Tag Archives: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

“Frabjous day, O Caluca lay!”, expostulated Lord Peter….

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Ffolkes,

“Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.”

~~ Confucius, “Analects” ~~

10-8-2014 013

    Threatened by the imminent arrival of a houseful of relatives, Mickey Stone found himself retreating to his basement “hubby-cubby”, where, in spite of all notions to the contrary, he does NOT perform evil rituals in the dark…. He does, occasionally, watch horror flicks on the 52-inch flat-screen TV late at night, but, that’s about as evil as the Big Mick is capable of contemplating. Shuddering at the thought of four days trapped with cousin Franklin, not to mention the dreaded presence of his mother-in-law, Mickey pulled a beer out of the mini-fridge, dropped into the leather recliner, and prepared to thoroughly insulate his consciousness with alcohol….

Me, I’m going to finish this Pearl, then go for a drive…. once my hands have recovered, that is. Not only do I have a bunch of stuff to accomplish out in the BBR (again), the day and a half break I’ve had from the worst of the pain seems to have been officially ended, as I woke up with aching joints, and a piss-poor attitude…. Thankfully, thinking about poor Mickey’s upcoming torture got me into a better head-space; the pain, however, continues unabated, laughing, as is its habit, at all the powerful medication I consume, as well as complicating this process by necessitating frequent breaks to rest my hands and wrists….

Ah well, such is life, as they say, so, I’m going to once again usurp the usual opening program, which I tried to begin the old-fashioned way, by abruptly ending this section, & moving on to the next. I call it ruthlessness, you can call it whatever you like…. just don’t call it Percy. It HATES that name!….

Hmm… We are approaching severe nonsense way too early for me. I’m getting us out of here, ffolkes, before I lose control completely…. Hang on, & do NOT get up from your seats for the next few moments…. You may never get back into it…. Well, not without a visit to the ER first…. Hold on, ffolkes, we’re going in, ready or not….

Shall we Pearl?

“He was a man, which, as Plato saith, is a very inconstant creature.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — On the Tranquility of the Mind

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I used to like this show; Bob’s one-sided conversations on the phone were the funniest stuff on TV at the time…. which probably goes to show just how bad TV has always been…. It’s funny, but, with the network censors working overtime back then, it was pretty mild, in terms of social commentary…. But, that was America in the 60’s & 70’s…. Oblivious….

THE BOB NEWHART SHOW – SEASON: 1 EPISODE: 1 – FLY THE UNFRIENDLY SKIES


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As mentioned, busy, busy, busy…. plus, hey, why not?, I’m lazy. Hence, another replacement pearl from the archives…. I’m also going with my “nice guy” costume today, making it a rantish old-school pearl, rather than the usual straight-out rant…. Better for all of us under the circumstances, I think…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s a “good” pearl….

From 9/29/2012:

I’ve been very lucky with my latest incarnation of Smart Bee…. it seems to be giving me a higher percentage of usable quotes than it did before I had trouble with it. In fact, so many quotes are worth saving that I’m starting to group them into subject lots…. Here are a significant number of intriguing and/or interestingly accurate observations on modern life in America, land of the marginally civilized….

I swear to the Lord
I still can’t see
Why Democracy means
Everybody but me.

~~ Langston Hughes ~~

~~ The Black Man Speaks ~~


Homosexuality is *not* a sickness.  Bigotry is. — Smart Bee

“Whether you have an abortion, what you put in your own body, with whom you have sex – these are not the affairs of the state.  A government does not exist to control the citizens.  When it does, it is a tyranny, and must be fought.  The tree of liberty, Jefferson warned us, must be refreshed with the blood of tyrants and patriots.” — Gore Vidal

“Government is about coercion. Limiting government is the single most important instrument for guaranteeing liberty. We’re working on a third generation which has little in the way of education about what our Constitution means and why it was written. Thus, we’ve fallen easy prey to charlatans, quacks, and hustlers.” — Dr. Walter Williams

“The discovery of America was the occasion of the greatest outburst of cruelty and reckless greed known in history.” — Joseph Conrad

“Democracy is government by the people with open discussion and free speech. This allows those with no ideas to unload their thinking in the most tedious and lengthy manner. After this, a vote is taken, and the least informed will oppose the most confused. The result, inevitably, will be known as model legislation. In time, it will proliferate, and eventually a commission will be formed to review what has been done and why it isn’t working and it will recommend reforms of the previous efforts. All of this will be published in various government journals and cause great debate. There will be a veritable waterfall of newspaper editorials and Johnny Carson will use the whole thing as a part of his monologue. In the end, the reforms will be defeated. –Smart Bee

“Christianity:  Please help find the cure.” — Smart Bee

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist…. A few days ago, as I sat in a shady spot outside, on a beautiful California day, I began to think, for some misbegotten reason, about Christianity in this country. I wondered, no idea why, exactly how many different definitions of the word “Christian” there would be. There are so many different interpretations of the Bible, and so many different definitions of what is “Christ-like”, that I can see no hope of any consensus answer to this question.

A conservative guess would be about 5,000 different churches, each with a different interpretation of scripture; it’s likely that Los Angeles and New York City, alone, contain that many; nation-wide, the number is probably closer to a hundred thousand….. None, I repeat, NONE, of the people who embrace the dogma associated with each of these various cults {yes, cults, by definition…look it up….} are at all willing to even consider any truth in any of the others, and they ostensibly are all worshiping the same dude…. It’s a bit pathetic, when one stops to look at the broader picture…. SIGH… ah well, back to general culture, and our caricaturization thereof…..)

You may be redneck… if you refer to Mason jars as “the good glasses.” — Smart Bee

“Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)

On that note, we will go ever onward, seeking approbation, or at least hoping for poor aim….

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When I don’t know what I want, or what I need, I turn to this poet…. every time….

A narrow fellow in the grass
Occasionally rides;
You may have met him,–did you not,
His notice sudden is.

The grass divides as with a comb,
A spotted shaft is seen;
And then it closes at your feet
And opens further on.

He likes a boggy acre,
A floor too cool for corn.
Yet when a child, and barefoot,
I more than once, at morn,

Have passed, I thought, a whip-lash
Unbraiding in the sun,–
When, stooping to secure it,
It wrinkled, and was gone.

Several of nature’s people
I know, and they know me;
I feel for them a transport
Of cordiality;

But never met this fellow,
Attended or alone,
Without a tighter breathing,
And zero at the bone.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~


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With so much to do today, I don’t much feel up to arguing with Smart Bee over pearls… so, here is a pretty good one from the archives…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s a classic….

From 10/9/2012:

In keeping with today’s theme, as it evolved, I offer these pearls…. Each is, of course, a stand-alone thought, but, I let my whimsy dictate which would go well together, to further demonstrate my devotion to illogic, and it’s concomitant companion, crooked reasoning…. Crooked though it may be, there still exists a direct link to Reality, especially in today’s society, which goes much further than I have ever gone down the path to Strange….

“No matter how much cynicism you have, it is never enough to keep up.” — Lily Tomlin

“But a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing their oppressors in Church and State.” — Thomas Jefferson, [letter?] To S. Kercheval, 1810

“The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.” — Bertrand Russell, Marriage and Morals

“Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“The late rebellion in Massachusetts has given more alarm than I think it should have done.  Calculate that one rebellion in 13 states in the course of 11 years, is but one for each state in a century and a half. No country should be so long without one.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), in letter to James Madison, 20 December 1787

‘But he hasn’t got any clothes on,’ a little boy said. — from The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen

“Remember that man’s life lies all within this present, as ‘t were but a hair’s-breadth of time; as for the rest, the past is gone, the future yet unseen. Short, therefore, is man’s life, and narrow is the corner of the earth wherein he dwells.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 10

Well, there you go…. If you can’t make heads or tails of it, don’t sweat it. None of it will be on the Quiz….. But, if you let your mind drift as you consider the parts of the pearl as a whole concept, you just might find that you’ve hit upon a very deep, very ancient, immensely valuable insight into not only the nature of Man, but your own nature as well….  If not, well, have some chocolate; then, you can, at least, feel the same way…..

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Not too shabby for an old fart with flat feet and flatulence…. plus, it’s done. Since that state offers no opportunity for improvement, we shall take our leave, post haste…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

Kowabunga!


À bientôt, mon cherí….

Arguing the salient points is thirsty work….

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Ffolkes,

“There aren’t many times in your life when your body has absolutely nothing wrong with it.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

thats some cold shit

    The quote, a rather poignant, yet perfectly accurate comment, which you see sitting right above my picture of The Tracy Arm Fjord/Glacier (Damn! That’s a LOT of COLD-looking water, ain’t it?…. Yet, this was taken from the deck of a ship, in July!….), struck me very hard, right between the eyes…. It seems so perfectly apt, when applied to my current physical condition, I couldn’t leave it be….

You see, the statement speaks the truth, from an overall view taken from this end of life…. However, for much of my earlier life, until the age of forty, I was perfectly healthy, in every respect, never suffering much from having some part of my body not feel good, beyond the minor pains involved in activities of a sporting nature….

It was only in the underlying habits I pursued during all those years, of extreme physical activity, (sports, martial arts, work of a physical nature…), combined with the average American’s poor eating habits, foisted upon all of us from a young age, along with the use of information, (supplied by society, which, as it turned out, was completely false)…. these factors led to the way I feel most days in the present…

Without going into a long, detailed examination of WHY the above statement is true, I’ll just summarize, by saying, if I’d known back then what I know now, I’d have done some things differently, for sure…. But, as we all know, we don’t have that ability, to change the past, even if we don’t always act like it…. Therefore, it does me no good whatsoever to complain, even less to worry about it… The effects of the past’s miscues still must be endured, and dealt with to the best of my knowledge and experience… In other words…. So Be It….

Normally, I wouldn’t comment on this, in this particular way, but, it hit me so strongly, I had to react, if only to verbalize the insight I came to perceive, which stated most simply, is this…. I miss my old body, and the way I could depend on it to do anything I asked of it, no matter how difficult…. But, going back to that is not going to happen, realistically, so, learning how to avoid, and/or overcome, days such as yesterday becomes more of a direct challenge.

Yesterday, you see, (the day I started this originally…. it’s been a work in progress since then….), was Christmas, and I felt so much pain, from stuff that just won’t go away, I was reduced to taking massive quantities of drugs, of every description, to knock myself relatively unconscious…. This, of course, meant losing most of an entire day…. I could go for the cheap laugh, & say, “what a pain in the ass”, but, what I felt was, by no means, confined simply to my ass; such a mild epithet wouldn’t be accurate, nor convey the proper degree of irrational anger that accompanies such experiences….

