Issues of deniability….

Posted on July 6, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Believe nothing,
no matter where you read it, or who said it–
even if I have said it–
unless it agrees with your own reason
and your own common sense.”

~~ The Buddha ~~

Great Famine Victim’s Memorial, Galway, Ireland

Hajime…. It’s been said, with some elegance by Mr. Pope, hope springs eternally in the human breast. At this moment, I can tell you, that is NOT a consistent event, by any means. In fact, in my breast this morning, hope is non-existent; moreover, it seems completely out of the realm of possibility. Yesterday, about half-way through the day, I dropped into a hole I didn’t see, and have been ‘in the dumps’ ever since, mostly, with short periods of distraction, never lasting long enough to establish any sort of direction pointing out of the hole…..

In order to get this done at all today will require a bit of cheating; in and of itself, that’s nothing out of the ordinary. The only real bad part of that is the guilt I feel for failing to create something fresh, since there is certainly no lack of material in the real world upon which to focus my attention. Hell, what with the post-Brexit mess over in Europe, the email scrum going on over here, and the general state of chaos all over the world, there is a plethora of issues to examine with a critical eye. None of it interests me in the least today, as my sole task for today has narrowed down to keeping myself from committing homicide….

It helped to speak with my friend in Europe; she always brightens my day, if only to know there is at least one person out there who is on the same page; that’s a powerful motivator for those of us who limit our intake of other humans. So, I’ll quit whining about stuff I can’t currently change, and get on with trying to put this Pearl together into a consumable format, with something worthwhile to consume. I guess we’ll just have to trust the process, and see how it turns out. Since I can’t think of any more blather, or nonsense, or sense to put here, I guess we’ll just go do the best we can…. After all, all you can do is all you can do…. You may have heard that before….

Shall we pearl?….

“It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself.
Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving,
it consists in professing to believe what one does not believe.”

~~ Thomas Paine ~~

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Norah Jones

Image from http://www.last.fm.com via Google Images

Todays musical selection needs little introduction; her fame in today’s world is secure. Here is a live concert, from not too long ago…. Enjoy!….

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Norah Jones
Live in New Orleans

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There is no point in waiting.
The train stopped running years ago.
All the schedules, the brochures,
The bright-colored posters full of lies,
Promise rides to a distant country
That no longer exists.

~~ Linux Songs Poems no. 570 ~~

Since I’m not in a ranting mood, here is an archived pearl from a day on which it seems I was in the mood…. Enjoy!….

From 4/18/2014:

As noted above, I am in the mood to rant…. However, the depth of my anger today is beyond all reason; I’m feeling extremely homicidal…. It will take ALL of my will power to NOT become proactive…. Think about that, and you’ll see I’m not in a very good mood at all; in fact, it’s been hard to keep myself from casually booting the cat through the window, or some other powerful release of what is bubbling and churning in my head and gut…. To go there, in a real sense, I would have to have already purchased the weaponry that is part of my ultimate plan, which, sadly, I haven’t completed yet…. It’s harder than it seems to find just the “right” weapon(s) for the purposes to which I plan to put it/them….

“Frankly,” he said, “I’m just trying to get to the end of my life without becoming an asshole again.” The Buddha couldn’t have said it better. — Slomo, aka John Kitchin, San Diego, last lines of the Mark Morford column, 4/16/14…. ( http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2014/04/15/the-saddest-job-in-the-world/)

“Me, too”, he said…. The above article is a good one; it kept me from killing anyone for three whole days, before I had to replace the old restraining thought patterns that keep me from breaking down, & carrying out one of the many fantasies that parade through my head whenever I start thinking about the BRC, the Asininnies in general, or the state of the world at large…. It makes me positively homicidal….

Every time I look at the big picture, extrapolating what I perceive out into the future, I see our species ending its short stay on Earth in the all-too-near future, ignominiously choking out our last painful breaths of a now toxic atmosphere, dying in sheer agony, in a world gone mad, broken and sad, from trying to contain our common insanity….. I see the real world, full of uncaring, selfish, avaricious thieves who prey upon the rest of mankind, to the detriment of all, knowing, but not caring how much pain and misery they cause others….

When I look at these images in my mind this morning, I am enraged…. so much so, I must go take a short break…. When I return, I’ll put together an old-school pearl…. Maybe that will allow me to calm down enough to make them fit just the way I like…. I’ll be right back, ffolkes, after I calm down a bit…. God! I HATE adrenalin….. I spent way too much of my life under its influence, and it just pisses me off when it rears its ugly head again…. Ah well, I’ll be back….

“… And yet the true creator is necessity, which is the mother of invention.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.), “The Republic”, Book II. 369C

There! I feel better already…. finding a good pearl, that describes reality so closely in our current state, is always a good thing, in my book…. For the remainder of this group, let’s see what rant-like material regarding my favorite targets we can find today…. Enjoy…. and you can thank me later for not ranting….

“Feeling good about government is like looking on the bright side of any catastrophe. When you quit looking on the bright side, the catastrophe is still there.” — P. J. O’Rourke, Parliament of Whores (1991)

“Democracy can learn some things from Communism: for example, when a Communist politician is through, he is through.” — Jacoby Smirnoff

“In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it.” — George Bernard Shaw

“Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin; the victim can’t help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.” — Robert A. Heinlein — Lazarus Long

“The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.” — Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

“Government [is] an illusion the governed should not encourage.” — John Updike, Couples

“I am Porky of Borg. You will be assim…bdeh…assim…I’m takin’ over!”– Smart Bee

This is, perhaps, the strangest pearl I’ve ever composed….. I like it….

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

Visible life

Forty-two days of pressure and internal rain,
leave marks of salvation, often in pain.
Such sharp reminders of yesterday’s remorse
fight heavily to keep a straight course.
Rash moments, bright, and routinely immense
Give us pleasure, bereft of common sense.

Still the night comes soft and eternally dear
to bring out wishful dreams so vitally clear.
Life’s myrmidons give freely in protest
lifting with skill, soul pieces first to infest,
Loudly brash, with no such voices to remain
Sealed in infamy, branded ugliness all too plain.

Now come brave signs of chapter and verse
Shielded by ignorance, irritable and terse.
Gravid portions of in-between retaliation
leave only pale marks of initial gestation
With hope even pallid warriors grow brave
Leading all humanity, to a warm, stale grave.

Hope never falters, nor leaves any trace
Yet lingers forever in a welcoming space.
Cheerful faces yet shine out of time
for tricking and fumbling sweet melody sublime.
Fill in the spaces with a long, strong retort
life is ever visible, if only as last resort.

~~ gigoid ~~

6/6/2015

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Naked Pearls

Fun

*******

“Dreams have wings,
And other things
That smile like butterflies.”

~~ Bobby Matherne ~~

*******

“The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green earth
in the present moment,
to appreciate the peace and beauty
that are available now.”

~~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~~

*******

“There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.”

~~ Han Suyin, “A Many Splendored Thing” ~~

*******

“A merry heart lives long.”

~~ William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Act II, Sc. 5 ~~

*******

“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals.
The struggles within yourself —
the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us —
that’s where it’s at.”

