Casting runes in high dudgeon….

Ffolkes,

“Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.”

~~ Joseph Campbell ~~

bridge to Marin County

Richmond/San Rafael Bridge from the Bay….

Hajime…. Rather than spending two or three paragraphs detailing the extent of the effort necessary to post today’s Pearl, I’ll merely describe the entire episode as ‘epic’, & let it go at that. After all, the introduction of any type of literature implies some sort of ‘introduction’, not a compendium of gratuitous pandering in solicitation of sympathy. As some BBC show once noted God to have said, “I AM the Supreme Deity, y’know. I’m not entirely dim.” In this case, I’m God, with more insight…. I know, sounds not merely blasphemous, but, arrogant. But, give me a break; it’s early yet.

Oh, right. Introduction. What we have here is a Pearl of Virtual Wisdom, comprised of all the standard parts in the current format. As such, there really isn’t much more to say, so, I’ll let today’s collection of assembled thoughts on Life at Large, as expressed in various venues, speak the rest of our message, such as it may be, for itself…. If you don’t quite follow the dots to a clear picture, no worries; the journey is the thing, not the destination, or, as we are so fond of reminding ourself, especially when we get stuck in the royal we, “the map is NOT the terrain.”

I could add quite a bit more, I suppose, but, the simple truth is, it wouldn’t help, so, from this point, you’re on your own… No surprise there, eh?….

Shall we Pearl?….

“There is nothing like death. To it, everything is a metaphor.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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Tula

‘Tula’ ~~ Image from Playing For Change

Today’s music features a talented singer who works with Playing For Change, as a member of their official touring band. I’ve enjoyed hearing her voice for a couple years now, since first stumbling across my first P4C video…. I consider the organization one of the few worthwhile charitable foundations in existence, & contribute to them regularly. I hope you enjoy what you hear, & visit their site, where you can participate in working for peace through music…. Abondanza!….

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Playing For Change
Tal Ben Ari (Tula) & Roberto Luti
Teach Your Children

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Comedy_Tragedy

Vague Glimpses of a Rainbow

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

A few notes on Life at Large….

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“Life is too short to waste
In critic peep or cynic bark,
Quarrel or reprimand:
‘Twill soon be dark;
Up! mind thine own aim, and
God speed the mark!”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

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“Only the madman is absolutely sure.”

~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~

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“One cannot live without inconsistency.”

~~ C. G. Jung ~~

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“When the fox gnaws — smile.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

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“I say love, it is a flower; and you, it’s only seed.”

~~ Bette Midler, “The Rose” ~~

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“My skin,
my bones,
my heretic heart
are my authority.”

~~ Catherine Madsen ~~

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“Today is what happened to yesterday.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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Okay, ffolkes; I’m done. As well, it would probably be for the best not to ask. Let’s just keep it simple, & say, see y’all tomorrow. I’d like to think the odds are good, but, then, I’ve been wrong before. Be well, & happy as you may, anyway….

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 -- 14041

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

It’s ALL a coin with two sides….

Ffolkes,

“If the doors of perception were cleansed
every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite.
For man has closed himself up,
till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.”

~~ William Blake, English poet, artist, and mystic ~~

dock

Possibilities abound….

Hajime…. Though I never achieved much in the way of balance yesterday, I did manage to stay out of gaol, which wasn’t as simple as it may seem, given the one social encounter of my day was with a cabbie firmly in the ranks of the ignorati. Suffice it to say, I left him (mostly) alive, but, ’twas a close thing…. I stayed in after that, to reduce my chances of failing in my chosen duty,  thus keeping myself from the attention of the local myrmidons…. Good thing, there, too; I wasn’t in the mood for dealing with the general run of entitlement seen in many too many officers of the ‘law’ in today’s world; it’s getting rather ubiquitous, & I’m often tempted to abrogate duty in favor of justice.

All in all, though, I digress. I don’t have much time, as I’ve been co-opted again to babysit today; Zoe’s coming, & the adventure begins anew. I did manage to get mostly done with the Pearl for today, though the poem still hasn’t quite come completely clear yet. But, that’s easily remedied with an older poem, so, we’re good to go, and, since we are, we’re going. Moreover, we’re going now, before I lose my chutzpah, or my window of opportunity. See ya down the page, ffolkes. Hang on, we’re going down hot….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes,
and feel with their own hearts.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

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Dont keep calm

In an attempt to keep relatively current with the world at large, (for the purposes of overall security; it’s wise to know WHEN to jump, as well as in what direction, if & when the time comes….), despite my deliberate hiatus from watching any TV, or other kinds of news cruising, I watched this video, which seemed a good way to hear/see a summarization of all I’d missed. I was so engaged by both the speaker and the content, I am including it here today; I think every American citizen would do well to pay attention to what he says….. not for their own good, directly, but, for the good of the country itself….

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Hasan Minhaj
2017 White House
Correspondents Dinner

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Comedy_Tragedy

Illusory Time

Viewed from askance, the river is long;
deep, uncompromisingly intent, swift and strong.
In duality, perception creates our only reality;
such faux metaphoric paradox enforces mutability.

By two we perceive, both zero, and one;
digital, binary, on or off, such fun.
Separate, melded, we exist, knowing not what we know
ego, striving to be solitary, looking above, seeing below.