Nor would it suit the pompous style this intro has fallen into… damn it! Just when I was hoping for a break-out of weird nonsense, too…. I really wanted some nonsense, but NOOOO, my mind comes up with pompous, instead…. I swear, some days, all I get is shit for breakfast, and from myself, to boot…. Whattyagonnado, eh? I know what WE’RE going to do, and, since we’re going to do it NOW, I’d hang on, if I were you…..

Shall we Pearl?

“Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.” — Smart Bee

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Yesterday, I posted a video of the Sally Field version of Gidget…. Here is another beach movie from the same era, with a different cast of characters, but, based on the same basic plot…. Of course, it’s the same plot used in every movie in the genre…. It was movies like this that determined my hair style for several years….

Muscle Beach Party (1964) full movie

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“Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words.” — Kirk, “The Omega Glory,” stardate unknown.

It has long been my opinion, since before going to college, that nobody with a degree in law, or political science, or criminology, or any other professional governance subject should ever be allowed to participate in any way in government, or police, or any sort of position of authority over others in society…. Once that happens, we end up with a mess like we have today, where those with the authority to make, and break the laws are NOT interested, or invested, in doing ANYTHING to improve the lot of the common man….

The concept isn’t new with me; Arthur C. Clarke once wrote a novel about the 500th anniversary of the United States, i.e., it takes place in the year 2276, being the story of one representative’s trip, from a moon of Saturn, to Earth, to attend the celebration for the Fourth of July 2276. One of the government officials he is to meet during the trip is the current President of the United States, elected in 2276, by the, then, usual method of being picked by a computer as the most qualified citizen in the country. The primary quality looked for by the computer was a person who did NOT want to be President; they had to be dragged, kicking and complaining, to do the job at all, and, could only be persuaded to do so if promised they were to be allowed to leave in four years, if they did a good job….

This, of course, ensured that anyone in government had the best interests of the PUBLIC in the front of their minds, not their own self-interest, as is the case with, no doubt, over 90% of the current crop of elected bozos…. The 455 mostly white millionaires who run this country’s government demonstrate consistently how little little they care about the public, other than as a source of income for them, and their corporate cronies/masters…. When was the last time you heard about a Congressman being threatened with having their gas shut off for not paying their bill? Or any of the myriad of other problems common to all of us in the lower branches of society? That would be never, I should think….

But, to be honest, I really don’t feel like ranting, (any more than I already have, anyway…), so, we’ll leave it to an old-school variety of pearl to bring the point home, or, somewhere close enough to find…. Said point, it may be noted, is a direct pirated version of the real point, which was first noted by Fred, the Bird, when he said so aptly…. “Politics is poopadoodle.”….. Please note: in this pearl only, the initial pearl consists of the first TWO statements, indicated by a short dividing line from the other six stars…

“If we are to survive, this nation must end its love affair with guns.” — U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

