Tag Archives: Philosophy

Toad in the road….

Posted on by
10

Ffolkes,

“Time discovers truth.”

~~ Seneca ~~

lasers-locked-leelu

Lasers locked on target, Captain…

Hajime…. Howdy, ffolkes. While creating today’s offering, I came to a realization about why I haven’t been able to find the angst necessary to produce a good rant. The realization came as I looked for a pearl to place at the beginning, to indicate the direction the piece would follow; there were so many issues, and so many pearls, I couldn’t make up my mind. It isn’t the angst after all; there’s plenty of that, as a direct result of having plenty of cause. So, I gave up, as is my wont of late, and decided to wait until one of the issues assumed a cloak of dire need, then give it a shot….. Otherwise, I’d be writing forever, without any resolution, for there aren’t many good answers to be found.

Now that I’ve provided myself with a plenitude of future excuses to be lazy, I’ll tell you today’s Pear is a good one, if rant-free. Fine music, perhaps my best poem, and a damn fine old-school lesson, sort of. I’m happy with it, & that’s all that matters ultimately. Y’all will, as always, need to decide for yourselves whether your time has been wasted, or augmented. Sharing your decision is, of course, optional. When I see such comments, I tend to feel a small portion of guilt, right before ignoring them altogether, so, it’s not my favorite thing to occur; I gave up guilt long ago. But, I’m fair-minded, mostly, so, have at it, if you wish…. No worries; I don’t own a gun.

Okay, that’s about enough of that for one day. It’s all getting that red color that happens right before Reality begins to swirl and fade away, so, perhaps it would be best to get on with the rest of this mess. It’s not as if we are concerned with our sales figures, but, I hate casualties, and so does the insurance guy. So, we’ll get the slow on the toad, and be done with it for another diurnal period. Besides, it makes it harder to catch me this way…. See ya down the page….

Shall we pearl?….

“Entropy requires no maintenance.”

~~ Amanda Walker ~~

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

stevie guitarplayerdotcom

Stevie Ray Vaughan, in his short time with us, left a large mark on the musical scene. He was already considered a master when he passed, and, fortunately, left a substantial body of recorded work to enjoy. This concert, though not the greatest picture, has good, clear sound, essential for full appreciation of his genius. Enjoy, ffolkes, it doesn’t get any better……

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

Stevie Ray Vaughan
Live in Tokyo ~ 1985

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

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

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

Comedy_Tragedy

Unheralded Sagacity…

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

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

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

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

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/17/2013

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Potpourri

*********

“I have been a stranger in a strange land.”

~~ Old Testament, Exodus ii, 22 ~~

*********

“What we wish, that we readily believe.”

~~ Demosthenes ~~

*********

“You grow up the day you have your first real laugh — at yourself.”

~~ Ethel Barrymoore ~~

*********

“Anyone without a sense of humor is at the mercy of everyone else.”

~~ William Rotsler ~~

*********

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

~~ T. S. Eliot ~~

*********

“He who has a WHY to live for can bear with almost any HOW.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*********

“Self-trust is the essence of heroism…
It speaks the truth, and it is just, generous, hospitable, temperate,
scornful of petty calculations, and scornful of being scorned.
It persists; it is of an undaunted boldness,
and of a fortitude not to be wearied out.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Essays” ~~

*********

“He who laughs, lasts.”

~~ Mary Pettibone Poole ~~

*********

“Deserve your dream.”

~~ Octavio Paz ~~

*********

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

There you have it; short, but sweet. I’m going to go now, before it all loses focus, and turns on us, which can happen here at the end, if we aren’t mindful. Of course, that particular state remains fitfully inconsistent, but, we’re working on it. See y’all tomorrow, if I, once again, can find no good reason to NOT do so….. Trust me, I won’t…. and, I WILL be here, one way, or another…. Hope for the one, the other is bloody dangerous…. for everyone….

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

Kowabunga!

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Up to some very old tricks….

Posted on by
2

Ffolkes,

“Let ignorance talk as it will, learning has its value.”

~~ J. de La Fontaine (1621-1695) ~~

~~ The Use of Knowledge, Book viii, Fable 19 ~~

smell-tuna

I swear it went inside here….

Hajime…. Thanks to goodness knows what, I’m running late. This is both good, and bad, like most things human. We do tend to try to strip it down to bare bones when possible; today’s post will, no doubt, require us to do so rather ruthlessly, if we hope to find our way to any sort of conclusive resolution. Of course, that also implies we actually know what we’re looking for, or where we’re going, neither of which approaches the truth of Reality in any portion. Go figure that one, eh?

There. That should make it clear you’ll get nothing rational out of me today. That happens to me consistently, I’m afraid, though you wouldn’t know it to watch me perform my antics. I’ve now had an officially long time to practice making it look normal, and, much as the effort costs, it seems worth it to keep those around me from worrying, or, for that matter, from bursting into flames when I look at them. Always a bonus out in public to avoid being noticed for such happenings. I can assure you, I don’t miss the drama….

Okay, that’s all you get today. I’m clean out of fresh ideas, at least for now, so, I’ll bite the bullet, and get this done, so I can say I did without lying about it. I do hate to have to lie, about anything; for us humans the facility comes too easily. I prefer to try to meet Reality on its own terms, which won’t work if we don’t use the rules. Another go figure, but, hey, we’re used to that. I’m going to stop tormenting all of us now, and use this very ruthless technique to get us down the page to where we need to be…. Watch closely, or you’ll miss it….

