school. And then the lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier, full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard; jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, with eyes severe and beard of formal cut, full of wise saws and modern instances; and so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and pouch on side; his youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide for his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.” — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), As You Like It — Act ii, Sc. 7


“I call that a scumhead.” — James Joyce — Finnegans Wake


“The palpable obscure.” — John Milton (1608-1674) — Paradise Lost, Book ii, Line 406


“Dreams have only one owner at a time. That’s why dreamers are lonely.” — Erma Bombeck


“Asked from what country he came, he replied, “I am a citizen of the world.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Diogenes, vi


“I’m in direct contact with many advanced fun CONCEPTS.” — Zippy the Pinhead


I’ve said many times previously that Shakespeare was overrated, and isn’t one of my favorite playwrights, even though I fully admit he is possibly, overall, the best that ever performed that particular act of literary expression. I just don’t like a lot of it; to my mind, and ear, much of it simply sucks, big time…. That said, he wrote so damn much, some of it just had to be fucking brilliant…. The above quote, known by heart to a large portion of mankind for over 400 years, falls directly into that category, effortlessly. Possibly the greatest soliloquy of all time, it shines with a luster that outshines virtually all other of mankind’s works, to give us the truth about ourselves…..


Maybe that’s why I write so much…. I’m hoping to hit on, and create, at least ONE piece that shines like this, if not quite a match for its degree of brightness…. SIGH…. Well, I guess I’ll just keep trying; I have a ways to go to be that good…. And, in the process, I’ll try to remember this…. which was the last one that popped up; the one after this was so bad, I knew it was done….


“The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.” — Eugene Delacroix


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


Not bad; I’ve shaved over 40 minutes off the hour I got up late… I’ll take it, and y’all, I think, are fortunate that I am. This one is a good pearl, and not nearly as long as they have been for the last few weeks… I suppose even my fertile brain has to take a creative break now and again…. Enjoy it while it lasts, though; nothing I do or see these days is liable to shut me up for long…. Just sayin’….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, and remember, in spite of how it may seem at times, I love you all…. I can’t claim I like it, but, there it is, so, I deal…. you’ll deal, too, I’m sure….




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!













					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Dreaming in Calliope’s house….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




In the near distance, sharp echoes of gunfire erupted, shattering the peaceful quiet covering the wide, debris-littered street, reluctantly revealed in the dim light of the struggling morning sun. In the bitter cold, icy clouds of vapor bled slowly from the mouth of the man standing in a doorway, as he gazed with intense concentration to his left, down the street toward the sound of guns in the distance. Nothing else moved, nothing made a sound….


Then that damn cat jumped on the back of the chair, again, breaking my concentration into tiny little pieces, and I gave up…. Sorry, ffolkes…. I HAD wanted to write a brilliant fictional opening this morning, but, my “muse” (as my blogger-friend Lou suggests) doesn’t particularly care for what I came up with, apparently, because she keeps doing stuff to distract me from trying to write it. Who knew that a 5 lb. black cat could be a literary critic? Actually, it’s a bit lowering, thinking about how I COULD have been a rock star….


Not really, it just sounded good, and gave a good finish to a weak paragraph…. SIGH…. How frightfully depressing! I’m reduced to critiquing my work paragraph by paragraph, just so I can monitor the quality of what I’m creating….. How sad can one get? I suppose I could ring up one of those support groups for struggling authors, but, that would mean I’d have to actually SPEAK to another person…. Today, that’s probably not a good idea….


Last time I felt like this, I experienced a deep fugue state, which apparently lasted three days, or so, by all evidence…. When I woke up, seven local politicians had gone missing, and were never seen again…. That’s not to imply that I had anything to do with it, but, such events have happened before, in other towns, at other times, and, well….. Hell, I don’t actually KNOW for sure that I did it…. I DID send some nice flowers to the families…. But, I think I’ll just stay in today, and not go looking for trouble…. it always manages to find me anyway….