“If we are to survive, this nation must end its love affair with big brother government and individuals must relearn what it means to be free.” — Jeff Chan, chan@shell.portal.com

~~~~

“The majority is never right.” — L. Long  (1912-)

“George Bush shot JFK.” — Liberal history revision, but, only held to be true in Texas…. and, patently, in metaphor….

“I think grown-ups just act like they know what they’re doing.” — Calvin & Hobbes

“He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth.” — Goethe

“Since when is “public safety” the root password to the Constitution?” — C. D. Tavares

“Being good at being stupid doesn’t count.” — Smart Bee

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The following poem is another of those I lost for a time…. Back in 2012, in September, I wrote several poems, during the first breakout of poetry I had written in over 40 years…. This one was one of the first couple I wrote, which I found in the archives just a few days ago…. Enjoy, ffolkes… This one, I believe, describes the process, as well as some of the aftermath, of how PTSD feels…. from the inside…. That makes it a particularly appropriate poem for today’s post….

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 ~~


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This is what I’d call a classic pearl; clear, directed, and useful, as long as one allows such activities in their head…. It’s pretty fresh, too, considering none of them were picked out before yesterday…. and, all were examined and formatted this morning, to assure freshness, in packaging, if not content… Here is a pretty decent remark, once all the dross is trimmed away from the essence, about one of our favorite subjects, to wit: Life at Large…. The final pearl is one of the finest gems I’ve ever come across, especially as the perfect closing line in this venue….

To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass and a book of rules,
And each must make, ere life is flown,
A stumbling-block or a stepping stone.

~~ R. L. Sharpe, Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone ~~


“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), All’s Well that Ends Well — Act iii, Sc. 5

“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.” — Aristotle

“Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to that arrogant oligarchy who merely happen to be walking around.” — G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 1908

“By a tranquil mind I mean nothing else than a mind well ordered.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 3

“There is no good in arguing with the inevitable. The only argument available with an east wind is to put on your overcoat.” — James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) — Democracy and Other Addresses

The fastest draw is when the sword never leaves the scabbard.
The strongest way to block is never to provoke a blow.
And the cleanest cut is the one withheld.

~~ “Kensho”, by Dennis Schmidt ~~


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Easiest Pearl ever, no doubt…. Of course, most of it was done yesterday, put together during moments of peace between bouts of either joint pain, or emotional pain, both of which have been my constant companion for a couple of days now…. This is not good, but, it will, hopefully, pass off soon…. In the meantime, if y’all don’t see a post here tomorrow, well, you’ll know why…. See ya, ffolkes, maybe even tomorrow…. but, maybe not, too…. Right now, I couldn’t make a firm commitment to either one….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

Kowabunga!


À bientôt, mon cherí….

She smiles a lot, for a Vulcan….

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Ffolkes,

“Ordinary people know little of the time and effort it takes to learn to read.

I have been eighty years at it, and have not reached my goal.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) ~~

potd-canyon-1_3136286k

    The picture is one almost everyone has seen by now; I got this copy from the London Daily Yell (Telegraph), in their Pictures of the Day feature. It shows the Grand Canyon, filled up by a fog that completely covers the floor of the canyon, as seen from one of the vantage points somewhere in Arizona, or Colorado…. Great shot, but, I couldn’t help thinking about how strange it must be to be on the floor of the canyon when it happens…. Talk about eerie!…. I bet the Indian ghosts who live there have a great time, running about, scaring the tourists….

There…. I’ve started a Pearl with an intro that doesn’t rant…. In addition, it never comes close to anything resembling nonsense…. At the same time, I managed to fulfill attribution requirements, and still get a mild joke in there…. Not bad for a totally new concept for me…. an introduction that actually starts the day out with some relatively common sense, rather than the usual nonsense, or, the overflowing angst that often takes over my fingers on the keyboard. I doubt it comes up to any of the more popular blogs out there, but, it’s a change for here, so, I can deal…. Not that it matters if I don’t, but, like anyone, I don’t like to look foolish any more than necessary….

Probably a little late on that, aren’t I? Oh well, it goes right along with how my week has gone, overall…. There have been some moments of grace and pleasure, such as when my kids came over to visit, and I talked to a friend on the phone, but, mostly, it’s been a week of agonizing pain, leading to the consumption of so much chemical help, my mind turns to mush, or I get sleepy, or just plain can’t think…. For me, THAT is terror…. Yesterday, Christmas, I spent sleeping, or sitting at the comp, staring at the screen, wondering if I had the wherewithal to even watch a movie, or wandering around, trying not to fall into a stupor….

Not my most productive day, though I did manage to get some of this Pearl finished, which will help this morning go faster…. I’m hoping I didn’t annoy anyone out there, by my absence, or any inadvertent failure to fulfill a given promise…. I don’t remember if I gave any, but, I couldn’t be sure of anything I did, or didn’t do that I said I would, so, mea apologia, to anyone to whom I displayed unintentional disrespect…. I can only plead temporary insanity (clinically speaking, severe pain can cause such….), and hope for forgiveness….

On that pathetic little note, I think it’s best if I get on with today’s mess; I have a feeling much of it shows how badly my PTSD has been affecting me this week; it always manages to rear its ugly head when I’m having this much pain…. I suppose it just wants to feel like it’s part of the party, but, I could do without a lot of the tears, and the sudden onset of deep emotional reaction to rather mild stimuli…. such as bursting into tears over a passage in a book that speaks of some powerful interaction between people…. Nobody is here to see, but, it is embarrassing, nonetheless for that….

Ah well, the hell with it…. Be aware, ffolkes, this one may have a few bits of smearing, from the tears getting into the ink, so, if watching someone display inner conflict is disturbing to you, maybe you should just watch the video, (picked, in part, for its ‘lightness’….), and call it a day…. It’s bound to be different tomorrow, right? Right…. Well, we hope so…. No…. It’s too important, and more than mere hope is needed…. We are counting on it being different tomorrow, because today, quite frankly, sucks….

Shall we Pearl?

“All things are the same,–familiar in enterprise, momentary in endurance, coarse in substance. All things now are as they were in the day of those whom we have buried.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 14

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One of the sure signs I’m getting old seems to be how much time I spend in thinking of past events, and bygone years; one of the sure symptoms of that is the old material I’ve been putting here, as blasts from my past…. If y’all are at all perceptive regarding psychological motivation, the shows I put here will tell you a lot about my inner workings, and what I find important in life….

How can that be surmised from all this? Easy…. remember that each of these shows I have termed my favorites are part of what I grew up believing, or, at least, the stuff society WANTED me to believe…. so, it all makes up a part of my inner picture…. In my case, it’s a pretty esoteric, exotic picture, but, hey, somebody has to exist at the fringes of society, right?…. Right…. Enjoy!….

gidget

Gidget’s Summer Reunion

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Yesterday, for me, was a wash, in almost every respect…. I felt absolutely miserable for the best part of the day, with various body parts, and brain sections trading painful cries for attention; I was reduced to coping by cutting myself off from all human contact, (lest I do, or say, or not say, or not do, something I’d regret at a later date….), and, consuming large amounts of pain relieving substances, of various strengths and chemical compositions, necessitating the use of a variety of methods of ingestion/consumption…. a long winded way to say I drugged myself into insensibility for the entire day. The only computer time I spent was to search for material to fill in Pearls for a while, as I know this onset of my PTSD is one that may last a while; I fell into a pretty deep hole, and I’m not yet all the way out….

Much of that time was spent in a state of introspection re: my life, and the darkest moments in the past; this, naturally, leads to thoughts of how those times contributed to my present state of affairs….  The following is an older piece I wrote, during a period when many of the same issues were circling in my head… It’s a bit of a self-confession, so, if honest feelings dismay you, feel free to go on without reading….

From 9/18/2012:

Often of late, I find myself staring at the screen with a vacant expression, listening to the patter that passes for thoughts in my head. I can sit like this for a long time, just meandering here and there in my memory, re-living good and bad moments from what has turned out to be a lot more years than I ever thought about, really. Until I became 60, I had never thought about how it would feel to be that age, a discovery that surprised me to a certain degree.

But, as I thought about it just now, I realized that I really had not considered what I might be doing in my 60’s, either as a career, or as a person. Part of the surprise, I know, is connected to the fact that I am currently without a life-partner, as the one(s) I chose as my supposed mate(s) seem to have chosen to be elsewhere. This state, of living alone, was not part of my plan……

I had thought to be sharing all the joy, and all the pain that my life has brought me, with a person who I thought was as committed to that as I. Instead, I am left wondering, as Tom Robbins put it in “Skinny Legs and All”,  “How do you make Love stay?” His premise is is based on the idea that love is easy to find, but impossible to keep, given the craziness of the modern world, and the state of confusion and angst that seems to be the legacy of everyone these days.

I’m not sure I completely agree with his final assessment, but I can see how it came to him, having had many similar experiences in my years. I hope he is wrong, and there are still people out there who can actually give their word to someone else, and mean to keep it….. If not, then the world is beyond hope, to my way of thinking, and we may as well just give up….

Of course, there is still that small part of me that won’t do that; I’m not sure if I should call it being stubborn, or stupid. Maybe it is what Emily calls Hope, that will not die easily. Whatever it is, it keeps me getting out of bed every day, with the view in mind to see what the world has to offer, whether it is more BS like I’ve been putting up with now for a few years, or whether there is some sort of justice to the world, and I’ll soon meet, or get together with, a person with whom I can share all of what I have inside me to give, and who will live up to whatever promises we can make to each other.

And if not, well, I guess I’ll just keep flirting with the young lady at the coffee shop, and listen to her talk about her boyfriends, smiling to myself, grieving for might have been, and hoping for what might yet be…..

Leave the past behind;
leave the future behind;
leave the present behind.
Thou are then ready to go to the other shore.
Never more shalt thou return to a life that ends in death.

~~ The Dhammapada (c. B.C. 300) ~~


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I also found this, a poem that fits in with the theme above like they were made to go together….

From 9/21/2012:

Playing by the Rules

All my days I looked for love,
And found it everywhere I looked.
The years were joyous and fully booked
Seemingly by command from Above.

In return for all of the beauty in Life I found
I played life by the Rules that we all know,
It was from my father I learned the how,
Honest love, given freely, hand-fasted, gladly bound.

It seemed a while as if it were all real,
that fulfillment and contentment could be
as real as the children given us to oversee,
to teach them of Life and Love, and how to feel.

Then storm clouds of grievous change arrived, unbidden
Insidious, deceitful, three steps forward, then one back.
Tearing holes in our beautiful cloth, a heart heard to crack,
Gleeful demons eating life’s bounty, fangs dirty, and hidden.

Pain and sorrow grew, in defiance of all I tried,
Sanctuary turned into a reluctant scene of ritual battle,
Love still lives, but is herded like doomed and pitiful cattle,
While the keening of my soul sounds as if I’d cried.

Betrayal in love is, allow me to assure, no small pain to take.
Time has no power to reduce its place in my heart or soul.
My truest love became a stranger, a powerfully sharp toll,
Solitude has become my lot, no killing time for necessity’s sake.

Love yet surrounds me, everywhere; I’m not one of those fools…
Children are forgiving, I’m glad to be able to say,
They show me life’s solid purpose, the old, right way,
I guess I don’t know any other, than to Play it by the Rules.

~~ gigoid ~~


Okay, ffolkes, this one hurt, a lot, but it had to come out…. I’ve been in tears for an hour now, first drowning in feeling that arose from inside, unasked, then letting those feelings out onto the screen, and they’re not going to stop anytime soon, I can tell. This is an old, old pain, and apparently has been hiding for a while, buried much deeper than I had previously given credence to; it fucking HURTS!….. It’s a damn  good thing that I’m an optimist, and too bloody stubborn to give up believing in Life, and all that is good and beautiful in it…. that’s all I can say…. otherwise, I’d be damned depressed right now….. I  gotta go…..

Short note from 2014: Sadly, yesterday was a repeat performance of all this implies… and, as for the last paragraph, well, all I can say is, ditto….

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

I often compose pearls of virtual wisdom with the intention of helping others live life according to their own best potential, according to what I have learned in my life…. None of the pearls I’ve ever composed gives more good, solid advice on how to accomplish that purpose, to live life with dignity, and honor, than the following list…. If you don’t believe me, just compare this to how YOU live, and see which one makes more sense….

(The simplest way to test the validity of each piece of advice? As you read each suggestion, ask yourself, a) is it good advice?, and b) how often do I do this?….)…


~~ Things We Can Learn from a Dog ~~

  1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.

  2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

  3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

  4. When it’s in your best interest, always practice obedience.

