Balderdash! A jury won’t convict without that mango….

Posted on March 18, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Now that I’ve been sitting here for more than 45 minutes, with nothing that comes close to resembling a coherent thought having passed through my brain, it might be time to start to panic…. First, I was sleepy, so I sat and dozed…. Then I stared at the screen a while, just letting my mind wander, which it did, far enough I had to spend the money for a bus to go find it….. When I got back, I was still sitting there, staring….

At that point, I came to the realization that I might just be having a bit of a problem here this morning…. In order to avoid the sort of issues that can arise on such occasions, I closed off the partition between the cockpit and the cabin, which will at least keep the stewards, stewardesses, and the rest of the flight crew from catching on to what is happening….

Of course, for them to clue in to what’s happening, it’s a point of fact that I need to know first, and, I don’t believe the odds on that are very good, not today….. I’ve always found that keeping them ignorant for as long as I can works better than letting them in on any part of the pre-take-off routine, anyway, so that plays right in to what I planned. I suppose all of this will have to come out at the next board meeting, when the newly-minted policy manual is to be revealed…. I think I’ll just mark it all down on the tally sheets, and get on with whatever else we’ll be allowed to do….

Your guess about that would, patently, be as good as any I could make today…. In fact, I’m pretty sure that, so far, I’ve been almost completely impenetrable, in terms of meaning…. I ask you… have I said ANYTHING rational, or, even anything coherent, yet today? If you said yes, may your God have mercy upon your soul, because your brain has died ahead of your body…. Nothing, as far as I can tell, of what I’ve produced thus far today even APPROACHES coherency, and, I think we can safely assume that rationality is equally out of the question… unless drastic changes in Reality take place very soon, anyway….

The reason for my cranial fog is easy…. I overdosed…. Well, as far as it is possible to do so on cannabinoids, I overdosed, which is not the same issue as with other drugs…. By this I mean that I just ate one too many of my chocolates, and it’s making it hard to wake up…. my mind would prefer to be asleep, thank you very much, and is rebelling with great stubbornness to the idea of waking up all the way…. Droopy eye lids, foggy mind, lethargic, stiff body, all the typical symptoms of an old, tired crank are present, and no matter how hard I try to cudgel my mind into working, it doesn’t want to cooperate….

Oh, look at that…. In spite of all this, I’ve again managed to spew out five paragraphs of pure twaddle…. In light of how things are progressing up to this point, I’m going to have to settle for that, and get on with the rest of this…. I can’t say I’m particularly hopeful that things will get straightened out in time to salvage today’s Pearl, but, with the world in the state it’s in, I don’t think it will notice much anyway…. Plus, the traffic here at ECR has dropped off again to the point where I feel lucky to see five visits a day, not counting my own checks to see if anyone has left a comment… SIGH…

It doesn’t matter, though, any more than it ever has…. This stuff HAS to come out of my head, before it becomes toxic, or explosive, so bear with me, while I empty out the crap that built up overnight….

Shall we Pearl?…..

Years steal
Fire from the mind as vigour from the limb,
And life’s enchanted cup but sparkles near the brim.

— Lord Byron (1788-1824) — Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto iii, Stanza 8
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Ranting, of course, is out of the question today…. I’d probably end up frothing at the mouth over something I did myself, thus adding weight to the evidence being gathered to have me committed….. So, I’ll stick to old-school pearls, which can only hurt me if I let them…. Let’s see what Smart Bee has for us today…. How about we use the word, “honor” as a parameter? Let’s see what comes up, shall we?….

“Badness, look you, you may choose easily in a heap: level is the path, and right near it dwells. But before Virtue the immortal gods have put the sweat of man’s brow; and long and steep is the way to it, and rugged at the first.” — Hesiod (c. 700 BC) — Works and Days, Line 287

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

“A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” — Paul Simon

“There is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue.” — Edmund Burke (1729-1797) — Observations on Late Publication on the Present State of the Nation,
— Vol. i, p. 273

“As some say, Solon was the author of the apothegm, “Nothing in excess.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Solon, xvi

“Forget about likes and dislikes. They are of no consequence. Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness.” — George Bernard Shaw

“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the falsehood. One word of truth outweighs the world.” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Wow…. sometimes, this process just works really well…. All good stuff, ffolkes, and a damn fine way to spend a few moments of your allotted reading time today….
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Resorting to the use of Emily’s poetry, for me, is an indulgence…. today, I need that indulgence, so, Shawna will just have to deal…. 🙂

I reason, Earth is short

I reason, Earth is short—
And Anguish—absolute—
And many hurt,
But, what of that?

I reason, we could die—
The best Vitality
Cannot excel Decay,
But, what of that?

I reason, that in Heaven—
Somehow, it will be even—
Some new Equation, given—
But, what of that?

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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Since I don’t possess the wherewithal to produce a fresh rant, here is one from the time prior to the election in 2012…. This is one of my favorite rants, because it doesn’t pull any punches, or make any excuses…. It’s mini, but it’s mighty…. Enjoy….. Oh, if vulgarity offends you, you might want to skip this…. it’s pretty fucking vulgar in spots…. It uses words like “lawyer”, “priest”, and “politician” frequently, all of which offend me….
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From 6/20/12:

“If a lawyer and an IRS agent were both drowning, and you could only save one of them, would you go to lunch or read the paper?” — Smart Bee

Now, THAT’S funny! Some folks think that making fun of lawyers and those of the same ilk, (self-serving, avaricious, completely without compassion….) isn’t nice. They believe that lawyers and IRS agents are sincerely trying to help people with their problems. These are the same ignorant fools who go to church on Sunday, listen to a sermon about the starving children in third world countries, then go home to a table full of food, with no feelings of guilt, much less irony. The same people who rant and complain about illegal immigrants, but won’t deign to work in the fields to harvest the food they eat, or pay their immigrant nanny a minimum wage.

I say FUCK THEM!!! Fuck the lawyers who use the misery of others to line their own pockets. Fuck the IRS agent who sweats some poor slob for thousands of penalty dollars because he made an inappropriate exemption claim on his form, so he could maybe get a dollar or two back on his return, instead of paying twice as much, percentage-wise, as any millionaire.

FUCK the ignorant fools who blindly accept what they’re told, by anyone on TV, or wearing a suit and a flag pin, or in a pulpit…. FUCK all those who refuse to use their own brain for more than carrying their fat ass from table to toilet, and back, or learning to use the remote control…

FUCK the preacher/priest, who doesn’t pay any fucking taxes at all, and counsels obedience to worldly authority. FUCK the fucking politicians, who have set up, and continue to take advantage of, a system that keeps the honest, hard-working citizen on his knees, and rewards lying, cheating, bullying, and stealing from the public treasury….. FUCK the “corporate persons” who control ALL the fucking money and resources, at the expense of everyone else on the planet….

FUCK them ALL, really hard, in the place it will hurt the worst….

Sorry about the vulgarity; all of a sudden, the anger I feel at the world’s situation these days built up beyond my ability to contain, and it needed to come out somewhere….. this was handy. Anger, I know, is often counter-productive, but in this case its underlying cause, the denial of my desire for mankind, can be laid directly at the feet of those I mentioned above.

What I want is for everyone to have a fair chance to be happy. That is what our Constitution was supposed to provide, but those perverted assholes who actually run things have done all they could to see that purpose is not fulfilled. The average Joe today doesn’t have a chance, unless he is willing to give up all of his humanity in the search for wealth and power. IT FUCKING MAKES ME CRAZY!

Okay, that’s enough on that for one day. I could easily write another five or six paragraphs, complete with endless examples of the egregious lying, cheating, and stealing going on in front of us, but that would no doubt end up boring us both. Instead I’ll ask you to go register to vote, to make sure that, for this election at least, there is a chance to push back the forces of ignorance that once again threaten our way of life…..Register, and make sure to vote……
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There you go…. I suppose, at this point, so long AFTER the election, my only remaining hope is that in the NEXT election, we are given something more than we generally end up with, and can actually cast a vote that doesn’t feel as if we are being forced to choose the lesser of two evils…. Fat chance, eh?…. I, like everyone else, apparently, consistently choose to forget that anyone who WANTS to be president is, by that desire, marked as someone who should never be allowed to have it….