I wonder, do other bloggers have this sort of difficulty? Or is it just me? Homicidal urges notwithstanding, I don’t believe I’ve been overly troublesome for society to have to deal with; I’ve managed to stay out of jail thus far in my life (I’m not counting that one time in Guatemala…. we broke out the same day they put us in there, and we didn’t actually KILL anyone, so, I don’t think it counts….) I suppose I should just use all my experiences as material, and write the story I’ve lived…. and then I realize, A) nobody would believe it, and B) not even I could be so egotistical as to think my own life would be of interest to enough ffolkes to warrant such indulgence….


Oh well, at least I have this time each day to pull this crap out of my head, where it (obviously) would fester, and put it onto the screen, where the only possible trouble comes only if others take it seriously…. which I know MY Gentle Readers would NEVER do…. They’d know better….. On that note….


Shall we Pearl?…..


“If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

_____________________________


“Rdio drops Echo Nest after Spotify move” — SFGATE news headline, financial section


What does that MEAN? Unless one knows it comes to us from a financial page, this sentence would be nearly impossible to decipher…. unless, of course, it were a coded message…. In that case, I’m sure the NSA, (or any other of our fine public institutions that deals in encryption-breaking, such as the FBI, CIA, and, no doubt, a number of others), wouldn’t have any difficulty at all in drawing every last iota of meaning out it…. 




As it is, one need only speak the technical language of business-speak, whereupon it becomes clear we’re talking about some companies going through merger & acquisition contortions, jockeying for a bigger piece of whatever pie they’re consuming…. But, hey! It COULD have been a terrorist plot… sure it could…..


I took today’s inspiration for this short period of ranting from Reality…. I ripped it out of the headlines. just like Reality rips poems out of my soul, with no mercy, and a lot of bloodshed, metaphorically speaking…. In this particular case, the metaphorical blood will show up as I rend the flesh and limbs of whatever poor member of our Beloved Ruling Class who draws my ire, and my attention today….. Oh god… I just realized, this means I’m going to have to actually READ that article, so I’m not talking through my ass…. Hmm… or maybe…. yeah, that’s better….


Rather than take the chance of becoming incapacitated by the sheer tedium of that business report, I’ll find an appropriate pearl on the same concept, and use THAT as my springboard, saving Rdio and Spotify for my coups de gras, nearer the end, where the blood loss won’t have such a deleterious effect on anyone’s sensibilities…. Yeah, that’s the ticket…. be right back with that…. Okay, so it took a little longer than I’d surmised it might…. you never noticed, anyway, did you?…. Nope… so, to try to keep the BS at a minimum, (oops, too late…. ), here ’tis…..


“I know everything, I just can’t remember it all at the same time.” — Sara Kate Robinson


Oops…. sorry, wrong one…. Ah, here we go…. check this out….


“Since it is Reason which shapes and regulates all other things, it ought not itself to be left in disorder.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Chap. xvii


Damn, that’s good, but it’s not the one I wanted, either…. Where’d I put that damn thing?….


“A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.” — Oscar Wilde


Ah, the hell with it…. I can’t find it, so, I’ll just finish off what is now an old-school pearl, with a more general theme than the intended rant…. I’ll see what I can do about the rant later…. for now, I’d best let Smart Bee get this out of its system, by letting it give me four more pearls, to make this one of the seven-star variety….


“The earth hath skin, and the skin hath diseases.  One of these…is called man.” — Nietzsche


“A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” — James Joyce, “Ulysses”


“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” — Albert Einstein


In dwelling, live close to the ground.

In thinking, keep to the simple.

In conflict, be fair and generous.

In governing, don’t try to control.

In work, do what you enjoy.

In family life, be completely present.


— Tao Te Ching


So be it….. gigoid has spoken…. he didn’t say much, but, he spoke, so there….



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/10695841/In-pictures-Artist-Saint-Hoax-transforms-world-leaders-into-drag-queens.html


After I finished the above section,  and had uttered the final “so there”…. I went for a cruise on the internet, to the UK Telegraph news site, where I came across this WONDERFUL set of pictures, all of which you can see by following the link…. One of them is below this, to give you a taste of them…. they’re all brilliant, and hilarious…. Enjoy! 




drag-kim-jong_2851191k    (I couldn’t figure out anywhere else to put this, so you get it here, in this weirdest of pearls, which resembles nothing I’ve ever produced before…. and don’t ask me to tell you what THAT means!…. Or, for that matter, what any of this means…. I’m done worryin’ ’bout tryin’ to figure it out…..)


