Tag Archives: Peter S. Beagle

A small dose of sweet sorrow….

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Ffolkes,

“Grain grows best in shit.”

~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~

day2 London 012

The market on Portobello Road, London, England, April 2013…

All the various parts of today’s Pearl have been present for nearly a week, without having been posted, thanks to my latest uncomfortable realization, to wit; I am becoming unable to write, no matter how willing I may or may not be. This is for two primary reasons, each of which has brought its’ own realizations of a need to make changes in my lifestyle. Since I may not have many more opportunities to do so, I’ll try to relate these epiphanies accurately, and as completely as I can….

The first reason I am becoming unable to write is a quite simple one; I am growing increasingly blind. Though not yet nearly disabled, the macular degeneration taking place in both my retinas is growing increasingly more extensive, & the vision in both eyes, especially the left one (oculus sinister), is becoming blurrier by the day. The difference between them affects my entire visual acumen, making both reading and driving problematic, if not entirely impossible. The blurriness causes me to have to squint hard just to make out normal type and/or fonts, and reading street signs & traffic signs very difficult, as well as visually tiring…. SIGH…. I know I should be getting used to age-related conditions and changes made necessary by physical degeneration, but, it still manages to cause a bit of self-pity, to go along with the eye-twitching & headaches….

Second, I finally realized why I’ve had an unbearably painful stiff neck for more than a full month, affecting both my waking physical comfort, and my ability to sleep, at all, not merely comfortably. Essentially, I find the more time I spend at the computer, the worse it gets, often shooting knife-like sharp shooting pains from neck to mid-back, merely on the act of typing for a few moments. As I am now typing this introduction, I can feel my shoulder stiffening against the pain, and spasms starting to ripple up & down the right side of my back, indicating I need to go walk it off, which, yesterday, took me about three miles before the muscles started to relax, probably because they got tired…. That would warrant another ‘SIGH’, but, I hate repeating myself too often….

The realization I’ve been compelled to come to, & begin to accept, is this…. I can’t do this any more. I cannot read fast enough, or long enough, to gather an adequate number of pearls to fulfill my own requirements; hell, I can’t even read for pleasure as much as I like, as I get tired & frustrated after struggling to read only a few pages. Typing this intro, though not too long for one of my outbursts, has left me gasping against the pain, & I still need to get it posted, after adding an ending section…. Before that becomes impossible, & this gets put off another day, I’m going to deliver my sorrowful apologies now, & warn y’all I may not be back very often, as it will take some extraordinarily compelling thoughts & feelings to get me to sit through this process…. Heck, a couple of haiku is the best I’ve been able to do in weeks.

I will miss being here, and miss all of my Gentle Readers, especially those who have demonstrated such loyal readership for many years…. Willow, chuq, Ashi Akira, Lou, Nadia, the jazz gang at swo8, with love dot I/O, PD, Katiemia (Fred & Katrina), maggiemae, Marie, megaeggs, Soochie, Carolyn the Light Worker, Wolfie of Europa, and numerous others I am sure I am forgetting to mention. They all have maintained their place in my heart, even when I had to stop going by & commenting almost a year ago, for they’ve continued to show up here to let me know they appreciate my work…. and that is a treasure I shall miss experiencing as often, to be sure….

My eyes are about done for the week, I think; this has been hard. I will miss y’all, severely, but, shall try to post now & again, as the impulse occurs, in what little time I can afford to spend at the computer. I cannot do so until I get this posted, so, let’s do that, with some of the most excellent dispatch I have learned of late, to wit:

Shall we Pearl?

“If folks don’t want to do it, it’s hard to keep them from it.”

~~ Yogi Berra ~~

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In keeping with my newly realized need for shortcuts, I’ve chosen a collection of classical music, a default position for me. Here is someone’s idea of some of the greatest works by famous composers, beginning with Beethoven, & moving on to various others, all of which have stood the test of time. I hope you enjoy it as I do, for the perfect background music to go with study, work, or mere listening pleasure…. Abondanza!….