It takes a very sick mind to WANT to possess that much power over others…. Alternately, it is also insanely egotistical of ANYONE to think they are capable of handling such power, while still maintaining their own integrity…. History has proven beyond all shadow of doubt that just isn’t ever going to happen; it never has before, and there is no reason to think that anyone alive today is MORE virtuous, or more capable, than ALL of the examples in history that prove it to be impossible.

Now, if y’all have an example, in history, or in imagination, that proves me wrong in this, I’d be happy to hear it…. But, having looked at most of what has happened in Man’s relatively short time on this planet, I feel pretty confident that won’t be happening, even if anyone WAS stopping in to read this….

Enough for one day…. Fuck ’em, they’re assholes, and they’re going to kill us all if we don’t make some radical changes in society…. Too bad it might already be too late….
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For such an ordeal, this came out pretty well… Well enough I can let it fly without feeling overly anxious about it…. In fact, I’m going to tell myself a lie, and believe it is SO good, it will garner the most traffic of any Pearl, ever….. Right….. Like THAT’s gonna happen….. Oh well, c’est la vie, as they say in Paris…. They DO say that there, don’t they? I hope so…. See ya….

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

If it were only REAL cheese!….

Posted on February 16, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Now I KNOW there’s a conspiracy! The US news media has been overcome by an act of sublimely random kindness, as evidenced by their recent refusal to publish news that will depress people, or make them feel blue…. I’m pretty sure they show all the symptoms of having been infected with pronoia, the condition wherein a person is convinced there is a conspiracy by the world to make them feel good; in reaction to this infection of uncommonly good sense, they have been forgoing the publication of news that is critical, or gross, or gory, or anything marginally depressive, in favor of articles about cancer survivors, heartwarming Olympic back stories, kid’s birthdays, or other such positive crap….

I mean, it’s okay by me, mostly…. I really don’t mind not having bad stuff to look at all the time…. But, hey, we DO need to keep at least a weather eye on our beloved leaders, to ensure they’re not doing anything we wouldn’t approve of (as if THAT ever mattered to them!….). If the journalists continually refuse to even look at that, well, that wouldn’t be a good policy to continue, as it would make things worse than they already are….. We all know what wearing rose colored glasses will do in the long run…. and it isn’t pretty…

So, if you have the opportunity, talk to your local journalist, and tell him, or her, that while you appreciate their recent turn toward a more positive outlook on life, one must acknowledge reality, and reality dictates we keep the BRC and the rest of the Asininnies under scrutiny at all times, lest they come to feel an even greater sense of entitlement, if that is possible…. We don’t want to encourage them any more than is necessary to keep them under control….

Would that we, the people had that much control over our politicians! But, as y’all have probably figured out by now, this is all parody, and has no real connection to how the world really works…. It’s more of a wish, a dream of how things SHOULD be, or maybe, of how the world COULD be, if enough of us, who know the real score, were able to wrest back the control the BRC has clutched in their bony fingers for the last 5000 years….

Unfortunately, those of us who realize what has happened, and would be willing to try to change things, are too few, and too scattered to be able to organize effectively (besides being a bunch of independent assholes, who mostly don’t play well with others….).

So, the world will keep on muddling along as it always has, with the haves taking from the have-nots, and we’ll all dance the mambo down the path to Hell, wearing our fashionable handbasket clothes…. Well, most folks will…. Me, and a lot of ffolkes I know, we’ll just keep on keepin’ on, until the Grim Reaper comes to personally escort us to the other side of the River Styx…. Until then…..

Shall we Pearl?…..

“There has never been an intelligent person of the age of sixty who would consent to live his life over again. His or anyone else’s.” — Mark Twain — Letters from the Earth (1905-1909)
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I could, no doubt, under different circumstances, go surfing around the web, to some of the off-the-main-track, alternative sites for news, or to some of the international news sites, such as in Europe, or elsewhere around the world, to pick out some material about which to rant…. The US has their fingers into more than enough situations all over the globe to supply me with something about which to rant…. In addition, I have enough chops now, as a writer, I think, to be able to pick out almost anything, and write a few hundred words in exposition…. Howsomever, which is a word I just made up, I think, (well, Spellchecker never heard of it, that’s for sure..), what I don’t have is the wherewithal to sit long enough to do so…. An intro, and a paragraph, and I’m nearly at my limit…

Hence, the presence here, in section one, of an old-school pearl, freshly picked, but, without any particular standards or parameters to guide SB in the presentation process…. That way, I’ll get a wider list from which to choose the best…. That’s the plan, anyway…. Let’s be about it, shall we? I’m getting stiff…. not in a good way….

Have you ever wondered why you always run out of breath when you throw up? Ah, but a man’s retch should exceed his gasp, else what’s a heaving for? — Smart Bee

(Sorry, really, I couldn’t help it…. This was Smart Bee’s first entry today, and it caught me unawares…. I almost blew coffee out my EARS, laughing so hard without warning, and actually did strain a muscle in my jaw in grinning so fast and wide….. What do you expect, with no standards?….)

“I would have made a good Pope.” — Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994)

(I had an almost identical reaction to this one, which came mere moments later…. Too funny!….)

“Then again, e=mc^2 may only be a local phenomenon.” — Einstein

(Oh, I suppose one must keep an open mind, and not assume too much….)

“In much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” — Old Testament — Ecclesiastes i, 18

(See? See? What did I tell you? They want us to NOT think, to NOT question anything they tell us!…. And you thought I was kidding….. Okay, I’ll shush now….)

“Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.” — Carl Sandburg

“Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains.” — Affirmation from The Book of Law, an ancient sacred text….

“Intellect annuls fate. So far as a man thinks, he is free.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Laugh, about it, shout about it when you’ve got to choose–whichever way you look at it you lose.” — Paul Simon

You may have noticed that this pearl has eight pearls in it, rather than the obligatory seven…. This is because I couldn’t choose between the last two, both of which make a good closing thought for this group…. though I do lean a bit toward the one that is sung over the one that merely speaks its piece…. You can make your own choice, or, do as I did, and just throw out the first one, which pretty much stands alone, anyway…. There you go….
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Having, up to now, completely screwed this up, in terms of anything original, or even terribly interesting to think about, I think it’s best if I use my own poems, so as not to create any guilt by association for any other author, or poet…. Try to enjoy it anyway, ‘kay?….. Hell, y’know what? I’ll even make it a two-fer, by leading off with a haiku, written as part of the daily poetry challenge last year on WP, a world-wide writing challenge to write a poem a day for the month of April….. The poem below the haiku came another time, and speaks about my muse, with whom I maintain a passionate love/hate relationship….

Haiku II

An inner light glows
shining out of open eyes;
madness or wisdom?

~~ gigoid ~~

Dreaming of Calliope

La belle dame sans merci speaks aloud, through endless night,
torturing dreams, with powerful words and stentorian phrases.
Manifest visions, bathed in unbearable grace and light,
destroying all direction, standing lost, in unfathomable mazes.

Fate plays a part, one that will never face denial,
as fear and courage eternally vie for ascendancy.
Conflict becomes valid, gifting strength in open trial,
but honest emotion wears no costume so fancy.

Blood, sweat, and tears stroll on avenues of gold,
unlikely heroines heralding as in ancient lore;
Sharp, competent knives cut through tales untold,
eternally shifting reality past the naked shore.

Drifting toward origin, bereft of mandate or cause,
finished, nay, abandoned, tied with a figurative bow.
No simple gift from muses to give comfort or pause,
save that all we need to know, we already know…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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As noted above, my physical condition this morning isn’t compatible with long periods in the chair…. My time in the chair, of course, must be balanced with a caveat firmly in mind, to wit: I also cannot stand or walk around for very long, before having to sit, to stop the numbness that begins to affect my legs after a few minutes upright, with or without walking…. Even in a chair now, I have to consider my skeletal posture, to avoid pinching off some part of my spine or sciatic nerve, and getting numb…. SIGH…. some parts of getting old really SUCK, you know?….

Fortunately, I have now a backlog, consisting of a couple of million words of reasonably coherent, intelligent discussion, from which to pull something adequate for the purpose at hand, i.e., a politirant, for which we are overdue today (Well, I’m not counting the mild little fantasy rant in the intro….)…. Here, then, is another blast from last February, just prior to receiving the news of my impending award of Social Security benefits, which, apparently, kept my mind in a state of curmudgeonly agitation, if the Pearls from that period are any indication…..