Furiously asleep, cultural anomaly claims a victim of choice;
validly unconscious, nobody speaks, nary a voice.
Potential escapees stir in dreams, fighting to wake,
until taking the wheel, for their own bloody sake.

Pots boil in due time, when the fire’s hot,
time exists to our advantage; or, not.
The solitary warrior, head bent in pain,
fights on, with, or without gain.

Night fell, day after day it persisted;
of those who knew, none showed any care, or resisted
Angels, ministers, none had any defense, nor grace;
all that remains is a face.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/22/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

If you think about it….

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“All of the animals excepting man know
that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.”

~~ Samuel Butler ~~

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“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

~~ John Wesley ~~

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“We don’t receive wisdom;
we must discover it for ourselves
after a journey
that no one can take for us
or spare us.”

~~ Marcel Proust ~~

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“Always we hope
Someone else has the answer
Some other place will be better
Some other time it will all work out.
This is it.
No one else has the answer
No other place will be better
And it has already turned out.
At the center of your being
You have the answer;
You know who you are and what you want.
There is no need to turn outside
For better seeing.
Rather abide at the center of your being
For the more you leave it
The less you learn.
Search your own heart and see
the way to do is to be.”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

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“Once you can accept the universe as being
something expanding  into an infinite nothing which is something,
wearing stripes  with plaid is easy.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

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“The only thing I know for sure
is that I know nothing at all, for sure.”

~~ Socrates ~~

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“All this happened, more or less..”

~~ Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, 1968 ~~

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“In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away
— for the Snark *was* a Boojum, you see.”

~~ Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark ~~

Neither Snark, nor Boojum here; however, I AM in a hurry now, lest I get stopped in the midst of getting this done. Wish me luck today; she’s a pistol…. See y’all, maybe even soon…. Be well, & alert; it’s the least you can do….

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 -- 14041

À bientôt, mon cherí….


Firmly, yet, politely declined….

Ffolkes,

“When something irritates you, think of this:
How else would we get pearls?”

~~ Ancient Human Wisdom ~~

iconic SF

Iconic view of SF from the Ferry….

Hajime…. Of the muses imagined by the Greeks, Calliope is considered by most to be the foremost of the nine sisters. She is the muse of epic poetry, which, given human nature, represents, essentially, the written word, as a manifestation of human thought. Her sister Euterpe, mentioned below, has always, for me, been the muse to whom we connect most often, as the music of life, and dance, and lyric poetry flows through us like water through a channel. The times in my life when I have felt closest to Universal Truth have come most often while playing music, or singing, or dancing; at those moments, the music IS me… and the sense of completeness is ecstatic, a feeling of being more alive than any other time, lasting well after the music stops….

Channeling Calliope, while more cerebral, can nonetheless produce the same effect, if far less often. There can be moments, when a truth comes clear, or we write a phrase that rings with truth, flowing from mind to paper/screen, which can produce a quite similar effect, less dramatic, but, just as satisfying…. When a poem leaks out, the sense of release, and the sense of joy, vie for ascendancy with absolute good humor; we can only wish it would last longer…..

All that being said, we now move to today’s Pearl. It’s a good one, I think, though the poem which I’ve been leaking for two weeks now doesn’t seem to want to end itself; to balance the disappointment, the music for today is one of my personal favorites. Additionally, the final section’s old-school pearl is a classic set of gems, which you will see exceeds all standards of excellence…. metaphorically, of course. I’ve included one of my older poems, another favorite, so as to keep anyone else from garnering any of the potential blame. All in all, it’s rather iconic, as Pearls go, & I’m more than content to post it forthwith. In fact, why don’t we end this relatively useless diatribe, & get on with it? Since I have no coherent answer for that, we shall do so, here, and now….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Good for the body is the work of the body,
and good for the soul is the work of the soul,
and good for either
is the work of the other.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

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bonnie (2)

In ancient Greece, Euterpe was the muse of music, songs, and lyric poetry. In our own age, if ever a woman lived who personified Her, Bonnie Raitt must surely be considered as a primary candidate. Ageless beauty, a voice capable of evoking every emotion, including jaw-dropping amazement, a virtuoso guitar player, famous for her smooth blues and slide riffs, all contribute to the image, and reality, of a woman who lives for, and is a part of, the musical essence of Life… It’s hard NOT to gush enthusiastically, so, to refrain from any further fawning adoration, I give you Ms. Bonnie Raitt, live, at her best….

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Bonnie Raitt
Live in Germany 1992

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Comedy_Tragedy

Dead Hands,Typing…

Puzzled anew by anomalous blocks of pain
caught, bemused, chained to routine, insane.
Stilled within breathless beauty
Engaging epiphany, insistent, called to duty.

Knees bent in lieu of a faithful rendition
suffuses, confuses, locked into stale perdition.
Clearing corrosion with hands encased in stone
Singular frozen follicles, masked by bone.

Partial focus brings unfiltered flavors to light
coloring each particle in simple delight.
Forlorn, novel conceptual artists singing in tune
nine notes in harmony, soft as the moon.

Honed blades of carbon steel flash in rhyme,
filling sensual receptors well past closing time.
Borrowed from neighbors in a week-old game
still bloody, without a proper name.

No flooded memories can justify such cost
no simple stationery, bilious, afraid, lost.
Ten times ten will never be enough
To fill so empty a stolen trough.