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Comedy_Tragedy

Accentuated Lessons

Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.

Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.

Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.

Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

12/6/2013

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Known and Unknown….

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“H=R-E
Happiness equals Reality minus Expectations”

~~ unknown Smart Bee ~~

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“What use is magic if it can’t save a unicorn?”

~~ Peter S. Beagle, “The Last Unicorn” ~~

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“I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it
by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect….
I do not want to belong to any organization of a spiritual kind; please understand this …
If an organization be created for this purpose,
it becomes a crutch, a weakness, a bondage,
and must cripple the individual,
and prevent him from growing, from establishing his uniqueness,
which lies in the discovery for himself of that absolute, unconditioned Truth….”

~~ J. Krishnamurti ~~

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“My friend Data, you see things with the wonder of a child.
And that makes you more human than any of us.”

~~ Yar, “Skin of Evil”, stardate 41601.3 ~~

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“Once we truly know that life is difficult –
once we truly understand and accept it –
then life is no longer difficult.
Because once it is accepted, it no longer matters.”

~~ M. Scott Peck, “The Road Less Traveled” ~~

********

“A lizard ran out on a rock and looked up, listening
no doubt to the sounding of the spheres.
And what a dandy fellow! the right toss of a chin for you
and swirl of a tail!
If men were as much men as lizards are lizards
they’d be worth looking at”
.
~~ D. H. Lawrence (1928) ~~

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“Art thou an artist, or art thou art?”

~~ unknown Smart Bee ~~

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Th…th…th…. that’s all, ffolkes. My eyes are done, as is my neck & shoulder. I’m gonna go walkabout for a while, until it all eases off…. I can’t say when I shall see y’all again; it won’t be forever, but, it probably won’t be real soon. In the meantime, be well, be happy as you may be, and maintain a level of strangeness with which you can be content…. I love you all….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

Featured Image -- 8118

À bientôt, mon cherí….

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Pillows should be soft….

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Ffolkes,

“The great tragedy of life is not that men perish,
but that they cease to love.”

~~ W. Somerset Maugham ~~

Alaska Grand Adventure 081

Whale watch in Glacier Bay, near Hoonah….

Hajime…. On walkabout, even when attempting to remain in the moment, mindful of all that one is walking through, one naturally becomes somewhat introspective. Since I’ve been walkabout a LOT recently, this means I’ve spent a lot of time in my own head. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing, nor would I wish to label it as either. I regard such episodic occurrences as part of my persona, having spent more time in my head, or, in my own company, than is so for many people for all my days here on this old ball o’mud. It’s just what I do as a default, which makes me a bit odd, but, it’s okay; I’m quite comfortable with oddness.

Having spent so much time inside lately has led to some rather deep thoughts, not all of which I’m ready to discuss here. Not that it wouldn’t make for a fine discussion; I’m just not certain, as yet, I have brought it all to a ‘discussable’ state…. (I know, that’s not a word; spellchecker went nuts over it… but, it fits, so, get over it, okay?….) When I do, I will share it, as it seems to all be pretty well universal in its application for us humans. A rather sweeping claim, I realize, but, let’s just accept it as a given, & look forward to that discussion with some anticipatory glee, if only for the opportunity to make fun of my thoughts…. Of course, that will be the case only if I’ve managed to muddle it up; if it comes out right, I think y’all will be quite happy with it. I know I will…

With that ringing endorsement (well, perhaps not a loud ringing….), let us get on with the rest of the mess I’ve managed to cobble together for today. There’s good music, a decent recent poem (from last year), and a collection of fine, if odd, pearls for your perusal…. Rather than belabor any of today’s points, let’s just get on with it, lickety-split…. which looks like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“What kind of conflict do you like?
Where will you jump in and fight the good fight —
body, heart, mind or spirit?

If you say you don’t like conflict at all,
then you have stopped growing,
because it is only through engaging differences
to find common ground or to triumph
that we become new and invigorated.