~~ Jesse Owens ~~

*******

“I haven’t a clue as to how my story will end.
But that’s all right.
When you set out on a journey and night covers the road,
you don’t conclude that the road has vanished.
And how else could we discover the stars?”

~~ Nancy Willard ~~

*******

“YOW!!! I am having fun!!!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

*******

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

It came as something of a surprise to find myself here at the end, yet, when I went back to look, there it was, a complete Pearl. Not too shabby, either, if I’m any judge. I’ll go post it, and we’ll see what Consensual Reality has to say about that….. For now, it means we’re outta here, as I’ve certainly caused enough damage for one day. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; who knows? Maybe there will be something new and fresh…. never can tell….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Punishable by wet laundrey….

Posted on June 28, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Only through time time is conquered.”

~~ T.S. Eliot, “Burnt Norton” ~~

Galway, the morning after the Cup Finals…

Hajime…. Today’s post will not only be late, it will be weird, simply because I am. Weird, I mean. I’m up, after another decent night’s sleep, once again sans any sort of creative urge. My sense of duty is pushing me to get this done, and to do it right; my angst is telling me to blow it off entirely. Since that isn’t going to happen (remember: raised by a Master Sergeant….duty comes first, always….), I suppose I’ll get to it. Since I also know myself pretty well by now, the only possible outcome will be well within the definition of ‘weird’…. Go figure.

Or, don’t. I certainly am not going to even attempt any such mental effort today. I will do my best to come up with something readable, but, there’s that old quality thing that could preclude any such happenstance. I’ll definitely need to hit Smart Bee hard, and hope for the best. Plus, y’all can pretty much count on it getting posted late, since it’s already late now. In truth, I’m not really sure why I’m telling all of this to y’all; it certainly isn’t going to get it done any faster. But, I wanted to relate the sense of what is going on, which, essentially, is a morning of relative insanity, as I chase my own thoughts down to see what they’re up to…..

Okay, I may have pulled too many covers now. I really wasn’t going to mention how insane I feel, but, I guess that was never really off the table. At this juncture, the only option is to bail, which we will proceed to do, now. In fact, I’m getting really weirded out; I can’t seem to find the proper ‘voice’, or any sort of sense of continuity, from one word to the next. It’s patently clear, as well, none of these paragraphs are closely connected, in thought, or clarity of purpose. In fact, clarity may be considered a myth today.

As is also clear, from the wandering and dithering, if I don’t end this here and now, we’ll never get out of this intro. I did find a new toy, in a cabinet under the sink in the Tardis. Let’s push the button, & see if it works….. I got nothin’ else….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The truth is more important than the facts.”

~~ Frank Lloyd Wright ~~

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Victor Jara

Image from lastfm.com via Google Images

A friend was listening to this artist, so I went to check him out. He was a Chilean singer/songwriter, an activist who protested & wrote music in opposition to the Chilean government, a military dictatorship at the time. He was murdered, at the order of one of General Pinochet’s staff, who has now been indicted for the crime. This album’s title pretty much defines the time, in my mind; it translates as The Right to Live in Peace…. Enjoy!….

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Victor Jara
El Derecho de Vivir en Paz

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https://youtu.be/WSg53srhQyQ

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Self-directed Rant

*******

“I read the news today, Oh boy…”

~~ John Lennon ~~

*******

“… and then the fun began.”

~~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~~

*******

“Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization,
based on five thousand years of experience,
that we cannot entrust the management of our lives
to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

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

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*******

“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor
is the mind of the oppressed.”

~~ Steven Biko, 3 May, 1976 ~~

*******

“Capitalism did not arise because capitalists stole the land,
but because it was more efficient than feudalism.
It will perish because it is not merely less efficient than socialism,
but actually self-destructive.”

~~ J. B. S. Haldane ~~

*******

“Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.”

~~ Cree Indian Prophecy ~~

*******

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This one seems appropriately silly for today…. Enjoy!….

Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

5/6/2013

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Naked Pearls

All you need is….

*******

“Can’t buy what I want because it’s free…”

~~ Eddie Vedder ~~

*******

“By the accident of fortune a man may rule the world for a time,
but by virtue of love he may rule the world forever.”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

*******

“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless,
unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

~~ William Wordsworth ~~

*******

“The more you love, the more you can love —
and the more intensely you love.
Nor is there any limit on how many you can love.
If a person had time enough,
he could love all of that majority who are decent and just.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

*******

“You’re only here for a short visit.
Don’t hurry, don’t worry.
And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

~~ Walter Hagen ~~

*******

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

It’s late, but, it’s done. So be it. As always, I’ll try again tomorrow, with, no doubt, similar results. Hey, the price is right, yes? Yes. On that note, I’m outta here, to go make a serious attempt to find some rationality. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if we can work an assist from the Space/Time Continuum….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Reason to be aloof….

Posted on June 2, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Everything in excess!
To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites.
Moderation is for monks.”

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

Ketchikan, Alaska, before the invasion….

Hajime…. In my experience, the most difficult part of the continued presence of PTSD in my life is what occurred yesterday. I call it SOD, or, sudden onset depression, a euphemistic acronym, which makes it sound all official and clean, when, in truth, it’s a dirty fucking mess. I’ll be cruising along, & will see, or hear, or experience some sort of stimulus, the nature of which is always unclear before it shows itself. This time, I saw a picture/story on FB, about an abused animal, & before I knew it, tears were flowing down my cheeks, and my mood plummeted into the depths….

Not a happy time, especially since it coincided with the onset of some pretty heavy pain. Go figure, eh? Murphy had a field day with me yesterday; he’ll be gloating for months. And I? I have spent the last 24 or so hours in a deep funk, fighting my way toward some light, only to find myself still grumpy and feeling mean today. Leelu and I are at odds, and I can’t find it in me to bring myself to any sort of quiet, safe harbor, where I could at least look for my center, with some hope of finding it. I tell ya, ffolkes; this ain’t no fun….

I did write a poem while in the throes of misery; I can’t say how it will seem, but, it sure is an accurate description of how I felt at the time, so, we’ll let it stay, & call it confession, which, they say, is good for the soul. I’ll have to take their word for it, as confession has always seemed like a cop-out to me, a way to avoid taking responsibility. But, that’s just me, and, if it helps get this done today, I’ll take it.

I’ll help myself, too, I guess, by ceasing this litany of woe, in favor of getting on with today’s mess. It’s a typical Pearl, but, with some rather ‘different’ material with which to contend; I’d suggest an adult beverage, or good strong coffee, preferably Irish, at minimum. The rest of y’all should think about insurance. Me, I’m going to just get on with this, so, I can go to my room and pout…. Let’s get it done….

Shall we Pearl?….

He said, “Dance for me” and he said,
“You are too beautiful for the wind
To pick at, or the sun to burn.” He said,
“I’m a poor tattered thing, but not unkind
To the sad dancer and the dancing dead.”

~~ Sidney Keyes, “Four Postures of Death” ~~

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Damn! That’s one big cowboy!