_____________________________


“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” — Emily Dickinson




A Man’s a Man for A’ That 



Is there for honesty poverty

That hings his head, an’ a’ that;

The coward slave – we pass him by,

We dare be poor for a’ that!

For a’ that, an’ a’ that,

Our toils obscure an’ a’ that,

The rank is but the guinea’s stamp,

The man’s the gowd for a’ that.



What though on hamely fare we dine,

Wear hoddin grey, an’ a’ that?

Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine,

A man’s a man for a’ that.

For a’ that, an’ a’ that,

Their tinsel show, an’ a’ that,

The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor,

Is king o’ men for a’ that.



Ye see yon birkie ca’d a lord,

Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that;

Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,

He’s but a coof for a’ that.

For a’ that, an’ a’ that,

His ribband, star, an’ a’ that,

The man o’ independent mind

He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.



A price can mak a belted knight,

A marquise, duke, an’ a’ that;

But an honest man’s aboon his might,

Gude faith, he maunna fa’ that!

For a’ that, an’ a’ that,

Their dignities an’ a’ that,

The pith o’ sense, an’ pride o’ worth,

Are higher rank than a’ that.



Then let us pray that come it may,

(As come it will for a’ that,)

That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,

Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that.

For a’ that, an’ a’ that,

That man to man, the world o’er,

Shall brithers be for a’ that.



~~Robert Burns ~~




_____________________________


Apparently, Smart Bee has rebelled, as it did in the first section, on previous occasions…. I found this old-school pearl seemingly comprised of the same sort of unintended collection that occurred above…. It’s pretty good, all things considered, so, I’m being lazy again, and putting it in here, even though I haven’t ranted today…. I know, breaks your heart, don’t it?…. (I may be an egotist, but, I’m NOT stupid, you know…) Any who, enjoy this blast from the past, ffolkes…. it’s your last chance today to do so….


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


From 12/4/2012:


So, I’m diving around, looking for oysters, and these random quotes on various aspects of religion kept popping up. Since I’m not particularly bursting with material, or angst, sufficient to either rant, or write much of interest, I thought I’d string them together for an old school pearl…. my default position in these instances. There is no real point to be made here, though it is entirely possible that there is one…. I just like these because they made me think…. Hopefully, they’ll do the same for you…. enjoy!….


“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.   He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” — C. S. Lewis


“A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes.” — James Feibleman, “Understanding Philosophy”, 1973


“While it cannot be proved retrospectively that any experience of possession, conversion, revelation, or divine ecstasy was merely an epileptic discharge, we must ask how one differentiates “real transcendence” from neuropathies that produce the same extreme realness, profundity, ineffability, and sense of cosmic unity.  When accounts of sudden religious conversions in TLEs [temporal-lobe epileptics] are laid alongside the epiphanous revelations of the religious tradition, the parallels are striking.  The same is true of the recent spate of alleged UFO abductees. Parsimony alone argues against invoking spirits, demons, or extraterrestrials when natural causes will suffice.” — Barry L. Beyerstein, “Neuropathology and the Legacy of Spiritual Possession”,   The Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. XII, No. 3, pg. 255


We are arguing like a man who should say “If there were an invisible cat in that chair, the chair would look empty; but the chair does look empty; therefore there is an invisible cat in it.” — C.S. Lewis


“Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by dozens.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xii, Apology for Raimond Sebond


“…there can be no public or private virtue unless the foundation of action is the practice of truth.” — George Jacob Holyoake


No, it isn’t a trick…. The last one was, indeed, added on purpose, and actually brings all the rest into focus, making what I said above about this pearl having no point a lie…. or perhaps, premature ejaculation would be more appropriate….. Whatever it is, or might have been, or isn’t, it is what it is, so there…. And, believe it or not, it actually makes some sense, on a very basic level…. Any who, it was a few moments of exercising a muscle we all need to keep strong, so, all is well that ends well, yes?….. And, at the very least, you may comfort yourself with knowing it is ended….