Bartering simplicity takes well into the night
solidly temporary pillars turned bright.
Unknown to all the pretty children who came
none were called, none had any remaining flame.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/25/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Life is a Metaphor for Death….

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“Dear friend, all theory is gray,
And green the golden tree of life.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Faust”

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A wise man once said …”I don’t know.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone,
and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.”

~~ Pearl S. Buck ~~

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“I remember my grandfather telling me how each of us must live
with a full measure of loneliness that is inescapable,
and we must not destroy ourselves with our passion to escape this aloneness.”

~~ Jim Harrison, “Dalua” ~~

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“After you have exhausted what there is
in business, politics, conviviality, and so on
– have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear
– what remains?
Nature remains.”

~~ Walt Whitman ~~

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“Some things cannot be spoken or discovered until we have been stuck,
incapacitated, or blown off course for awhile.
Plain sailing is pleasant,
buy you are not going to explore many unknown realms that way.”

~~ David Whyte ~~

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

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

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“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else,
you will have succeeded.”

~~ Maya Angelou ~~

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“Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.”

~~ Amelia Burr ~~

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Having, in a sense, filled in all the spaces, I shall pronounce this Pearl complete, so as to bring it to a fitting close. Of course, classifying it as ‘fitting’ may be premature, or, at minimum, optimistic, but, hey, it’s all good, cuz nobody’s paying me for this. In fact, having thus proclaimed this process to be, in essence, futility on parade, I shall, with rather more aplomb than is called for, cease and desist for another day. Y’all stay strange; me, I have no choice in the matter…. See y’all, maybe even tomorrow….

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 -- 2780

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Slight traces of affability….

Ffolkes,

“I call a fig a fig, a spade a spade.”

~~ Menander (292 BC) ~~

two bridges

Two bridges, one strait….(the Carquinez, if you must know…)

Hajime…. In my defense, there are reasons for being so late, as well as for my recent inconsistency in posting. Since going into detail would be both indulgent, and pandering, I’ll skip all that, & just go with ‘there are reasons’…. So be it. All the proper elements of a complete Pearl are in place; it’s all fresh, though not particularly so, since all but the final section includes previously used sources of material. The final, old-school pearl is a good one, though, with some rather telling metaphoric sarcasm shaping the conclusion to be inferred. I like it, and so will you….

Not only am I late in posting today, I’m in a rather strange mood, even for me. It feels as if anything I write could turn on me, should I, even for an instant, lose track of my balance, which, though solidly embedded, nonetheless seems delicate. To head off any outbursts of sanity before they occur, we’ll cut this intro short, so as to maintain the illusion we’ve worked so hard to establish, that of a mind in control of itself, if only for this moment in time. In that vein, I appeal to your sense of compassion, or empathy, whichever works best, to allow some leeway before judging us too harshly. If, for some reason, your own sense of balance is shaky, well, try harder…. I’ve done, as is my wont, all I can do, & that, as you know, is all one can do.

Shall we Pearl?….

“To lead the people, walk behind them.”

~~ Lao-Tzu ~~

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camille-saint-saens-photo2

French composer Camille Saint-Saens

In the relatively recent past, I’ve experienced a number of times when my anger… no, my rage… has gotten the better of me, thanks to a combination of physical issues aggravating PTSD symptoms, so generously provided by my broken mind, as a result of past choices in work. Without going into superfluous detail, let’s just say, the music of this man, Camille Saint-Saëns, has helped me to find my way back to some balance more than any other music, save perhaps Bonnie’s, or Eric’s (if I have to include surnames, y’all haven’t been paying attention sufficiently….). In any case, it always hits the right notes, so, please, enjoy….

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Camille Saint-Saëns
Symphonies

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Comedy_Tragedy

Early Observations

Until I knew there was more,
I wanted to know God.
They said he was a nice guy,
and would let me live forever.

All I had to do, they said,
was live my life for Him,
always living by scripture
cleaving only to his Way.

But, everyone I saw in church,
acted different at home.
Living wild, cussin’ and fussin’,
nobody lived like they said.

Still, I tried to be like Jesus,
he was sort of cool.
He never hurt nobody
and walked on the right path.

‘Course they killed him for that,
they couldn’t stand his example.
Turned him into a martyr,
hid his real words among their own.

Then I found the Buddha,
and met Lao Tzu at the gate.
They saw things real different,
showed me how to see straight.

Right thought, and right action
replace blind obedience and faith.
Reality becomes manageable,
fear retreats, the universe expands.

Brother John said it pretty well,
“Imagine there’s no heaven,
it’s easy if you try.”
Sounds like he knew why.

Day to day, life is grand,
we walk in eternal beauty.
Open your eyes and hearts,
find yourself already immortal.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/12/2013

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

A metaphoric précis of Human History….

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“Yes, many primitive people still believe this myth…
But in today’s technical vastness of the future,
we can guess that surely things were much different.”

~~ The Firesign Theater ~~

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“One never realizes
how much and how little he knows
until he starts talking.”

~~ Louis L’Amour ~~

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“Ancient custom has the force of law.”

~~ Wise Bee ~~

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“When the need arises — and it does —
you must be able to shoot your own dog.
Don’t farm it out —
that doesn’t make it nicer, it makes it worse.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

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

~~ Anais Nin ~~

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“It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.”