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

After my dad retired from the US Army, we moved to a small town in central California, where raising cattle, and/or, growing alfalfa to feed cattle, were the primary industries. As might be imagined, they listened to a lot of country & western music. I spent much of my teen years at dances where the mix of music ran from the Doors, to the Stones, to the Beatles, and, to this band, who have long been an iconic western swing band. It’s straight out, down-home Texas style swing, ffolkes. Lots of twang, but some of the best dancing music to be found… The picture sucks, but the sound’s pretty good….. Enjoy!….

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Asleep At The Wheel

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

https://youtu.be/CziPAbs3ROY

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“Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century:
Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others;
Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected;
Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it;
Refusing to set aside trivial preferences;
Neglecting development and refinement of the mind;
Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.”

~~ Cicero ~~

“A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various and powerful interests, combined into one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in the banks.” — Johann L. Uhland (1787-1862) — Speech, May 27, 1836

For several days now, I’ve been saving this quote for a rant. Naturally, the intended targets are those assholes who have managed to establish a world-wide oligarchy, which is busy destroying the world as we know it, in complete ignorance of anything that doesn’t serve their narcissism. While pondering the issue, I was brought down, down to the ground, by the sudden onset of depression. This, as you may imagine, rather killed whatever rant was brewing. To sublimate for today, here is an old school pearl, which covers most of what I might have said. I hope you enjoy this ‘savior’ pearl, which has saved you from yet another rant by gigoid…. I’ll even add an extra pearl at the end, from one of the first philosophers to take shots at the concept of government…. Enjoy!….

From 8/9/2012:

Since I have already ranted, I’ll save you from another right away by giving this old school pearl…. These quotations all point in the same direction, and will lead eventually to yet another fine reason to mistrust the beloved ruling class…..

Then came the churches,
then came the schools,
then came the lawyers,
then came the rules.

~~ Mark Knopfler ~~

“A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.” — Oscar Wilde, “The Picture of Dorian Grey”, 1891

“People are always talking about tradition, but they forget we have a tradition of a few hundred years of nonsense and stupidity, that
there is a tradition of idiocy, incompetence and crudity.” — Hugo Demartini, in “Contemporary Artists”, 1977

“People are very open-minded about new things — as long as they’re exactly like the old ones.” — Charles F. Kettering

The Government is my shepherd, I shall not work. It maketh me to lie down on good jobs. It leadeth me beside the still factories. It destroyeth my initiative; It leadeth me in the paths of the parasite for politics sake; Yea, though I walk in the valley of Deficit Spending, I will fear no evil, For the Government is with me; its doles and its vote-getters they comfort me. It prepareth an Economic Utopia for me by appropriating the earnings of my grandchildren. It filleth my head with baloney, my inefficiency runneth over; Surely the Government shall care for me all the days of my life And I shall live in a Fool’s Paradise forever. — The Government’s 23rd Psalm

“By definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has a policy, but nothing more.” — Albert Camus

“No matter how you vote, a government still gets elected.” — Smart Bee

That should about do it, I think….. if nothing else, one may get a clear picture of how I feel about government…..

Note from the future; here’s your bonus round, to finish off our indictment of the BRC….

“… But when he [the people’s champion] has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.), “The Republic”

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What the fuck is this?

Insanity waits patiently for me, sitting
in the corner, quietly knitting a psyche knot,
for my throat.

Depression is sitting on the couch, close
by the window, sulking over a broken pot;
he broke it.

Loneliness dogs my solitude, madly barking
into my left ear, while I trot,
half-heartedly, at best.

All my old friends have come to visit today;
a party, at which I was not
wanted, nor invited, .

What if I just ignore them all, I think;
even if it never worked before.
Oh, well.

The darkness fills the day, then carries into night,
until time has passed, until it feels just right.
No peace, no common dreams of light,
no escape, nor safety in flight.

Even poetry hurts.

~~ gigoid ~~

6/1/2016

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

Naked Pearls

Obscurely Subtle

*********

“He took his vorpal sword in hand
Long time the manxom foe he sought
Till rested he by the tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought”

~~ Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll ~~

*********

“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

~~ The Little Prince, chapter XXI ~~

*********

“The supreme triumph of reason is to cast doubt upon its own validity.”

~~ Miguel de Unamuno ~~

*********

“When you drink the water, remember the spring.”

~~ Chinese Proverb ~~

*********

“If you are distressed by anything external,
the pain is not due to the thing itself,
but to your own estimate of it;
and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~

*********

“Entropy requires no maintenance.”

~~ Amanda Walker ~~

*********

“It is in the shelter of each other that people live.”

~~ Irish proverb ~~

*********

“When friends ask, there is no tomorrow.”

~~ Ancient Human Proverb ~~

*********

“What happens to your fist when you open your hand?”

~~ Zen Buddhism ~~

*********

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

I’m a crazy old fart, I guess. (The fact I am sitting here, weeping as if my dog died yesterday seems like rather conclusive proof to me….) But, I’m happy-go-lucky, too, so, that’s something. I’ll be back tomorrow, ffolkes. I’ll offer no opinions of how that might look, nor any assurances of any sort of quality literature. But, I’ll be here, with a Pearl for your perusal. You see, THIS is what brings me back from the edge. This is what saves my sorry ass from ending up in jail, or dead…..What you have seen today is what keeps me from taking the bit between my remaining teeth, hoisting Henry’s black flag, and slitting the nearest throats. Believe it. So, I’ll see y’all tomorrow; it’s more important than you know…. to me…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Polite reasons to marinate….

Posted on May 27, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Malice drinks one-half its own poison.”

~~ Seneca ~~

It’s MY prey; don’t touch it….

Hajime…. What passes for a muse in my world seems to have taken a hiatus this morning; probably got tired of me tossing & turning most of the night, & went off to find something more entertaining to do. This, of course, has some rather significant effects upon the Pearl I had planned for today, since, now, I’ve got nothing in the way of creative urges to fulfill, or even find. So be it. We’ve been here before, and it’s all about trusting the process. Of course, that makes the assumption we can find & recognize the process, which is not a given, by any means.

But, it’s a good process, so, we’ll find the trust inside, somewhere, sometime today, I’m sure. It’s been there every time before, so, odds are good. However, we’ll give it a better chance, by cutting this intro short, and getting on with the rest of today’s mess. It always seems to work out better that way, and, who am I to fuss with tradition? Let’s try this new device I found in the Tardis yesterday while doing the monthly cleaning…. Let’s see what happens when I push this button, right here…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“The correct way to punctuate a sentence that starts: “Of course it is none of my business, but –” is to place a period after the word “but.” Don’t use excessive force in supplying such a moron with a period. Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

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Image from lispat.info via Google Images

I feel like some easy listening today, so, here is a two and a half hour of some pretty soothing music…. Enjoy!….

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Celtic Music

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https://youtu.be/49En0xjh0Xg

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

I’m running late again; in addition, I’m late. This does strange things to my persona, but, you knew that. Today, it means you get a somewhat new, if not completely inane form of a rant. It’s a “Do it yourself” rant. Below, you’ll find some pearls, each with a connection to each other, and to our Beloved Ruling Class, in some degree. Just put them together, to formulate a rant of your own making, simply by allowing them to show your thoughts which direction to follow. Pretty slick, eh? Well, okay, so it’s merely slippery; so be it….. Enjoy, ffolkes. If nothing else, it’s all in good fun, and does have some rather cogent points…. Go figure, eh?….