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From February of 2013:

Quemadmoeum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis telum est. [A sword is never a killer, it is a tool in the killers hands.] — Lucius Annaeus Seneca “the younger” ca. 4 BC – 65 AD

The issue of gun control is currently a HOT BUTTON issue for a lot of people in this country…. (Sorry, didn’t mean to shout….) At least, it is for those who enjoy over-reacting to all the violence reported in the news….. They seem to forget that there are now significantly more than 7 billion people on this planet, with more crowding on every second; the increased violence we are seeing is a natural result of overpopulation, combined with stupidity, both of which exist in ample supply in our society…. The following is a piece I wrote in 2012, not long after one of the school shootings that occurred that year….. The piece, to my mind, pretty well summarizes my objections on this issue addressing the naive, foolish, unwarranted fear that has prompted the idiotic notion of repealing the Second Amendment altogether…. Here is my response to that idea….

“Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence… From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable…. The very atmosphere of firearms every- where restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.” — George Washington (bogus?)(who cares? I don’t, it doesn’t make it any less true if it was said by someone else…..)

I hear a lot of people these days spouting off about gun control, which, to them, means that all guns should be outlawed, or, at minimum, made so difficult to acquire the normal person won’t bother. This is a viewpoint that I have never understood, because it makes a totally unwarranted assumption (more than one actually, but we’ll address one of the most critical….), i.e., guns cause violent behavior…..

This fallacy is generally accompanied by the unwarranted assumption that, if people couldn’t legally own them, unwanted episodes of random violence would stop. This is naive, and unreasonable, given that there is absolutely no evidence to support such a contention.

There is no evidence whatsoever that violence is NOT part of human nature; this is a psycho-social FACT of human nature, with so much evidence in support, it isn’t really a matter of debate. People have violent tendencies, and violence is the primary response of a great many people who have never learned, or had reason to learn, how to use their reason to control their emotions.

Though I’ve never owned or carried a gun, I am a firm believer in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, in its most literal sense. Without the right to bear arms in our own defense, we, as citizens, would be at the mercy of whomever was in office at the time, and would have no recourse at all to any redress of grievance against those officials, since they could not be forced to comply with law.

I do NOT trust any elected official to act in MY best interests; human nature also decrees that they will act in their OWN interests first, with no compulsion to even consider anything else. Making it a law that only police and government lackeys could legally be armed is a sure way to guarantee that the average citizen would be at the mercy of these so-called leaders, mercy being a quality that they have never heretofore demonstrated in any fashion.

As I said, I don’t own or carry guns, yet…. For much of my life, I’ve trained myself to be dangerous without the use of them, and feel no fear that I cannot deal with an armed man to my benefit; this is simply because it is the person holding the gun that is the danger, not the gun itself. Speed, power, and accuracy are the key elements to controlling a violent situation, along with some forethought and preparation, and the ability to keep a clear mind when under duress.

When a person is holding a gun, they feel ten feet tall, and invincible, but they remain human, and humans can be controlled with superior strategy and tactics. It does no good to hold a gun, when the target won’t sit still, or even remain visible….. and in these cases, that sense of being impervious becomes a liability to the gun-wielder, because, in reality, we are all nothing more than weak, slow, hairless apes, in comparison to most of the creatures on this planet. When dealing with a human trained to kill, the gun is only of use when the one holding it is of equal skill as the one at whom they intend to fire.

However, most Americans do not have this sort of skill set, nor the state of mind that makes it work. In the hands of a skilled warrior, a gun becomes a dangerous weapon indeed, for it will be used to achieve the warrior’s goals, as any weapon would, and not employed to merely bully others into doing what is desired, which is the usual use of these kinds of weapons in the hands of the ignorant and deceitful. Politicians, by the very nature of their sociopathy, do get rather deceitful in the pursuit of their self-centered ends. The desire to be in public office, to me, is a sure sign of a sick mind, since a healthy one has no need to assume power over others, being content to be in control of themselves.

At this point in the narrative, I feel I’m about to become a bit sarcastic, placing myself in jeopardy of becoming caustically so, even if I am justifiably directing my ire toward those shrill advocates of this kind of legal oppression, to wit: laws that attempt to legislate morality…. a pastime known to be fraught with proven danger…. So, I’ve unilaterally decided (Hey, if Barry O, the pOTUS can, I can, too!….) to stop this rant here, to avoid offending anyone unduly (Probably not why Barry does it…).

I agree with the need to tighten the regulations regarding assault weapons, in terms of keeping them out of the hands that have the most likelihood of misusing them, but, not NEARLY as far as is wanted by the fear-mongers. I think it is a good idea to keep guns out of the hands of children, (without proper adult supervision and training….), and people who have demonstrated the lack of emotional control needed by a free citizen of this country, to own and use a gun appropriately, i.e. the mentally ill, who are characterized by a lack of impulse control, or those who have previously shown their own lack of, or unwillingness to use, the necessary control, by having used guns in the commission of previous serious crimes…. None are good characteristics to see in someone with a gun in their hands….

But, once again, I must caution people to examine any laws that DO get passed, closely, paying attention to the details, to ensure they don’t go farther than is necessary, which the people in charge have a tendency to do; it’s part of their nature to attempt to slip stuff by the public…. I’ll try to wake up your precautionary instincts by asking this…..

If the insane are not to be allowed full rights as a citizen, who is it that gets to decide who is insane? The same issues of trust are present, or absent, in that idea, as in the assumption that the Beloved Ruling Class will act in our best interests….. They can be trusted to act in their own interests first, and we all would do well to keep that in mind….. I’ll ask y’all to think about this, ffolkes, and remember what we all know about what happens to those who ignore history…..

“1935 will go down in History! For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient and the world will follow our lead to the future!” — Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), prior to confiscating all civilian firearms

“There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.” — Bob Dylan

Note from February, 2014: Just so it’s clear…. All of the above is true and complete to the best of my knowledge, accurately representing the opinion of gigoid the dubious, today, just as well as it did a year ago…. So be it, gigoid has spoken….

“I am not being paranoid. Paranoid is being afraid of things that aren’t there… trust me, I should know.” — Lauren Alexander
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Well, this has been a productive morning, all thing considered, so, I’m going to trust my luck up to now, and beat a hasty retreat, before anything untoward has an opportunity to throw a metaphorical wrench into the works…. See ya…..

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

For your safety, we use ONLY the BEST metaphors….

Posted on November 4, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Never having been one to deny myself new experiences, here I am, up and writing, wide awake, at 0335 in the AM…. Over the last few days, I’ve been plagued by a physical side-effect of quitting smoking, one that nobody bothers to mention to those of us considering the move; they just wait for it to hit us, AFTER we’ve already learned to do without the surcease to the spirit that smoking supplies…. I’m speaking of the incessant coughing that I’m experiencing, whether I smoke anything or not…. I’ve given up the cigarettes, though not without some trepidation for losing an old friend; the trade-off of twenty extra years of life is well worth it….

I’m not sure that giving up the pipe, in which I have been accustomed to use to consume my marijuana, which I use for relief of pain, low-level, constant anxiety, and sleep enhancement, is going to work, though…. It seems that NOT SMOKING is causing my lungs to attempt to clear themselves completely of whatever is in there annoying them, which entails an almost constant wheezing, accompanied by a following series of spasming coughs, to try to clear the phlegm causing the wheeze, from the air passage…

This can take up to ten or twelve hacking coughs, each one more violent than the last, to get the obstructing culprits cleared out adequately; until they are, I am gasping, coughing, and generally threatening to explode, unable to get a full breath, all the while experiencing the accompanying mild degree of panic that goes with that state….

“No one sings hymns to breath; but, Oh!, to be without it is death!”…. Rama, God of Death incarnate, from Roger Zelazny’s “Lord of Light”

So, here I am, coughing up a lung every few minutes, in a semi-constant state of oxygen deprivation, with no pot to soothe my spirit, or alter my consciousness far enough to keep me from wanting to kill someone every other moment of the day…. I’m amazed I’m not in jail yet, for having wasted a number of people on the street….. Of course, that may be because I’ve been coughing too much to get out on the streets, but, you know what I mean….