~~ Arthur C. Clarke ~~

*******

“Ward, I’m worried about the Beaver.”

~~ June Cleaver ~~

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I’ve checked to make sure, & all the parts are where they’re supposed to be; on a morning such as this, that’s more than merely satisfying, moving right past that into edifying, as well as encouraging. I’ll take it, and run. See y’all next time, whenever that may be; it’s too iffy today to make a prediction. I’ll shoot for tomorrow, & with a bit of luck & perseverance, we’ll see y’all then. Be well, be alert, be strange, and…. well, you know the rest…. Don’t worry; if you don’t, reality will provide you with clues…. so, pay attention!….

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 -- 14000

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Plaster casts aren’t for fishing….

Ffolkes,

“If you pray hard enough, water will run uphill.
How hard?
Why, hard enough to make water run uphill, of course!”

~~ Robert Heinlein ~~

sunflower

Wild sunflowers….

Hajime…. I had intended this Pearl to be rather a bit more ‘together’, so to speak. However, I’ve been co-opted for babysitting again today, and had to cobble this together fast, while my granddaughter is napping (a pastime I’d love to emulate, but for duty….). I’ve shoved it into basic shape, and all the parts are there, just not with the usual degree of consideration or planning… So be it…

In fact, I am in such a hurry, lest she awaken before I’m done & posted, I’m giving up on any more of an intro; instead, I will now proceed to dump y’all unceremoniously down the page, with no compunction, & no regrets. As noted…. So be it…. I do hope you enjoy today’s effort; it was rushed, but, it’s all there….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A master programmer passed a novice programmer one day.
The master noted the novice’s preoccupation with a hand-held computer game.
“Excuse me”, he said, “may I examine it?”
The novice bolted to attention and handed the device to the master.
“I see that the device claims to have three levels of play:
Easy, Medium, and Hard”, said the master.
“Yet every such device has another level of play,
where the device seeks not to conquer the human,
nor to be conquered by the human.”
“Pray, great master,” implored the novice,
“how does one find this mysterious setting?”
The master dropped the device to the ground and crushed it under foot.
And suddenly the novice was enlightened.”

~~ Geoffrey James, “The Tao of Programming” ~~

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

Incredibly late, d/t babysitting duties, thus, default is de rigeur, naturally…. Enjoy!….

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Classical Music

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Comedy_Tragedy

For The Blind Poet, Embraced

I sit to open a vein, exposed in public places,
happy to be written, judging by the faces.

None can see the price so willingly paid,
at the feet of imagination is that cost weighed.

Still shadows of reality shine quite as well
to hide all the bleeding as if under a spell;

While visions and fantasies vie for attention,
hoping to win once-hoped-for final mention.

Technology may or may not rue its day
never knowing or caring its part to play.

All the precious moments of inspiration
Fall ever short of our own imagination.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/30/2012

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Like it, or, not….

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“Sometimes there’s no point in giving up.”

~~ Louis Wu. in “The Ringworld Engineers” by Larry Niven ~~

*******

“Be not diverted from your duty by any idle reflections
the silly world may make upon you,
for their censures are not in your power,
and consequently should not be any part of your concern.”

~~ Epictetus ~~

*******

“Change your opinions, keep to your principles;
Change your leaves, keep intact your roots.”

~~ Voltaire ~~

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“And though mine arm should conquer twenty worlds,
There ‘s a lean fellow beats all conquerors.”

~~ Thomas Dekker, “Old Fortunatus” ~~

*******

“Death is the only inescapable, unavoidable, sure thing.
We are sentenced to die the day we’re born.”

~~ Gary Mark Gilmore ~~

*******

“Life without the courage for death is slavery.”

~~ Seneca ~~

*******

“and what i want to know is how do you like your blueeyed boy Mister Death”

~~ ee cummings, “Buffalo Bill” ~~

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There you go; that’s all you get, because that’s all I’ve got…. I may or may not be back tomorrow morning; depends a lot on whether or not I’m needed again to ‘sit in’, as it were… I’ll be back, ffolkes; the question of “when?” shall remain unanswered until the appropriate time…. I shall, as you may expect, see you then…. Be well, be strange, and be alert…. all will be well, if you can do so….

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 -- 13973

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Oblique references to a single rose….

Ffolkes,

“All art is autobiographical.
The pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.”

~~ Federico Fellini ~~

gulls counting

Waitin’ for the Robert E. Lee….

Hajime….  Today, we begin with this, just because:

“An infinite universe presents infinite examples of unreasoned acts,
often  capricious and threatening, godlike in their mystery.
Without god-powers, conscious reasoning cannot explore
and make this universe absolutely known;
there must remain mysteries beyond what is explained.
The only reason in this universe is that which you,
in your ungodlike hubris, project onto the  universe.
In this, you retain kinship with your most primitive ancestors.”

~~ Raja Flattery, “The Jesus Incident”, Frank Herbert ~~

It seems clear, if one may temporarily assume the truth of this statement, there are limits to human intelligence; those limits, alas, do not seem to apply to human imagination, thus opening the probability for imagination to exceed intelligence in the course of human behavior…. which it does, and, if the history of mankind is any indicator, has been doing so for several thousand years…. End of rant…

Sorry, had to get that out before it got any worse. I’ve ceased my habit of ranting over the state of the world; it’s pretty fruitless, given humanity’s predilection for denying the truth of reality, and, of our own nature. Occasionally, though, a pearl will draw my attention, & require a short outburst to relieve the pressure that might otherwise build into a larger, more explosive rant, thus sparing all of us the emotional stress. See, I can be nice!