*******

“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

*******

“Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

*******

“They made us many promises, more than I can remember,
but they never kept but one;
they promised to take our land, and they took it.”

~~ Red Cloud ~~

*******

“I don’t vote. It just encourages them.”

~~ A Maine woman ~~

*******

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

~~ William Drummond, “Academical Questions” ~~

*******

“If anything can go wrong, it will.”

~~ Murphy’s Law ~~

*******

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

~~ William Rose Benet ~~

*******

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

After the odyssey….

Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound

Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.

Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.

Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.

Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/10/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Life at Large

*********

“By letting go, it all gets done.”

~~ Tao Te Ching ~~

*********

“Living Dead the path is chosen,
to live forever is to die forever.

To not know when you’ll die
is to find life wherever you are.”

~~ Alagad ~~

*********

It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions
upon external causes, rather than on the facility
with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.

~~ Aristotle ~~

*********

“The animal knows, of course.
But certainly it does not know that it knows.”

~~ Teilhard de Chardin ~~

*********

“Every one is bound to bear patiently the results of his own example.”

~~ Phaedrus — Book i, Fable 26, 12 ~~

*********

“Put forth your effort
With no thought of gain.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

*********

“Be patient and tough;
someday this pain will be useful to you.”

~~ Ovid ~~

*********

“Work is not an end in itself;
there must always be time enough for love.”

~~ Robert Heinlein ~~

*********

“…. For my purpose holds;
To sail beyond the sunset, and the light
Of all the western stars, until I die.”
~~Tennyson ~~

~~ The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ~~

*********

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

I did it. This, as much as anything else that will happen today, is something of a surprise, if not a complete conundrum. Since it fulfills all the standard requirements, I declare it done, and, thank goodness. I’ll try again tomorrow, ffolkes; it can’t be any worse, right? Right. See ya….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Definite traces of apoplexy….

Posted on May 16, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“All men are created unequal.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

Looking south from La Bufadora, Ensenada, Baja Mexico

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

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

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ Long Chen Pa ~~

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

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

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/hDhTqF3_JWs

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

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

From 3/15/2013:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Insomniac

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

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

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

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

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

~~ Sylvia Plath ~~

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

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

*******

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

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*******

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

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

*******

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

~~ Heraclitus ~~

*******

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

*******

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

~~ Basho ~~

*******

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Unbaked pies as currency….

Posted on May 9, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The wisest mind has something yet to learn.”

~~ George Santayana ~~

Entrance to Portobello Road, London

Hajime…. A week from tomorrow, I’ll be taking a trip, which is the activity I most enjoy in life. This may be a result of being raised as an Army brat, moving from base to place to base for much of my first ten years. We lived in Fort Ord, Fort Lewis, Japan, and Southern California in those times we visited relatives, all by my tenth birthday, when my father retired from the Army. Since leaving home, I’ve traveled as often as possible, for I feel I am fulfilling all my own dreams when I do. I enjoy having a base from which to go, but, for me, the journey is the thing, not the destination, or the beginning point.

In this case, I’ll be traveling for only about six days, to go see a friend get married. I have volunteered my services as a caterer for the reception, which is my usual gift to the bride and groom, as it takes a large burden from them during the time leading to the ceremony. It should be an interesting challenge, as it will be my first event since reaching an age where I cannot count on being able to do much of the actual work myself. Instead, I’ll be coordinating everyone else’s efforts, to make sure the event come off without a hitch. I’m looking forward to all of it, with great anticipation, and a small degree of fear, which will serve to keep me sharp, focused on working smart, instead of hard.

All that said, I’ll add there seems to be some lingering effect on my creativity, or, my angst, which drives it. In any case, these Pearls, for the first time in ages, will be a secondary concern; this means I’m going to fake it, a lot. We’ll begin that today, with a rant from the archives, instead of anything fresh in that section, as it takes the most focus and time to create a worthwhile rant. So be it. I’ll try to keep the rest fresh, but, no promises, as my head is already in Texas, organizing a work crew and space. In twelve days, I’ll be back home, probably ready to collapse for a few days, but, also, ready to write….. I hope.

At any rate, speaking of it gave us a grand opening for today, if naught else, so, we’ll take it, and run. In fact, we’ll break into a sprint, by using one of our standard tricks, to keep y’all fooled , er, occupied while I push this hidden button over here…. See how that works?…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“Even a fool knows that you can’t touch the stars,
but it doesn’t stop a wise man from trying.

~~ Judge Harry T. Stone ~~

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

Image from redmp3.su via Google Images

I feel like the blues today, so, here is the King of the Electric Blues, himself…. Live in Dortmund, Germany in 1976, he does his thing, and does it in style…. Abondanza!….

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

Muddy Waters

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

https://youtu.be/ltLHsD_A9I4

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

As promised, here is one from the archives…. Not to worry, it’s short, and not at all serious-minded…. Enjoy!

From 10/21/2012:

Okay, so there I was, cruising through Smart Bee, and these little gems popped up. Each one tempted me to begin a rant, or a discussion, but, none of them completely grabbed my attention enough to do the trick. They are all much too valuable to throw out, so I had this idea to include them as a “new-school” pearl….. Y’all can take the ideas herein described, and formulate them into your own pearl of virtual wisdom…. there is plenty here to work with; I’ve used many similar pearls myself to create unforgettable rants, or brilliantly funny forays into nonsense. (Sure I have….. trust me….)

“In certain trying circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity furnishes a relief denied even to prayer.” — Mark Twain

“In regard to disagreeable and formidable things, prudence does not consist in evasion, or in flight, but in courage. He who wishes to walk in the most peaceful parts of life with any serenity must screw himself up to resolution. Let him front the object of his worst apprehension, and his stoutness will commonly make his fear groundless” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, _Essays_, Prudence

“I figure that if God actually does exist, He’s big enough to understand an honest difference of opinion.” – Isaac Asimov

“There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but there ain’t no way to make the cat enjoy it.” — Jed Clampett

“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

“Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

So, you should find it reasonably simple to do the same yourselves (creating a pearl, that is, not wearing plaid…) …. and if not, well, they are all fairly strong stand-alone dribbles of good advice/good observations, so you aren’t completely without recourse…. No refunds, though, we’re not completely without shame…. Remember, you get what you pay for in this world, right? TANSTAAFL….. (for the uninitiated, that is, There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch….)
********************************

Vague Glimpses of a Rainbow

All the sad notions of propriety had fled,
Screaming their anger for pausing in song,
Until late came the rabid fog, colored in red,
As serenity cried, unafraid to live so strong.

Fallow fields in faithful patience set free,
Dragged from birth, by their own nature cast
Saving each moment against fear yet to be,
Carved into silence, by ignorance held fast.

Historical forces plod slowly ’tis often said
Anxieties streaming stiffly, one epoch to the next.
Cultural mania stands nonchalant in its stead
No sadder epitaph has such bittersweet context.