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


Or is it?….. cue Twilight Zone theme music….  dedo dedo dedo dedo…. dedo dode dahhhhhh!   Ha ha ha ha ha….. It will NEVER be over…… except in your dreams, all of which have turned to nightmares….. You may go now, if you dare….

_____________________________


I’m fairly certain the events that have transpired here this morning would fall under the heading of Results of Unintended Consequence. The only fresh portions today are at the beginning, and at the very end…. Everything in between those two points was created yesterday, or much further in the past….


Looking back over it all not only convinces me of the truth of my categorization, but also establishes a new, if all-too-achingly-familiar, pattern of insanity and self-indulgent egoism. As such, it may not be exactly the most enlightening thing you’ll read today, but, it will most certainly be the most challenging, in re: it can alter, or at least affect, your own level of insanity…. That being said, I think it’s probably best if we go now, before the authorities arrive…. See ya tomorrow, if I’m not in jail, or on the run….


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


dozer3





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Ecstasy mode has been added as an accessory….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


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


Excellence has always been the goal, for almost my entire life…. In school, on the playing field, at work, every activity I have engaged in has been given my best effort at performing the given tasks as well as they could be done, whether physical or mental in nature. Without tootling my horn too loudly, I’ve done pretty well at it…. I was valedictorian of my high school class, played three varsity sports, achieving All League status in both football and baseball, and have gotten consistently excellent work ratings at whatever job I held…. My personal philosophy, Peruaosophy, acknowledges the importance of excellence in my life, with axiom # 4 stating, “Excellence is its own reward.”…..


This morning, I am reaching a milestone in blogging…. This will be my 800th post, in just over two years of blogging, not all of which met my standards of excellence, other than in their consistency of publication, and their technical characteristics, such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. As for the literary aspects, I will be the first to admit that what I’ve created doesn’t always tip the scale all the way to ‘excellent’ in every post, but, I made an excellent effort at it, and would imagine about half of it could be considered quite good….. Some of it is pretty funny, anyway….


So, anyway, I am not sure how I should react to this milestone…. I’m well past the time in my life where I’d use this as an excuse to go celebrate, abusing my liver by an outrageous consumption of adult beverages, but, I guess I won’t mind feeling a small glow of satisfaction for the day…. Well, I can do that, once this actually gets posted, and this 800th version of the Pearls of Daily Wisdom on WordPress joins its fellows…. Since I am trying to rest, and gather my resources and energy for the upcoming move I have to make, in two days, it will be nice to contemplate the satisfaction of my achievement while I am doing so…


This event has also had the serendipitous side-effect of giving me enough material for a legal intro section, without having to go through my normal contortions…. I’m sure everyone will appreciate that, given that, according to the stats, whatever I’ve been doing seems to be driving all but three or four hardy souls away…. No matter, Maya is everywhere, and nothing we perceive is real, unless it is……


Now that I’ve written four paragraphs, my brain is starting to wake up, bringing me a bit closer to real cogitation, and I see by the above that once again, I’ve wasted a perfectly good opportunity for some serious humor with a semi-serious, and all-too-sincere discussion of reality’s current configuration settings. I hate to miss a good chance for a joke or two, but, what’s done is done, and it’s too much to expect me to write, and, at the same time, monitor the direction and quality of what I write, so, as is the standard policy here, we’ll leave it in place, and get on with the rest of today’s concourse d’elegance, which, if I am translating correctly, is at least in the vicinity of where we wish to end up…..


Shall we Pearl?…..