Today, I’ll be even nicer, & spare y’all from any further blather, whether coherent, or nonsensical; the rest of today’s mess is ready, such as it may be; I’ve spent more time than was wise getting it to this point. Since I wouldn’t want to waste that effort, (without considering whether it’s worthwhile to make it at all…), why don’t we just get on with it?

Shall we Pearl?….

“If your lead pencil is less than three inches long,
and still equipped with  a virgin eraser,
you are about as close to perfection as this world will  allow you to be.”

~~ Esoteric Bee ~~

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emmy n mark

Today’s musical selection was chosen for its quality of content, if no other reason; this isn’t to say there are not others. It only means I was listening to the concert last night, and noted just how well the band Knopfler put together for this tour played together. When one adds the exquisite voice Emmylou brings to the party, the possibility for ‘joyful noise’ become endless. I can sincerely attest, they made that grade several times in this concert… I hope you enjoy it as much as I do…. By the way; the best stuff is in the latter half of the concert, though there’s nothing bad to find in the first part, either….

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An Evening Together
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris

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Comedy_Tragedy

Here is a poem whose driving force came from the depths of Hell, a place I inhabited at the time it was composed…. Considering that, it’s not too shabby & I hope you enjoy it….

Measures of Intent

Hell is never far away; it slips in, then out,
like a ninja, bent on stealth and death.
Living metamorphoses, in the space of a breath,
sordid entropy fills us, within, and without.

Tide turns again; back and forth it tumbles,
like those little wind up toys, yet never stays.
All our efforts, all our silly little ways,
disappear like seaweed, as sanity crumbles.

The duality of reality in which we are firmly caught,
seems to inhabit every part of our natural selves.
Nothing is ever still, nor can it be placed on shelves;
we are dark, and light; balance must be taught.

Life is lived only one moment at a time,
past and future have no power to alter this at all.
We can choose to fly, or choose to fall;
finding truth, and beauty, can never be a crime.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/14/2015

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pearls_3

Today’s mess has been cobbled together this morning, in a fashion best described as willy-nilly, thanks to poor time management on my part. Go figure, eh? Added to that, Smart Bee decided to go on hiatus, flatly refusing to give up more than a single pearl, after which it simply presented me with the worst it has. To save time, and build-up of nasty angst, I went to search for an old-school pearl for this section in the archives. I found this, which is the third Pearl ever posted online, on another site… For what it is, or was, it’s pretty good, so, we’ll finish off today’s effort with this blast from the distant past…. Enjoy!…

*******

From 6/4/2011:

Ffolkes,

Finding serenity is theoretically simple, as both the tools for reaching the state, and the actual creation of the state, are part of our inner nature, and come from within, making the search short in terms of distance. Duration is another matter; it can take a very long time, and in many cases, the search never ends. Even when it can be found, the nature of the outer world makes it nearly impossible to hold on to serenity for long periods; something about a quiet, contented human just sticks in the craw of the universe; it inevitably challenges our ability to maintain our inner peace, usually in a dramatic, often dangerous fashion. It therefore becomes important for each of us who desires serenity in life to identify and keep handy the tools we use to bring about this state of blissful content, and maintain their usefulness. In short, stay chill dudes, and party on!…….

2 is not equal to 3, not even for large values of 2. — Grabel’s Law (another one for the math geeks, like me….I think this is hilarious!) (and is good advice as well…..)

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.” — Dante Alighieri 321

Integrity is the superlative strategy. <—- honesty is the best policy

“The map is not the territory.” — Alfred Korzbyski

“I’m going to happydance among the stars and wear my stripes any way I want to. ” — Stripes the tiger

Always try to stop talking before people stop listening.

Bearing the last in mind, we bid thee adieu for another turning of the planet….. y’all take care out there….

Note from 2017: As our old friend Porky would say, that’s all ffolkes!….

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

In keeping with Porky’s admonition, this section shall remain free of disingeniousness, thereby bolstering our karmic account. Of course, the use of legerdemain could cancel that out, but, what the hell? We’re done for today, & there’s still no law against it. As to that, I say, enough! I’ll also add, yes, I am odd, but, then, I try to be, so, it’s all good. I’ll see y’all soon, ffolkes; on that you may rely….

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 -- 13906

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Dangerous yearnings….

Ffolkes,

“Murder is always a mistake….
One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

profuse color

Midsummer colors….

Hajime…. Though I know ‘hope’ to be, in general, a denial of reality, I still allowed myself to entertain some, investing it in my wish to write a most excellent Pearl, including a bright, catchy, and compelling intro section. As usual, ‘hope’ fails the test of time, & while all the elements of a decent piece of work are present, the bright, compelling part has shown  itself to be rather problematic. This, of course, is a natural function of my brain, to find even the simplest of tasks problematic; I can’t be positive, but, it’s a pretty sure bet it’s my own fault…. I mean, given my history, (I AM a human…), and my  inclinations, (curmudgeon-in-training….), whom else can I blame?….