Patterned bags of forgotten virtue lie in wait
Blessed by reminders whose souls value affinity
Frozen webs surround the fields in gravid state
Grasping passionately within obvious opportunity.

Passage to future realities isn’t guaranteed
Small favors for deities was left off the menu
No roses, nor manna, nor gallant aerial steed
Left traces of fatal, yet originally gracious venue.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/6/2012

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

Naked Pearls

Rare Thoughts

*********

“God, to me, it seems
is a verb
not a noun
proper or improper.”

~~ R. Buckminster Fuller ~~

*********

“One should always be a little improbable.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

*********

“We do not walk on our legs, but on our Will.”

~~ Sufi proverb ~~

*********

“Time is but the stream I go a-fishin in.
I drink at it, but while I drink
I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is.
It’s thin current slides away, but eternity remains.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

*********

“We have art that we do not die of the truth.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*********

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

~~ Anais Nin ~~

*********

“To teach is to learn.”

~~ Japanese Proverb ~~

*********

“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 ~~

*********

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

Well, it’s done. Again. Today, I can only thank my sense of duty; without it, this doesn’t get done. Since it is, I’ll forgo any further torture, or, for that matter, possible entertainment value, and merely say, see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. There doesn’t seem to be any way to get out of it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bonafide templates of silver mesh….

Posted on May 8, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“‘The early bird catches the worm’ just shows that the worm should have stayed in bed.”

~~ Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love ~~

Wait! I swear it moved….

Hajime…. Leelu is home from the vet, and is fine, though still a bit unsettled, and seems to be healing well, so far, with not a lot of pain. I’m a mess, but, I’ll be fine now she’s home, once I get rid of the useless guilt I’m experiencing for putting her through it. Ah, well, I guess I’ve already pulled my covers, so, it won’t matter if people know I’m a softie about my animal mates. I don’t regard it as a weakness, anyway, but, rather a strength; my connection to Life is strong, and balanced, so, such compassion is not out of place.

The effect of the past few days on today’s Pearl is not easily calculable, so, I won’t be testifying as to quality; it will be complete, and as user-friendly as I can make it; beyond that, all bets are off. I’m not feeling particularly artistic, nor am I in my sharpest state of mind, as pain & worry has again taken much of the ease from my recent sleeping habits. Again, all I can say is, so be it. Duty is duty, and fatigue/pain/lack of chutzpah is no excuse for abrogating it.

In order to ensure all the above is true, I’m going to end this intro, here, sans nonsense, sans humor, sans damn near everything which could possibly hinder our efficiency…. even proofing is on ‘as you go’ mode, to save time. So, if y’all spot errors, just write them down & let me know privately; I’ll ignore them then. Thanks for that. Now, let’s just pretend we’re professionals, and get on with it without any particular fanfare, shall we? Okay, why not?….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now far ahead the road has gone
And I must follow if I can.
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way.
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.”

~~ J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings” ~~

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

Now, don’t tell me y’all didn’t know what kind of music we’d have today…. I gave enough clues, for sure. Oh, well, you’ll enjoy it, so, no worries, right? Right…. Abondanza, ffolkes; the playlist on this sounds pretty good….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/m7IdCuwKOWw

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

I’ve been in no condition to rant, so, here’s one from the archives for today…. Enjoy!….

From 2/3/2013:

“People see what they have been conditioned to see; they refuse to see what they don’t expect to see.” — Merle P. Martin

This statement is one that will find some strong agreement here, as it is as clear an indictment of the unwashed masses as I’ve ever seen; it places some of the blame on their oppressors, as it should, but still manages to show where people are responsible for their own ignorance, in spite of how they may be conditioned…. One may not be responsible for their conditioning, but they are still responsible for what they refuse to acknowledge as truth, and Mr. Martin has given them little room to wiggle out of that responsibility…..

In some ways, y’all might think that I tend to obsess about those who are manipulating society. and the impending global catastrophes that I see as inevitable. In a way, you could be right…. it COULD be called obsession, since I do take at least one shot a day at the BRC and the priestly hierarchies; if I don’t hit them regularly, I just feel empty, and incomplete….. But, I don’t lose any sleep over it, so I think my concerns are still in the rational stages of evolution. What can be challenging is finding new ways to approach the subject, that will show the assholes for what they are, and what they are doing to the rest of us, and still not bore the reader senseless…. it’s hard to motivate someone who has fallen asleep….

“The worth of the State, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it, and a State which postpones the interest of their mental expansion and elevation to a little more of administrative skill, or of that semblance of it which practice gives in the details of business… will find that with small men no great thing can be accomplished.” — John Stuart Mill, ‘On Liberty’, 1859

The other day, someone asked me a question about a statement I had made, to the effect that I believed that the usurpation of the Constitution began within minutes of it being signed…. She asked me how I knew that, and at the time, I gave her the answer that occurred to me at the time, to wit: I know this because I know human nature, and the money lenders and bankers wouldn’t have wanted to wait even a minute to try to get their two cents into the process, in order to start turning it to their advantage….. And Mr. Mill has, with this statement, shown us how they went about that perversion….

During elections, and often in the time prior to the announcement of the candidates and their platforms, there is a loud lamentation that there are no GOOD candidates to be found, that the men and women who end up running for office are NOT the most qualified for the job, but merely those who WANT it for their own reasons (you can bet that altruism is NOT one of those reasons….). In fact, to my mind, the single most qualifying characteristic I would like to see in ANY candidate would be a lack of desire to get elected; in other words, in order to be well-qualified, they have to NOT want to get elected…. It’s the only way we can trust them not to steal so much….

“Intelligence has nothing to do with politics.” — Londo Molari

What we have in reality is that ALL of those who run for office are people who WANT POWER; the exceptions are too few to be statistically significant, so I use the word ALL with that caveat. Sure, occasionally, a person who really doesn’t want to be in office, but happens to be the most qualified, gets persuaded by friends that they can do some good, and they are popular enough, and intelligent enough, to get elected. Once in office, though, they generally discover that their opportunities to do good for others are severely limited by the efforts of their peers, who have no interest whatsoever in looking after the people, unless it serves their own purpose.

“Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.” — Elbert Hubbard

It’s hard to say whether writing pieces such as this one is a part of my five minutes, or whether it is part of the other side of the coin, which prevents me from reaching my limit…. Either way, I’m starting to understand that, since I’m shouting into the wind, pretty much, with these political and social diatribes, I need to keep them fairly short, and uncomplicated, or I will lose my audience to boredom with the repetitive nature of what I’m writing. Yes, we need to be aware that most of our Beloved Ruling Class are assholes, and need to be culled from the human herd….. but railing about it too much will only defeat my purpose, which is to educate and stimulate, hopefully to action that will serve to help the situation….

So rather than exceed my limit for the day, we’ll leave this here, and hope that what I’ve written will cause at least a touch of bleeding in the BRC, even if it’s only a scratch…. Better now to go look for some poetry, to soothe my fevered brow….

