Tag Archives: John Locke

Yawning for fun, sneezing for profit….

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Ffolkes,

“A quarrel is quickly settled when deserted by one party:
there is no battle unless there be two.”

~~ Seneca (B.C. 3-65 A.D.) ~~

winter in cali

Winter in California….

Hajime…. Surrealistically speaking, that dog was never near the manger, nor in the vestibule. Of course, all the available evidence speaks only to the extant paradigms, like spice on rice. For most, that will be enough; for others, such as us, ’twill be only a metaphor….

I would say, for my first effort in weeks, if not months, that’s not too shabby. Whether it means anything, or not, is, I should think, a moot point (which is often the only kind we find. More spice on rice, I suppose….) For what is needed today, it will obviously suffice, if it already hasn’t done so. If y’all are saying to yourselves, “what the fuck is he babbling on about?”, I have fulfilled my vow; if you made any sense of any of it, I can officially begin to worry if I haven’t gone too far. But, far be it from me to ever question, or challenge, the total value of pure, unadulterated nonsense, or, as we like to call, real deal BS….

If anyone is also wondering if I’m ever going to pull this together into what might pass for an intro section, well, I guess you’ll just have to keep wondering, because, hey, this is too much fun. A bit tiring, and not at all easy, (you try typing in fast, short bursts, punctuated by howling and cursing…), but, altogether worthwhile, if only to soothe my angst. Not that doing so is either efficient, or. for that matter, necessary, but, hey, it’s all good. I’m just playin’ around, & no animals will be harmed. In fact, the only other animal present seems to rather enjoy the show; she’s not growling at me, & that’s always a good sign….

Okay, that’s enough. I’ve got this pulled together as far as it will go, so, I suppose I’ll stop fooling around & get on with it. Fresh Pearls have been rather hard to come by, so, I’ll cease and desist, though I can’t claim to have had this much fun sitting down for weeks. To aid and abet the furthering of our new cause, I’ll employ my most ruthless technique for moving on, which, is a bit abrupt, but, relatively bloodless. Quick, too; watch!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A committee is the only known form of life
with a hundred bellies and no brain.”

~~- Robert A. Heinlein ~~

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pentatonix

I don’t know if y’all have heard this group of singers before, or not. If you come here regularly, you will have seen them, as I’ve used this particular piece before; it’s one of my favorite versions of Lenny’s iconic song. On the page where it resides on You Tube, you can find a number of other works by them, any of which is excellent. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do….

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Pentatonix
Hallelujah

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Comedy_Tragedy

Unbidden, treasure unfolded…

Taken by surprise, Psyche sits numb
Amidst tall phrases worn of elder time
Seeking a not-new place from which to come
No shiny new horizon, nor altered paradigm.

Sudden regrets shape dreams as times maintain
Shades of memories bring poignant clear sight
Visions of duty, each chosen wild campaign
Shouts echoing clamors to enfold the night.

Arisen from less than eternal havens of sleep
Facing moments created in torment and pain
Destiny weighs upon those chosen to keep
As the sparrow flies now to sever the twain.

Faded pathways lead away, hazy and long
Burned out verges, so long unknown
Images of yesterday, clear and strong
Bleed into today, though ’tis but my own……

~~ gigoid ~~

6/13/2012

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Don’t forget to remember….

*******

“In an empty head, you can hear forever….”

~~ Observant Bee ~~

*******

“The world is no nursery.”

~~ Sigmund Freud ~~

*******

“An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered;
an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered.”

~~ G. K. Chesterton, On Running After Ones Hat, All Things Considered, 1908~~

*******

“It is one thing, to show a man that he is in an error,
and another, to put him in possession of truth.”

~~ John Locke ~~

*******

“Our mind is capable of passing
beyond the dividing line we have drawn for it.
Beyond the pairs of opposites of which the world consists,
other, new insights begin.”

~~ Herman Hesse ~~

*******

“There is only one success —
to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

~~ Christopher Morley ~~

*******

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”

~~ Seneca ~~

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

Well, it’s finally done. Fortunately for us all, at this point, it’s a relatively automatic process, so, I’ll just stand back, wave & grin, and let it happen organically. Hmm…. can we use that word for what goes on in a computer? Oh, well, that’s a question for another time. For now, let it be enough to say, be well, be happy, and, well, you know…. 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

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À bientôt, mon cherí….

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In hope of a soft landing….

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Ffolkes,

“The wind has no home, and its only clothes are tree branches.”

~~ Matthew Barry ~~

shadow man

The Shadow Man….

Hajime…. Perhaps I’m making an unwarranted assumption, but, good morning…. For those living in the southeastern part of this country, (Florida, etc.) I hope Irma isn’t hitting y’all too hard, and that y’all can come together to shelter each other through the resulting aftermath. Since the government, despite any claims it may make, will NOT do anything particularly helpful or advantageous to the people, such hopes are probably the best for which you may hope to receive. ‘Twould be nice if ’twere otherwise, but, as we are fond of saying on the streets, oh, well…. Deal with it….

There is no fresh Pearl for today, beyond what you will see here in what is normally the intro section. I have no excuse for not having one ready, other than my own laziness, combined with fatigue unrealized, from the stress of the previous three days. Between worry over my cat, (who is doing well now….), and having to deal with other people’s drama, I lost more sleep than I’d realized, & found myself, for most of the day, alternately napping, and, spacing out on mindless entertainment (when I say, mindless, I mean listening to soft, soothing classical music, or Celtic Woman concerts, or reading for pleasure…. plus some rather basic ‘spacing out’, staring off into space, following my imagination wherever it chose to fly….). I’m hoping to get one going today, but, I find myself still tired, so, we’ll see how it goes.

A new poem is in the works, but, leaking slowly. probably due to the ‘recent unpleasantness’ in my locus. In my current state, I might even come up with a rant, but, if naught else, I’ll find some good music to share, & hope for the best on the rest. For now, this is the extent of what I can do, so, I’ll bring it to a crashing halt, & hope the two pearls included today provide some food for thought.

Y’all have the best day you can, given the unfortunate connotations today possesses, as a ‘day of infamy’ foisted upon us by a number of human groups who hold beliefs which cause them to commit irrational, violently destructive acts upon their fellow humans. No matter how one breaks it down, they are the victims of their own irrational fears, and choose to make others victims as well, to assuage their lack of humanity, and the lack of courage to face their fears…. Fie upon them all, I say, and I choose to ignore them, and their foolish beliefs, giving it the attention it deserves, to wit: NONE.

I think I’ll go on a picture safari today; the heat is finally breaking, & the weather promises to be pretty nice. Hopefully, I can get some good shots, & will include one of them tomorrow, if I can. I’m going to close this now, & get started on what promises to be a busy, if relaxed, day here in what passes for Paradise…. I guess, if you stop to think about it, Paradise is up to each of us to create for ourselves. I, for one, intend to try to make it a good one…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

Shall we Pearl?…. Sorry…. not today, but, tomorrow’s soon enough….

“General observations drawn from particulars
are the jewels of knowledge,
comprehending great store in a little room.”

~~ John Locke ~~

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

I hope you’re not looking for anything here; this is the closing section, & what you see is all you get today. However, I WILL see y’all tomorrow, given a fair wind, and a rising tide….

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 -- 14532

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
The paper goes in the shoe….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Because you’re not what I would have you be,

I blind myself to who, in truth, you are.”


~~ Madeleine L’Engle ~~


sleeper


The muse sleeps….


Hajime…. Today’s effort was just that, an effort. That’s not to say ’twas necessarily a burden; using just the single word by itself, sans adjective, gives, I think, the correct flavor for what took place. You see, the process was broken from the beginning, as my resident familiar seems to want my attention even more than usual; four times now she has interrupted the process to ask for play, or cuddles, or scratches, then more play. Usually, she’ll let me be at this hour, preferring, as a rule, to amuse herself. But, not today….