  5. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.

  6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.

  7. Run, romp, and play daily.

  8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

  9. Be loyal.

 10. Never pretend to be something you’re not.

 11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

 12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

 13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

 14. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

 15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

 16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

 17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

 18. No matter how often you are criticized, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout.

Run right back and make friends.

all better

    It all sounds pretty sensible to me…. Also, I defy ANYONE to look at this picture, (stolen from Facebook, many moons ago….), and NOT say “Awwww”…..

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

Okay, well, it’s done. Beyond that, I make no implied promises. In fact, I’m going to take this opportunity to take my leave. while I still have a neuron or two working; maybe I can get something done today, other than sleep, or moan…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if only to make another futile attempt to save my sanity…. Maybe, tonight, if I work it right, I might actually sleep past 2 AM….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

Kowabunga!


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
“Yes” said the dragon. “I prefer virgins”….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




And here, poor fool, with all my lore


I stand no wiser than before.


~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~


Alaska Grand Adventure 087


     Today’s picture is one of my own, taken at a beautiful park in Victoria, B.C., while stopping there as part of a cruise to Alaska. ‘Twas a wonderful park, wide-open, with lots of small wildlife, unafraid of the few humans walking about the grounds, going about their business on the fine, if cold, morning we rode through on a tricycle, powered by our guide, a local lad with strong legs and excellent wind. On a three to four hour trip, he hauled two of us around the city, up a few decent hills, covering about five or six miles altogether, and still looked fresh…. Ah, youth!….


Having thus explored today’s opening photo, we’ll go on to the rest of today’s mess without further delay…. What’s the hurry? Oh, well, nothing much…. Typing is painful today, and my “head’s all empty, & I don’t care”… So, I’ll be archive diving for most of this one, without any guilt at all…. Hey, it’s the holiday season, and I can take a day off if I want to…. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it….


In fact, I’m going to do it without any of the usual angst or discussion around the emptiness and sheer drudgery of making the intro, and head right off into the archives… Well, after picking an appropriately fresh video for your viewing enjoyment, anyway…. I’m hoping y’all won’t get used to this, though, as I can’t guarantee it will be like this again…. For now, just hang on, because this one will be short, but rough….


Shall we Pearl?


“No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.” — Plato, Laws


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


Here is another of my favorite TV shows from my youth…. The hero in this Western was a true Knight, and, along with my father, provided much of the role modeling I took in as a boy…. Paladin WROTE the Rules….







 


Have Gun Will Travel Season 1 Full Episodes



































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


Here is a relatively short discussion of Self Reliance, Emerson-style, from the archives…. This is pretty good, ffolkes, so, pay attention, if you please….


From 8/23/2012:


“No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature.  Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my own constitution; the only wrong what is against it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)


I was about 15 or 16 years old when we first read this in English class, and I remember distinctly when it hit home. I was at home, studying the Essay on Self Reliance as homework. I remember how difficult it was to plow through Emerson’s style of writing, which is thick and convoluted; one must read slowly, and think about what has just been read, to fully ascertain the point he is making at the time. When I came across this line, and thought about it, I experienced an epiphany of understanding, and a lot of what he said in the essay became clear. Most simply put, he admonishes all to “Trust Yourself”…….


“I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself.  Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to Heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter To Francis Hopkinson, Paris Mar. 13, 1789


Tom Jefferson lived prior to Emerson, but had a similar approach to life, and to thinking. Individualism could be said to be Jefferson’s God; to him, each man was responsible for making himself into what he wished to be, and the self-reliance so ably encouraged by Emerson came to him naturally. Though a Christian by choice, Jefferson constantly challenged the church authorities in his writing, accusing the priestly hierarchies of the same crimes for which I chastise them today, to wit: twisting the word of Jesus Christ, manipulation of the teachings, and power-seeking behaviors more suited to barbarian chieftains than priests. Tom saw clearly the need for the continued separation of church and state, as he firmly believed that combining the two would inevitably lead to the loss of liberty he feared, and for which he fought so hard.


As we can see today, he was right. He feared both the church leaders, and he feared the bankers and corporations. He wrote on numerous occasions of his lack of trust in those entities, as he clearly saw they were inimical to individual freedom, enemies who would eventually try to subvert the liberties we enjoy by slow encroachment. Guess what, ffolkes….. he was dead right. Between the “corporate personhood” enjoyed by the elite fat cats, and the brainwashing carried out on a daily basis by the churches, the public has been manipulated into willingly giving up most of their rights, for the sake of feeling safe. And why do they fear for their safety? Why, because the politicians, supported by the preachers, have convinced them that the rest of the world is out to get them, and take away what they have; for God’s sake, they’re heathens!…..


Much of the nonsense that is foisted upon the unsuspecting public would be less believable if more people believed as Emerson does, and made up their minds on their own. Instead, most folks give in to their laziness, and, unwilling to think for themselves, allow the preachers and pundits to fill their heads with lies and manipulations. This lack of personal responsibility is what is killing this country; only those who are unwary can be fooled, and one who takes responsibility for themselves cannot be fooled in that manner, for they are aware of the machinations that others will attempt, and react accordingly….. One can only hope that Emerson’s essay on Self Reliance becomes a best seller again, and people awaken from their self-induced state of somnolence…..


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


As threatened, here is another poem of mine from the archives…. Hey, I gave fair warning!…..






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 ~~




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


The following pearl is a nine-star comment on Life at Large, with a tilt toward how to do so with some dignity, or, at minimum, a degree of aplomb…. Really, that’s what it says…. Honest….


“Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is nigh at hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 17


“Virtue knowing no base repulse, shines with untarnished honour; nor does she assume or resign her emblems of honour by the will of some popular breeze.” — Horace (B.C. 65-8)


“A wise man never refuses anything to necessity.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 540


“The mightiest rivers lose their force  when split up into several streams.” — Ovid


“Tell the truth, and run.” — Yugoslav proverb


“He knows not when to be silent who knows not when to speak.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 930


“Life is too short to be taken seriously.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)


“There is no gathering the rose without being pricked by the thorns.” — Pilpay (or Bidpai) — The Two Travellers, Chap. ii, Fable vi


“Certainly the game is rigged. Don’t let that stop you; if you don’t bet, you can’t win.” — Lazarus Long


See? I’ve been telling y’all for years…. it’s all in the wrist….


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


It is probably a good thing I don’t do this for anyone but myself; if I did, I would, no doubt, be liable for any damage I may have caused, whether inadvertently, or intentionally…. My own rules dictate I take responsibility, but, I do so with the known caveat, to wit: it’s a joke, damn it! Just because it isn’t always funny, doesn’t mean it’s not a joke…. believe me. I know. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless someone talks me out of it….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Unbeknownst the vicar, vice entered the parish….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“All men are created unequal.”


~~ Lazarus Long ~~


12-8-2014 001


     The opening quote, familiar as it is, really is more accurate, and, thus, more truthful, than how people generally think, if and when they do, about equality…. A similar phrase on the subject, as used in our Declaration of Independence, in fact, uses not only the opposite side of meaning, but, also a separate connotation of the word ‘equal’ than is applied by Lazarus…. Each could be made more clear by identifying its own referred meaning, but, that destroys the effect of the bare statement….


In sooth, in the Declaration, it would have been more accurate in terms of meaning, intended or not, to say, all men are equal in the eyes of the law (Patently, an untrue statement, by the way; I challenge ANYONE to name one nation, just one, that exists now, or has ever existed in history, that has  demonstrated equality for all under the law…. That’s all…. just one….)… But, then, Lazarus could have been more polite, at least, to say that all men are born unequal in their abilities and talents…. Then, both would be right, if less compelling, (i.e., boring), in both cases….


Which is probably why they each said it the way they did, to confer to what they said their own strength of belief, that their meaning would be understood…. or, in Lazarus’ case, probably, to indicate he really wouldn’t care…. In some ways, he’s rather a dick, but, I guess it would take more than just a bit of dickishness to survive over 2500 years in human society…. There are a lot of mean, tough assholes out there….


Most of them, unfortunately, tend to use Lazarus’ version of this idea as their modus operandi, more than the one espoused by the Declaration, as is patently obvious by the most cursory examination of our modern culture…. There is no equality ANYWHERE in the systems of government that are in power around the world, no matter what sort of lip service each might make to the concept…. and the inequality gap gets wider all the time….


I’m not the first to notice this; articles on the income gap are legion in today’s news…. It is abundantly clear the division in society between the haves and the have-nots has never been more obvious, or larger…. But, I digress….


From what, you might ask? Well, hell, I don’t know… I do know I’m ranting, which I swore not to do in the intro any more…. which is what prompted the sudden change of direction we just experienced…. Where we might end up now is anyone’s guess…. Well, not mine, because I’m not going to waste my time in fruitless speculation…. I refuse to torture myself that way so early…. Hell, I haven’t even had coffee yet…. Wait! There it is now…. I’ll be back….


Ah, well, I can tell from reading the above, I may as well just say, so much for another intro…. I’ve had a bit of coffee now, so, let’s see what happens next….


Shall we Pearl?


“In writing, fidelity to fact leads eventually to the poetry of truth.” — Edward Abbey


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


I’m in the mood for some classic Dead…. So be it…. gigoid has spoken….




The Grateful Dead – Blues For Allah (Album, September 1, 1975) 





































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


“This man, I say, is most perfect who shall have understood everything for himself, after having devised what may be best afterward and unto the end.” — Hesiod (c. 700 BC) — Works and Days, Line 293


Typing is still too painful to contemplate for an entire rant; here is a discussion from the archives, not quite a rant, as much as a lesson in Life, complete with koan….


From 8/16/2012:


“Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.” — Lao-Tzu


Water…. the power of water is unmatched over time; just ask the Grand Canyon. Water ties us to the universe; our physical make-up depends on it for survival, as well as mere existence. It is so soft, and yielding, yet cannot be destroyed at all; one can only cause it to change form, from ice, to water, to steam, all of which hold the same properties as the middle state, though slightly differently interpreted. Most important, to the scholar’s mind, is its nature…. emulating its spirit, becoming like water, is the goal of almost all meditation practice, as well as a goal of the martial artist….


“My writing is like a ten gallon spring.  It can issue from the ground anywhere at all.  On smooth ground it rushes swiftly on and covers a thousand li in a single day without difficulty.  When it twists and turns among mountains and rocks, it fits its form to things it meets: unknowable. What can be known is, it always goes where it must go, always stops where it cannot help stopping — nothing else. More than that, even I cannot know.” — Su Shih


One of the most powerful of concepts in martial arts is the emulation of water. The student is taught to learn how to move like water, to move with the rhythm of the universe as energy flows from one point to another. One of the most valuable techniques I’ve seen to teach this lesson is one where the student stands in a balanced stance, one foot forward; the arms are held in front of the body, as if holding a large ball. The student then moves his weight from the back foot to the front foot, then back again, while moving the ball in a slow circle, pushed away when moving forward, and brought back when the weight shifts to the rear….


The trick to learn is to be like the tide, accepting the water as it flows in to its highest point, then moving with it as it irresistibly flows back into the sea, as the weight moves to the front foot. A smooth shifting of the weight, and finding the correct rhythm teaches both balance, and strength, and the power of moving like water…. Learning to use gravity as an ally, instead of a limitation, gives one an unimaginable advantage over one who does not know how to do so….


In addition to the physical lessons that water has to teach us, it also provides the intellect with a subject of study, to find the nature of water in its most real state. Learning the nature of water brings us closer to an understanding of all nature, and how we may fit into it with the most beneficial attitudes. The path of least resistance, followed by water as it flows downhill, teaches us to learn to find the same path for ourselves.