It has to be annoying to my lady; it can’t be easy hearing me cough up what sounds like a hairball every few minutes… but, so far, she has only once accused me of sounding like a sick cat, puking in somebody’s shoes for effect…. She’s more patient than she seems…. But, it is no less annoying for me, to have to stop whatever I’m doing, including this process, every couple of minutes, to take the time to catch my breathe, after completely losing it during one of the attacks…. It also makes it hard to consider going into public, as I get a lot of odd looks when I’m trying to clear my chest and throat of the obstructions provided by my own body’s healing process…. or, that’s what I’m assuming, anyway…

If it IS NOT healing, but is rather a sign that it will NOT heal at all, well, then, I’m really up that proverbial creek, named after our digestive products, without a directional steering device for boating vehicles, otherwise known as a paddle…. Oh well, I guess I can only wait to see if, or, more positively, when it passes, to see how my breathing has either improved, or gotten worse for the period of severe coughing…. I hate it when I have to wait like this, but, there is no hurrying the body in its processes…. They happen at nature’s speed, which has no connection to, nor is affected by how we feel about it, or how badly we want it to change….

Well, now that I’ve self-ranted against my own foolishness, for having first gotten hooked on cigarettes when I was 16, and for thinking that giving them up would be easier than it is, I suppose I should go on to something a bit more interesting for y’all…. Sorry ’bout all this complaining, ffolkes, I’m getting old, I guess, and physical issues are assuming a bigger part of my attention these days, since there are SO MANY of them…. most of which were NOT IN THE DAMN MANUAL!!! But, I promised myself I wouldn’t be one of those old people who are always full of complaints, so, let’s just take the above six paragraphs of whining, and be on our way into the day’s dive for some delectable pearls….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.” — Socrates (BC 469-399)
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“I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time.” — H. L. Mencken

Eric Snowden will someday be recognized as the honorable Über-geek he really is; more importantly, I am hoping that he’ll rightfully be admired as an American hero. It is already clear that he was just as brave as any soldier on the front lines of a war, for having had the courage and integrity to defy his corporate-controlled, amoral spy-masters, to reveal to the world the illegal and seemingly limitless spying tactics used by the NSA at the behest of our governmental corporate lackeys, knowing full well that by doing so, he was setting himself up to be persecuted by them. This situation is a perfect example of how the government will say one thing in public, and do another in private…. More specifically, it shows how little the government believes in its own need to follow the laws they make…. They seem to feel as if the making of the laws allows them to assume they are exempt from them….

“I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance, any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it.” — Charles Dickens

We have “whistleblower laws” in place in our country, laws which are SUPPOSED to protect people like Mr. Snowden from being prosecuted when they bring illegal activities into the light of day; theoretically, these laws keep them safe from the people they are accusing, who would otherwise try to harm them to stop the bleeding…. However, our dearly beloved ruling class chooses to ignore all that, and are trying to bring charges of espionage and treason against him, as though he were some kind of spy himself, working for another country….

Eric Snowden was not a spy, unless it was for US, the people; after all, the NSA did hire him in the first place didn’t they? He must have had some technical credibility, and must have been relatively clean of misdeeds, as an über-geek, in order to have been asked to work for them at all, right? I would assume so…. Of course, that makes the arguably incorrect assumption that the NSA has some clue as to what they are doing, as well as at least a small degree of expertise in their chosen field… I could be wrong about that, though….. 😆

I think he’s done about as well as he could to keep from helping our enemies; what he HAS done, to our own leaders, is embarrass them highly; THAT is what they will not forgive…. To a politician “face” is very important, as are all illusions of appearance; why else would they all wear those stupid ties, all of a “power” color, and that silly-ass flag pin…. They feel they cannot afford to be seen as weak, or indecisive, so they will make ANY decision, no matter how wrong it may be, just to keep from appearing as if they don’t know what to do. They’re incapable of making a decision at all if it would make it seem as if they were admitting to being wrong in any way…. To give Mr. Snowden the credit for what has done, they would have to first admit they have DONE wrong, and they are not willing to do that, more’s the pity….

http://news.yahoo.com/snowden-says-calls-reform-prove-intel-leaks-were-114707696.html

I happen to agree with Mr. Snowden’s assessment of the overall effect of his information leaks; I think he has made the world a safer place for all of us, if only because he made it perfectly clear that we are being lied to, right and left, by our own leaders. This is invaluable information, that the public NEEDS to know, if we are to be able to protect ourselves…. It is a bit disheartening, to be sure, to have to protect ourselves from our own leaders, but, hey, it’s better to know than not to know, for sure…. Now that we know, we can act accordingly to bring more pressure on the government to straighten up and fly right; if nothing else, more people have learned that it is important to keep a close eye on those who would call themselves our leaders, to keep them from screwing us around any more than they already are….

“I believe and I say it is true Democratic feeling, that all the measures of the Government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer.” — William Henry Harrison

I believe that not only is Eric Snowden NOT a traitor; I consider him to be a Patriot of this country, deserving of the Medal of Honor, or the Freedom Medal, the highest civilian award possible, for bravery and courage in the face of severe persecution by his own government, and for bringing to light the illegal and immoral acts of our government lackeys. It took great courage, and great commitment to the truth, for him to make the decisions he made, and I, for at least one, thank him with all my heart….

“He who endeavors to serve, to benefit, and improve the world, is like a swimmer, who struggles against a rapid current, in a river lashed into angry waves by the winds. Often they roar over his head, often they beat him back and baffle him. Most men yield to the stress of the current… Only here and there the stout, strong heart and vigorous arms struggle on toward ultimate success.” — Albert Pike (1809-1891)

(Albert Pike…. another interesting fellow…. If you have a few moments, Google his name, and read the wikipedia article about him… It’s a pretty interesting life he led, and I wonder why he is less of a well-known figure than he is… He was responsible for a lot of good work back in the 19th century, and deserves some of our thanks for all he did to preserve the freedoms we DO have today…. Check him out…)
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Political ranting over the news is an exhilarating, if a bit raucous, occupation for so early in the morning, and tends to leave me a bit unsettled, if only in my level of anxiety (No worries, said anxiety is ALWAYS with me, to a slight degree, so it’ not a big issue, or one I’m unfamiliar with….Life goes on, with or without it….)… When I feel this way, I always seem to turn to a poem to bring me back to the center. The poems this lady wrote always fill the bill, for me, to bring me some kind of soothing peace, even when the poem has no apparent connection to anything else I’ve been writing about…. It works for me, and, hopefully, will work for y’all as well…. Enjoy!…

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,–
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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It is most likely for the best that the only thing left for me to do today is to go old-school…. It is currently only ten minutes after 5 AM, an early hour for me to be this close to being done with this missive…. I’ll take a short break, to let Smart Bee, and myself, catch our breath, both figuratively, and literally speaking…. In the infamous words of the Governator… “I’ll be back….”

As threatened, here I am, and breathing easily, for a change…. This will be a lifestyle pearl, chock full of the wisdom of the ages, to give us all a clue as to where the next steps on the path to enlightenment might be placed to best advantage… Enjoy!….

“The hardest part about gaining any new idea is sweeping out the false idea occupying that niche. As long as that niche is occupied, evidence and proof and logical demonstration get nowhere. But once the niche is emptied of the wrong idea that has been filling it – once you can honestly say, “I don’t know,” then it becomes possible to get at the truth.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” — Buddha (B.C. 568-488)

“Character is much easier kept than recovered.” — Thomas Paine

“It is not without good reason said, that he who has not a good memory should never take upon him the trade of lying.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book i, Chap. ix, Of Liars89

“A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” — Paul Simon

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle

“After enlightenment, do the laundry.” — Zen proverb

Ooh, ooh, that reminds me… I’m out of clean socks…. 🙂
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Okay, so they can’t all be perfect….. though that last group of pearls comes pretty close…. Let’s see how much damage I’ve done today…. Okay, that’s surprisingly good, given the handicap I gave myself today by starting so early…. I’ve once again greeted the dawn, and it’s time now to cease my endless chatter, in favor of the pending activities I have scheduled today out in the Big Blue Room…. Rental cars, dentists, stores, doctors, all are in my radar for the next couple days… Wow, it’s almost as if I had a real life!… See ya….

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.s

Which is Why….

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

gigoid

Twice around the neck should do nicely….

Posted on May 3, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“And then I woke up.” — Smart Bee

That, I think, is better….. I’ve searched and struggled, and tried a hundred different ways to open up these Pearls, and nothing works more than once. But, I’ve decided. if I use an ending for my beginning, it could work as a template…. I just write that first line, and follow it up with some of my favorite nonsense, or maybe a poetic quatrain…. or just some oatmeal, figuratively speaking. I may never speak in the literal sense again; things always seem to get serious when I do, so why should I put myself through that? And figurative oatmeal is a piece o’cake, so to speak, without frosting, so that works, too…. Let the Metaphorse be with us!….