This periodic interruption hasn’t prevented me from getting done; it just made it a bit more complex than is generally the case. As a result, I can’t say today’s mess will outshine any other day’s mess, but, it does have all the correct elements in place, so, we’re gonna let it fly, solo, & trust it will all be okay in the end. I mean, it’s not as if it will light up the internet, or change any lives, other than, perhaps, my own. In fact, it probably would serve as a perfect example of the overall futility of human action in affecting the universe at large. But, that’s a little too metaphysical for this point in time, I’d say, so, we’ll just leave it where we found it, & move on…..


The only question, then, that remains to be answered is: what now? Fortunately, I have a good reply, all ready to go, & it goes like this. We are going on, down the page, to see what ridiculously abstruse material a partially awake bozo can produce in an hour and a half stretched to three. Hell, by the time this one gets posted, that could swell to four. To keep that from becoming reality, let’s do this, which seems to work very well, every time I utilize it…. Watch close, now….


Shall we Pearl?


“Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on.”


~~ Steven Stills ~~


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


macisaac


Ashley MacIsaac


Image from The London Free Press via Google Images


Last night, after a great dinner with my daughter, she told me of this artist, & shared his music on You Tube with me. I enjoyed it enough to include it here for your enjoyment today. He’s a Canadian born fiddler, who plays modernized traditional Irish & Scottish music, with quite a flair. I hope you like it as much as I did/do…. Abondanza!….


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Ashley MacIsaac






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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 ~~


5/7/2013


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pearls_3


Naked Pearls


Thoughts on feelings….


*******


“Courage is not the absence of fear,

but rather the judgment

that something else is more important than fear.”


~~ Ambrose Redmoon ~~


*******


“The discipline of desire is the background of character.”


~~ John Locke ~~


*******


“A thing derided is a thing dead;

a laughing man is stronger than a suffering man.”


~~ Gustave Flaubert ~~


*******


“Quem metuunt, oderunt.”

(They hate whom they fear.)


~~ Ennius (239-169 BC) ~~


*******


“Grief can take care of itself,

but to get the full value of joy

you must have somebody to divide it with.”


~~ Mark Twain ~~


*******


“The wounds that cannot be seen

are more painful than those

that can be treated by a doctor.”


~~ Nelson Mandela ~~


*******


“If there is a sin against life,

it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life

as in hoping for another life

and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life.”


~~ Albert Camus ~~


*******


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


Whew! Made it. I wasn’t quite sure we would, but, all’s well, etc. To keep from tempting Murphy, let’s end this quickly, eh? I’ll be back, as always; when may be a question, but, an answer will appear tomorrow, one way, or another. For now, I shall bid thee adieu, with wishes for a peaceful, enlightening day for all…. 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


Featured image


À bientôt, mon cherí….

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
It all seems suitably combed….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.”


~~ Jean Anouilh, Ardele, 1948, (2, translated by Lucienne Hill) ~~


spider-sighting


Spider!….


Hajime…. It used to be I’d sit here, staring at a blank screen, wondering where, and when, I’d find anything in my head worth setting down for others to read. Now, I sit here, wondering which of the various approaches I’ve developed over the past five years of blogging to use to begin the day’s mess. Perhaps the one I choose is what makes it a mess, or an offering. Or, perhaps, it’s my own attitude. Ya think? Oops, cover pulled….


Okay, we’ll use the cat method for that one. It never happened, I didn’t say it. So be it. To avoid any possible reenactments, I’ll go back to an older method, though, not far, as it actually was employed (or, is that ‘deployed? Ah, well, no matter…), yesterday. It’s our most ruthless intro format, and it looks pretty spartan, if elegantly smooth and simple. It works just like this….


Shall we pearl?….


“What is the first business of one who studies philosophy?

To part with self-conceit.

For it is impossible for any one to begin to learn

what he thinks that he already knows.”


~~ Epictetus — How to apply general Principles to particular Cases ~~


~~ Discourses, Book ii, Chap. xvii ~~


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


nationlism-meme


Image from https://thefreethoughtproject.com


This is what I call a WSYIWYG rant. The meme you see above from the Free Thought Project pretty much says it all, though to be completely accurate in describing my thoughts, it would include all religions along with nations as being worthy of being fucked….. but, that’s just me. We don’t NEED any of it….


‘Nuff said.


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


We are going simple today, with a mix of classical music someone collected as a means of encouraging students to study. Works for any kind of reading, so, enjoy!…..


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Classical Music




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Comedy_Tragedy


Dreaming, I wait….


In the most patient moments of rationality

kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,

fallow thoughts speed first from equality

to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.


Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law

shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,

intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,

falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.


Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,

it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,

foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,

alive, always eager, willing, and pale.


Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few

with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.

No solemn royal version may pass in review,

true love for man, never to remain unhidden.


Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,

calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,

With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,

swimming in the oceans of natural delight.


When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,

roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,

Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,

and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.


Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night

aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart

Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,

tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art.


~~ gigoid ~~


8/18/2013


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pearls_3



Naked Pearls


Serving the truth….


*******


“I am the shadow my words cast.”


~~ Octavio Paz ~~


*******


“In’I no expect to be justified by the laws of men.”


~~- Bob Marley ~~


*******


“Brains first and then Hard Work.”


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


*******


“It is one thing,

to show a man that he is in an error,

and another,

to put him in possession of truth.”


~~ John Locke ~~


*******


“The human condition is such

that pain and effort are not just symptoms

which can be removed without changing life itself;

they are rather the modes in which life itself,

together with the necessity to which it is bound,

makes itself felt.

For mortals, the ‘easy life of the gods’ would be a lifeless life.”


~~ Hannah Arendt ~~


*******


“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”


~~ Anais Nin ~~


*******


Costing not less than everything.


~~ T.S. Eliot ~~


*******


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


Well, there you go. A bit esoteric in spots, but, altogether, a fine little Pearl for your consumption. I’ll skip any comments on process, or program, or even potential quality, and just say, see ya tomorrow, ffolkes. It seems to be a habit I can’t break…. Not that I want to, mind you…. More to follow….


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….

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Eggs & onions, in any order….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Warning: Do not attempt this at home.”


~~ Advisory Bee ~~


face


Whatchya doin’?….


Hajime…. Rather than attempt to explain what I don’t understand myself, I’ll pass completely over my absence yesterday, ignoring altogether the mild rudeness I managed to impart, by not posting at all, at all, even to explain the interlude. Since I couldn’t give any reason, I’ll give none, and y’all will just have to make do with that; we all must live with occasional disappointment. This one, as such things go, isn’t all that hard to handle, I should think, for it involved NOT being asked to read & think, rather than the inverse. In fact, it could be said I did y’all a favor, but, let’s not get crazy.


While such meandering discussions are legally acceptable for this sort of literature, I can’t say it’s the most compelling opening I’ve ever typed, or penned, or whatever it is we do now…. and, who cares? It’s got me this far, so it’s not as if I’m going to throw it all back in the stew. Perhaps it would be best for us to just move on, before I get any weird ideas about a tricky twist, or, worse, a pun. Last time I tried that….. well, let’s not talk about it; it’s stil too fresh in my memory for comfort. Instead, I’ll use the preferred method, which utilizes the newly developed sense of ruthlessness, which has proved its merit quite well already… It’s particularly handy for situations such as this one; all we have to do is this….


Shall we pearl?….


“Morality is moral only if it is voluntary.”