“Even as a great fish swims along the two banks of a river, first along the eastern bank and then the western bank, in the same way the Spirit of man moves along beside his two dwellings: this waking world and the land of sleep and dreams.” — Upanishads

_____________________________


In order to have any chance of understanding anything in this section, it is recommended that you first engage your most perceptive, flexible attitude, and read the article found at the end of the link below….. please?…..



http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2013/08/27/doom-gloom-smile/


In the last few weeks, Mr. Morford has written a couple of excellent essays that parallel my own thinking; this is one that gives a good idea of what goes through my head every day, or whenever I think about the sad situation we are in, as a species, in relation to our planet’s health, and its threatened ability to provide us with an environment that is conducive to our survival…. (Hmm… a little pompously phrased, but, hey, it’s a serious subject….) Those thoughts invariably end up in a scary place, and it is hard at times to maintain the illusion of my own happiness, in the face of the future…. How can I enjoy my own time on earth, when I know that my children’s children will be faced with some very hard times, and choices, as the situation worsens?…


I’m not in the mood to rant, even with the anger and outrage that thinking about the BRC’s complicity in bringing the world to this point gives me; sleep was not to be found last night, and my brain feels as if it is packed in cotton…. safe, warm, and comfortable, but not terribly interested in being sharp…. So, to go along with Mark’s mindful insights, I offer this pearl, to give some color and contrast to a situation that resists any beautification efforts….


“History is a nightmare from which we are trying to awaken.” — James Joyce


How sad and bad and mad it was!

But then, how it was sweet!


— Robert Browning (1812-1890) — Confessions, ix


“Although war is cruel and brutal, it is also dangerous and stupid.” — Yakko Warner


“Anyone who isn’t confused really doesn’t understand the situation.” — Edward R. Murrow


“It is not good to try to lead people by hitting them over the head, but for some few, having a bat handy is helpful, just in case.” — Smart Bee


“It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.” — Mark Twain  Following the Equator (1897)


“YOW!!  I’m in a very clever and adorable INSANE ASYLUM!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

_____________________________


Since today is a milestone Pearl, it seems appropriate to use one of my own poems. Here is one of the first I wrote after beginning to write poems again, after a 35 year hiatus…..


Playing by the Rules


All my days I looked for love,

And found it everywhere I looked.

The years were joyous and fully booked

Seemingly by command from Above.


In return for all of the beauty in Life I found

I played life by the Rules that we all know,

It was from my father I learned the how,

Honest love, given freely, hand-fasted, gladly bound.


It seemed a while as if it were all real,

that fulfillment and contentment could be

as real as the children given us to oversee,

to teach them of Life and Love, and how to feel.


Then storm clouds of grievous change arrived, unbidden

Insidious, deceitful, three steps forward, then one back.

Tearing holes in our beautiful cloth, a heart heard to crack,

Gleeful demons eating life’s bounty, fangs dirty, and hidden.


Pain and sorrow grew, in defiance of all I tried,

Sanctuary turned into a reluctant scene of ritual battle,

Love still lives, but is herded like doomed and pitiful cattle,

While the keening of my soul sounds as if I’d died.


Betrayal in love is, allow me to assure, no small pain to take.

Time has no power to reduce its place in my heart or soul.

My truest love became a stranger, a powerfully sharp toll,

Solitude has become my lot, no killing time for necessity’s sake.


Love yet surrounds me, everywhere; I’m not one of those fools…

Children are forgiving, I’m glad to be able to say,

They show me life’s solid purpose, the old, right way,

I guess  don’t know any other way, than to Play it by the Rules.


~~ gigoid ~~

_____________________________


I had a whole slew of excuses and/or justifications for using an archived pearl in this section, all of which seemed lame once I had written them down, so, I’m not going to give one…. Here is a section three discussion from the Pearl on 1/2/13; I will only say that it seems appropriate for what has happened here today….


“But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.” — Alan Watts


I enjoy the words of Alan Watts, and have done so since first reading one of his books in college, many years ago. His command of English is so deep and wide that he is somewhat hard to read, due to the weight and depth of both the material under discussion, and of the words he chooses to use. But, working one’s way through to the end of what he writes is well worth all the effort, for he explains the complex, and yet simple, wisdom of the Eastern religions and philosophies, in Western terms, so they are comprehensible to those same Western thinkers, with a clarity heretofore unseen. This particular line is one of his most simply written, yet is still deep and insightful…..


With one swift phrase, Reality is laid bare for all to understand, showing its flexibility, it’s malleable nature able to become whatever we perceive it to be. Each of us has our own interpretation of what we perceive as reality, and it is often very different than what others may believe it to be. Sometimes, I am absolutely amazed at the variety of perceptions that people describe, and feel a lot of satisfaction, on one level at least. That is the level of interaction…. I think it is just wonderful, that people from so many different backgrounds, and so many different ways of looking at the same thing, can still live together on one planet in relative harmony.