I would be very appreciative if anyone can tell me what I said above, literally….. I don’t think it can be done, but I wanted to check with the experts. I wrote it with as few contact points with reality as I could, without it starting to look fake, or as if I was just putting in the time, without any real effort. If there isn’t anyone who knows what I meant by the above, I’ve accomplished my task; if it makes any sense, I’ve screwed it up, again, and we’ll have to start over….. You don’t really want me to have to do that, do you? I didn’t think so…. once through is plenty, when it comes to my intro sections, so it seems…..

Perhaps I should do this more often…. ‘this’ being a very early up, call and jump into cab, zip to hospital lab, and back again, all before starting in on this Pearl. The intro section is sort of writing itself, even though all my eyes want to do is close up shop, & go back to bed….. which could yet happen. In fact, I think that’s a good idea, and goodness knows it won’t hurt anything, as nobody is currently reading my blog anyway…. got a total of five “Likes” yesterday, matching the previous 24 hours, and making it three days now with virtually no visits from anyone, not just regulars…. Is there a WordPress vacation going on, or something?…. Ah well, since I write for me, not for anyone else, it doesn’t matter anyway…. Therefore….. NAP TIME!…. I’ll be back….

“Life eludes logic.” — Smart Bee

Aha! That explains all of it! Now we can get on with the normally scheduled activities of the day, since Smart Bee has taken over the creative process completely. I suppose I could chalk all of it up to getting up so early, but, that’s never been acceptable before, and I doubt it would fly now. Though I’m a firm believer that the worm should have stayed in bed, being the bird is usually a better bet, at least for breakfast. And, yes, we are already lost again, somewhere in the vast fields of illogic…. which, as we all know, is right next door to chaos. Rather than fall over into that realm, I think we should just rip off our clothes, and dive in….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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It turns out that my inclination to rant is connected to my overall feeling of security….. For over two years, I took shot after shot at the BRC, organized religion, the sex slavery trade, global warming, overpopulation, and whatever else came under my scrutiny that caused even the slightest degree of outrage.

During all that time, I was struggling mightily to survive in the real world, living on a small fixed income, “depending on the kindness of strangers”, and more importantly, friends, to help me get through each month. The outrage at the issues that concern me seem to have been driven, emotionally, by my economic status, and my anger at the slowness of the federal bureaucracy…..

Now that I’ve been awarded my Social Security benefits, I am no longer in danger of starving, and can look forward to retirement with a bit more positive outlook, since I’ve doubled my monthly income, into a bracket that, while I can’t be labeled as affluent, it does give me the wherewithal to be comfortable. Since that happened, my outrage is harder to find, and I am having a hard time getting worked up too much over the stuff that was bothering me for so long…. I’d hate to think that I’m so shallow as to lose my radical position to bribery…. Money, while it won’t buy happiness, certainly keeps one more comfortable while looking for it…. and, since I was relatively happy when I didn’t have it, there is no reason not to be happy now.

Since I’m not inclined to rant, Smart Bee has been quite cooperative in pulling out acceptable groups of pearls, including the seven-star harlequin variety below…. This one has a message, but, the message is more non-verbal than spoken wisdom…. You’ve got to just close your eyes, (AFTER reading them, of course….), and let them percolate in your mind…. the message will float to the surface after a moment or two…. if not, well, you’ve had a nice little nap, and we can go on….. Enjoy!….

“Remember what the dormouse said… FEED YOUR HEAD…” — Grace Slick

“I don’t ask questions, I just have fun!” — Bugs Bunny

“He can’t be a man cause he does not smoke the same cigarettes as me.” — Mick Jagger

“As you believe, so it is for you.” — Richard Bach

“The laws of conscience, which we pretend to be derived from nature, proceed from custom.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book i, Chap. xxii, Of Custom

“And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon Gods they’d made.” — Paul Simon

“His philosophy was a mixture of three famous schools: the Cynics, the Stoics and the Epicureans – and summed up all three of them in his famous phrase, ‘You can’t trust any bugger further than you can throw him, and there’s nothing you can do about it, so let’s have a drink.'” — Terry Pratchett, ‘Small Gods’

I keep telling you, it’s all in the wrist, see?…..
__________________________________

A poem leaked out this morning, so, here ’tis, such as it is…. I hope you like it…..

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 ~~

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Since I don’t have a rant in me today, I’m going to cheat, and go with a really old Pearl, from October of 2011, before changing to the format we see today…. I like it, and so will you…. (that’s a pre-hypnotic suggestion of a subliminal nature, so you may as well just go with the flow, and enjoy it…. Resistance is futile…..)

Ffolkes,
It’s really too bad that we can’t just shoot somebody when they deserve it; I’ve got a long list of folks who do, as do all of you, I’m sure. But the cops get real upset about it, and then the neighbors will talk behind your back, even the dog probably won’t like you anymore. Plus, later on, when you’re feeling all regretful and stuff, it’s just a pain, and all in all, not worth the bother. Insulting them to their face, or sending them into financial ruin, will just have to satisfy that urge for blood; hell, make it good and nasty, & maybe they’ll go shoot themselves! That’s the ticket…..

In case you couldn’t tell, I woke up with crankypants already on, and I’ve been looking for something or somebody to let it out on for the last hour or so. Feeling this way, and not having an acceptable outlet, is extremely frustrating, and as a former psych tech, I know it’s not good for me to keep all this bottled up inside. I suppose I could go out and find some unarmed idiot to get into an argument with, so I can let it all out on them.

But that isn’t kosher, (kosher means anything not touched by pig blood), nor is it a good policy for improving one’s karmic burden. But then I’d feel like dirt, because one of my own pet peeves is when someone dumps crap on me that I don’t deserve. In the final analysis, that is a lose-lose situation, with both parties walking away feeling worse than when they started.

Ah, the hell with it. I’m just going to go out the way I am, and the world can just deal with me the best it can. I’m outnumbered, so at least it’s a level playing field to start…..I guarantee it won’t end that way……let you know tomorrow how it went……if I survive. The world at large has some pretty good crankypants, too…..

Euripides was wont to say, “Silence is an answer to a wise man.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Bashfulness

“He is the best of men who dislikes power.” — Mohammed

“As long as there have been humans we have searched for our place in the cosmos. Where are we? Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe. We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers.” — Carl Sagan

Life must go on;
I forget just why.
— Edna St. Vincent Millay, ‘Lament’, Second April (1921)

“And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains.” — Paul Simon

So ends the bloody business of the day.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
— The Odyssey of Homer, Book xxii, Line 516

A fitting end to another gem….. y’all take care out there…..
__________________________________

All things considered, this went well…. It certainly stood up to the proofing, only needing on letter change, and one line of the poem that needed to be smoother. If I were still working for the government, I could say it was good enough for that, but, since I don’t work for them anymore, standards have to be a bit higher…. Fortunately, it does meet those standards, insofar as they exist around here at all, so…. I think if you use some oxygenated cleaning solution on that, it will come out okay….. 😀 Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

Give all for the Green and Gold….

Posted on March 14, 2012 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
In the eternally optimistic, yet chic, world of the Colonel, so cheerfully portrayed by George Peppard back during the glory years of TV in the 70′ and 80’s, the Colonel was fond of cracking a huge grin, puffing on his huge cigar, and saying, “I love it when a plan comes together!” Such stomach-churning sappiness, of course, has no place in a serious, sober-minded blog such as this…. but, what the hell, it’s nearly Spring, so we’ll cut some slack…..