~~ Lincoln Steffens ~~


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stevie guitarplayerdotcom


Stevie Ray Vaughan


I’ve got the urge for some hot blues; what better choice than this man’s music? None, I’d say…. Enjoy!….


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Stevie Ray Vaughan

Live at Montreux 1985



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Dont keep calm


“I’d like some JUNK FOOD… and then I want to be ALONE”


~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~


I’d planned a rant, but, it didn’t gel for me, so, this one will have to do for today…. Let’s see what was going on in this old head a couple years ago, shall we?….


From 6/14/2014:


In this section, we have been running a new style pearl, (there’s that royal ‘we’ again….), with pictures to go along with whatever quotes and/or comments I come up with…. The latest incarnation involves a new subject of interest, the Wise Old Pine Cone, who has been kind enough to allow me to photograph his wanderings around town, to record his interactions with people, and the environment, as he wends his way around the town….. Yesterday, I posted the photos of when I accompanied him to the local ball team’s night game, which came out fairly well….


Sadly, the Wise Old Pine Cone, by the time we left the ball park, had consumed WAY too many brewskis, and has yet to get out of bed…. He’s pretty small, and a few beers really do a number on him; I’ve seen him stay in bed for three days after a bad session with wine, and beer isn’t any better for him…. He’ll be alright, but, he’ll be out of action for a day or two, so, we’ll have to find something else for this section….. Let me think….


Okay, you’ve convinced me…. I’ll rant….


“There is nothing a man can do to guarantee success, but there is nothing that can defeat him if he won’t give up.” — Greg Praino


Well, perhaps I won’t rant today; it doesn’t mean I’m giving up, but…. I just went to look for a rantable headline from the news…. Of the eleven headlines on the world news page, eight were about various bombings, battles, or other war activities, mostly in the middle east, where the Islamic sects are all fighting to see who will become the sole arbiter of the Muslim future….. never realizing how silly and counter-productive they are being, in terms of survival…. But, then, most people engaged in war are not in a very intelligent frame of mind, anyway….


(And, how can a Muslim extremist group name themselves after an Egyptian goddess over seven thousand years old {Isis}? I thought they hated ANY other religion…. Ah well, stupid is as stupid does…)


The point is, I couldn’t decide WHICH subject to rant about…. There are plenty of wars being fought, none of which make any sense…. There are governments still robbing the people, or oppressing them unmercifully; the churches are still butting into everything, as is their habit…. I see where the Pope is trying to be a mediator between Israel & Palestine (good luck with that!….), and now, the Presbyterian Church is doing SOMETHING over in Iraq, or Iran, to get involved with that whole mess…. what a bunch of idiots!…


Cars and factories are still streaming carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide into the air by the hundreds of millions of tons, every day, so pollution continues unabated, and climate change keeps changing, so, we can kiss our asses goodbye, once we figure out how long we have…. Religious fanatics and fundies of all varieties continue to wage their holy wars, blaming all that is wrong in the world on anything but their own actions…. Bankers and politicians continue to work together to steal everything that isn’t nailed down from the public, all enforced by paramilitary police forces, blindly obedient myrmidons with guns, and really bad attitudes, due to their completely unwarranted sense of entitlement regarding their psycho/sociopathic need to be seen as authority figures….


All of the insanity I’ve previously commented upon here continues, relatively unabated, as the world skips merrily down what it BELIEVES is the garden path, completely oblivious, calmly seated in a handbasket, never even wondering why it is getting so bloody hot…. And people wonder why I rant….


I found no particular headline to get me started, but, as can be seen by the above, none are really necessary for me to find my anger about the state of the world…. My anger is based in the realization that NONE of it is necessary; if people would take responsibility for themselves, and stand up to the assholes who are oppressing everyone who puts up with it, we could fix this broken puppy….


I’m a realist, though, and, as far as I can see, realistically, it ain’t gonna happen…. so, I’ll pick a few pearls, to make how I feel about it clear, and be done with it for today…. I’m mad, but, so mad, I don’t even want to talk about it any more….. Here, take these…. No worries, you’ll live; there are only five of them….


“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” — John Locke


“All I know is just what I read in the Congressional Record. They have had some awful funny articles in there lately. As our government deteriorates, our humor increases.” — Will Rogers


“I have never found, in a long experience of politics, that criticism is ever inhibited by ignorance.” — Harold MacMillan


“Look for a tough wedge for a tough log.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 723


“You know how dumb the average guy is? Well, by definition, half of them are even dumber than THAT.” — J.R. “Bob” Dobbs, ripping off George Carlin, who made that point YEARS before Bob finished puberty….


There you go, ffolkes…. a pointed, bitchy, but accurate, five-star pearl….. Let’s go on, shall we?….


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


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


Many Paths, One Destination….


*******


“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight,

and his punishment

is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”


~~ Oscar Wilde ~~


*******


“I maintain that Truth is a pathless land,

and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever,

by any religion, by any sect….

I do not want to belong to any organization of a spiritual kind;

please understand this …

If an organization be created for this purpose,

it becomes a crutch, a weakness, a bondage,

and must cripple the individual,

and prevent him from growing,

from establishing his uniqueness,

which lies in the discovery for himself

of that absolute, unconditioned Truth….”


~~ J. Krishnamurti ~~


*******


“The education of the will is the object of our existence.”


~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~


*******


“Truth is the highest thing that man may keep.”


~~ Geoffrey Chaucer ~~


~~ The Frankeleines Tale, Line 11789 ~~


*******


“Fill your bowl to the brim

and it will spill.

Keep sharpening your knife

and it will blunt.

Chase after money and security

and your heart will never unclench.

Care about people’s approval

and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back.

The only path to serenity.”


~~ Tao Te Ching ~~


*******


“Keep the golden mean”


~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 1072 ~~


*******


“Enjoy the present hour,

Be thankful for the past,

And neither fear nor wish

Th’ approaches of the last.”


~~ Abraham Cowley ~~


*******


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


Having thus fulfilled the basic requirements, I’m gonna call it done, & go post it. I’ll be back, probably tomorrow, & you may rest assured I’ll try a bit harder. Gotta live with myself, right? Right. Until then, stay low, stay alert, and stay strange…. It’s getting a little cool out there….. See y’all….


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


Dozer


À bientôt, mon cherí….

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Bombastic echoes in a lovely hat….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				11			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




Around existence twine,

(Oh, bridge that hangs across the gorge!)

ropes of twisted vine.


~~ Basho ~~


watching


Cross-eyed? Sez who?….






Hajime…. Well, here we are again, ever so happy to be at our desk, bereft of mind, broken of body, and ready to rumble. I know I said I’d have a fully fresh Pearl, but…. reality intervened, so to speak. So, what you get is more wysiwyg, after a fashion. Oh, it’s all relatively fresh, but, completing it all became a bit of a chore when SB decided to portion out pearls at a miserly rate. So, we’ll go to the archives for a rant, and, a poem. Other than that, it’s fresh. Not up to snuff, but, it meets the minimum standard, our default.


I suppose I could chat a bit about my day off, but, as it turns out, it was little more than a period of rest, it seems, as I got little done of a productive nature other than sleep, which, for some unknown reason, came quickly and easily last night. Go figure. At any rate, I have some energy, which I will now proceed to waste shamelessly to get this done. That doesn’t make me a hero, though there are those who might think it does; they’d be off the mark, as there was no altruism or selflessness involved. Just rest and recovery for me; since it seems to have worked, we’ll call it a draw, and move on.