Still, I guess I can be content with having completed it, at all; my recent lack of consistency, while unsurprising after so much time, still manages to cause me a bit of unwanted and unfamiliar guilt, which, having completed today’s task in a relatively timely, if uncomfortably rushed fashion, can be dismissed as misguided, for today, anyway. As for tomorrow, well, I AM old enough to know better than to place much faith or hope in THAT; after all, as we all know, tomorrow may never come, right? Right. So, we’ll regard that as a fait accompli, which if you think about it, is a pretty neat trick….

What? That last reference is unclear? SIGH…. It must be the extra scoop of coffee I put in the basket this morning; got me typing nearly as fast as I’m thinking. That’s always a confusing thing when one starts discussing matters of time; past, present, future are all rather uniquely related, in a very real way, & our imagination, while a powerful tool, usually isn’t up to the task of keeping them all in their appropriate places, actually believing it has the power to do so in reality, as well as in the mind…. Silly humans. Ah, well, don’t fret; it’ll all be clear eventually, & if not, well, it will give you something to chew over in those quiet moments….

As for me/us, & today’s Pearl, well, we’ll practice what we preach, & get on with it, any time now. In fact, isn’t that our signal? Yes, yes it is, and, look! We’ve already been cleared for landing, or, take-off…. It’s our choice, & I promise, we’ll make it as random as we can….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.”

~~ Henrik Ibsen, “An Enemy of the People”, 1882 ~~

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Yield_Logo

Today’s music is one of our default selections, used when I can’t think of anything else, & time is short. Go figure, eh? It’s well worth a listen, and even more worth donating a small bit of gelt, to an organization that works for peace through music…. Enjoy!….

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Playing For Change
Ripple

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Comedy_Tragedy

Augmentation: Inner Aye

Distant, peals of thunder, vividly.
Closer, a patter of rain, falling gravidly.
Between the light and the darkness of fear
find merely the remnants of one lonely tear.

Do not hate us, though we have not sinned;
eager for courage, upon whom all hope is pinned.
Tales of insolence, hatred, or fallen virtue
fill us up, not down, in such pristine foreign venue.

Capable hands severed, able hands tied;
the future is angry, all but now denied.
Multiple times, warnings sounded across the pale
nobody heard, nobody came to tell the tale.

Gifted by time, salience fails in epic rhyme;
watchmakers watching, each a separate crime.
Logical solutions refuse to emulsify
forever pretending to cruelly crucify.

Blood will fly alongside pertinent composure,
never seeking, never finding tea, or closure.
Falsely laid trails on mountains of gold
imply no happy endings, no fortunes told.

Ages past have no time for repetition;
further chances only lead to perdition.
Destiny feels a shameful portion of guilt,
for a thousand sand castles, never built.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/2/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Um… Isn’t it obvious?….

*******

“When we look at a rock
what we are seeing is not the rock,
but the effect of the rock upon us.”

~~ Bertrand Russell ~~

*******

“When it’s dark enough you can see the stars.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*******

“Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth:
the only way to help yourself is to help others.”

~~ Elbert Hubbard ~~

*******

“How many cares one loses
when one decides not to be something
but to be someone.”

~~ Coco Chanel ~~

*******

“Big, undreamed-of things.
The people on the edge see them first.”

~~ Kurt Vonnegut Jr ~~

*******

“The real voyage of discovery
consists not in seeking new lands,
but in seeing with new eyes.”

~~ Marcel Proust ~~

*******

“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture,
or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful;
but it is far more glorious to carve and paint
the very atmosphere and medium through which we look,
which morally we can do.
To affect the quality of the day,
that is the highest of arts.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau, “Where I Live”

*******

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

I’m fairly certain there are any number of appropriate techniques for ending today’s outburst, but, since I can’t think of any of them, how about I just say, see ya, ffolkes? Hey, it’s always good to try something new, especially when it offers the possibility of getting out of this intact. In that spirit, y’all stay stay alert, & I’ll see ya on the flip side….

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 -- 13906

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Suicide by platitude….

Ffolkes,

“In the bigger scheme of things,
the universe is not asking us to do something,
the universe is asking us to be something.
And that’s a whole different thing.”

~~ Lucille Clifton ~~

harbor view

Harbor view at high tide, from the esplanade….

Hajime…. It has been four days since I last wrote…. anything significant. In that time, my muse went away, along with much of my sanity; it’s been, shall we say, an ‘interesting’ time. In fact, I still don’t feel much like writing, but, there is still SOME degree of social consciousness floating around in what now passes for my mind, & I thought it would be good to let those few ffolkes who come regularly know I am alive, and, within reason, as well as can be expected…. for an old fart with more life under his belt than he, perhaps, knows what to do with….

The battle for sanity continues, though with somewhat less bloodshed. It’s strange to be experiencing the symptoms of PTSD so strongly, & my only cogent thought on why involves the physical issues that I also am battling, as I realized the emotional content of what is going on in my head is all attached to past events, not present, yet, it is the present in which I must cope… It has long been known that stress & disturbance in the ‘gut’, (i.e., the digestive system) often cause such emotional purging; it was noted first in women who had multiple abdominal surgeries (C-sections, etc.), & was determined to be a relatively general human condition; when our midsection is under ‘attack’, whether from internal or external forces, it will unleash emotions, past or present, at high volume & strength…

Knowing what might be behind my issues only makes it understandable. This allows one to create some emotional space in which to think, but, doesn’t make any of it any simpler, or easier…. just more explainable…. and, it isn’t done, for my gut has a LOT of healing to do. It is getting the help it needs from me, but, the ultimate effect must be borne by my mind, currently under attack from self-imposed demonic possession…. Sounds like a party, doesn’t it? NOT….