In reality, no plan came together, no starlets squealed, no cakes fell; I just woke up, and was able to stand up without groaning or moaning. This is a good sign, and worth a little initial silliness to celebrate. It may have an unpredictable effect on today’s offerings, but starting the day so well gives me confidence that all will turn out well….. let’s Pearl, shall we… to the tune of a little Mozart this morning, I think….. yeah, that’s nice…..
___________________________________

Bark Vader……

Bark Vader

I found this recently, on somebody’s Twitter post, and I forgot to write down which one of them it came from…. mea culpa once again. If the picture is seen by the person who posted it, on Pinterist I’m pretty sure, or by someone who knows them, please let me know who you are so I can thank you and give correct attribution…. and I don’t care what anybody says, this is FUNNY, as well as terminally cute……gotta love how they left in the red eye…. very evil….. well, as evil as an eight-inch high pug can get, anyway…..
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“My dear boy, the people who love only once in their lives are really the shallow people. What they call their loyalty and their fidelity, I call their lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what constancy is to the intellect – simply a confession of failure. Faithfulness! I must analyze it some day. The passion for property is in it. There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

With this one short rant, Oscar demonstrates that part of the quality of his perceptive abilities which ultimately led to his untimely death. Of course, this is simply my opinion, but then, it’s my dime, so listen up….. 🙂

No, really, Oscar’s observations of human nature were, for his day, unnaturally honest, and he was fearless about expressing what he had to know would be contentious ideas to his world, a time of professed intellectual freedom marked by intense conformism in the common attitudes held by society. The above sentiments, if one were to buy into his sobriety of intent in making them public, are easily dismissed as being overly cynical and disrespectful of the concept of true love, either agape, platonic, or romantic. One would think that the author of such was a calloused, selfish curmudgeon, disdainful of anyone else’s rightful concerns; in truth, his love for his fellow man was so great that he was compelled to hide it behind massive walls of wit and apparent disdain.

And yet, the truthful accuracy of these observations on common faithfulness cannot be denied, at least in practice, for most faith in constancy, as held by the average human, is based not on knowledge, but on wishes, and thus cannot be deemed as realistic, or useful at all for practical life: our dreams do not fall into our lap, they must be diligently searched for. The journey to seek them out is as important as the dream, providing the intrinsic value of the experience. Oscar knew this, I believe, but he also knew better than to try to put across such a subtle point in a normal fashion; so he couched his lessons in sarcasm, sardonicism, and flowery phrases…… much more palatable for his audience…..
___________________________________

Faith is an island in the setting sun
But proof, yes proof is the bottom line for everyone.
— Paul Simon

Here we have a commonly powerful and insightful little couplet from Paul Simon; common for him, that is, not for people at large. Would that it were true of everyone! His vision of faith as being the concept upon which the sun is setting is, perhaps, a bit premature, considering the number of folks still living their lives based on what they believe to be true, beliefs held without any need for such frippery as evidence or proof. It is a skill, or an attitude, that is completely foreign to me, and my ilk (I love that word!….), but it remains the system of choice for untold millions around this poor old planet.

I say poor, because the degradations and stress that the faith-based have placed upon this, our nest, our only home have aged the ecosystem beyond its natural state, until the entire structure is threatening to collapse under the weight of the particulate matter we have pumped into the water, the earth, and the air since the start of the 17th century, when the Industrial Revolution changed the face of society into the Masque of Death we now see on every species threatened with extinction, on every wilting flower and dying tree, in every stagnant pool of water, in every corner of the Earth.

For those of us who can see beyond the blinders and shades that faith provides, we can see the imminence of the end-game here on Earth, the proof of which is seen in every sunset of fantastic colors, never before witnessed by Man, that comes at the end of another day with new and exciting chemicals added to the atmosphere. It can be felt in every warm breeze that caresses our face in the dead of winter, or the snow we see in Summer, or the massive alterations in the Trade Winds, and the world-wide pattern of currents in the ocean. The proof can be tasted, or rather not tasted, as species after species of animal or plant succumbs to the loss of their viable habitat to another housing tract or industrial factory built on their former homes.

How will faith sustain them, when there is no more water? When there are no other creatures to eat? When the climate becomes so hostile, only the hardiest of plants can survive, none of which are comestible? There is a simple answer… it won’t. They, and we along with them, will pay the ultimate price for their elitist arrogance, for their unshakable faith in a pack of lies, foisted upon us all by unscrupulous sociopaths, who give not a whit for the benefit of any other creature than themselves. They, with the all-too-willing cooperation of the mindlessly faithful, promulgate and maintain the vile attitude that the Earth and all its various forms of life are here solely to serve our desires, and anything we wish to do to them is divinely mandated. Man is the Lord of all Creation, according to those I like to call the Advocates (acting as they do as advocates of the Prince of Lies…..), and the world is ours, to do with as we please, without regard for the welfare of any other creature or plant life that exists….. and, according to them, God smiles on us for doing so…..

All I can say to that is…. what a crock of shit!…..

“This might be the time Nostradamus was referring to when he wrote, The Centaur shall fix the broken toys, resurrect the dead chrysanthemums and devour the half-eaten cake of love.” — Brezsny’s Real Astrology
___________________________________

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” — Francis Bellamy, 1892

Only one short observation here….. this is the original form of the Pledge, as written, accepted for general consumption in the 1890’s…. the addition to it of the adjectival phrase, “under God” was added during the McCarthy Era in the early 1950’s, when the national fear of “godless Communists” had reached a peak, after being whipped into a frenzy by the panicked diatribes of Joe,” the Magnificently Ignorant Even for an Irish Politician” McCarthy….. Interesting side note (at least, interesting to me…)…. the Pledge, though a subject of much discussion and emotional fervor, has no official standing in terms of law; you can’t be put in jail because you won’t say it, or because you don’t remember all the words, or even if you recite it in its original form. I find that to be a small encouragement….
___________________________________

“When you feel so low you have to look up to look down, beat yourself hard with a stick for a while. At least you will feel better when you stop.” — excerpted from The Rush Limbaugh/Ann Coulter Manual of Psychotherapy, for those Self-Styled Conservatives diagnosed with Excessive Brain Function during Random Periods of Consciousness…..
___________________________________

Now that I’ve reached the final segment of this morning’s meander through my disordered mind, I’m at a loss for words. (Gasp!….) Well, maybe not completely at a loss; there are still a few still floating around in there, jostling for screen time. Oh look, there’s a good one!…. a palindrome, cartwheeling across my inner eye, begging for release, rushing forward and back (how else can a palindrome rush?), whining piteously. But, no way I’m going for the cheap laugh today… it will have to percolate for awhile, too bad, so sad. And sadly, I just noted that I found no poetry today to use in my mix of ingredients, or rather, only one little couplet from a song. Sniffle, snuff….. oh well, I’ll make up for it tomorrow…. in the meantime…. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Simmering elegantly, he polished the spittoon…

Posted on January 7, 2012 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
I can see it’s going to be one of THOSE mornings already; been up awhile now, and inspiration is avoiding me. Since this will probably turn out to be a challenge to complete, we’ll just get started……
___________________________________

“Those who cling to the untrue doctrine that violence never settles anything would be advised to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Nations and peoples who forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms.” — R.A. Heinlein

This is an unfortunate truth. None of us likes to believe we are violent by nature, but the fact remains that we are. One of the biggest obstacles to our progress toward a more civilized society is our reluctance to admit this truth. Denial of this aspect of reality has indeed caused much agony and despair to those who won’t believe it, because there are others among us who have no difficulty using this part of their nature to terrorize and enslave their fellows. History is full of examples of the futility of passivity in response to aggression, and our own country’s past is no exception.

We didn’t achieve our freedom from England so many years ago by politely asking King George to play nice; they didn’t get the picture until their asses had been thoroughly kicked, all the way back across the Atlantic Ocean. But, to hear people talk, you would think that nobody ever gets killed in drive-by shootings, crime statistics are a sham, and police are always respectful and peace-loving. It amazes me sometimes at how much the human mind is capable of blocking out of its perception, just by refusing to accept a simple truth that makes them uncomfortable….. makes one wonder about all this “lords of creation” nonsense, eh what?…..
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When the bird and the bird book disagree, believe the bird.

Here is a simple piece of advice, which, of course, makes it damn near impossible for most folks to take in. In fact, most of the folks described in the previous section are those who would not understand this. For many folks today, their primary source of information from the outside world comes to them via the television, and over the years since its inception, these people have come to trust what they see on TV as gospel truth.

Thus we see why we have the problems in society that we do, as TV can be considered to be the bird book, and reality is the bird. Even though they see the obvious difference between what the book says the bird will do and what the bird actually does, they choose to accept the book over the reality. To be honest, it’s really discouraging for those of us who prefer the spice of reality to the bland dullness of the book. But, what is there to do, other than keep plugging away at trying to educate those unfortunates enough to allow them to see at least one alternative to burying their heads in the sand? If you know of a way, please share that with me; I am in dire need of some good news……
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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

As far as I can tell, this is pretty clear language. There doesn’t seem to be any room in it for much discussion; it describes the reality that our Constitution is supposed to guarantee to us. As of January 1, six days ago, this law was consigned to the ranks of historical myth, nullified in the name of (I just sat here for five minutes, and could not find a word that in any way justifies the action. So we’ll just go with what the real reason is…..) Fear.