The immutability of water teaches us how to respect, and yet resist changes to our nature, while remaining in touch with those parts of the universe that are within all of us…. The flexibility of water teaches us to remain flexible ourselves, to learn to recognize when it is time to be ice, when it is time to be steam, and when it is time to flow like water in its normal state…..




Joshu asked the teacher Nansen, “What is the True Way?”


 Nansen answered, “Every way is the true Way.”


 Joshu asked, “Can I study it?”


 Nansen answered, “The more you study, the further from the Way.”


 Joshu asked, “If I don’t study it, how can I know it?”


 Nansen answered, “The Way does not belong to things seen: nor to things  unseen. It does not belong to things known: nor to things unknown. Do not  seek it, study it, or name it. To find yourself on it, open yourself as wide as the sky.”




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


I can feel a poem percolating, but, it’s not yet ready to come out of hiding, so, we’ll go with an older poem of mine, to keep from getting any of the splash on anyone else….




Seeing is Conducive to Belief


Folly sits so comfortably upon my fevered brow

one would easily believe that I would know how

to look at Life with a jaded, weary eye

seeing enough, and more, to know Why.


Such seems the case, as I will it to be,

an open book of a face, it looks so like me;

what’s known to be so, needs no close attention

familiar sights require no minding, nor mention.


The eye is drawn at once to the stark and new,

and sent back to sleep by successful review.

Once we find evidence we feel we understand,

curiosity languishes, dismissed at command.


Ancient sages knew the insidious value of illusion,

preachers and pundits know the power of confusion.

Each pair of eyes contains its own point of reference,

each mind sets its own standards of preference.


Seeing is believing, for those who live in thrall,

accepting what is perceived is all they ever recall.

Unknown to them, reality follows another set of rules,

Deeper, more dangerous, and no place for fools.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


Today’s final pearl is what I’d call a random, harlequin, jigsaw pearl…. But, somehow, y’know, it works…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this one is a real ride in a fast car on a mountain road…




“Nobody’s perfect…  We are what we are!” 




~~ Smart Bee ~~


“Long were the days of pain I have spent within its walls, and long were the nights of aloneness; and who can depart from his pain and his aloneness without regret?” — Kahlil Gibran, “The Prophet”




“Faith is good, but skepticism is better” 


~~ Giuseppe Verdi ~~




“For a man can lose neither the past nor the future; for how can one take from him that which is not his? So remember these two points: first, that each thing is of like form from everlasting and comes round again in its cycle, and that it signifies not whether a man shall look upon the same things for a hundred years or two hundred, or for an infinity of time; second, that the longest lived and the shortest lived man, when they come to die, lose one and the same thing.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ii, 14




“If you wish me to weep, you yourself must feel grief.” 


~~ Horace (65-8 BC) — Ars Poetica, 102 ~~




“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus




For my purpose holds…

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.


~~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ~~




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


Let if suffice to say, today’s post is a testament to perseverance, and let it go at that…. I’m, done, and, I’m outta here…. See y’all again, ffolkes…. maybe even tomorrow….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Twelve reasons to spit, rather than swallow….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Look beneath the surface; let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee.” 


~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vi, 3 ~~


11-8-2014 002 (2)


     To look at this piece of furniture, you wouldn’t believe it to have any particularly extraordinary qualities, beyond a simple functionality and inoffensive appearance…. By using Marcus Aurelius’ advice, however, we find a peculiar aspect of its existence which may not be explainable by any normal means…. I got the chair at a thrift store, as part of my thus-far-never-ending quest to find a chair that is suitable to sit in for the time I need to be in front of this computer, to compose, to read, and to otherwise multi-task, in short bursts when I can sit for a while without having to squirm, or get stiff… In trying it out in the store, it seemed to be a bit low, but, otherwise might work well for a time….


Well, as it turns out, it IS too low to type comfortably, but, is quite comfortable for watching a video, such as one of my Sherlock Holmes stories, or for reading the news, if no great amount of mouse work is needed…. Unfortunately, the chair also seems to be so comfortable, whenever I’ve sat in it for more than 5 minutes, I start falling asleep, sitting up, which will always give me a stiff neck, from dropping my head forward when I drowse…. This has happened five times now, without fail…. It’s getting to the point I’m beginning to believe the chair has been infused with some kind of magic cannabis cream, or just plain magic, to cause it to turn into a sleep chair, rather than an office chair…


It’s okay, though, I don’t mind having one spot where I know I can get drowsy; the way my sleep pattern goes, I can use all the spots like that I can find…. It’s also given me another intro section, without the need to go off on anyone’s religion, or take a side trip to the land of Odd, (which isn’t far away, in my head…), or even find some actual introductory remarks of a literary nature…. All I had to do is engage in some minor hyperbole, with a dash of stretching the truth of its effect on me, and there we were, two paragraphs down, and running strong….


Of course, right about HERE, we will start to see it fall apart, as my imagination begins to tire, having not yet consumed sufficient coffee, or sugar, to fuel such a complicated, stressful task as this has turned out to be…. I also suspect, if I want to be able to finish this out, without resorting to marginally legal acrobatics, I’m going to have to end it now, before it grows any hair…. The fuzz is already too thick for scissors, and my lopping shears are all dull from using them on my cacti….


It is, no doubt, a good thing the opening to the real world is right over there; we seem to have made good time…. This is what happens when we are lucky enough to start with a decent run at the wall; it doesn’t draw any blood, and we get where we need to go with less fuss, and less chance of litigation, which always pleases my lawyers….. Oops, sorry, got to talking and almost missed the turn…. Hold on ffolkes…. today’s missive could be a bit of a tough roe to hoe…. not to mention the possibility of cloning that is always a risk on Sundays…. (bet you didn’t expect me to remember, did ya?….)


For now, though, it is enough to know, we’re on our way, and nothing the government can do will stop us now….


Shall we Pearl?


“I was contemplating the immortal words of Socrates, who said… I drank what?” —  Shared by Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), Real Genius


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


Today’s video is a political cartoon from Mark Fiore, who makes brilliant short animated videos commenting on current world and national events…. I could not figure out how to embed the video, without joining a web streaming site, which I didn’t wish to join…. But, just follow the link below, and you can see this one, which is another outstanding observation regarding the recent midterm elections…. I won’t ask you to enjoy it, but, I will ask you to watch, and reflect on the information it has to impart….







Oh, heck…. Here, here’s a video for your morning laugh….




Adults Taste Baby Food



































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


“For some reason the little Senators make us laugh.” — Smart Bee


“But a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing t heir oppressors in Church and State.” — Thomas Jefferson, [letter?] To S. Kercheval, 1810









Oops…. It seems there is a bit of snark going on between the delusional leaders of one of the more delusional religious organizations, and the political representative their particular group managed to land in the Senate…. It all makes a pretty good example, for me, of how the separation of church and state has been quietly eroded to the point the religious group feels comfortable in making public their influence over their flock members who inhabit the halls of government, using the blackmail of guilt and threat of excommunication to try to force their desires to the forefront of the political agenda.


Now, the bishop of the church, in this case, is in trouble, for bringing it all into the light of day, more than any other reason…. I doubt very much the other church elders had intended for their influence to be outed in that manner, so, they will publicly chastise him, but, in the end, won’t really do much to him, other than muzzling his mouth by moving him to some position not accessible to the media for comment…. Having the Senate majority leader as a church member is a position those leaders will NOT jeopardize for any minor bishop’s cluelessness…. They’ll sacrifice him faster than Pontius Pilate gave up Jesus…


“I have short-term memory loss, though I like to think of it as Presidential eligibility.” — Paula Poundstone







I think I’ve become more angry at this president than any other since, well, I guess the Junior shrub made me maddest, but, then, Bill Clinton was a Bozoid of major proportion, too…. In fact, I think, in my entire life, there is only one man who was elected to the presidency who managed to garner my respect, without making me angry for having to listen to constant, unrelieved lying, or plain stupidity…. and that President (the ONLY one for whom I will capitalize the title….) was probably the LEAST effective of all the twentieth century office-holders, because he spent his entire time in office being neutralized by a Congress held by the opposing party….


His name was Jimmy Carter, and though I don’t usually admire preachers, he is the only HONEST politician I’ve ever seen at that level… the ONLY one…. and, he is the only president in the last century who didn’t made a career out of dishonesty, cheating, and public theft… and I mean the ONLY one…. Every other president, from the beginning of the last century, to the latest rogues elected in this century, has lied to the American public, almost without pause, from the first time they opened their mouths on national TV….


I had hope when Barry was elected; I didn’t know much about him, and some of what he said promised some hope of reform, in at least some areas…. But, he has been one of the greatest of my disappointments, as he has lied the MOST, of any president in recent memory, which is quite a feat, given the past few presidents…. It was unexpected that Obama would be a worse liar than either of the two Shrubs, but, he has proven time and again he is NOT going to tell the entire truth to the American people, especially about his clandestine activities, spying on his own citizens without compunction, and with impunity, thus far…..


“A politician is a man who stands for what he thinks the voters will fall for.” — Smart Bee


If I were the type to use religious expressions, I’d thank God for Edward Snowden, a man I believe future generations will regard on the same level as Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Nathan Hale, as one of our greatest patriots…. It pisses me off no end that Barry the O continues to bad-mouth him, as well as refusing to acknowledge his own culpability, as do the rest of the 455 kidnappers of the American Dream, who inhabit the halls of Congress, the White House, and the Federal courthouses…. I accuse them all of treason, not lightly, and not in fun…. Assholes, every damn one of them, only concerned with increasing their personal power, and lining their pockets with our money…..


I know this is the ranting section, so such vituperation isn’t out of place here…. However, this morning I’m a bit on edge, and typing is getting harder every day, so, I’ll leave my rant at that point, which, some would say is quite enough…. It isn’t every day that I accuse the entire government of the US of treason…. but, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not one to keep from calling a spade a spade, nor am I one to suffer fools gladly….




But we, who name ourselves its sovereigns, we,

Half dust, half deity, alike unfit

To sink or soar.


~~ Lord Byron (1788-1824) ~~


~~ Manfred, Act i, Sc. 2 ~~




Our government, long ago stolen by corporate and religious influence, to work the will of those who prey on the weak and ignorant, depending on their gullible trust in authority to allow them to lie, cheat, and steal without consequence, has now gotten to a point where they don’t even bother to hide what they’re doing very hard…. They don’t care any more, as they know that nobody has the means, or the wit, to turn against them…. They have fooled 98% of the population into believing them, in whatever they say, and know they won’t be disturbed during their cleaning out of the public’s pockets…..


Bah, humbug! I’m pissed….. and there isn’t much I can do, except this…. So, having done this for today, I’ll leave it here for now…. Stay alert, ffolkes, and call them a liar when they lie… Maybe there is still a chance, if a couple more Ed Snowdens come forth, and tell the people how much they are being fooled, and screwed….. Until then, I’ll keep yelling at them, and about them, as often as I can….




Who could imagine

That they could freak out in Kansas

Who could imagine

That they could freak out in Washington D.C.

Everybody’s clean, it can’t happen here, no, no

And they thought it couldn’t happen here

They were so sure it couldn’t happen here

It can’t happen here


 ~~ Frank Zappa ~~


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


On a day such as this, it’s gotta be Bukowski…. He’s the only one real enough to suit my crusty mood….






hello, how are you?


this fear of being what they are:

dead. 


at least they are not out on the street, they

are careful to stay indoors, those

pasty mad who sit alone before their tv sets,

their lives full of canned, mutilated laughter. 


their ideal neighborhood

of parked cars

of little green lawns

of little homes

the little doors that open and close

as their relatives visit

throughout the holidays

the doors closing

behind the dying who die so slowly

behind the dead who are still alive

in your quiet average neighborhood

of winding streets

of agony

of confusion

of horror

of fear

of ignorance. 


a dog standing behind a fence. 


a man silent at the window.


~~ Charles Bukowski ~~




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


Today’s old-school pearl came together in a rather fractured fashion; nonetheless, it came out well…. Well, it came out, anyway…. I’m not altogether certain the point it is trying to make is one of particular import, other than to each of us on an individual level…. I guess you should just let it flow over you, and if it feels right, let it flow through…. Otherwise, just take it all as good advice for living a life that makes some kind of sense, on a larger scale than the merely personal…. Hmm…. I suppose that may be asking a bit much of an obscure seven-star pearl, but, we’re like that around here….


“Integrity has no need for rules.” — Albert Camus