Now we’ve completed the obligatory meaningless drivel for the day, perhaps we should think about getting the slow on the toad for the day. I know I always enjoy life better when it’s in the bag, so, we’ll find a bag, and get in. Why, look! Here’s a nice, reusable shopping bag right here! Funny how that works, eh? We’ll take advantage of the handy prop, which we placed there earlier for just this purpose, so we can say we have lived up to the hype seen in all the ads. Not that we wrote, or even asked for the ads, but, like a hive of bees in your head, there they are. So be it.


That’s quite enough of that, I think. Ffolkes, we’re going on now, before  this gets any further out of hand…. Luigi, wake the hell up & get us out of here, now!…. Hang on, ffolkes, Luigi’s still more than just a little hung over….


Shall we Pearl?




“Contrariwise”, continued Tweedledee,

“If it was so, it might be;

and if it were so, it would be;

but as it isn’t, it ain’t.

That’s logic.”


~~ Lewis Carroll, “Alice in Wonderland” ~~




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





fred_neil2




Fred Neil




Image from thatsallfolk.free.fr via Google Images




It’s been a while since I listened to this man’s music; too long. He has one of the finest voices, ever, and is, quite simply, a powerful songwriter. He’s not very well known, though there are tunes he wrote which everyone alive has heard, and loved…. For example, “Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me”….. Enjoy, ffolkes…






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


















Fred Neil

















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Sandclock .jpg




    As noted, here is a piece that should fit the bill for today; light, but with a touch of wit, not to mention a stiff dose of inanity… or, maybe that was insanity…. Ah, well, so be it….. Enjoy!….


From 6/14/2014:


In this section, we have been running a new style pearl, (there’s that royal ‘we’ again….), with pictures to go along with whatever quotes and/or comments I come up with…. The latest incarnation involves a new subject of interest, the Wise Old Pine Cone, who has been kind enough to allow me to photograph his wanderings around town, to record his interactions with people, and the environment, as he wends his way around the town….. Yesterday, I posted the photos of when I accompanied him to the local ball team’s night game, which came out fairly well….


Sadly, the Wise Old Pine Cone, by the time we left the ball park, had consumed WAY too many brewskis, and has yet to get out of bed…. He’s pretty small, and a few beers really do a number on him; I’ve seen him stay in bed for three days after a bad session with wine, and beer isn’t any better for him…. He’ll be alright, but, he’ll be out of action for a day or two, so, we’ll have to find something else for this section….. Let me think….


Okay, you’ve convinced me…. I’ll rant….


“There is nothing a man can do to guarantee success, but there is nothing that can defeat him if he won’t give up.” — Greg Praino


Well, perhaps I won’t rant today; it doesn’t mean I’m giving up, but…. I just went to look for a rantable headline from the news…. Of the eleven headlines on the world news page, eight were about various bombings, battles, or other war activities, mostly in the middle east, where the Islamic sects are all fighting to see who will become the sole arbiter of the Muslim future….. never realizing how silly and counter-productive they are being, in terms of survival…. But, then, most people engaged in war are not in a very intelligent frame of mind, anyway….


(And, how can a Muslim extremist group name themselves after an Egyptian goddess over seven thousand years old {Isis}? I thought they hated ANY other religion…. Ah well, stupid is as stupid does…)


The point is, I couldn’t decide WHICH subject to rant about…. There are plenty of wars being fought, none of which make any sense…. There are  governments still robbing the people, or oppressing them unmercifully; the churches are still butting into everything, as is their habit…. I see where the Pope is trying to be a mediator between Israel & Palestine (good luck with that!….), and now, the Presbyterian Church is doing SOMETHING over in Iraq, or Iran, to get involved with that whole mess…. what a bunch of idiots!…


Cars and factories are still streaming carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide into the air by the hundreds of millions of tons, every day, so pollution continues unabated, and climate change keeps changing, so, we can kiss our asses goodbye, once we figure out how long we have…. Religious fanatics and fundies of all varieties continue to wage their holy wars, blaming all that is wrong in the world on anything but their own actions…. Bankers and politicians continue to work together to steal everything that isn’t nailed down from the public, all enforced by paramilitary police forces, blindly obedient myrmidons with guns, and really bad attitudes, due to their completely unwarranted sense of entitlement regarding their psycho/sociopathic need to be seen as authority figures….


All of the insanity I’ve previously commented upon here continues, relatively unabated, as the world skips merrily down what it BELIEVES is the garden path, completely oblivious, calmly seated in a handbasket, never even wondering why it is getting so bloody hot…. And people wonder why I rant….


I found no particular headline to get me started, but, as can be seen by the above, none are really necessary for me to find my anger about the state of the world…. My anger is based in the realization that NONE of it is necessary; if people would take responsibility for themselves, and stand up to the assholes who are oppressing everyone who puts up with it, we could fix this broken puppy….


I’m a realist, though, and, as far as I can see, realistically, it ain’t gonna happen…. so, I’ll pick a few pearls, to make how I feel about it clear, and be done with it for today…. I’m mad, but, so mad, I don’t even want to talk about it any more….. Here, take these…. No worries, you’ll live; there are only five of them….


“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” — John Locke


“All I know is just what I read in the Congressional Record. They have had some awful funny articles in there lately. As our government deteriorates, our humor increases.” — Will Rogers


“I have never found, in a long experience of politics, that criticism is ever inhibited by ignorance.” — Harold MacMillan


“Look for a tough wedge for a tough log.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 723


“You know how dumb the average guy is?  Well, by definition, half of them are even dumber than THAT.” — J.R. “Bob” Dobbs, ripping off George Carlin, who made that point YEARS before Bob finished puberty….


There you go, ffolkes…. a pointed, bitchy, but accurate, five-star pearl….. Let’s go on, shall we?….


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





Emily-Dickinson




    Some days, only this poet will do…..




I measure every grief I meet

   With analytic eyes;

I wonder if it weighs like mine,

   Or has an easier size.


I wonder if they bore it long,

   Or did it just begin?

I could not tell the date of mine,

   It feels so old a pain.


I wonder if it hurts to live,

   And if they have to try,

And whether, could they choose between,

   They would not rather die.


I wonder if when years have piled–

   Some thousands–on the cause

Of early hurt, if such a lapse

   Could give them any pause;


Or would they go on aching still

   Through centuries above,

Enlightened to a larger pain

   By contrast with the love.


The grieved are many, I am told;

   The reason deeper lies,–

Death is but one and comes but once

   And only nails the eyes.


There’s grief of want, and grief of cold,–

   A sort they call ‘despair,’

There’s banishment from native eyes,

   In sight of native air.


And though I may not guess the kind

   Correctly yet to me

A piercing comfort it affords

   In passing Calvary,


To note the fashions of the cross

   Of those that stand alone

Still fascinated to presume

   That some are like my own.

 

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~




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





pearls_3




Naked Pearls


Beginning to End


*********


“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.

Live your life so that when you die,

the world cries and you rejoice.”


~~ Old Indian saying


*********


“Belief gets in the way of learning.”


~~ Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love ~~


*********


“There’s an alternative.

There’s always a third way,

and it’s not a combination of the other two ways,

it’s a different way.”


~~ David Carradine ~~


*********


“It is sometimes expedient to forget who we are.”


~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 233 ~~


*********


“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are for.”


~~ John A. Shedd ~~


*********


“If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”


~~ Yogi Berra ~~


*********


“There are places I remember all my life,

though some have changed,

some forever, not for better,

some have gone and some remain.

All these places had their moments

with lovers and friends I still can recall.

Some are dead and some are living.

In my life I’ve loved them all.”


~~ the Beatles ~~


*********




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


Having completed my vow, I’ll take my leave with less than the usual to-do. I will, however, issue the usual caveat, to wit: I’ll be back tomorrow. I figure that’s fair warning, and, I know for sure it’s the best you’re gonna get. See ya, ffolkes; the odds are running in our favor….