The American people have been made so afraid of the possibility of danger from outside, that they forgot to watch for the danger from within. Those among us who would have dominion over the rest have lied, distracted, and bamboozled the American public into allowing the abrogation of most of the freedoms guaranteed to us by the Constitution, including the above. Only time will tell how long the public will remain in thrall to the fear-mongers and sociopaths who would send us all merrily to hell, as long as they get theirs……
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“A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” — Paul Simon

Possibly one of the best lines of poetry of the 20th century, this is from also one of the best songs of the era. As it is the only Paul Simon song I play (on guitar), I know it well, and I say it’s outstanding. The poetry alone is incredibly powerful, but when one adds the creativity of the melody, and the brilliance of using gunfire as a percussive element, it is just plain jaw-dropping. Besides, it’s really fun to play and sing…..just feels good.

But the real brilliance is the insight this line shows about human nature. We all have selective hearing, and even the best of us will ignore a truth we don’t want to hear. It’s one of the little indicators that shows why mankind still has the problems we do; this kind of denial is a form of childishness, a throwback to the days when a loud “NO” was our defense against the unknown, the only one we knew at the time.

I’m often reminded of this when I listen to political speeches. What a man fears is apparent in what he criticizes, and much of a political speech is concerned with pointing out the fallacies in whatever it is they have picked to attack, whether it is the policies of an opponent, or some other issue that is of (invented) public concern. They believe that what they are saying is righteous indignation at immorality, but it is clear that they are merely striking out at something they fear, because it is unknown to them. They hear what they want to hear, and disregard the rest……as do we all…..perhaps one day we’ll decide to grow up, and deal with the universe on its terms……
___________________________________

“Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.” — Noah Webster

I think this speaks for itself, and will only make sense to those who see reality without filtering out the unpleasant parts….if you’re one of those, I commend you. And I recommend that you stay alert to what is happening in society at large. Huge changes are in the air, and the human world is nearing a crossroads, where choosing the wrong path will lead us into situations best left to the imagination. It makes sense to me to stay ready to jump, in whatever direction is called for…..and be ready for a rough landing…..
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I was right. It has been an exhausting struggle to get this done. But, my unblemished record of posting daily is now safe for another day, and I can get on to the ‘remains of the day’. I hope yours goes better than mine has begun. All will be well, though; it’s a good sign when I don’t give up on the whole thing, and just go back to bed…..y’all take care out there……. and be thankful… I could be your neighbor…….

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Like ice, on the verge of melting…

Posted on January 1, 2012 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
According to all reports, today is the beginning of new year, a relatively subjective event in my estimation. I’m an odd duck, I suppose. I was asleep last night by 9:30, and by gosh, I didn’t make any resolutions. Of course, I never do, so that’s nothing new. I figure if I need to make a change in myself, it’s probably best to take care of it when it becomes apparent, rather than waiting and adding it to a list of things I may never get around to anyway.

Most folks, I think, try to be honest with themselves when coming up with resolutions, and may even make an honest effort to keep it. But, mostly I see or hear that the resolutions lasted right up to the first time temptation appeared, and then went flying out the window. My take on the whole matter is to make those kinds of introspective insights into what we need to do better in our lives a part of every day activity. Resolutions should be made each night before bed, and carried out in the morning, not put off to the end of the year. Year-end resolutions set unreasonable standards, and as such are generally a fail-fail situation. For my money, that is a sucker’s bet, and homey don’t play that game…..let’s see what flotsam has washed up on the shores of my mind during the night……
___________________________________

Before a cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend,
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream.
— T. S. Eliot

Sometimes I’m not sure which is my favorite poet, between T.S. Eliot, Emily Dickinson, or ee cummings….. all three wrote with such power, and had such a huge influence, they changed the very face of poetry in the 20th century. Poets of earlier ages are always there to give us the beauty and depth of human experience leading up to the last century, and there were a number of great ones. Alexander Pope, Yeats, Keats, Longfellow, Cowper, Shakespeare, and a host of others, all left behind an impressive legacy for later generations, for which I am eternally grateful. This particular poem is one of my favorites; I love cats (and dogs, and just about any other 2, 4, 6, or 8 legged creatures), and it’s obvious that T.S. has known several of them intimately. In my humble opinion, cats and dogs are much better at being what they are, and nothing else, than humans can ever be. If one believes in the concept of a Deity, then they were put here to be our examples of how to live with honor, and we can do no better than to emulate their approach to life at large…..
___________________________________

“A man can do something for peace without having to jump into politics. Each man has inside him a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most.” — Pablo Casals

In at least one respect, (said respect noted only after 5 portions of the beast last night), this is what this blog is all about. My whole purpose here is to act upon what my sense of decency demands, which often involves giving in to the urge to rant. Or, at minimum, to write, compelled by duty, constrained by custom. How hard is it to say what needs to be said in a way that folks will listen to? Damn hard…..damn hard. One is often compelled by necessity to speak in harsh terms, of politicians, of celebrities, and other media darlings, terms which one’s mother may not have condoned, due to their deliberate rudeness. Though I respect my mother, and all she gave me, in this I must disagree; so much so that I’m also compelled to say that my rants, all-too-often, are too mild, and do not take nearly enough prisoners, or names of the guilty for later prosecution.

Hours later, sans beast, the above wasn’t bad; only two small edits required. To continue…. the politicians, and many celebrities, if what is written in the news is accurate, have no interest whatsoever in doing anything in the interests of the public at large. All their proclamations and assertions are either attacks on the character of their opponents, or evidence of the immense depths of their ignorance. In the case of celebrities, most are acting out their own childhood fantasies about what a celebrity should like, so they put on a mask, rather than just being natural and sincere. It’s pretty sad in my view, and if it weren’t so dangerous, it would be laughable. But, because such ignorance feeds into the cultural miasma already rising from society’s depths to assault our senses, it loses some of the humorous charm, shows itself in true colors to be cowardice, and ultimately strengthens the influence that evil has over our society.

Thus it becomes our obvious duty to fight back against evil, and the best way to do that is to ensure that one’s own life and actions conform to what is known to be honorable and decent. If each of us takes the time and effort to so order our own lives, that sense of order will spread to the outer reaches of society. It can’t hurt, and may provide the only hope we have left of reversing the direction we are taking toward extinction and death, and returning to a path toward life and peace……
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“I’ve got no deeds to do, no promises to keep. I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep.”– Paul Simon

I’m a self-convicted, unapologetic hedonist. In this space I had originally placed a Zen Koan, which I intended to use as a springboard for discussion of some subtle philosophical point about Reality. However, the reality is that my psyche is not always in complete agreement with my will, and can be pretty stubborn in its campaign toward personal comfort, and toward obeying the urge to nap. I let the koan percolate in my mind, and it sat there going round and round, like an old vinyl record stuck in the groove before the song begins, just, “…sssssssclick….ssssssclick” forever and evermore. I would have gone to sleep, but I fell out of the chair first. I’ve come to the conclusion that trying to be subtle today isn’t going to work, so we’ll leave eastern philosophy for another day…. onward….
___________________________________

Feed your faith and starve your doubts to death.

Now, THIS is a contemptible lie! What a terrible thing to wish upon someone! Here, share this big slice of ignorance, and have no interest in ever changing. Truth in Life can only be found when faith and doubt are balanced; denying either dooms any attempt at right action to failure. I’m sorry folks, but I’m just not buying the story about the kindly old bearded gentleman sitting on a throne of gold, spending his days worrying about whether or not we will acknowledge his godhood. If he was so worried about it, why didn’t he make us that way? Why give us the power of imagination, and then set limits on what may be imagined? It sounds to me like a set-up for failure. If you know a person can’t control their eating habits, you don’t put them to work in a bakery, then tell them to keep their hands off the products. According to that model, free will becomes something much less than a facet of reality. It’s not free will if certain subjects are taboo; the entire concept of taboo is contrary to the nature of free will, which by definition has no limits. One can’t have it both ways; the two concepts are mutually exclusive by their very nature…..