“When the need arises — and it does — you must be able to shoot your own dog. Don’t farm it out — that doesn’t make it nicer, it makes it worse.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s  “Time Enough For Love”


“In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds.” — Aristotle


“As a rule, there is no surer way to the dislike of men than to behave well where they have behaved badly.” — Lew Wallace


“Lampis the shipowner, on being asked how he acquired his great wealth, replied, “My great wealth was acquired with no difficulty, but my small wealth, my first gains, with much labor.” — Epictetus (c. 55-135 A.D.)


“The world has taken on a thickness of vulgarity that raises a spiritual man’s contempt to the violence of a passion.” — Charles Baudelaire




How lov’d, how honour’d once avails thee not,

To whom related, or by whom begot;

A heap of dust alone remains of thee:

‘T is all thou art, and all the proud shall be!


~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — To the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady, Line 71 ~~




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


Once more, I’ve pushed beyond my zone of comfort to get this done…. Oh, don’t worry, I’m not saying it makes me special, or that any admiration is due; I’m just glad it isn’t toxic, or overtly offensive to anyone but a preacher, a politician, a corporate snakehead, a pimp, or a myrmidon…. They, of course, may choke on it, as far as I am concerned…. For now, I’ll just bid thee adieu, until tomorrow….


See ya, ffolkes, and remember what Tommy Toilet always says… “Always wipe thoroughly, kids! Rectal itch is NO PICNIC!”© (R. Crumb, 1966, or so….)


Sorry, couldn’t help myself….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
“Banging” seems popular this season….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Friends are needed both for joy and for sorrow.”


~~ Yiddish Proverb ~~


fuzzy Albert


     With a brilliant smile, and a pithy remark for the kids, the Samurai baking enthusiast shouldered his pack, took up his walking stick, and left the building with Elvis…. They didn’t know where they were going, but, they sang happily as the strode along, down the wide pathway leading from the city to the river’s edge. When they came to the water’s edge, they kept walking, straight into the swiftly flowing stream, step by step, until the water covered their heads. A couple of moments later, both men emerged, head-first from the water, as they continued their stroll up the far side of the river’s bed, to the roadway above….


Sliding into the multi-colored VW bug parked at the side of the road, the Samurai baker, turning to Elvis as he turned the key in the ancient car’s ignition, remarked, “Well, do you think any of them bought our story?” “They must have,” replied the King. “They didn’t hassle us about leaving, and if they’d known the whole story, we’d be locked up right and tight!” “You’re right, I guess,” sighed the Samurai, picking a bit of flour from his eyebrows. ” I wonder if they’ll ever get that stuff out of their town fountain’s filter?” “Who cares?”, Elvis grinned, “we’ll be on Mars by then!”


Hmm… a bit cheeky, but, not bad. I suppose, one of these days, I’m going to have to take this process a bit more seriously, by finishing at least a short story based on one of the introductory paragraphs I’ve created here over the years…. If I had any interest at all in ever making any money at this, I’d do that…. but, I don’t, so, if I were y’all, I wouldn’t hold my breath too long….


Speaking of which, I’m not going to make y’all wait too long today to get going. I’ve got a lot to do out in the BBR today, all of which promises to be a lot of fun, and very satisfying, to boot. One is allowed to hope, at least, so, I will. What I will NOT do is belabor any more points, or keep us wandering around in this section. Instead, I’m going to take advantage of that opening right THERE…. and get us out of here…. Hang on, it’ll be another bumpy ride, but, should get us where we need to go…..


Shall we Pearl?


“If we are not stupid or insincere when we say that the good or ill of man lies within his own will, and that all beside is nothing to us, why are we still troubled?” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxv


Very good question, Epi…. We’ll get to that….


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


Today’s video selection is another blast from my past… James Taylor’s album titled after one of his biggest hits, is probably one of the all-time best selling albums from that era, so much so, it can be considered to have achieved icon status… I know that it is one of the most fondly remembered albums of my youth, and still manages to hit all the sweet spots…. Enjoy, please…. I did, and am….






 


James Taylor – Sweet Baby James (1970) (Full Album) HD





























































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


“If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.” — Isaac Asimov


In the upcoming days/months/years, you’ll see a change in the articles I’ll be using to supplement my arguments, on those subjects about which I rant. I am really tired of depending on just one, or three, or even four news purveyors, as they have all become sycophantically similar in the weight of their computing footprint; loading their pages can take forever, even at current speeds, because they like to include as many photos, videos, and income producing ads as they can… This is an example of how businesses pander to the stupid; they have determined that most of the people on the ‘Net, especially those who will click on anything bright, shiny, or lurid, prefer pix and vids, because they don’t have to read, or think; that’s all done for them…


SFGATE, the New York Times, even the UK Guardian, all have gone to a format heavy on less than challenging materials, though some in-depth, text-heavy reporting can be found on the Guardian, with a bit of digging. Other, internet based companies, like Huff post, and Bloomberg, etc. were already more like People magazine than a hard-line news reporting outlet…. Many of them now also want the reader to register on the site before being allowed to read anything other than headlines; this is so they can obtain your profile data, allowing them to sell that information, opening the registered reader to copious amounts of spam emails, all wanting to sell something, or seduce more data out of the victim…


Rather than spending my time to search far and wide every day for interesting material, both to read, and to use to discuss current affairs, I downloaded a RSS feed aggregate program, from Source Forge, the open source software development organization online, a clearinghouse for programmers working to develop new and more powerful tools, free to all, each one written in open source programming language(s), making them open to being improved by all who use them….


Now, any time I wish, I can open the RSS Owl, and find the latest news from virtually, and literally, any number of sources I wish, including all those I used to have to visit on my own…. The aggregate organizes all of it into appropriate categories, so I can find just the type of news I wish to explore, from all over the world… It starts with several thousand RSS feeds, from all over the internet, and the world, and can filter the results to fit any key words, or types of stories I want it to focus on, giving me just those in the categories I choose…. Pretty nifty, eh? Any time I find a new source of information with an RSS feed, I can add those to my reader, and see whatever they post, within seconds of it going online….


With the national, state, and local midterm elections coming up in a couple of days, I thought it would be good to start the new format/source utilization with a report on some of the issues being decided on Tuesday, all over the country… It’s a pretty good summary piece, and pretty fair-minded for a progressive site like the Daily Kos…. Other examples of new material will follow, as sort of a new kind of pearl…. I’ll see you at the end, hopefully not a bitter one….


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/02/1340952/-Abbreviated-Pundit-Round-up-Fear-and-lying-edition?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29


Well, there you go, ffolkes… This is how the new format, for this section, will look… or, knowing me, by tomorrow it may be completely different… But, rather than keep you now, glazing your eyes over with a rant on the upcoming election tomorrow, I’ll wait until AFTER the election, which promises to provide a wealth of material upon which to rant, as the Democrats and Republicans continue their battle for control of America’s wallet…. I’ll leave y’all with an appropriate thought, or two, as identified by our resident dB, Smart Bee….


“You are all depending for your spirituality on someone else, for your happiness on someone else, for your enlightenment on someone else…. You have been accustomed to being told how far you have advanced, what is your spiritual status. How childish! Who but yourself can tell you if you are incorruptible?… I desire those, who seek to understand me, to be free … from the fear of religion, from the fear of salvation, from the fear of spirituality, from the fear of love, from the fear of death, from the fear of life itself…. You can form other organizations and expect someone else. With that I am not concerned, nor with creating new cages, new decorations for those cages. My only concern is to set men absolutely, unconditionally free.” — Krishnamurti (1895-1986) From his last speech to the Theosophical Society


Me, too….


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


One of the blogs I follow is that of a poetess of great talent, who writes under her own name, Mari Sanchez Cayuso…. She posted a blog with a short paean to Ms. Plath, which reminded me it had been a while since we’ve used her poems…. Here, then, is one of my favorites of hers, though all of what she wrote is pretty amazing…. Loosen up any resident constraints upon your imagination, ffolkes, you’ll need it to read Sylvia….




Witch Burning


In the marketplace they are piling the dry sticks.

A thicket of shadows is a poor coat. I inhabit

The wax image of myself, a doll’s body.

Sickness begins here: I am the dartboard for witches.

Only the devil can eat the devil out.

In the month of red leaves I climb to a bed of fire.


It is easy to blame the dark: the mouth of a door,

The cellar’s belly. They’ve blown my sparkler out.

A black-sharded lady keeps me in parrot cage.

What large eyes the dead have!

I am intimate with a hairy spirit.

Smoke wheels from the beak of this empty jar.


If I am a little one, I can do no harm.

If I don’t move about, I’ll knock nothing over. So I said,

Sitting under a potlid, tiny and inert as a rice grain.

They are turning the burners up, ring after ring.

We are full of starch, my small white fellows. We grow.

It hurts at first. The red tongues will teach the truth.


Mother of beetles, only unclench your hand:

I’ll fly through the candle’s mouth like a singeless moth.

Give me back my shape. I am ready to construe the days

I coupled with dust in the shadow of a stone.

My ankles brighten. Brightness ascends my thighs.

I am lost, I am lost, in the robes of all this light. 


~~ Sylvia Plath ~~




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


Y’all have been here before (unless you’re a virgin Gentle Reader…), you know what to do…. So, do it…. Today, we are, once again, talking about LIFE AT LARGE, as it applies to us naked apes….


“Everything is in a state of metamorphosis. Thou thyself art in everlasting change and in corruption to correspond; so is the whole universe.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 19


“The need to be right is the sign of a vulgar mind.” — Albert Camus


“Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.” — Friedrich Nietzsche


“A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free.” — Nikos Kazantzakis


“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine; and at last you create what you will.” — George Bernard Shaw


“Sometimes I think we’re alone. Sometimes I think we’re not. In either case, the thought is quite staggering.” — R. Buckminster Fuller




Pity this busy monster, manunkind, not.

Progress is a comfortable disease.


~~ e.e. cummings, One Times One ~~




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


Today’s Pearl is now in that state in which I am able to pronounce it done… or, close enough for our purposes…. Since the BBR is calling me, I shall be off…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!




 À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
View only with intimately innocent eyes….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				Reply			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“Cats know how we feel. They don’t give a damn, but they know.” — Smart Bee


10-19-2014 008


     This picture has NOT been altered in any way, other than to sharpen up the spider’s outline. It sure is a BIG one, isn’t it? Why, just looking at it, sitting there on the side of that house, it looks to be a good foot and a half long, wouldn’t you guess? I’ll bet the folks who live there don’t have to worry much about flies, or even stray dogs…. the spider would make sure NOTHING got into the house, unless it came to act as the dinner entree…. I wonder what it would be like to have a trained attack spider….


There…. now y’all can’t accuse me of never giving y’all any nonsense in the intro any more…. I must admit, what with the stuff going on in the world, and my own issues, such as the advent of diabetes, worsening arthritis, and ongoing wars with Kaiser P, it’s been a bit difficult to maintain the proper mindset for nonsense…. One must needs bring out the inner Zippy the Pinhead, and let the nose grow to its maximum degree of round redness…. or is that red roundness?…. Any who, as can be guessed, when dealing with HMO’s or postal employees, sobriety works much faster than silliness, so, I got out of the habit of getting strange, just for the hell of it….


As can be surmised, however, as a life-long bozoid personality, strange is never far off, so, it takes mere moments for me to adopt the mantle of humorous oddity that settles so comfortably upon my shoulders, whenever I let my inner Bozo out to play. Nothing is more fun, or more satisfying, than to bring a frown of confused annoyance to the formerly unhappy faces of those who surround me in public, or to drive entire rooms full of diners out of a restaurant, through the use of what is called, in the mental health industry, word salad…. Plus, there is, in my mind, NOTHING that compares to confusing myrmidons, such as county sheriff’s deputies, or rookie CHP’s…. they’re so cute when they scowl, don’t you think? And nothing is better than getting them right up to the point of apoplexy, only to discover I’ve done nothing illegal….


But, teasing the animals with badges isn’t all fun, nor is it always danger-free, even when NOT acting illegally….. There are far too many aggressive, stupid idiots wearing badges, who think nothing of abusing their authority, and filing false charges against any member of the public they don’t like…. especially one who makes them feel stupid…. but, I figure, it’s not my responsibility to make them feel good…. I do figure it is my job to make fun of them, and to give them every bit of crap I can, because you can be sure, they will be doing so to the public, eventually…. Too many police officers in today’s world are in the field simply because it gives them the opportunity to act tough, and to bully others….