It would seem apparent that so many differing viewpoints would cause a lot of trouble, and to some extent that’s true…. There is a lot of trouble on this world, and Reality is not a place for the weak or timid to hang out safely. But, mostly, all the various attitudes and outlooks on life seem to shuffle along without much conflict, at the personal level, compared to what might be expected. One of those little unexplained miracles in life that we often don’t see, or appreciate….. The phenomenon is even more pronounced in institutions such as mental hospitals, where the visions of reality are of such a nature as to seem limitless in their variety. I was always impressed at how people from so many different parts of the galaxy were able to live together in peace….   🙂


For me, the best part about the nature of Reality is this chameleon-like quality: it can be anything we want it to be. We can accept the perceptions it sends us, and even see, and understand, what those are describing to others, thus making it convenient for us to communicate about it. Or, we can choose to alter those perceptions, either in the way we receive them, or in the way we interpret them; either method gives us control over exactly how we view what is now a somewhat questionable form of Reality.


(It occurs to me that maybe I should use the capitalization technique, as with the words ‘pearl’, and ‘Pearl’…. Yeah, that’s the ticket… Okay, so ‘Reality’, capitalized, is what we all agree to see, and ‘reality’ is what each of us sees personally, with the word ‘see’ used to indicate ‘perceive’ because it’s a shorter word, took less time to type, and allowed me to further obfuscate matters in order to create the need to clear them up….. That should help clarify where we are in a sentence, even if it doesn’t actually simplify things at all…..)


Speaking of knowing where we are, this discussion seems to have reached a point where the next destination may be out of reach. Oh, not that the reality of it is too abstruse, or complicated, or even merely disgusting. No, it’s just too esoteric for me at 0815 in the morning, after already composing a couple thousand words on human nature and and the nature of Reality. It is almost a depressing come-down to have to consider ending this, since it was flowing so well, but, the perfect closing pearl showed itself, and I’m not one to argue with Smart Bee, or Zippy….. Stay alert, ffolkes, Reality can suck, and it can bite, when it’s not being nice…..


“I guess it was all a DREAM..  or an episode of HAWAII FIVE-O…” — Zippy the Pinhead

_____________________________


I’m struck at how typical this Pearl has turned out…. It’s over the top, length-wise, but that’s nothing new. It’s all over the map, intellectually, also nothing we haven’t seen before. It’s a little bit egotistical, but, hey, it’s my blog, right? I’m a little nervous about just how it will appear, in the big picture…. I guess I’ll go see now, and get that over with…..


Serendipity has struck again, hard…. I like it, and though I tend to be somewhat biased, I try to maintain some small degree of objectivity, and that part of me says, it ain’t bad…. and, it’s done, making it perfect…. now, with this final word from Zippy, I bid thee adieu, until next time….


“GOOD-NIGHT, everybody..  Now I have to go administer FIRST-AID to my pet LEISURE SUIT!!” — Zippy the Pinhead


Y’all take care out there,

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole…

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



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
In the absence of morality…..

			
						

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Ffolkes,

If is was, was is were, or was is wasn’t? If is isn’t, is confusing to say the least. Not sure what prompted that nonsense. It’s what happens when I just let my fingers type, without any input from brain. Supposedly that’s how James Joyce achieved his “stream of consciousness” style of writing; who can really say how genius works? But it certainly is hard to make sense that way. Of course, making sense is not always the goal, now is it? Sometimes it’s better to be odd, than it is to be even…..

___________________________________


When I consider life, ‘t is all a cheat.

Yet fool’d with hope, men favour the deceit;

Trust on, and think to-morrow will repay.

To-morrow ‘s falser than the former day;

Lies worse, and while it says we shall be blest

With some new joys, cuts off what we possest.

Strange cozenage! none would live past years again,

Yet all hope pleasure in what yet remain;

And from the dregs of life think to receive

What the first sprightly running could not give.