Pick your battles,
but always have some place you embrace conflict.”

~~ Callan Williams ~~

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young_dubliners

Young Dubliners

It’s been so long since I played, or listened to, this band, I found an entire album I hadn’t heard yet, so, this will be a treat for me as well as y’all. I hope it’s as good as their previous work; if so, it’s grand craic…. Enjoy!….

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Young Dubliners
With All Due Respect

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Comedy_Tragedy

Obscure Empathy

Twisting the tail of reality, again, unrepentant,
as a pale moon rises in the west, unnoticed.
Sensing imminence, evicting the remaining tenant;
dispensing false empathy, well-practiced.

Metaphor becomes allegory, critically sane,
as humanity wells up, conflicted, bedeviling time;
experience assumes an old cut, with virgin pain,
a solitary ambient poet dies, in shame, sans rhyme.

Patterns form inside an intricate space, forlorn,
abiding, with reluctant patience, only to learn
of dispassion’s inelegant cost, basely shopworn;
forgotten verses, delicately done to a turn.

Previously spoken standards shall not apply;
forsworn, soaked in cruel imagination,
questing egos neglect to ask, why?
Purely natural law demands speculation.

Twice-told tales assume mythical profundity
casting shadows into night’s bower.
Artful, enticing, a lure for serendipity
passing time in a lonely tower.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/4/2017

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Random Notes on Life @ Large….

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“I travel with the wind & listen to it’s voices.”

~~ Dan Sakers, “A Voice in Every Wind” ~~

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“Childhood ends, the moment you know you’re going to die.”

~~ The Crow ~~

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“Anyone who has begun to think places some portion of the world in jeopardy.”

~~ John Dewey ~~

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“In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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“What use is magic if it can’t save a unicorn?”

~~ Peter S. Beagle, “The Last Unicorn” ~~

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“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing,
of just going along,
listening to all the things you can’t hear,
and not bothering.”

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

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“It’s so clean.
It’s certainly uncontaminated by cheese.”

~~ Monty Python, The Cheese Shop Sketch ~~

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Well, it’s done, and, thank goodness. It’s a bit late going up, but, it’s here, and complete, so, I’m letting it fly. I’m already working on another fresh entry for a day or two down the line, so, I hope y’all will come back & join me in my “reeling, writhing, & fainting in coils”…. I also hope you enjoyed today’s rather esoteric mess; sometimes, it’s best not to question much, but, take it all in without worrying about the final result. With my stuff, that’s probably the best bet to get through it with sanity intact. Well, intact as it ever gets around here. I’ll be back in a short while; in the meantime, y’all be well, and happy as you may be…. See ya, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
A wind out of the west….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“For some, reality is an illusion.”


~~ Subtle Bee ~~


tam sunset


Sunset behind Mt. Tamalpais….


Hajime…. Some of y’all may have noticed my absence for the past two days, & yes, that’s smarmy, but, I really don’t have it all together yet, so, bear with me, if you will. I cannot entirely explain what has been happening, except to say I am lost, far afield in the vast emptiness passing for my mind. I’m wandering in hallways I’ve never seen, as well as forging new pathways into previously neglected areas of thought, of which there are, apparently, an infinitude of untouched territory. For one who had thought he’d been around, I’m feeling a bit sheepish to find so many paths down which I’ve never walked in my mind.


Evolution of present reality also continues unabated, which complicates my own search for balance, as nothing stands still long enough for us to examine it closely. I’d thought, or been programmed to think, the world would simplify as I grew older, to reflect what I’ve learned of reality…. not so. The degree of ambiguity we all experience as part of a universe with entropy doesn’t recede over time, but, rather, maintains the pace it has set for all time and space. It’s not terribly amenable to alteration, either, at least, not from its basic nature as fluid, as much as rock. I suppose one must learn to deal with it the same as we deal with the hive of bees that live in our heads…. there they are, ffolkes, so, deal.