“God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-benevolent- it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash, and in small bills.” — Lazarus Long
___________________________________

She was a form of life and light
That seen, became a part of sight,
And rose, where’er I turn’d mine eye,
The morning-star of memory!
Yes, love indeed is light from heaven;
A spark of that immortal fire
With angels shared, by Allah given,
To lift from earth our low desire.
— Lord Byron (1788-1824)
— The Giaour, Line 1127

SIGH….I feel better now. Finding a final Pearl this morning became problematic, until I came across this gem from Lord Byron. I should probably have added him to my list above of favorite poets from the past; he never fails to please. As it turns out, I needed this. My spirit had somehow gotten blocked up, perhaps due to the conflict mentioned between will and psyche. Nonetheless, whatever the cause, this was the cure. My entire spirit gave a big sigh, and tension flowed out of my shoulders and out of perception. Good poetry can do that, in my experience, and here is some positive proof…..even if it uses an alternate name for Yaweh….
__________________________________

Well, that was fun….coming to the end is once more a surprise, but welcome in this case. All this talk about a nap has me sitting here nodding in drowsiness, typing as fast as my sluggish brain will allow. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m going back to bed now, to wallow in hedonistic fulfillment. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Massive portions of pomegranate Jell-O….

Posted on December 9, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
I realize it’s a dangerous habit, but I was thinking……but it wasn’t any fun, so I woke up, and decided to start early on today’s Pearl. Whether that was a good or bad decision will depend, I suppose, on what transpires from this moment on. Let’s see where today’s selections take us, shall we?……
___________________________________

“A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” — Paul Simon

I have heard it said that Paul Simon is considered to be the greatest living American song writer; some of those reports claimed that he was the one to make that statement. I don’t know if that part of it is true, but I have to agree with whoever said it, as his poetry, and the music he creates to surround it, is far superior to just about anyone else’s that I can think of just now. The line above is a perfect example of why his arrogance can be overlooked; it can be set aside because what is said is true. Doesn’t make him into a nice fella, but as far as I’m concerned, arrogance is only misplaced if it can’t be backed up with action. You don’t have to like a genius to recognize his talent; it just makes them more amenable to public consumption. In this case, the music he created with Art Garfunkel remains to this day the best material ever produced by a male duo. Hell, just the few albums they made together would have been enough to guarantee the immortality of fame, but the fact that he continues to write, and get better, is a big bonus for the rest of humanity.

One of the characteristics of Simon’s poetry is one shared by all the best poets, and that is how accurately it reflects reality. This one line makes such obvious sense, one wonders why they hadn’t thought of it before, just in that way. Every man (and woman) is guilty of censoring what they hear; anyone who claims that they do not is lying, plain and simple. It’s actually part of that set of skills we have left over from when we lived in caves and wore skins; it used to be very important to be able to focus concentration to hear only a certain set of sounds that indicated game (whether prey or predator) was in the vicinity.

Such discrimination was an advantage in those circumstances, but in the modern world, it becomes a handicap, rather than an asset, because it limits ones perceptions, not always to our benefit. Taking in as much information as we can is now a more important skill than tuning out parts of what we hear; these days people can’t afford to ignore certain types of data, because it can come back later to bite. It’s more important now to take in all the information, and use it to decide how to act; we can no longer afford to reject any of it…..
___________________________________

“Taking drugs in the 60s, I tried to reach Nirvana, But all I ever got were re-runs of The Mickey Mouse Club.” — Rev. Jim

I lived through the 60’s myself. Since I consider myself to be a pretty honest guy, I’ll admit to having done my share of experimentation with drugs, and cannot consider the experience with any regret, as it taught me many important lessons, about reality, self-control, and living life my own way. My own experiences with drugs were probably fairly typical for the time; I smoked a lot of pot, hash when available, drank beer and/or wine regularly, though more moderately than the typical college male, and tried out a couple of hallucinogenics, such as mescaline and LSD. Actually, I took acid because I wanted to see God, and one time, the last time, I did see God…….he told me to quit dropping acid and get on with life…..

That joke is older than I am, for sure…..and in reality was the entire purpose of this section. I was going to string it out even further, telling old hippie myths and superstitions, and generally creating a virtual image of the time. But I decided otherwise when I started to write, so this is all you get…..sort of…onward to the next dimension…..

“I refuse to be intimidated by reality anymore. What is reality? Nothing but a collective hunch.” — Lily Tomlin
___________________________________

“If one inquires why the American tradition is so strong against any connection of State and Church, why it dreads even the rudiments of religious teaching in state-maintained schools, the immediate and superficial answer is not far to seek…. The cause lay largely in the diversity and vitality of the various denominations, each fairly sure that, with a fair field and no favor, it could make its own way; and each animated by a jealous fear that, if any connection of State and Church were permitted, some rival denomination would get an unfair advantage.” — John Dewey (1859-1953), American philosopher, — from “Democracy in the Schools”, 1908

Funny how this particular interpretation of history is not the same as the one they taught us in school. The religious denominations mentioned above have had enough influence over government that they were able to get a different, less petty rationalization of why they were so adamant about the separation of the two parts of society that contend for authority, and for our support. According to what we were taught, the colonists fought for freedom partly because they had been oppressed by the government in the past; so the Puritans came to America to find religious freedom. At least that is what we are told……

The more complete truth, as expressed here by Mr. Dewey, somehow got left out of the classes I took in school; it is only in the more advanced regions of university-level study that differences in what is true and what is taught begin to come to light. The powers that be in the religious sectors of society don’t care if you know the truth by that time, because they are confident that they have indoctrinated enough of the populace that their influence in directing public opinion remains complete. And by the time one learns about all the lies we are brought up with, they are already educated enough to see how little chance there is of changing the way things are. As long as children are brought up with the lies that cement their position, there is little hope of change. You can’t fight against an enemy you’re never taught to fear, especially when the ones who are caring for you are as ignorant of truth as a babe in a manger……..
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Tho’ lost to sight, to mem’ry dear / Thou ever wilt remain;
One only hope my heart can cheer,–   / The hope to meet again.
Oh fondly on the past I dwell,            / And oft recall those hours
When, wand’ring down the shady dell, / We gathered the wild-flowers.
Yes, life then seem’d one pure delight, / Tho’ now each spot looks drear;
Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight,      / To mem’ry thou art dear.
Oft in the tranquil hour of night,        / When stars illume the sky,
I gaze upon each orb of light,            / And wish that thou wert by.
I think upon that happy time,             / That time so fondly lov’d,
When last we heard the sweet bells chime, / As thro’ the fields we rov’d.
Yes, life then seem’d one pure delight, / Tho’ now each spot looks drear;
Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight,   / To mem’ry thou art dear.
— George Linley (1798-1865) — Song

I am in awe of this…..three poems in one. If you read down the left column, the poem is complete and beautiful. Read down the right column, and the same is true. Then, read each line with two phrases, and treat the whole as one poem; that poem too is complete and beautiful as ever could be. I don’t have any witty comments about this….all I can say is “WOW!”……..I am impressed…..
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“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” — Robert A. Heinlein

I have seen a poster that has on it about a hundred or so statements defining love. It is such a huge, all-encompassing emotion, that figures so heavily in almost all our actions, that attempting to accurately define it in a simple way is an extreme challenge. In my humble opinion (IMHO), this is the best of all of them. It covers all the bases as far as I can tell, and yet still implies the depth of such commitment with a deft turn of phrasing, and an excellent choice of words. “Essential to our own,” is the determining factor, and the one that shows us how our need to ensure the happiness and well-being of those whom we love is the strongest, most enduring of all human emotions…..and the best part of this particular statement? After he says what is needed, it’s done. No ups, no extras, just the facts ma’am…….perfect!
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Coming to the end of this kind of surprised me; I guess I really got into it……let’s see if we can translate that focus into something productive. It looks like it’s going to be a nice day outside, maybe I’ll try to get some sun today, though it will probably shock my system something fierce….I reckon my enthusiasm for physical exertion has been left behind me on the trail somewhere, and it’s too late to go back & look for it. Oh well….. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

gigoid

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

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Paul Simon

Balderdash! A jury won’t convict without that mango….

If it were only REAL cheese!….

For your safety, we use ONLY the BEST metaphors….

Twice around the neck should do nicely….

Give all for the Green and Gold….

Simmering elegantly, he polished the spittoon…

Like ice, on the verge of melting…

Massive portions of pomegranate Jell-O….

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