— John Dryden (1631-1700)

— Aurengzebe, Act iv, Sc. 1


True beauty requires no adornment, nor comment…..

___________________________________


“All societies are based on rules to protect pregnant women and young children. All else is surplusage, excrescence, adornment, luxury, or folly which can – and must – be dumped in emergency to preserve this prime function.  As racial survival is the only universal morality, no other basic is possible.  Attempts to formulate a “perfect society” on any other foundation other than “Women and children first!” is not only witless, it is automatically genocidal. Nevertheless, starry-eyed idealists (all of them male) have tried endlessly- and no doubt will keep on trying.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


Robert Heinlein was somewhat conservative in his political views, with an occasional foray into Atheism/Solipsism/Pantheism/Libertarianism to assuage his need for independence. The conservatism comes from his military education (he and L. Ron Hubbard were cadets at Annapolis in the early twentieth century), and an (for him) obsessive fear of creeping Communism. He wrote more than one story about revolution, or uprisings by Americans after being conquered, and all referred to the role, and duty, of the citizen in a republic, and in these stories, his conservatism comes through clearly. 


But, he also had a very strong sense of personal and societal responsibility, believing each man has the duty to act in a manner that is beneficial to others, as well as to himself; society works best when the wheels are well-greased. I suppose what is attractive about his belief system is that it holds each man responsible for his own actions, while still acknowledging his duty to society. There are many, many too few men like him alive today, and there isn’t one politician alive who even approaches his level of patriotism; they’re all too busy with their personal agendas…..we need more like the one described below…..


“Boys become men by watching men, by standing close to men. Manhood is a ritual passed from generation to generation with precious few spoken instructions. Passing the torch of manhood is a fragile, tedious task. If the rite of passage is successfully completed, the boy-become-man is like an oak of hardwood character. His shade and influence will bless all those who are fortunate enough to lean on him and rest under his canopy.” — Preston Gilham

___________________________________


If you understand, things are as they are.

If you do not understand, things are as they are.

— Gensha, Zen Master


Cuando se comprende sus problema, se conoce el solución. Y que es, es….. sounds pretty good in Spanish too. Though it’s not completely accurate, the Zen koan is deeply related to my little Latin pearl. For the google-challenged among you, it translates as, “When you understand the problem, you know the answer.” (Not sure, but I may have made it up, as I’ve not seen it before in print, at least, not in Spanish. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t printed, just that I’ve not seen it) The underlying reason for doing so was to find the middle ground between the two quotes, both of which are part of the solution to the Big Picture; around here we call it Consensual Reality.


Consensual Reality is the one that all of us know; it’s the one whose referents are known to all of us, and accepted as being the correct interpretation of what we perceive as real. Learning to see the whole picture is the first task to complete on the path to knowledge and truth; and learning consists of learning to accept what is, just the way it is. To do so, one must often employ Occam’s Razor, to trim away the nonsense and useless facts that accumulate in the process, carving away what is superfluous, to reveal the beauty within the Truth. 


It can be a lonely path to walk, as most folks just don’t want to spend the effort to find deeper knowledge. Most are content to just get by, dealing with the peccadilloes of daily life the best they may without expending a lot of effort. But the reward is a renewed sense of self-respect, and the ability to sleep at night unbothered by fearful dreams of what might be……


Pluralitas non ponenda est sine necessitate.  (Multiplicity is not to be asserted when it is unnecessary.) — William of Occam [Occam’s Razor]

___________________________________


“Truth never tranquilizes. The defining property of truth is its ability to disturb.” — Solomon Short


Bleeding heavily from wounds unseen

the warrior within fights on, on, and on.

In defense of truth, with blade so keen,

for the living dead, for the quick,

for the weak, for the aged sick,

he fights, and dreams on.


Don’t ask me any questions. I just might tell you the truth. It’s a risk only you can fathom……

___________________________________


There is a pleasure in poetic pains

Which only poets know.