“I know everything about everything, except that.” — Smart Bee

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

Funny Bones

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

9/6/2012

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

Our final, old-school pearl for today is somewhat, um…. well, different. I’m not entirely certain there’s a single thought to which it leads , but, there seem to be quite a number of pieces of rather cogent advice on how to look at life with some humor, and, how to live it with some style. I can’t think of any particular word or phrase to describe it, so, we’ll just call it Random Thoughts on Life at Large…. Enjoy!….

*********

“Plato says,
“‘T is to no purpose for a sober man to knock at the door of the Muses;”
and Aristotle says
“that no excellent soul is exempt
from a mixture of folly.”

~~ Michael de Montaigne ~~
~~ Essays, Book ii, Chap. ii, Of Drunkenness ~~

*********

“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”

~~ William Makepeace Thackeray ~~

*********

“In certain trying circumstances,
urgent circumstances,
desperate circumstances,
profanity furnishes a relief denied even to prayer.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

*********

“Power is an illusion; only stupidity is real.”

~~ Fatalist Bee ~~

*********

“Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily.
All other “sins” are invented nonsense.
(Hurting yourself is NOT a sin–just stupid.)”

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

*********

“A process which led from amoeba to man
appeared to the philosophers to be obviously progress
– though whether the amoeba would agree with this opinion is not known.”

~~ Bertrand Russell ~~

*********

“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

*********

“Take a breath of the new dawn and make it a part of you.”

~~ Hopi proverb ~~

*********

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

I’ll be damned. Well, most likely, anyway, if one buys into the delusion that holds sway over most of the planet. Since I don’t, it’s just a phrase, without much meaning other than to express my surprise at being done. As mentioned, there will be no claims as to quality; all I’m going to say is, it’s done, and done as well as I can do it, given the circumstances in play. As we’re fond of saying ’round here, so be it. I’ll add I’m going to try to do this again tomorrow, and if the past five years gives any indication, I will be here, pretty much for sure, and for certain. See y’all then, ffolkes, if my cat allows it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bess’s fine messes, at cost….

Posted on April 22, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Arguments derived from probabilities are idle.”

~~ Plato ~~

An alley market on Portobello Road, London

Hajime…. Had I known yesterday, when beginning to put this Pearl together, that the intro would end up being the most contentious section to get done, I would have done it first. Since I’m doing it last, so to speak, it seems to have taken it personally, now refusing to coalesce into anything worth putting on screen, This isn’t to say we haven’t encountered this issue previously, though it’s not a frequent problem at all. No, the empty mind is our biggest issue in this section, as it usually occurs pre-coffee, or, nearly so. Since I’m about to go pour my second cup, that isn’t a factor…. Yet, here it sits, ugly, and relatively empty, save for this single paragraph of almost pure blather.

I wonder if they give refunds…. Nah, probably not, since nobody’s paying, and posting is free. Oh, well, another opportunity lost through lack of any comparatively sane thought processes as needed for basic comprehension. As we’re fond of saying around here in such situations, c’est la fucking vie. We’re going on in spite of our complete lack of talent, or intent, or even coherence. Of course, we could employ one of the Tardis toys to distract and discombobulate, (what a fine word!….), but, we’re not IN the Tardis yet. I suppose I could quit fooling around with this, and get on with it, but, what fun would that be?….

Oh…. okay. Well, since that’s the case, there’s nothing left to but this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“Once you’ve seen the face of god,
You see that same face on everyone you meet.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

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

I’ve used this in the past, but, I’m running a bit late today, so, we’ll go with it, as when it’s done, you can choose from a large number of other numbers from Playing For Change artists, from the suggestions that You Tube gives after each video. Enjoy, ffolkes; this one is one of my favorites…. It’s hot!….

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

Gimme Shelter

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

https://youtu.be/GJtq6OmD-_Y

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

The rant for this section turned epic on me; it’s not quite done yet. To take it’s place, here is a discussion from 2012, on one of our most frequent subjects, to wit, politicians, the BRC, and Asininnies in general. It’s a bit long, but, there’s some humor involved, so, it won’t hurt too bad. I find it ironic to note how relevant many of the old rants I wrote have remained over time… I guess it goes to show we humans are a bit slower learners than we’d like to believe…. Enjoy!…..

From 10/2/2012:

This old-school pearl started off in one direction, then veered off into another…. and I don’t blame it a bit. I’m just as tired of all the political bullshit being flung around as the next guy, and the election can’t get here quick enough to suit me, that’s for sure. What with the amount of crap flying around, I feel like I’ve got to shower it off at least once or twice a day……

Any who, I was collecting the pearls for this, when I noticed that each one of them, from the first to the last, make a pointed statement that could easily be applied to this election, and most specifically, to the Republican party’s platform and candidates…. As far as I can see, they fail at every one of these, and this then becomes an indictment of their failings, all without intent, but with great accuracy….

“The majority never has the right on its side. Never, I say! That is one of the social lies that a free, thinking man is bound to rebel against. Who makes up the majority in any given country? Is it the wise men or the fools? I think we must agree that the fools are in a terrible overwhelming majority, all the wide world over.” — Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906)

“The honest poor can sometimes forget poverty. The honest rich can never forget it.” — G. K. Chesterton (gigoid sez: There being none of those, to wit: honest rich, in this election, we can pretty much take this as gospel, or at least accept it at face value……)

“It is the edge and temper of the blade that make a good sword, not the richness of the scabbard; and so it is not money or possessions that make man considerable, but his virtue.” — Seneca (B.C. 3-65 A.D.) (gigoid sez: This could NOT be clearer…. since Mitt the Twitt feels compelled to rattle his scabbard at every opportunity…..)

“I am different from Washington; I have a higher, grander standard of principle. Washington could not lie. I can lie, but I won’t.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (gigoid sez: In modern times, the concept of a politician lying is not merely common, it is expected, and, sadly to say, empowered by the voting public, by their passive acceptance of same….)

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

“Intemperate speech is a distinctive characteristic of man. Hotheads blow off and release destructive energy in the process. They shout and rave, exaggerating weaknesses, magnifying error, viewing with alarm. So it has been from the beginning; and so it will be throughout time. The framers of the constitution knew human nature as well as we do. They too had lived in dangerous days; they too knew the suffocating influence of orthodoxy and standardized thought. They weighed the compulsions for the restrained speech and thought against the abuses of liberty. They chose liberty.” — Justice William O. Douglas

“When they took the fourth amendment, I was silent because I don’t deal drugs. When they took the sixth amendment, I kept quiet because I know I’m innocent. When they took the second amendment, I said nothing because I don’t own a gun. Now they’ve come for the first amendment, and I can’t say anything at all.” — Tim Freeman

“It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.” — Aeschylus (525-456 BC) — Frag. 385

Yep, it’s going to be a real dust-up this year, as the forces of evil have gathered all of their minions and myrmidons, ready to sally forth on election day and try to lie and cheat their way into office. The degree of illegal, ill-advised voter suppression efforts that the Republicans have made are coming to light on a daily basis, with the money they’ve paid to companies dedicated to blocking the votes of seniors, poor people, and veterans being exposed as well. It’s truly a disgusting development, although it isn’t new to them; they’ve managed to steal two elections already, for the junior shrub, in 2000 and 2004, once in Florida, and once in Ohio.