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 -- 7009




À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Bags of bewildered alien budgies ….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.”


~~ Josh Billings ~~


Wine Country


Wine Country ~ California






Hajime….. ‘Tis very late here in northern California; not by most standards, but, for me, quite so. This, of course, bodes ill for today’s Pearl, so, I’ll see what I can do to mitigate that, lest we annoy an insurance agent…. again. I do have a plan, but, we all know how plans can go; “the best laid plans of mice and…. “, and all that, y’know? But, we’ll do all we can, since that’s all we can do.


The plan I’ve developed, (read: made up on the spot) involves some cheating, but, it can’t be helped, as I am, in sooth, a well-trained consumer, when I wish to allow it, and I can cheat, lie, & steal with the best of them. Not that I make a habit of allowing such nonsense, but, there are moments when expediency has its uses, as we all know. Hell, some of us wouldn’t eat if we didn’t give in to it now & again. But, I digress, & we don’t have time for that. In light of our short-fuse this morning, I’ll use my executive privilege, and make a decision, tough as it is pre-breakfast. Y’all will have to make your own decision, as to whether or not you’ll tag along today. I hope you do’ it promises to be, well, different, if naught else.


On that cryptic note, we’ll get the slow on the toad….. just like this….


Shall we Pearl?….


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


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





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




    As noted, late means cheating, though, in this case, it’s not so much of that as a tried-and-true method of saving time, while still maintaining certain standards. Works for me…. Enjoy; as usual, the mix I picked had the picture that drew me today….






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Classical Music

















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Sandclock .jpg




    Today’s discussion is from a while back. I had already chosen a pearl upon which to base another new discussion, but, that didn’t happen. It does, however, fit in quite nicely with the one I found, so, it gets to act as today’s herald…. Enjoy!….


“You have a mongrel perception of humor, nothing more; a multitude of you possess that. This multitude see the comic side of a thousand low-grade and

trivial things — broad incongruities, mainly; grotesqueries, absurdities, evokers of the horse-laugh. The ten thousand high-grade comicalities which

exist in the world are sealed from their dull vision. Will a day come when the race will detect the funniness of these juvenilities and laugh at them — and by laughing at them destroy them? For your race, in its poverty, has unquestionably one really effective weapon — laughter.  Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution — these can lift at a colossal humbug — push it a little — weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.  You are always fussing and fighting with your other weapons. Do you ever use that one?  No; you leave it lying rusting. As a race, do you ever use it at all?  No; you lack sense and the courage.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), “The Mysterious Stranger”


From 11/6/2012:


50% of all people are below average….– Shocking Truth


This truth, which is mathematically indisputable, is quite a shock to many people. Oddly enough, human nature is such that nobody at all is constitutionally able to conceive of themselves being part of that 50% that makes up the lower half of the whole. If you ask anyone at all where they would place themselves on a scale of human intelligence, I would wager good money that not a single one would place themselves on that part of the curve. (It’s a bell curve…. Humanity, in all it’s measurable traits, exists on a bell curve….Trust me…..) Yet, the simple fact remains that SOMEBODY has to make up that part of the whole, and the chances that anyone at all is in the lower 50% are exactly even….


This is one of the hardest things for any human to accept, and the power of their denial is in direct proportion to how far below the average they fall. Myself, I would not trade being well above the average for anything…. It can be a pain, for sure, but the perks are very persuasive…. However, there is a lot to be said for the ability to absolutely refute the facts of reality… I think it’s been said before that “ignorance is bliss”, and this is the reason why that is true. Human beings have an incredibly strong sense of denial when it comes to reality, in spite of the obvious drawbacks (I guess if they were able to see the drawbacks, it would be different, but what is, is….), and probably nothing else in our make-up causes more problems for us than that single trait.


This ability to ignore what reality is saying to us can easily be shown to be responsible for the entire concept of global warming and climate change, two subjects that are now forcing their way into our awareness in the most dramatic fashion…. I really can’t recall a November in my 62 years where I was forced to turn on the air conditioning during the day, to combat the 85-90 degree temperatures that are currently par-boiling Northern California. It’s not as if fall hasn’t been nice before, but this is ridiculous. To have summer-like weather this far into fall, even here where the seasons tend to run together in similarity, seems to be to be pretty incontrovertible proof of the weather changes that are happening…. especially if one factors in all the OTHER places in the world where extreme weather is becoming normal.


No, global warming and climate change are FACTS, ffolkes. The evidence is right there for anyone to see…. but, most of the people who are responsible for much of it happening are in complete denial of those facts, so the problem just continues to worsen as time goes on. I suppose when the super-storms start hitting New York and Washington D.C. in mid-summer, flooding out the stock market and congress again, maybe they’ll start admitting to some of it….


Given the history of the power of ignorance and denial, though, I rather think it won’t happen until it’s too late to do much about it. I just hope by then, I’ve figured out how to emigrate to another planet, where, as a natural result of having weeded out the stupid, the more intelligent settlers of new worlds will perhaps learn to live without falling into the process of fouling our own nest…. SIGH…. A pipe dream, I know, but mine own….. and, I can’t see much else that will work, so in that respect, I’m asserting my own form of denial…..


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





Comedy_Tragedy




    I’m working on a new poem, but, it isn’t done bleeding yet, so, here is one from the past to fill in….




Lamenting Empathy, No Grace


Strange, strong, passions burn from within

Selling nothing short, nor out

Consumed, loudly, failing to mark the spin

Sad, resigned, in singular redoubt.


Fallow grounds for twisted seed

Become fated, grow, and die.

Experience never fills critical need

Save perhaps once, in ages gone by.


Shouting in severe, dulcet tone

Brittle, flaking, destiny floats away

Making noise, rattling the bone

Simply ageless fears held at bay.


We mask our illusions in faux belief

Tied to reality by matter of rote,

Send them postcards, without relief

Consecrated time, forever remote.


~~ gigoid ~~


12/19/2014




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





pearls_3




Naked Pearls


Truth Be Told


*******


“Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth.” 


~~ Socrates ~~


*******


“It is one thing, to show a man that he is in an error,

and another, to put him in possession of truth.”


~~ John Locke ~~


*******


“What we do not understand we do not possess.”


~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~


*******


“Truth hath a quiet breast.”


~~ William Shakespeare, King Richard II — Act i, Sc. 3 ~~


*******


“An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and resolute actions;

he is neither hot nor timid.”


~~ Chesterfield ~~


*******


“Truth never hurts the teller.”


~~ Robert Browning ~~


*******


Know then this truth (enough for man to know),–

“Virtue alone is happiness below.”


~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 309 ~~




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


Well, it’s done, again. Having rushed through the process, annoying the cat no end, as it cuts into her time, I shan’t bother to go back over it. This may, of course, lead to such nasty occurrences as typos, or non sequitors, or other literary faux pas. You are advised to ignore them, as that is what I’m going to do, In fact, I’m just going to leave now, and be done with this. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. No, no, I insist….




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….

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Assemble the marigolds for debarkation….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				32			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“Become who you are.”


~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~


More Galway 021


Dusk over Galway Bay




He sat in a squalid, empty room, engaged in passive questing through the reaches of time, searching for truth. Finding none, he turned away, saddened by the defunct nature implied in such a loss. “Still,” he thought to himself, with an ironic smile touching the corners of his mouth, “it could be worse. It could be raining.” With a poignant shake of the head, he slipped into a dream….


Rain poured down, filling the streets with rushing feet and pounding hearts. Beside the lamp post on the corner, he stood, dripping, with a small shadow of reality sticking to his shoe. Wiping it on the nearest centurion, as directed, he began to bail with the rest of the crowd, stopping periodically to clap his hand to his head, moaning, “Oh, for the boon of sanity!”, in stentorian tones, dulcet over the roar of water on the roofs.