Such thoughts, however, in today’s culture, also have their cost, for we humans have behaved so atrociously toward other life, the bees are going extinct, a sad thought, especially considering, if they do, so do we, for we, and they, are part of a system in which ALL the parts are necessary for proper functioning; without the inherent balance we have disturbed with our insane desire to alter reality to suit our inner visions, none of it can function as it has evolved. Our own egoistic machinations will be our undoing, & we’ll be taking a lot of other forms of life down with us. A sad picture, painted by our own ignorance & willful fears….


But, all of it matters not at all, in the larger picture. This, too, is an idea we find it hard to accept; we wish ourselves, always, to be more than we are, an ambition reality will deny to us, as acting against not only our own nature, but, the very nature of reality itself. I have not, in my time here, been able to figure out either why we do it, or what can be done to change it, and, currently, have given up trying. We’re going down, & there’s nothing I can do about it, without the rest of humanity’s cooperation, not forthcoming. Hence, my inner turmoil, my own version of the reality being played out on the more universal scale….


I guess that’s all I’ve got for now; I’m uncertain, as is patently clear, of where to go from here; I only know I must find a new path, if I am to find the balance I seek. This, unfortunately, is playing hell with the consistency I’ve tried to create here on gigoid’s folly. Ah, hell…. Since I can’t seem to find any point to any of it, let’s just get on with what I’ve put together for today, & be done with it, okay? Okay….


Shall we Pearl?


“It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions upon external causes,

rather than on the facility with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.”


~~ Aristotle ~~


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It’s a default music day, so, here are some cello suites by Johann Sebastian Bach, played by the modern master of cello (pre-Yo Yo Ma…), Sr. Pablo Casals. Enjoy!….


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J. S. Bach/Six Cello Suites

Pablo Casals






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Comedy_Tragedy


Blue chameleon


It’s hot today, with chances of pain & rain.

So it says on the news.

Guess there’s nothing to do again

unless it’s sing the blues.


The blues are gettin’ old, though.

So I say, & I should know.

I been singin’ the bloody songs, y’know?

For what seems a long row to hoe.


S’pose it could get better someday.

I’ve heard that tune before.

Always seemed out of tune anyway;

I ain’t waitin’ any more.


Bang those drums & kick the cans.

May as well raise some hell.

Clang together some old pots & pans;

It hides the little voices so well.


Never worry, don’t you fear at all.

We’ve got certificates of note.

Bureaucratic protections, officially small.

Non carborundum illegitimi, he wrote.


Time, and circumstance, wrote me today.

It came in the daily mail from home.

It said I shouldn’t write unless I say

you’ll be charged for the distance you roam.


~~ gigoid ~~


5/28/2016


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pearls_3


Naked Pearls


Connective tissue….


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“Nature is indifferent to our love, but never unfaithful.”


~~ Edward Abbey ~~


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“It is important that man dreams,

but it is perhaps equally important

that he can laugh at his own dreams.”


~~ Lin Yutang~~


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“Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go;

it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.”


~~ Alice M. Swaim ~~


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


~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~


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“What use is magic if it can’t save a unicorn?”


~~ Peter S. Beagle, “The Last Unicorn”~~


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“From the persistence of noise comes the insistence of rage.

From the emergence of tone comes the divergence of thought.

From the enlightenment of music comes the wisdom of… silence.”


~~ Visions of Gregorian Chants ~~


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“In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain.”


~~ Pliny the Elder ~~


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Pliny the Elder, Aristotle, Socrates…. all have spoken of the uncertainty of natural law, in terms of what humans may know. In order to learn, we must first accept that we do not know already. After all this time on Earth, I’m still learning…. thank goodness! For now, I’m done; I am unsure of when I may be back; all is too changeable just now for me to predict with any confidence. All I know for now is, I will be back, if I can find my way to any point stable enough from which to think…. No matter what, I gotta keep looking; Sarge didn’t have any ‘give-up’ in him, & neither do any of his sons…. See ya, ffolkes….


Y’all take care out there,

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

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

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch


Featured image


À bientôt, mon cherí….