They also managed to distract the public away from looking at those election results, by talking a bunch of Islamic militants into attacking New York City, right at the time when the Shrub’s chicanery in Florida was about to be investigated by an independent commission…… I always thought the timing there was a bit suspicious, and it couldn’t have been better for the Shrub, even though he probably wasn’t in on the planning of it himself…. his daddy never trusted him THAT far…..

But, you may remember, the senior Shrub was the head of the CIA for many years, before he was President, and is considered by most to be personally responsible for the establishment of the cocaine trade in this country; see the book “The Cocaine Papers” written in the 1980’s, if there are still copies around. There may not be; I’m sure the dark-side operatives snap them up for destruction whenever they come across one…. This man would suffer no ethical restraints, and would not even hesitate, to have some of his operatives clandestinely trick terrorists into attacking when and where he wished it…. Civilian casualties are always more compelling when trying to distract the public…. And, it is funny how nobody ever investigated where the money for the 9/11 attacks came from…. Usually, in any such event, finding out who paid for it is a primary goal of the investigating teams…. but, nobody ever did that for 9/11…. Kind of makes one wonder, doesn’t it?……

Ah well, conspiracy theories aside, this election is seeing every dirty trick the two parties can think of between them, with the most egregiously immoral actions taking place on the conservative side…. voter suppression efforts in swing states, outright lying, misinformation spreading, magical bean platforms, all are being employed with gusto…. The upcoming debate tomorrow promises to be quite a show for the American public, and it will be interesting to see the contortions that the Republicans go through to try to show their man to their advantage, when every time he opens his mouth, he drops another bomb that indicates just how clueless and uncaring he is…. I’m almost looking forward to it, if it didn’t promise to be so bloody…. c’est la vie, I guess, and we’ll have to see how time will tell the tale…..

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

While researching yesterday in SB, I came across this, which I remember hearing live, watching TV with my kids & family, many years ago, on a show called The Muppet Show, in which characters from Sesame Street performed with live actors & artists, as well as performing solo, as Kermit did once in a while; generally, he, or another, or, occasionally all the Muppets on the show also did a duet with the live guest. I like this one, a lot, which is why it graces our poetry section today…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s a bit soft compared to our usual fare, but, hey, as noted, I like it, so, deal….

Rainbow Connection

Why are there so many songs about rainbows
and what’s on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions
rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we’ve been told and some choose to believe it
I know they’re wrong, wait and see.
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thoughta’ that and someone believed it
— look what it’s done so far.

What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing
and what do we think we might see?
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

All of us under its spell
we know that it’s probably magic.
Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?
I hear them calling my name.

Could it be the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice may be one and the same.
Well I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it
it’s somethin’ that I’m s’posed to be.

And someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

~~ Kermit the Frog ~~

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

This, ffolkes, is an odd pearl. For me to say that is, well, unprecedented, if only in its stark simplicity. It’s also quite cogent, in its own weird way, for it wanders around quite drunkenly, almost randomly, yet, still manages to fulfill whatever it is trying to say. The exact nature of that is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader, though, as always, you may decline the mission. It will, however, at least partially, probably end up on the Quiz….Ya never know what ya might need to know…. Pay attention, now; some of it is tricky…. In fact, it begins with a bit of subtlety many might get stuck on, but, trust me, and keep going…. You’ll be fine.

“Avoid fried foods which angry up the blood.” — Satchel Paige

“We all carry it within us; supreme strength, the fullness of wisdom, unquenchable joy. It is never thwarted and cannot be destroyed. But it is hidden deep,
which is what makes life a problem.” — Huston Smith

“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.” — Virginia Satir

“Watches are a confidence trick invented by the Swiss.” — Chiun, in “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins…”

“For water continually dropping will wear hard rocks hollow.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of the Training of Children

“Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat.” — from Observations on Life From Children

“In a full heart there is room for everything, and in an empty heart there is room for nothing.” — Antonio Porchia, Voces

“Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

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

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

“.. bleakness…. desolation…. plastic forks…”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

Now, now, don’t fret; it doesn’t mean anything, other than I’m a strange person. Well, I guess, if you really enjoyed today’s Pearl, it might have some relevance for you; other wise, it’s where it is simply because I thought it was damn funny. Hell, I could fill most of a ranting section with it, but, I just figured I’d add it here at the end, sort of like a, what? Oh, how, ’bout, an innovation. That works; we’ll go with innovation. Don’t worry, I won’t try this again. Zippy just hit the right note, so, there he sits. Now, as noted below, it’s time for me to go sits…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, Zippy or no Zippy….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Effortless dreams, in colorful shoes….

Posted on April 19, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Our quarrel with the world is an echo
of the endless quarrel proceeding within us.”

~~ Eric Hoffer ~~

Not in the mood for love….

Hajime…. Considering the state of the world, as we often do around these parts, it can be difficult to maintain any real hope for the future. However, regardless of how my own intellect sees little chance of surviving through another century for our species, one’s hope for change somehow remains strong. Groundless hope, after all, is the only kind there really is for us humans; we tend to put ourselves frequently into situations for which little hope for success is possible, given our less than perfect hold on reality. But, what the hell? It keeps us busy, so, I suppose its all worth it; if nothing else, it keeps us busy NOT killing things, which seems to be our primary talent…..

Now, relax. Though it sounds ominous, the above is not leading into a rant in the intro; I told y’all we wouldn’t do that any more, and, I’m trying to live up to that. No, such statements are a new technique, wherein I make a short reference to such matters, without falling into full ranting mode, thus saving me, and y’all, the effort of extricating ourselves from such a sticky engagement too early in the Pearl. It also provides some new ways to wander around here, just chatting about stuff that matters not at all, a pastime which, if you’ve been here before, you’ll know we enjoy frequently. We do love our blather, even if it makes extra laundry.

Okay, that’s probably enough. Any more & we’d start dropping readers like dead skin cells. Ooh, that’s an ugly image, isn’t it? I think, maybe, we’d best be on our way down the page, before I get actively gross. I can feel the elegance and grace dropping off our demeanor rapidly, so, it’s just as well we planned to use one of the Tardis toys today. Here, let’s see what this one does, shall we?…. I’ll just push this little green button, and….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke, and found that life was Duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, poor heart, unceasingly;
And thou shalt find thy dream to be
A truth and noonday light to thee.”

~~ Ellen Sturgis Hooper — Life a Duty ~~

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

“Life without music would be an intolerable insult.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

I found the quote you see before picking today’s music, which brings us back to the classical genre we enjoyed yesterday. The quote is one I hold to be completely true, so, here is my all-time favorite piece. It also happens to be the piece of music considered by many to be the best single composition ever written, which, though not necessarily a recommendation, does add to its cache. In any case, I hope you enjoy it; it’s actually pretty damn good…

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

W. A. Mozart
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

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

https://youtu.be/o1FSN8_pp_o

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

I’m still working on a fresh piece for this section, which, frankly, is stalled. No worries, it will unjam itself eventually, when the proper sequence of ideas strikes me. To sublimate for today, here is a fairly short discussion of religion, and such relevant nonsense as may apply to that particular delusional state of being…. Enjoy!….