Oh well, so be it. I hope to be able to write soon; for now, I am on hiatus, and will remain so for the foreseeable near future. The Pearl you see today is all there is, as I haven’t even been able to get Smart Bee to cooperate much, thus precluding one of my more stabilizing activities… Probably Murphy’s fault there, but, he only gets us where we leave ourselves vulnerable, so, I can’t complain about that. I will merely say, I’ll be back, for I can feel much in me still to purge, & it’s gotta go somewhere, right? Right…. For today, all that means is, what you see, from this point on, is what you get. So be it….

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ Ambrose Redmoon ~~

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

Default day, so, default music…. Enjoy!…..

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Classical Music

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Comedy_Tragedy

“Haiku’s inventor
must have had seven fingers
on his middle hand.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Tally Ho…

Mornings bring quiet
as the demons go to rest.
But, where do they go?

Sanity recedes
into insignificance.
Only Now exists.

We create it all
out of fear and memory.
Yet spirit abides.

If only poems
would flow out as easily
as our pain flows in.

Ah, well, said the sage;
Now is all we ever have
for eternity.

~~ gigoid ~~

7/16/2017

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Use the wrist, Luke….

*******

“Pluralitas non ponenda est sine necessitate.”
(Multiplicity is not to be asserted when it is unnecessary.)

~~ William of Occam [Occam’s Razor] ~~

*******

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love
will have the final word in reality.”

~~ Martin Luther King ~~

*******

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

~~ Judge Harry T. Stone ~~

*******

“The happiness and unhappiness of the rational, social animal
depends not on what he feels but on what he does;
just as his virtue and vice consist not in feeling but in doing.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, ix, 16 ~~

*******

“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”

~~ Muhammad Ali ~~

*******

“How many Zen masters does it take to change a light bulb?
A tree in a golden forest.”

~~ Sagacious Bee ~~

*******

“You grok?”

~~ Michael Valentine Smith ~~

*******

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

Well, apparently, I had more in there than I knew. As I’ve said before, so be it. I believe I also said, WYSIWYG, so, there you go. I’ll be back as soon as I finish off these demons, but, won’t bother to try to predict how long it might take…. I will, however, be back, on that you may rely…. 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 -- 2780

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Up the creek, paddling madly….

Ffolkes,

“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion;
it is easy in solitude to live after our own;
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

Mt Tam

Mount Tamalpais from the northern SF Bay….

Hajime…. My journey into the depths of the machine yesterday turned into the expected nightmare, in which it seemed reality was determined to furnish me with numerous assaults upon my sensibilities, testing my resolve, as well as my control, both of which proved to be sufficient, if only just, to prevent leaving any corpses behind me as I wended my way across the desolate landscape, in a desperate search to find one redeemable instant of time. No luck there; this travesty of our former democratic republic’s process of finding justice is as broken as the rest of our society; I witnessed nothing to indicate that “justice” was the goal of any of it.

Added to the apparent lack of intelligent purpose in which they insist on pursuing, my physical issues decided to chime in, making it essentially impossible for me to participate with any degree of comfort, much less any ability to maintain my cool; fortunately, a compassionate drone used some bureaucratic expertise to excuse me for the day, which is the good news. The bad news is, it was merely postponed to a later date, so, I must contemplate having to do this again in a month, unless I can talk my doctor into writing a letter to get me out of it…. SIGH… I suppose, given the potentially disastrous outcomes that were both possible, and, showing strong odds of occurring, the way it came out is more good news. The bad part is having to deal with it again later…. Life in Dystopia, I guess…

I was so morose by the time I finished dealing with all that, I decided to blow off the rest of the day, then went out & treated myself to a good meal at a good restaurant, complete with cocktails & wine…. It helped, but, has complicated this morning’s agenda with the resultant hangover…. Go figure, eh? Ah well, ’twas well worth it….

All the above, though it wanders about in much confusion, was pointing to this instant in time, where I inform y’all of having to rather ruthlessly trim today’s (semi-) complete Pearl, into the abbreviated version you will find below. In fact, all you’ll see today are the pearls I collected for the old school section, and the two most excellent examples you found atop and at bottom of this section…. In fact, the closing pearl for this intro makes a rather accurate assessment of my day yesterday, so, at least we have that to hold onto as something positive to note… It ain’t much, but, it don’t take much to make me happy…. In my current state, I’ll take it….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens.”

[Against stupidity the very gods contend in vain.]

~~ Friedrich Schiller, “The Maid of Orleans”, Act iii, Sc. 6 ~~

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

“As it is written….”

*******

“A single event can awaken within us
a stranger totally unknown to us.
To live is to be slowly born.”

~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~~

*******

“And can you teach me to how to dance real slow?”

~~ Don McLean, “American Pie” ~~

*******

“The world is what it is, no less and no more,
and therein lies its entire and sufficient meaning.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“Change can be exhilarating, joyous, liberating.
But it can also be terrifying,
because, in a deeper sense,
you are questioning your very identity and sense of value.
But take the risk.
It’s worth it.”