But, I’m not going to rant, he said, piteously…. I promised I wouldn’t!….. Besides, at this point, I don’t have to…. I didn’t notice, but, we passed the legal limit some time ago…. Time does fly when having fun, eh? I’m thinking, since we’re already here, I’ll just dump us out of the intro right here, in this paragraph, so we can get on with the show before I get much weirder…. As is patently obvious, and, as I said above, strange isn’t far off, for me, so, we’ll just let it go at that, and get on with what we came to do…..


Shall we Pearl?…..


“It is not necessary that whilst I live I live happily; but it is necessary that so long as I live I should live honourably.” — Kant, Immanuel (1724-1804)


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


As promised,  I pre-screened this video, and can faithfully, and truthfully say, it’s a good story…. It happens to be one of my favorite Holmes stories…. and Jeremy Brett was one of the better Sherlock actors, in my opinion…. He captured the fragility of Holmes’ mentality quite well; his “crazed eyes” are perfect, as is his infectious enthusiasm when portraying Holmes on the scent…. Enjoy ffolkes, it’s a bit less than an hour of solid entertainment, as the Victorian world of Watson and Holmes is brought to life on screen for your enjoyment….







Sherlock Holmes and the adventure of the Norwood Builder — Jeremy Brett







































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


It has been some time since I posted this list…. It is comprised of 20 statements of the qualities one must display in order to live up to the name of gentleman…. I could spend quite a bit of time going over each characteristic, complete with examples of how poorly most men in this country do at meeting these standards, but, I am of the opinion that each of these speaks for itself.


Each statement of character is short, clear, and unambiguous; do this, and you will live with honor, integrity, and respect, not only of others, but, your own as well…. I once heard it said, and can certainly agree, the best way to teach this to your sons is to follow each directive, showing them HOW…. no words are necessary. Just live, and let them watch, and learn….




A Gentleman Is


    There… Now, isn’t that better than a rant? I must say, it was a lot easier on me….


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


The following entry is not a poem, but, to me, it is poetry in prose, simple wisdom derived from experiential observation and insight. If I ever marry again, I will seriously consider having the preacher/shaman use this for the ceremony…. This one is one of those I don’t really care if nobody likes…. I do….. But, I happen to believe that there are very few rational, compassionate humans who can find much in this to which they can object…. Enjoy!…. The sentiments expressed are the best we humans have learned to express….




“Marriage. It’s a hard term to define, especially for me, I’ve ducked it like root canal. Still there’s no denying that marriage ranks right up there with birth and death as one of the three biggies in the human safari. It’s the only one though that we’ll celebrate with a conscious awareness. Very few of you remember your arrival and even fewer will attend your own funeral. You pick a society, any society– Sunni, Fidembo, Pennsylvania Dutch– what’s the one thing that they all have in common? Marriage. It’s like a cultural hand rail. It links folks to the past and guides them to the future. That’s not all though; Marriage is the union of disparate  elements– male and female, yin and yang, proton and electron. What are we talking about here? Nothing less than the very tension that binds the universe. You see when we talk of marriage, people, we’re talking of  creation itself. ‘I am the sky,’ says the Hindu bride-groom to the bride, ‘You are the earth. We are sky and earth united.’ The ring please Joel. You are my husband, you are my wife. My feet shall run because of you, my feet shall dance because of you. My heart shall beat because of you, my eyes see because of you. My mind think because of you, and I shall love because of you. Are you guys cool with that? Then kiss.”


~~ Chris Stevens, “Northern Exposure” ~~




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


The following pearl is possibly the oddest pearl I’ve ever put together…. I’m not certain if it was Smart Bee guiding my hand, or if my subconscious was being cute…. What I do know is that, odd as it seems, it also seems to make some kind of sense…. which means this is a stealth pearl, one that delivers the message it wishes to convey by taking the mind through vistas unknown, but, ending up where one may bend over and pick up a solid rock of insight, put it in their pocket, and wander away as if entranced…. Or, just let it wash over you, and spread its balm of understanding via the process of cellular absorption…. Whatever….


“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” — Walter Winchell


“I have two pets: A large main dog, and a small emergency backup one.” — Smart Bee


“Conservatives want to make people virtuous; liberals want to make them healthy. Both believe that using the state to accomplish their aims is legitimate. That is why both conservatives and liberals favor anti-drug laws, psychiatric coercions, and other assaults against individual freedom and responsibility couched in therapeutic terms.” — Thomas S. Szasz


“That which is incapable of proof itself is not proof of anything else.” — Shelley


“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot” — Charlie Chaplin


“Bush wears a hat so he knows which end to wipe!” — Smart Alec Bee


“We made too many wrong mistakes.” — Yogi Berra


“The happiness and unhappiness of the rational, social animal depends not on what he feels but on what he does; just as his virtue and vice consist not in feeling but in doing.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 16


“Let’s have a Tupperware party! Habeamus convivium ad mercem emendam.” — Latin For Everyday Occasions


Okay, that should do it…. what it will do remains to be seen, but, it should be, if nothing else, adorably cute…. or not.


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


This one defies all description…. Well, it defies all MY description, anyway. Such as it is, though, it IS done, which puts it into that category of my favorite pearls… i.e., the finished variety…. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. I can’t seem to talk myself out of it…. HONK, HONK!…..




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!




 À bientôt, mon cherí….




 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Fricasseed rutabaga with mulled acorn sauce….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“History has the relation to truth that theology has to religion — i.e., none to speak of.”


~~ Lazarus Long ~~




more Invergordon 005


     The picture today goes to show that, a) timing IS everything, and b) even amateurs get lucky sometimes…. I took this from the deck of a cruise ship while docked in Scotland, at Greenock, the port town closest to Glasgow. After some mild fixing of the picture’s features to bring out it’s best appearance, it became clear the sky to the right side is different from the sky on the opposite, left side, with the rainbow serving to mark the line between the two opposing filtered views…. One obviously is where the rain is still falling, producing the rainbow as the light is broken up passing through the raindrops, each of which acts as a small prism, breaking the white, transparent light into its component colors…


For me, knowing what is happening doesn’t reduce the beauty, or the wonder of a rainbow….. One does not have to subscribe to the myths that grow up around such natural displays in order to appreciate the beauty; for me, just seeing it is wonder enough. That I can comprehend the process makes it more precious to me, as an example of how the universe yields its treasures to us little by little, exposing us to its idiosyncrasies and oddities one at a time, to allow us to study, and reason, and apply the power of our imagination to satisfy that  monkey-curiosity, so much a part of us, which demands we know the WHY of all we see before us….


That, as you can see, is a fairly objective, yet accurate assessment of part of our nature, or, at least, that part of it I allow to affect my life…. We do, of course, have options, choices of what to believe, and how to act; as we learn, we know more how to make those acts the right actions, that will make life better for all of us, rather than choosing to behave in ways that cause trouble, for myself, or for others…. Sadly, mental discipline, and the power of reasoning, is all-too-often utilized by those who have chosen to assume the mantle of predator, a choice our entire culture seems to adopt at times, a choice which has turned our society into one marked by violence, and, in my view, insanity on a global scale….


Now, perhaps, you will see my own problem, at least in terms of writing this blog…. Starting out with the beauty and wonder of a rainbow, I end up ranting about human nature, with implications of impending global doom, in less than four paragraphs…. If it weren’t such a PITA, I might consider it a gift, of sorts….. But, my readership numbers seem to indicate it has become old, which, I am sure, it is…. Even I am getting tired of spouting off against the idiots who are making our world such a fucked up mess, threatening to kill us all by drowning us in our own shit (figuratively speaking, though, not by much….); my spouting doesn’t seem to have much effect….


Plus, if I rant here in the intro section, it diminishes the impact, if any, of whatever rant I’m planning for section two…. SIGH…. It’s a conundrum for which there may be no solution, given my own nature, and my need to write in order to maintain any semblance of sanity….. Oh, well, there isn’t anything to be done about it just now, so, I guess I’ll take advantage of the exit I see coming up, thus kick-starting the rest of today’s effort, such as it may be…. Hang on, ffolkes, that exit hole looks a little tight….


Shall we Pearl?


“A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.” — Buddha


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


Whether you realize it or not, you’ve heard this woman’s music…. In today’s world, it would be hard NOT to hear it, as she, and her band of string artistes, made the music for a movie that all of society has either seen, or heard of….. I speak of the Lord of The Rings, of course, in the movie version…. Angele and the band played the theme song written for the first movie, The Fellowship of The Ring,  entitled “Concerning Hobbits”, which you will hear in one of the first two or three pieces in this collection of their work; it will sound very familiar, as it has been all over the airwaves since the movie came out…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is a great band….




Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà: 50 videos







































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


I am apparently burnt on ranting; I don’t seem able to work up the angst to begin…. Ah, well, I’ve done so much of it in the past, there’s always one that will work…. here, for example, is a good one from last year, just after I got back from Europe…..


From 5/30/2013:


“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle


For much of my life, since reaching what I like to call the age of reason, at about 10 or 11 years of age, I have been aware of this aphorism from Aristotle. If not the aphorism itself, the principle was clear to me from a young age, and I chose then to always strive to be excellent, in whatever I chose to do. You see, I also found out, it requires a deliberate choice to pursue excellence, because it a) doesn’t just happen by itself, and b) it annoys other people. It is the second factor that dictates the need to make a deliberate choice; most people make the opposite choice, to be average, to not stand out too much, unless it is to their advantage to do so, to control or impress others, not for the state of being excellent.


More explicitly, most people try to excel at tasks, or games, or whatever, in order to promote their own agenda, not for the sake of just wanting to do things right, or to scratch the itch of curiosity, or to be the best person one can be. And society at large is quick to show their disapproval if someone is too different in this respect; the normals are afraid of both of the other ends of the human spectrum, the incurably unintelligent AND those who perceive more, and when most people are afraid of something, they make life hard for it, if not downright unbearable, and/or dangerous. Pink monkeys don’t go over well in a brown monkey tree….. They tend to either leave the forest, live in misery, or dye their fur brown, in short order….


This is why the choice must be made, to pursue excellence; it’s not an easy decision, but critically important. It is also a decision that can’t be made half-way; once committed, it extends to EVERY area of one’s existence, requiring effort and dedication to achieve to any significant degree. I can only speak for myself, but it was the best decision of my early years, and I have never regretted making it, because the rewards are much greater than mere comfort, or any other I can think of that comes with giving in to peer pressure; to live with not seeking all there is to see, hear, and do in life, and do it with style, intelligence, and honor.


“By steadily disciplining the animal nature, until it becomes one pointed, it is possible to establish conscious awareness of The Eternal.” — Lao-Tzu


This is a bit metaphorical, but describes well the intensity and consistency of effort that is required to maintain an excellent attitude about life. It’s hard to keep it up all the time, and I have to admit I’m as human as anyone else, and get tired, not to say just plain frustrated, when I cannot easily, or even eventually, reach the goals I’ve set for myself. Fortunately, I also know that being human is okay, and just because I am not always at my best, does not mean it is not still within me, ever within my reach, whenever my perceptions are clear enough to show me the way. The path to Truth, fortunately, is always well lighted, though it may get confusing, and sometimes seem dark through the power of illusion; it never stops being the Truth, though, and that makes it always attainable….


Perhaps there will be some who will read this treatise, and think it arrogant, or condescending; I hope not, because it isn’t intended to be so. It is intended to be a sharing, of the understanding I have that can be of help to anyone in their life. This understanding is based on what I know to be true, and not on fear, or lack of understanding of what is real, in both Nature, and in people. There is great potential in people, much more than we, as a species, or as individuals, ever achieve…. partly because much of humanity is content to be normal, to sit back and let other people decide how the world should go, because it’s too much work to try to control their own world.


We can be so much more than a society of couch potatoes, sagely listening and nodding our heads in agreement with the talking heads we see on the Tube, or laughing ourselves mindless over the insane, or downright stupid acts of imaginary people meant to be metaphorical, but only seen as role models for a reality that doesn’t exist. Even the advent of computer technology, with all its nearly unlimited potential for what only twenty years ago would have been called “magic”, has not inspired people to strive to be excellent, in work, in play, or in ethics; certainly not in government. Instead, we are drowning ourselves in fashion apps, or photo apps, or social media apps, and losing even more connection with the real world in the process….