From 9/7/2012:

“Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other “sins” are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is NOT a sin–just stupid.)” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

It would be foolish to try to claim that there is NOT a part of me that wishes there was a God as described by most of the Christian sects, or the Islamic, or Jewish, or any other of the major and/or minor religions in the history of Man. Who wouldn’t want to have all the responsibility for thinking, or for acting within reason, taken out of their hands? It would be wonderful, but as it’s pretty unlikely, to all appearances, that part of me will have to remain unfulfilled….. I’d rather adopt and set the above moral standard as my own, as I happen to agree with it wholeheartedly. It forms the root, the base, the touchstone of all of my morality, the basic raison d’etre for my every decision of whether or not to act, and how to react, from an ethical standpoint of my own choice, without thinking about whether or not it is according to dogma.

I first came across this particular quote from Lazarus when I was about 15 or 16 years old, right when I was taking classes at my parent’s church to fulfill the requirements for admission as an official, saved member of the church (Presbyterian, if it matters….), and wondering how I was going to break it to all of them that I couldn’t do it…. It was a hard decision, but, since the teachers couldn’t answer my questions about Bible incidents that puzzled me (not part of what we studied, but from different chapters I had read…), I stopped attending any services, because I didn’t want to be a hypocrite…. I could even rationalize my decision, as having been made out of concern for the safety of my family and friends, since now the church would conceivably fall down on them if they were with me when I came in…..

“Anybody who wants religion is welcome to it, as far as I’m concerned — I support your right to enjoy it. However, I would appreciate it if you exhibited more respect for the rights of those people who do not wish to share your dogma, rapture or necrodestination.” — Frank Zappa, “The Real Frank Zappa Book”

I also happen to agree with Frank on this one. What I do believe about religion, and the concept of God, or god, or Dog, is my own business, and begins with not pressing it on others, unless they ask; in such cases I will discuss the subject superficially, without expressing any preferences one way or another….. Unless, of course, they begin to proselytize. In THOSE cases, I will use every bit of shock value pop psychology I know of to lead them down some primrose path, messing with their heads until I get bored with them…. which usually doesn’t take long; they’re generally fairly uninteresting people. I tend to prefer people who have a bit of salt to their personality, just a touch of insanity somewhere in their blood…. Such ffolkes are much more fun to be around than folks who spend their time feeling bad about wanting to feel good….. and they annoy me far less often, as a rule…..

If God is omnipotent, why does he need my money? — Smart Bee

“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

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

Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/17/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Words to live by….

*******

“To believe with certainty, we must begin with doubting.”

~~ King Stanislaus of Poland ~~

*******

“Virtue is sufficient of herself for happiness.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 250 A.D.) ~~

*******

“Enter freely and leave some of the happiness you bring behind.”

~~ The Insidious Wu Han ~~

*******

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

~~ Oscar Wilde, “Lady Windermere’s Fan”, 1892 ~~

*******

“Death is every man’s final critic. To die well you must live bravely.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“The most important questions in life
can never be answered by anyone except oneself.”

~~ John Fowles, The Magus ~~

*******

“Be excellent to each other. Party on, dude.”

~~- Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure `~~

*******

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

I made it. I had my doubts (go figure….), but, all’s well that ends. (We use a slightly more realistic version of that particular phrase around here, as you see….) For the record, it’s Tuesday, and I’m awake. For the balance required, I’ll just say, Whoopee…. No, don’t ask. Just be glad I’m done. I will, as always, issue our standard disclaimer, also known as legally fair warning, I will return tomorrow to do this again. Please don’t ask why, or the auto-defense lasers will start firing. Just wave nicely, and know I’ll be back. It’s pre-ordained….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bordering on rhubarb pie….

Posted on April 16, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“All virtue is summed up in dealing justly.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

White’s Tavern, Belfast, Ireland

Est. 1630 by Royal License

Hajime…. I slept, sort of. Since my lower back decided, right at bedtime last night, to go into sever spasming mode, I had to take a break, go to the local pub, and apply some C6H11O6 to the problem. It worked, naturally, even if I did have to walk home, due to no cabs being available. Not a problem when three sheets into the wind, I assure you. I then crashed, and actually slept for 6 solid hours, only to arise to the glory of the morning after….

SIGH…. Such is life in the big city, I guess. I haven’t got much today, so, other than the old-school pearl, we’ll be archive diving today. So be it. And, so be it, now. I am in such a state I don’t even have any tricks or traps I can use, so, we’ll just have to get on with the show without them. It’s a little ugly, but, that’s the deal…. Here’s how that looks….

Shall we Pearl?….

“My great mistake, the fault for which I can’t forgive myself,
is that one day I ceased my obstinate pursuit of my own individuality.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

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

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

Since we are in suppressed state, a bit of our default is in order. I hope you enjoy it; as usual, it was picked solely for the picture it showed….

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

Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/nG4bUpPQZ60

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Do not confuse ‘duty’ with what other people expect of you;
they are utterly different.
Duty is a debt you owe to yourself
to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily.
Paying that debt can entail anything
from years of patient work
to instant willingness to die.
Difficult it may be,
but the reward is self-respect.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

I had intended to write a discussion based on the above statement, which, if you’ve been here a lot, you have seen previously. But, upon reflection, this really needs no embellishment. According to what I was taught about being a Man, by my father, Sarge, this is exactly correct. He never said so, in so many words, but, this is how he lived, and my brothers and I knew, this was what he expected from us…. That’s enough for me.

So be it.

gigoid has spoken…..

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When life calls, ready or not….

Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.

Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.

Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.

Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.

Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/10/2012

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Oh, boy! Our final pearl today is my favorite kind. Strange, obscure, full of whimsy and ironic truths, it winds its way with unerring imprecision to the final pearl, which brings all of it together into a nice little package. The shape, size, and contents of that package are, to me, quite clear, but, then, all of what I said about the pearls fits me, too, so…. Enjoy!….

“If you’re going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance.” — Whimsical Bee

“Ask a toad what is beauty?…a female with two great round eyes coming out of her little head, a large flat mouth, a yellow belly and a brown back.” — Voltaire

“Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul.” — Mark Twain

“Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Organic life, we are told, has developed gradually from the protozoan to the philosopher; and this development, we are assured, is indubitably an advance. Unfortunately, it is the philosopher, not the protozoan, who gives us this assurance.” — Bertrand Russell

“Smoke a little dope and walk out in the air: the stars are all connected to the brain.” — The Who

“How could the drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“All of a sudden, I want to THROW OVER my promising ACTING CAREER, grow a LONG BLACK BEARD and wear a BASEBALL HAT!!… Although I don’t know WHY!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” — Scott Beach’s grandfather

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Let it never be said I faded under pressure. It’s done, though I can’t say at all how it turned out. Nor will I make any further attempt to be coherent, as it is becoming rather an onerous task. In fact, I think I’m going back to bed. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as I’m still upright and semi-conscious….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

gigoid

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

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