Then, of course, he woke up, only to realize he was deep into the intro section already, without a plan, only a sadly over-rated trick of the trade, or two, to get him to the proper stance, where there exists a small chance of saving this from an early death, well before ever beginning to live. “What the hell is going on?”, he cried in dismay….


Strange, isn’t it, what will happen late at night, with nothing better to do than sit around making shit up in your head? I thought so, but, then, I’m the one who’s trying to find a way back to something resembling reality even slightly…. I think, perhaps, I’d best give up, and get on with the rest of today’s mess…. Whew, made it…. Not only made it, but, made it with room to spare…. Go figure….


Shall we Pearl?….


“What are the facts? Again and again and again–what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what ‘the stars foretell,’ avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable ‘verdict of history,’ –what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your only clue. Get the facts!”  — Lazarus Long — Robert A. Heinlein


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





LittleFeatOrigWEB




Image from photoalbum.bloguez.com via Google Images




Today’s music choice is a nod to two friends, who both expressed their appreciation of this band’s music…. Enjoy, ffolkes, these guys rock!…..







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Little Feat

Dixie Chicken

















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Sandclock .jpg




    The discussion I’m working on is not ready, so here is a little discussion from the archives, with a message of hope, once you work your way to the end…. Enjoy!….


From 3/3/2013:


“As a draft-animal is yoked in a wagon, even so the spirit is yoked in this body.” — Upanishads (c. B.C. 800)


Each of us is faced at times with the consciousness of our own approaching encounter with Death, the moment in time when our yoke is removed, and our spirit is freed, to once more join the rest of the conscious minds in the universe in roaming through realms of Reality we cannot see in this form. This Reality we cannot see is much larger, in one sense, than the one we can now perceive; it has to be, to be able to accommodate all the souls that have gone before, and all that are now present on Earth, that will someday join the rest of them, when they die…..


Every human being alive must face their own Death (I am capitalizing the word to give it the proper respect as one of the most important concepts we have as humans….); this is a truism no one can deny, or refute. Many people have banded together, to assume the belief that our universe was created this way by a supernatural being, who, for some unknown, and unknowable (self-explanatory, I think….) reason, decided that we are “special”, and gave us, and only us, the knowledge we have, and our very lives. This, of course, is rather hard to believe, as it doesn’t really account for much of what is observable truth in Reality, being, as it is, complete speculation, devoid of any concrete evidence to support it…..


“There is no conclusive evidence that there is life after death. There is also no real evidence to the contrary. Soon enough, you will know. So, why fret about it?” — Lazarus Long, aka Robert A. Heinlein


I first read this aphorism when I was in my early teens; it codified, and made succinct, what I had already concluded about the major religions of the world, i.e., they’re a collection of unwarranted, and unproven, assumptions. What’s more, they are all highly unlikely, given the observable parameters of the real world. It became obvious to me, as it is to many, that what the religious folks were trying to get me to believe was intended merely to soften my mind, making it more amenable to suggestion, of which they have an endless supply. Preachers, priests, imams, nuns, all are quite willing to give other people advice and suggestions on how they should live, in exhaustive detail, for as long as they are allowed to do so….


Since I had very little desire to have other people decide for me how I should think, or live my life, I rejected the dogma they tried to force into my head, turning instead to other sources of thought about Life, Death, and Reality. I found an endless supply of folks who had thought long and deeply about all of these ideas, and gladly did I read all I could of everything I could find on the subject. In addition, I read science fiction, during the years when its popularity had just begun to climb to the heights it now occupies; sci-fi has always been literature that explored, and continues to explore, the very limits of thought, both in the real world, and the world of the mind.


As is seen by the first pearl above, these thoughts and ideas are not new with me; mankind has been thinking about these concepts since we first sat around the campfires, wondering at the beauty of the heavens we saw above our heads, and all around us. In all that time, no conclusions have been reached that seem to cover ALL of the questions we have about the universe. We still don’t have a clue as to “what is the mind”, or “what is thought”…. and if we cannot understand ourselves, what chance do we have of unraveling the secrets of the universe around us? Not much, would be my guess…


That, fortunately, does not mean it is impossible to know the truth, nor does it mean we are condemned to die in ignorance and fear…. I know this because I have learned in my time that our fear is a direct outgrowth of our ignorance; we fear what we do not understand. Now, if I were a God, why would I make people that way, unless for some ulterior motive, having to do with motivations that are human, not divine? No, it just doesn’t make sense to me to assume that we were put here with a deliberate handicap, just to see how we dealt with it; that seems more like an evil scientist at work than a compassionate deity.


“One must marry one’s feelings to one’s beliefs and ideas.  That is probably the only way to achieve a measure of harmony in one’s life.” — Etty Hilsum


Since I believe firmly in the Law of Conservation of Energy (proven true in this universe, to all our knowledge), and, I believe that our minds/souls are a form of energy we currently don’t fully understand, and cannot perceive directly, then the concept of Death is nothing to fear, as it merely means that my current state of energy will be replaced with another state, one I don’t currently have the ability to perceive. What that state may be like may be unknown, but that doesn’t mean it is something of which I should be afraid…. I prefer to look at it as the next great adventure….


So, when my father died, I asked him to leave me some trail-sign, to let me know how to find him in the next reality; he smiled at me, and said he would do that… and I was much comforted by that, knowing that our connection as family can never be severed, and that, someday, I would once more have the pleasure, and comfort, of his presence…. Now that’s something to look forward to, don’t you think?…. Much better than worrying that what I do now is going to determine what happens to me after I die, a silly proposition, at best……


“Do not think that man is but flesh, skin, bones and veins; far from it! What really makes man is his soul; and the things we call skin, flesh, bones and veins are but a garment, a cloak; they do not constitute man. When man departs this earth, he divests himself of all the veils that conceal him.” — Zohar


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




POETRY, n.  A form of expression peculiar to the Land beyond the Magazines.


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


Comedy_Tragedy




    Today’s poem is from T.S. Eliot. It’s a rather long poem, but, well worth reading; it is regarded as one of the most important poems of the twentieth century, with a marked influence on the poetry of the time, an influence which continues today…. I give you….




The Waste Land


April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory out of desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm, covering

Earth in a forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.


~~ T. S. Eliot ~~


http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176735




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





pearls_3




Naked Pearls


Observations on Life at Large


*********

    

Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;

He who would search for pearls must dive below.


~~ John Dryden, “All for Love, Prologue” ~~


*********


“Forget what you know and learn.”


— Roger von Oech


*********


“Irony is the hygiene of the mind.”


— Insightful Bee


*********


“Action should culminate in wisdom.”


~~ Bhagavad Gita ~~


*********


“The discipline of desire is the background of character.”


~~ John Locke ~~


*********


“As the tempest and the thunder affect not the sun or the stars,

but spend their fury on stones and trees below;

so injuries ascend not to the Soul of the great,

but waste themselves on such as are those who offer them.”


~~ Akhenaton? (c. B.C. 1375) ~~


*********


“The moment in which you confront your own death

is the moment in which you are most totally alive.”


~~ Solomon Short ~~


*********


“Stranger, if you passing meet me and desire to speak to me,

why should you not speak to me?

And why should I not speak to you?”


~~ Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass ~~


*********




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


I’m not really sure what took place here today. That’s okay, though; we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Yep. Moreover, we were done, then, too, weren’t we? Yep again. So, what do we do now? We go away, like this, with nary an explanation, nor a clue…. See ya tomorrow, ffolkes; count on it, one way or another…. or, not. Choice is all we have, in the end, which this is….




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….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Epiphany for sale: affordable rates….