~~ Dee Hock ~~

*******

“Do not seek death; death will find you.
But seek the road which makes death a fulfillment.”

~~ Dag Hammarskjold ~~

*******

“If I don’t meet you no more in this world
Then I’ll see you in the next one.
Don’t be late”

~~ Jimi Hendrix ~~

*******

“There will come a time when you think everything is finished.
That will be the beginning.”

~~ Louis L’Amour ~~~

*******

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

Considering the multitudinous handicaps with which I saddled myself today, I’m pretty stoked at just getting this done, which it is. Done, I mean. In fact, it’s so done, I’m outta here, so I can pull it together enough to, maybe, get another one done for tomorrow. Odds on that are running about even, so, we’ll see how it goes. I hope y’all had, and have, a better day than described above… I guess that wouldn’t take much, would it? Okay, so, I also hope you have a day you can enjoy…. Me, I’m goin’ back to bed awhile…. then, we’ll see what reality has to offer up for today…. 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 -- 13855

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

“Cut it out”, he said, sharply….

Ffolkes,

“To live only for some future goal is shallow.
It’s the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.

~~ Robert M. Pirsig, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” ~~

Transamerica bldg

San Francisco Skyline from the ferry….

Hajime…. Today’s Pearl is getting posted rather late, according to my self-imposed deadline. Due partially to the half-hour of cat hammock time for which I was enlisted, just as I sat to compose the intro, as well as to the ongoing evolution of my personal diurnal habits (I awoke later than is commonly the case), I can offer no excuses, only explanations. Such is the life of a self-denigrating curmudgeon, when engaging in the purging of privately held insanity; I just figure, hey, it could be worse. In fact, it could be a LOT worse…. Trust me on this; it has done so in the past, and, shall do so again, I’m sure…

But, we’ll avoid falling into the self-indulgent, yet, somehow charming, habits in which we generally engage, by simply ignoring any possible implications to be found, & getting on with what may yet turn into something worthwhile. Not that we’ll hold out any hope for such; I can figure odds as well as the next guy, & those odds are NOT in our favor should we choose to fall into the trap of denial. Instead, I’ll nod my head sagely, mutter what sounds like some sort of incantation, & further distract you with a loud noise from off-stage…. Don’t let it throw ya; it’s only a recording, not a real explosion….

Can you tell I’m struggling here? No? Well, I am. Moreover, I’m tired of it, and have decided to quit trying to turn this into anything worthwhile, & just get on with the rest of today’s show, such as it is. All the elements are in place. so, I guess it’s time to go see they get into the proper alignment. Perhaps I can save this in the closing section; hard to tell, but, I think my chances may improve further down the page. Worth a shot, eh? Let’s see if this button will work….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Against boredom, even the gods themselves struggle in vain.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”

~~ Ellen Parr ~~

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

I’ve used this compilation previously, as it is over 3 hours of most excellent music, beginning with one of my personal favorites, to wit: one of the Brandenburg Concertos by Bach. I hope it starts your day as well as it starts mine…. Abondanza!….

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Classical Music

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Comedy_Tragedy

Sharing the Wealth

Lucky are we who live with some adversity,
Such strife to bear leaves us strong and free.
Time is no better spent at a fine university
Teaching us the kind of person we wish to be.

We humans are such contrary creatures
Life lived in ease is our fondest intent.
New perceptions are our strongest features
Learning to cope with troubles we cannot prevent.

Lessons we learn at Trouble’s bent knee
Stay on top in the bag of tools we carry.
Knowledge so earned can keep us free
On our long, strange trip to Charon’s ferry.

Pain is the least favorite of our teachers
Yet such powerful lessons stay forever and a day.
No matter how life presents its features
Strength of will equals what life sends our way.

T’is well to consider such time-tested tools,
To carry them with us as we travel through Life.
Events are less likely to show us as fools,
as we deal with Reality, where peril is rife.

~~ gigoid ~~

11/14/2012

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Hidden in plain sight….

*******

“How are things?
Just as they are.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

********

“Happy is he who can give himself up.”

~~Naguib Mahfouz ~~

*******

“To walk, we have to learn to lean forward,
lose our balance and begin to fall.
We let go constantly of the previous stability,
falling all the time,
trusting that we will find a succession of new stabilities with each step.
Our experience of the past, and of those dear to us,
is not lost at all, but remains richly within us.”

~~ Robin Skynner,  British psychotherapist ~~

*******

“In music one must think with the heart and feel with the brain.”

~~ George Szell ~~

*******

“When a man takes an oath, Meg,
he’s holding his own self in his hands, like water.
And if he opens his fingers,
then he needn’t hope to find himself again.”

~~ Robert Bolt, “A Man For All Seasons” ~~

*******

“We cannot live only for ourselves.
A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men;
and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads,
our actions run as causes,
and they come back to us as effects.”

~~ Herman Melville ~~

*******

“Ah said, pay attention, boy!”

~~ Foghorn Leghorn ~~

*******

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

In the words of Hassan, the Moor, played so well by Morgan Freeman in the Robin Hood movie, “I have fulfilled my vow.” It’s done, & damn!, I’m glad. This one gave me fits, & I’m more than content to let it go, & try again tomorrow. Perhaps, should fate grace us, I shall see you then. Until then, be well, and as strange as you can be…. I will, you can be sure….

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 -- 13793

À bientôt, mon cherí….