Ah well, I suppose all will turn out how it will, in spite of my objections, or anyone else’s indifference. C’est la vie, as the French would say…. such is life; I think it appropriate that we hear from the ancient sages about that, as we started, to close this series of thoughts and rambles perfectly… well, maybe only one ancient sage…..





Epictetus sez


    So be it…. gigoid has spoken.


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


According to the above rant, this poem of mine goes well with the theme, so, here ’tis….




A Failure to Germinate


Marking the days in elements of sad disarray

only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.

With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel

pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.


Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light

breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.

Just below the surface they patiently hide

to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.


Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand

while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.

Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state

until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.


I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild

only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.

In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold

with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.


My search finds little to support any hope of relief

far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.

The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded

until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.


Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime

that reality has boasted of proudly, time after time.

The last answer we think of is always the best

as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


Man, n.:  An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be.  His chief occupation is extermination of other animals and his own species, which, however, multiplies with such insistent rapidity as to infest the whole habitable earth and Canada. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


Day before yesterday, for some unknown reason, I took a moment during the day to sit down & just go through Smart Bee, to see if it had resolved whatever issue(s) that have been bothering it, preventing it from cooperating with any searches to any appreciable degree…. I don’t know yet if it has resolved those issues, but, this time, it regurgitated so many pearls, all on the subject indicated by the entry above, from the Dictionary I use most often, including, it seems, the concomitant subject of Life at Large, especially as it applies to Life in this country…. It was so prolific I had to create the first-ever 13 star pearl, just to include all the stuff it threw at me that fit…. plus an intro, and a closing pearl, to seal the deal with a flourish…


Enjoy, ffolkes, and don’t worry; this one explains itself as it goes along. You won’t have any trouble keeping up…..


“Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of the colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. Each time a person stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” — Robert F. Kennedy  Speech, South Africa, 1966


“I am an agnostic; I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are sure of.” — Clarence Darrow


“He who dies for virtue, does not perish.” — Plautus (B.C. 254-184)


“The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war.  Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin.  But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.” — Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961)


“Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors and miss.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


“If it is not seemly, do it not; if it is not true, speak it not.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, xii, 17


“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” — The Constitution of the United States of America Amendment 4, 1791


“The belief that there is only one truth and that oneself is in possession of it seems to me the deepest root of all evil that is in the world.” — Max Born, physicist


“Aryse ye techno Serfs! Let us seek out the bloated aristocrats, and roast them in their own juice upon the fires of righteousness and justice!” — Dan, rabble rousing the contractors


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


“Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right.” — Laurens Van der Post, The Lost World of the Kalahari (1958)


“The three branches of government: lobbyists, media, PAC’s.” — Smart Bee


“I love my country too much to be a nationalist.” — Albert Camus


See? Told ya…. However, my lawyer tells me I should provide a disclaimer with this one, so, here it is, in all its marginally (il)legal glory….


“I demand IMPUNITY!” — Zippy the Pinhead


YOW!    ‘Nuff said….


So be it….


gigoid has spoken, more’s the pity…..


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


So much for planning…. Without going into the details, let me just say…. HONK! That’s all ffolkes, I can do no more damage, and may just cause actual trouble if I continue, so, I’m outta here…. See y’all tomorrow….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….




 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Aiming at center mass…..

			
						

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Ffolkes,


 




“To love someone deeply gives you strength. 


Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.”


~~ Lao Tzu ~~


 






potd-whale_3060891c




     


If one accepts the premise set forth above by Lao Tzu, then I am immensely strong, but, have yet to be able to define courage in myself…. a thought that occurred to me as I read it this morning…. Oh, that isn’t to say I am not loved; I do have children, both of whom still talk to me, so, I’m good to go there…. Also, I have friends, who have been so named for over 50 years; I know well the love that abides between us…. But, of the love he speaks about here, I am apparently unfamiliar…. and, to be honest, that hurts…. a lot.


Enough that it sent me into a deep hole of depression, for a time, until I managed to put a bit of distance between myself and the pain…. a process with which I am quite familiar, both physically and mentally…. Unfortunately, that distance isn’t enough to prevent the onset of the symptoms of PTSD, including the depression; my feelings, torn and bloodied as they are, tend to stay quite near the surface, so that the relief of weeping is always just a nanosecond away from release, whether I wish it or not…. Bit of a pisser, that, as it can, and does, strike at the LEAST     convenient moments….


Add in arthritis, heat enough to melt cheese on the sidewalk, and a touch of dizziness left over from vertigo, and you’ve got the makings of a very miserable day…. or three…. At least I have this to help me get it out, which a great many people do not possess; for three years now, being able to vent has kept me reasonably sane, or, enough so to avoid prosecution for any outlandish public behaviors…. But, it still doesn’t help me get an intro section done, which, really, is all I’d hoped for today…. Well, maybe it’s working… we ARE three paragraphs in, and, no blood yet, even though we’ve already had our whine, and some cheese…. or, a mention of cheese, anyway….


Ah well, such is life, I suppose…. The picture above is amazing, to me, not because of the rarity and beauty of the shot, but, for giving us a reminder of how much we don’t know about our own planet, and its denizens…. We see here the largest creature on the planet, jumping completely out of the water, for its own reasons, possibly connected to the large growth of barnacles on its underside, visible in the above photo… Some scientists believe the whales breech like this to try to remove those barnacles; if so, I can see how it might work,as several TONS of animal crush down on the growth, with a LOT of force…..


Regardless of why the animal jumped out of the water, (an incredible physical feat, to say the least, to lift that weight completely out of the depths, into the air….), the photo, (again taken from the London Daily Telegraph, in one of their photo features…) is a beautiful shot, and well worth the placement I gave it, as a small piece of “amazing” to start the day…. It also got us far enough into the day to declare this a legal intro, and allow us to take advantage of this little ending point…. Which one? This one….


Shall we Pearl?….


“Virtue is its own revenge.” — E. Y. Harburg


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


REPORTER: “Senator, are you for or against the MX missile system?”


SENATOR: “Bob, the MX missile system reminds me of an old saying that the country folk in my state like to say.  It goes like this: “You can carry a pig for six miles, but if you set it down it might run away.” I have no idea why the country folk say this.  Maybe there’s some kind of chemical pollutant in their drinking water.  That is why I pledge to do all that I can to protect the environment of this great nation of ours, and put prayer back in the schools, where it belongs.  What we need is jobs, not empty promises.  I realize I’m risking my political career be being so outspoken on a sensitive issue such as the MX, but that’s just the kind of straight-talking honest person I am, and I can’t help it.” — Dave Barry, “On Presidential Politics”


It may seem as if I’m cheating, but, that’s okay; I’m in enough of a bad mood I don’t give much of a shit. The above, to me, is PERFECT. It is absolutely an accurate portrayal of the typical Bull Shit spewed out daily by our pundits and talking heads, on every conceivable subject. I’m not in the mood to rant, not effectively (when depressed, I tend to get vicious, & not always perfectly reasonable….), so, instead, I’ll furnish y’all with some links to more evidence of the kind of crap being pulled on us by our so-called leaders… then, a couple of questions, followed by some pearls to take a few satisfying shots at those assholes…. I will probably sublimate the need to rant by making short comments between pearls…. fair warning….


Why does our government feel it to be so important to develop all these new robotic weapons, and maintain such close surveillance on their own people? Do they, perhaps, expect some sort of revolution?


It’s worth thinking about…..


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/04/nsa-surveillance-reform-politicians-2015



http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/05/us-navy-unmanned-drone-boats



http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/05/us-drone-strike-kills-five-pakistan-militants-north-west


“A man does not serve his country by canting, snuffling and marching in parades, he serves her by striving to make her clean, brave, just, intelligent and worthy of respect.” — H. L. Mencken, Baltimore _Evening Sun_, June 13, 1916


(1916, eh? This is a very uplifting thought, and, given the truth of the sixth pearl in this group, 1916 was apparently the LAST time anyone in this country voiced such an idea…. In today’s world, nobody at all buys into this….)


“An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought.” — Simon Cameron (1799-1889)


(Again, in today’s political world, this remains an inarguable truth….)


“This is not politics… it’s to protect the innocence of children.” — Sen. Bob Dole on the introduction of his new Protection of Children From Computer Pornography Act of 1995


(Sure, Bob…. we believe you….)


“There is no absurdity so palpable but that it may be firmly planted in the human head if only you begin to inoculate it before the age of five, by constantly repeating it with an air of great solemnity.” — Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)


(Another truth from the past adopted as gospel by today’s pundits and preachers…. and, a very accurate description of just how the powers that be indoctrinate the public….)


“I’m all in favor of the democratic principle that one idiot is as good as one genius, but I draw the line when someone takes the next step and concludes that two idiots are better than one genius.” — Leo Szilard


(Too late, Leo…. our society adopted that belief back in the early twentieth century, and has strengthened the position with every law enacted since 1963….)


“You can’t crush ideas by suppressing them. You can only crush them by ignoring them.” — Ursula K. LeGuin


(Truth absolute…. see pearl # 1, above, for its typical application in Reality….. Also applicable to pearl #4 in this group….)


“I don’t vote.  It just encourages them.” — A Maine woman


(For sure…. and, I think I may just adopt this woman’s position, if only for the aggravation it will save ME…..)


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


Today’s video shows off the talents of one of the finest voices of the previous century, in his final performance…. Brilliant!…. Okay, so I like simple, clean, pure voices…. sue me…. But, first, enjoy the video….


 


Roy Orbison – Black & White Night Live (Full Album) 

































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


Yesterday’s poem was also from this author; as mentioned then, he is often underrated….. Hence, the relatively dubious honor of being twice-featured here….








The world is too much with us; late and soon


The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;

The winds that will be howling at all hours,

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;

For this, for everything, we are out of tune,

It moves us not.–Great God! I’d rather be

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn. 


~~ William Wordsworth ~~






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


I’ve said this before, but, it remains true: sometimes, this business of creating pearls works better than others…. and, again, this is one of those times… Just follow the bouncing ball, as it shows your mind what direction to follow, then, at the end, just let the point wash over you, like manna from heaven (well, hey, if the preachers can promise that sort of spiritual ecstasy, I can do the same, and have an equal chance at having it be true, right? Odds are…)…. Whatever…. this is a good one, ffolkes, so, you might want to have a pen and paper handy…. for notes…


“Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.” — Thomas Paine


“Ambition is in fact the avarice of power.” — Smart Bee


“The judge is condemned when the criminal is acquitted.’ — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 407


“To find a fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.’ — Plutarch (46 AD-120 AD)


“If any man can convince me and bring home to me that I do not think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who abideth on still in his deception and ignorance.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vi, 21


“He who knows does not speak, He who speaks does not know.’ — Lao Tzu


“…just when I had you wriggling in the crushing grip of reason, too…” — Calvin & Hobbes


 


A-laughing-girl-and-her-camel


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


I am unsure of exactly how I got this done; if it weren’t so much of a routine, I wouldn’t have been able to do it, I think…. I suppose I’ve done this long enough, autopilot features have evolved; I certainly didn’t install them… Regardless, it’s done, and I’m thankful, because now I can go do whatever I need to do to work my way out of this hole I’ve dug… Like the old Cowboy said, “When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is… stop diggin’…..” Makes sense to me…. Until tomorrow, ffolkes, if I’m lucky…. I won’t comment on your luck….


 


Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!




 À bientôt, mon cherí….