			
						

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☬


Ffolkes,




 =-0 * * * 


~~ The Enterprise firing photon torpedoes, at a cloaked Klingon Warbird ~~


=-O ~~~~~    =۞≫


~~ The Enterprise firing phasers at an uncloaked Klingon Warbird ~~


This rich view of a tapestry of colourful stars was captured by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera, on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a open cluster of stars known as IC 4651, a stellar grouping that lies at in the constellation of Ara (The Altar).
This rich view of a tapestry of colourful stars was captured by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera, on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a open cluster of stars known as IC 4651, a stellar grouping that lies at in the constellation of Ara (The Altar).


Star Cluster IC-4651



Image by European Southern Observatory via Space.com




Good morning…. Boy, what a ride! Life can be pretty unpredictable, especially when you’re awake. Sleep, having been hard to come by of late, has apparently returned to stay for a while; I’m up late (for me; it’s damn near 6 AM….), having again slept more than 6 hours. Yay for me. Now, once again, I’ll have to rush to get posted before my automatic sense of duty kicks in to REALLY send me into panic mode. To forestall any such event, we shall now head out directly to the oyster beds, with no further fooling around…. Watch this!….


Shall we Pearl?….


“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” — James Baldwin (1867-1947)


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☬




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



    You guessed it. Default music…. This one called itself a mix to improve Brain Power, and gives you about 10 hours to do so…..







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Classical Music


















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☬


2001_a_space_odyssey


The Dawn of Man





https://youtu.be/ypEaGQb6dJk












As you observe the opening lines of this section, I’d like you to note a couple of details, which were deliberately added for the purpose of directing this discussion. First, I would request you watch the video, either by clicking on the embedded player, or using the link to watch it on You Tube…. Particularly note the development of the habit of violence in the human tribe of simians, with the not unexpected eventual response of stimulating the curiosity and violence in the nature of those abused by that new habitual behavior, thus, perpetuating it as part of the developing embryonic cultures.


Then, note I put the title just below a picture of the part of the film which shows humanity’s progress, with the Blue Danube waltz playing in the background, to highlight the pinnacle of achievement thus represented by the station, the flight, and the music, combined to show what is possible for us as humans. The title, to me, shows the TRUE dawn of Man.


We aren’t quite as far along yet, as shown in the film, (directly attributable, it seems clear to me, to the effect our violent nature has had in slowing that progress..); however, to me, our ascent from this planet into space is the only hope we have to get away from that violence, sublimating the power of the emotional content that drives it, by channeling our curiosity, into exploring a Universe large enough to provide us with an unending pursuit of knowledge, and more complex and powerful methods of getting along with the races we encounter out there, rather than into more complex and powerful weaponry, while simultaneously giving us the necessary physical protection of knowing HOW to fight.


The irony of putting the title at that point is this: we are NOT going to get there. Not at the rate we’re going. There is too much instability in the world today to ever believe we won’t end up destroying ourselves, either by consuming conflagration of nuclear war, or by continuing to poison the air we breathe, the food we eat, the plants and animals that support the ecosystem, and, most of all, by our ignorance and lack of courage/virtue….. The signs are too clear to ignore, ffolkes, so, it would behoove all of us to figure out exactly what we’re going to do…. quickly, too, for there are certain issues of physics/biology/chemistry/ecology which will NOT wait until we get around to it….


“As soon as you are willing to discard observational data because it conflicts with religion, you are giving up any hope of ever really understanding the  universe.   As soon as you pick religion as the touchstone of reality, then we  have to start discussing how one can demonstrate the correctness of one religion over another when different *religions* disagree.” — Wilson Heydt


“The answer is simple: kill the heretics.   History shows us that this is the actual solution that competing religions apply — trial by combat or trial by ordeal.  God is the final arbiter.  What a sad waste of human potential it has proven to be.” — Paul Hager


The two quotes above, taken together, give a graphic example of how this irony manifests itself in today’s world. The oligarchs control the politicians and the religions, and the politicians and religions try to control the masses of humanity, playing out their drama of good vs. evil on a global scale, at such a complex, mind-numbing number of times, places, and on so many fronts, the average person is buried in the details and stresses of life, never even realizing how deeply their thoughts and behavior are being influenced by others.


All this sad, yet, somehow glorious and fascinating panorama of human existence in today’s world, is observed by a relatively small group of people, smart enough to understand, and see, the big picture, but, who have never wished to control anything but their own lives. Since we don’t really WANT to have to do so, or to have to take part in any of the other delusional behaviors most of society is pursuing, it becomes a challenge, to find others who see the same, and have the wherewithal to organize, to make some kind of difference, if by nothing else than speaking up to educate the ignorant….


So, that’s what I do…. I seem to have done it enough for today, so, we’ll get on with the remainder of our lives now…..




    gigoid has spoken.


    So be it.




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




☬



Comedy_Tragedy



Roses for Noses







I have a bozoid personality, of the first degree;

 nobody, I mean nobody, knows that better than me.

I often wonder, as the world goes around, and around

 how many others have realized just what I’ve found….


I know for a fact, I’m not the only bozoid one;

 too many people laughing out there, having fun.

Is their laughter, though, at themselves first?

 Or is it some other impulse, like purple liverwurst”….


I’ve always loved to make others laugh and giggle,

 since my tender youth, when my ears began to wiggle.

 The world is full of humor,  but not always easy to find

  so laughing at myself I learned never to mind….


We bozos know each other, here, there, and everywhere

 there’s no hiding such joy, it just wouldn’t be fair.

We all have one feature, our great bulbous nose,

 and there’s no doubt at all, cuz it just grows….


There’s nothing like a good, big mistake, a disaster,

 to show us the folly of living life faster and faster.

Nothing in the world can ever take the place,

 of seeing in the mirror, a happy, smiling face….


Don’t be shy, just let it all hang out;

 we bozos have more fun, there’s no doubt.

Life’s too somber and gray if we let it get on top

 if we don’t stay loose, the pain won’t ever stop….


My advice to all of you, out there in the world,

 let noses grow round & red, keep hair tightly curled.

Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,

 you’ll never once regret any price you pay.


~~ gigoid ~~




Written 1/27/2013.


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




☬




buddah-out-to-lunch_s



    This one was a little rushed at the end, but, I’m pretty sure it came out alright. You tell me….




“A short saying oft contains much wisdom.” 


~~ Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Aletes, Frag. 99 ~~




“I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.” — Antoine de Saint Exupery


“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.” — Socrates (470?-399 B.C.), [quoting Plato]


“Profound Truth differs from simple truth in that the negation of a simple truth is a simple falsehood, while the negation of a Profound Truth may be  another Profound Truth. E.g. a button with “Life is just as simple as it seems” on one side and “Life is not as simple as it seems” on the other.” — Smart Bee


“It is… nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreak and ruin. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty.” — Albert Einstein, “Autobiographical Notes”


“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” — John Locke


“I am a man, and nothing that concerns a man do I deem a matter of indifference to me.” — Terence — Heautontimoroumenos, Act i, Sc. 1, 25, (77.)


“Your actions prove what you think of yourself.” — Will Limon


“And never think about the past. No regrets, ever.” — Lazarus Long


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




☬






    Some of y’all may have noticed a new piece of ASCII-art added to the pearls today. If it wasn’t obvious before, it really ought to be now, for it is sitting right above this paragraph, staring at you as if you are some sort of pond slime for not noticing. It’s a sensitive icon, you see. It will be a part of every pearl henceforth, for as long as I remember to put it there, or, until I figure out the correct way to get it into the template…. So be it.