— William Cowper (1731-1800) — The Task, Book ii, The Timepiece, Line 285


When I came across this little gem, an image from a movie flashed into my mind’s eye. In the third Indiana Jones movie, Indiana and his father are fleeing from a German airplane, and all of a sudden become trapped in the open on a beach, while the fighter plane, guns blazing, flies right at them. The elder Jones, (Sean Connery), begins to run at a flock of sea birds, yelling and flourishing his umbrella. The flock flew up, straight into the path of the airplane, taking it down as surely as a .50 caliber Gatling. As he strolls away, he quotes the line about Charlemagne “and the birds in the sky shall be my weapons.” (or something like that), and strolls calmly away. It was a perfect audio-visual example of what is said above by Mr. Cowper…..and a fine testament to the power of language, especially in the form of a poem, even a simple couplet….

___________________________________


Enough is enough….it’s important to know when to stop. It’s still early; lets go see what kind of trouble I can get myself into. My coping skills need a workout….. y’all take care out there….




—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.


gigoid


Dozer
Kowabunga!



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
The Naming of the Shrew…

			
						

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Ffolkes,

In some ways, retirement has been good for me, while in others I tend to struggle with the lack of urgency that generally accompanies most of those things we do for work.  I don’t think I ever realized it, but for my entire work career I worked with the constant background hum of tension. In retrospect, it is clear that the emotional state one must cultivate in order to go do those tasks we’ve chosen as our means of acquiring gelt is one of mild, constant fear, a legacy of our past, of living in a world of constant danger. This fear, a very base emotion, is present merely to provide us with motivation to act against our better instincts, and instead bow to societal and cultural pressure to channel those instincts into some sort of civilized form of hunting for sustenance, like, say, as a graphic artist working for an ad agency, or as a secretary, or almost any damn thing we as a species have evolved as sublimated replacements for the hunting arts we no longer need.  


Some of us, such as yours truly, develop the art of making long, complicated, run-on sentences to give the impression that language and letters are my weapons of choice in the battle for survival in today’s complex world of the future. Whether this weapon serves me well, or not, I suppose it is less challenging than learning to survive in the wild.




Now that I’ve reached that point in life where I’m supposed to “rest on laurels”, I find myself instead to be restless. After 46 years or so of working at one job or another, I got used to that little bit of fear that was always there to give me the back-story, the motivating factor that got me up and out the door every day to go do…whatever I was doing at the time. Cooking, serving, writing, wrestling, therapizing (I made it up), or any of the other hats I wore, all had that basic, clinging fear of failure that went along with them, giving me that little squirt of adrenaline to get me going.




I’ve found that in retirement, one has to re-learn the skill of providing impetus out of our own store of rationales. Without prior knowledge of this (yes, another thing that got left out of the manual), it can turn into a harrowing experience, fraught with possibilities for failure in totally new areas of endeavor, and exasperating in its elusiveness.  


I would guess that in at least one respect I have a slight advantage over many folks, rooted in my life-long love of reading and learning. Change, in and of itself, is not fearful to me; it can be frustrating, and sudden, and totally bizarre, but it doesn’t make me afraid, just tired.  I’m learning, slower perhaps than I might otherwise prefer, but learning nonetheless, how to maintain my equilibrium living under a completely new set of rules. I may be an old dog, but I ain’t dead yet……




Well, there you have it…..another flight through fancy, holding court with a congress of ravens, all of whom look at me with dark, beady eyes, and all in harmony, squawk out, “Nevermore!”……now I know why Edgar Allen was so flipped; they’re scary little buggers……hope y’all enjoy today’s Pearls as much as I enjoyed the process of finding them…..


“$100 invested at 7% interest for 100 years will become $100,000, at which time it will be worth absolutely nothing.” — Lazarus Long, “Time Enough for Love”


“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” — Buddha


A little learning is a dangerous thing;

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:

There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,

And drinking largely sobers us again.

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

— Essay on Criticism, Part ii, Line 15


“The function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it invites a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger.” — former US Supreme Court Justice William Douglas


The value of knowledge lies not in its accumulation, but in its utilization.


“A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” — James Joyce, “Ulysses”


I thought for a bit that today’s group would be a good message, but I couldn’t quite find a thread that tied them all together into a package with a nice little bow. Ah well, another time….you get away lucky today…… y’all take care out there….




—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.


gigoid


Dozer
Kowabunga!