Now the housekeeping is done, (as Tommy Toilet recommended so aptly to us all, so may years ago….), I note the Pearl for today is as well. Done, that is. Or, at least, I hope it is; I promised it would be. I can’t be sure, as I’m actually writing this yesterday, and leaving it to the Tardis, to put it where it belongs, at the proper time. Handy, that. On that semi-plausible, –in-another-universe–, note, I shall take my leave, with the usual caveat regarding the instability of the Space/Time Continuum, and, of course, the forces of Entropy, which can be whimsical, at best…. I’m gonna go post now…..




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….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Murky intentions, at best….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Time, whose tooth gnaws away everything else, is powerless against truth.”


~~ Thomas Huxley ~~


zhenyuanlong-suni


Zhenyuanlong-suni


http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/16/zhenyuanlong-suni-biggest-ever-winged-dinosaur-discovered-china




Good morning…. A phrase, I might point out, which is currently a bald-faced lie…. It’s now a bit after 2 AM; I’ve been up for almost an hour and a half, dealing with twitching, pain, and massive fatigue. I’m not going to whine about it; it’s just the way it is. I’m also not going to pretend I’m happy about it; to do so would probably jam the top on so tight, the resultant explosion would take out the nearest three houses…. That, or, I’d be compelled to become a serial killer, just to keep from going insane…


On that note, which I won’t even attempt to justify, or explain, we’ll get on with this mess, before I toss my laptop out the window at the yowling cats….


Shall we Pearl?….


“The price of liberty is, always has been, and always will be blood: the person who is not willing to die for his liberty has already lost it to the first scoundrel who is willing to risk dying to violate that person’s liberty. Are you free?” — Andrew Ford


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





BigAjzLgT (2)




    Here’s a cool find…. Jeremy Brett as Sherlock, in a full-length movie which served as the pilot for Season 1 of the show on BBC…. I haven’t watched it yet, but, if the episodes I’ve seen are any indication, it’s a good one…. Enjoy, ffolkes, I certainly intend to do so….







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
















The Master Blackmailer















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





Dont keep calm




“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. ” 


~~ Smart Bee ~~




Soon after birth, it becomes readily apparent to anyone with the slightest wit, and the courage to SEE, these ‘rights’ are proved to be a lie; often, they are proved wrong by our own parents, who provide us with our first example of how to be a human…. By the time most people are adults, their minds have been so thoroughly programmed into mental slavery, they are completely convinced giving up both their dignity, and their rights, is perfectly acceptable, happily allowing them to be taken away, right before their blind eyes….


This process has to do with a little known corollary, which completes the incomplete statement outlined in the above semi-truth, the gist of which goes like this:


“In all other ways, not so much…. Equality between people does not extend to ability, intelligence, strength of spirit/mind, imagination, humor, or other basic tools we possess which make us uniquely human.”


In short, there are other qualities, of the mind, and spirit, which will determine what path a person takes in life, whether it be toward the abject mental slavery so commonly held to be the Norm, or to independence of mind and spirit. Far too few people, from what I can see, ever break free of their invisible slave collars, to enjoy life as a free human; this is, perhaps, part of why we are in such deep shit, for never having reached our true potential as humans….


I’m fully aware the average intelligence of humanity is decreasing; it’s a mathematical certainty, the proof of which I won’t go into just now. Take my word for it, it’s true, and it’s inevitable… What I find hard to accept, or believe, is just HOW stupid people seem to be getting…. It’s amazing how little today’s average American is willing to do to even secure the most basic of their liberties; they have watched, passively blinking in confusion, as the entire Bill of Rights has been decimated by the oligarchy, who no longer are bothering to hide their avarice and insane ambition to control EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY….


Having ranted on this subject any number of times over the past four years, and considering my mental state, (very close to a case of rage that would demand action… of some sort…), I’m going to stop ranting here, to sublimate the rest of my angst into an old-school pearl, with a series of comments which show some of the ways society has been manipulated; most of them represent or describe a failure of virtue on the part of the American people at large….


“The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its credibility. And vice versa.” — Lazarus Long


“Faith does not offer the least support for proof of truth.” — Nietzsche


“It was not for nothing that the raven was just now croaking on my left hand.” — Plautus (254-184 BC) — Aulularia, Act iv, Sc. 3, 1, (624.)


“The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good.” — John Locke


“It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.” — Noel Coward


“If it weren’t for lawyers, I think we could have invented a universal symbolic representation of reality.” — Smart Bee


“If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living.” — Seneca, Epistles


“If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be … If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.” — Thomas Jefferson




Mourn not the dead…

But rather mourn the apathetic throng —

The cowed and meek

Who see the world’s great anguish and its wrong,

And dare not speak.


~~ Ralph Chaplin (1887-1961) ~~




On a final note, it seems to me, all these oligarchs, and their willing servants of evil, the pundits, dogma dogs, myrmidons, & snakeheads, as mean as they are, seem to forget a very basic rule about humans, and their capacity for violence…. They keep taking, and taking, and taking, and eventually, they will have taken it all…. When that happens, we will see the results of this well-known, (apparently, to all but them), absolutely irrefutable truism:




“Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.” 


~~ Baltasar Gracian ~~




Eventually, they will reap what they have sown. Be sure of it…..




    So be it.


    gigoid has spoken….




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





Comedy_Tragedy




    Now, this is serendipity, ffolkes. While looking for a poem for today, I came across this one. It was written EXACTLY one year ago today. It even goes along with the ranting section, perfectly. Who am I to fly in the face of serendipity?….




A Few Words of Note


In place of ranting and raving about assholes every day

maybe I’ll try something more fun.

Rather than throwing words at all the assholes on public pay

I’ll switch to shooting at them, with a gun….


Should I actually hit one, purely by mistake,

maybe it would wake them up.

Maybe, if they had to think, or actually cut us a break,

we’d see a chance to win at life, to take a step up. 


Our nation, such as it is today, was founded by men who told the truth;

that morality disappeared long ago.

Simple ethical strength so bright, so prevalent in our country’s youth

was soon corrupted, corporate interests now run the show.


Nothing would please me more than to fire off some rounds,

if only to gain their attention.

But, I can no longer run, I’ve gained too many pounds;

so, my keyboard and intellect must serve to fulfill my intention.


I won’t stop, of that you may be sure

I love my freedoms, and the philosophy from which it springs.

Tom, and Ben, and John, and Pat, those patriots pure

gave me their example, and the inner peace it brings.


If bullets won’t persuade our elected liars to toe the ethical line,

I’ll throw my most powerful words…..

If nothing else, it will make them wriggle to escape, or voice their pitiful whine,

thus exposing themselves for what they are…. plain and simple turds.


~~ gigoid ~~




Written 7/19/2014.


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





August 7 2014 003




    Today’s final old school pearl is a quiet one…. In it’s own serene way, it presents some of the ideas that can make life more pleasant, for us, and for everyone around us…. And, no, I have no idea why I chose the picture; it just seemed to fit…


“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.” — Socrates (470?-399 B.C.)


“Rules make the learner’s path long, examples make it short and successful.” — Seneca


“Devils can be driven out of the heart by the touch of a hand on a hand, or a mouth on a mouth.” — Tennessee Williams


“All things that are born must die. Work hard for your own freedom from sorrow.” — Buddha


“A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne


“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.” — Aesop


“The most important questions in life can never be answered by anyone except oneself.” — John Fowles, The Magus


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


Though not unprecedented, especially of late, it’s a bit unusual to be finished at 0300…. I think it came out alright, but, one should remember my state of mind while considering the relative accuracy of that assessment; in short, take it with a large grain or three of salt…. Or, you could just call it what I do, and be a bit dubious about it…. Either way, it’s done, and I’m outta here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should I fail to come to my senses…. Again….




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….