Shall we pearl?….

“Arouse the mind without resting it on anything.”

~~ Diamond Sutra ~~

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

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

Today I feel like some classical music. I also want to hear the guitar, so, what better way than to hear over two hours of some of the finest classical guitar ever played, by the acknowledged master of the genre, Andres Segovia…. I hope you enjoy it; it will be hard not to do so, since its probably some of the best music ever created by humans… Abondanza!….

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

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

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

Comedy_Tragedy

November Dreams of Spring

Crass and cold, the beggar finds me swollen, so frail and fat
with painful stepping motions, running, like a Republicrat.
Building with straw and spittle, should artists come aground,
we all pay heavily, a billion for a bloody pound.

Too desperate, too ashamed to play such a part
We ask for belief, and sweet liberty, dressing up so smart.
It falls between the simple cracks, always in a hurry
To find a shrunken ego, ashen, swift, and full of worry.

Never there was a more penitent group, such a sterling way
To fast in luxury, making sure the guilty enter, but do not stay.
Forgotten gods can find their diffident suitors tonight
With dream-fitted convention, and a natural sense of delight.

For all the silken babies cried, to see the broken dreams of power
forgiven moments of certitude serve, filling up the maiden’s bower.
All the patient, loving veterans of ancient foreign time,
give up their first impressions, dying, dying for a rhyme.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/19/2012

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Warning: thinking caps required….

*********

“I certainly wasn’t happy.
Happiness has to do with reason,
and only reason earns it.
What I was given was the thing you can’t earn,
and can’t keep, and often don’t even recognize at the time;
I mean joy.”

~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~

*********

“If possible, try to find a way to come downstairs
that doesn’t involve going bump, bump, bump, on the back of your head. -“

~~ Pooh, in Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne ~~

*********

“How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness
is in fact for most men at all times
the secret motive of all they do,
and of all they are willing to endure.”

~~ Dean William R. Inge ~~

*********

“There is, nevertheless, a certain respect
and a general duty of humanity that ties us,
not only to beasts that have life and sense,
but even to trees and plants.”

~~ Michael de Montaigne, Essays, Book ii, Chap. xi, Of Cruelty ~~

*********

“Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old;
seek what they sought.”

~~ Matsuo Basho ~~

“Good taste is always an asset.”

~~ Rudy Bakalov ~~

*********

“Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart.”

~~ Steven Stills ~~

*********

“After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”

~~J.K. Rowling, The Man with Two Faces, ~~
~~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 1997 ~~
~~ spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore ~~

*********

“Aw Mom, you act like I’m not even wearing a bungee cord!”

~~ Calvin ~~

*********

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

Despite some rather spirited competition from the cat, I got it done. I’m going to cut my losses at this point, since, by posting, I win. Of course, it’s only myself I beat, but, hey, gotta take the kudos where you find ’em, or, you might not get ’em at all. I will, as consistently threatened, be back to do this again tomorrow, I imagine…. Odds are running even right now, but, they’ll improve; bet on it. See ya…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Always follow the left-hand wall….

Posted on by
4

Ffolkes,

“Life moves pretty fast.
If you don’t stop and look around once in a while,
you just might miss it.”

~~ “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, screenplay by John Hughes~~

alaskan-taxi

Alaskan Taxi….

Hajime…. Burning with brilliant lines, he ached to begin. However, he is lost, though he’s making good time. So much for brilliance, eh? I suppose to assume that mantle, it might help to begin with something more than mediocrity at hand. Such is Life, neh? And, such is karma, for Murphy knows just when to apply the heat, to melt all our hopes, desires, and expectations. Ah, well, that’s the way the cookie meets its doom, when karma is in the house. So be it….

Whatever plans I had at the outset, having met the fate of all plans in the face of reality, are now defunct. That means I have to resort to plain talk. I’ve got an extensive Pearl for y’all today, though I don’t know exactly how it came together, as about a third of it was done while three sheets into the wind; our old friend John Daniel’s made a short visit last night, and, boy, was he in a mood. The result is a ranting section, composed of two text pearls, and a video pearl of the text…. I’m not sure if the point being made will fly smoothly into your comprehension, but, there is a point to it…. if I could just remember my drunken logic…. Ah, well, it’s a chance to hear what could be considered the very best song written during the twentieth century, all in all, so, I’ll take it as it plays….

There’s also some rather fine blues, a poem, and an old-school pearl that got away from me a bit. You’ll see. And, you’ll enjoy it, too, or you can have all your money back. What a bargain! On that rather commercial note, I’ll stop fussing around, and get on with the process, which can then lead to a program, thus fulfilling my own internal requirements for daily sanity…. Who knew it would be so delicate an operation? Not me. I ain’t delicate, nohow….Ah, hell, let’s do it; I can’t think of anything else to put here, so, follow the cursor down the page, to your next assignment….

Shall we pearl?….

“Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.”

~~ Things We Can Learn From Dogs ~~

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

muddy-waters

Muddy Waters

Image from http://www.organissimo.org via Google Images

I felt like the blues, so, why not have the best? No reason not to, so, here ’tis…. Go ahead, enjoy!…..

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

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

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

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 ~~

9/27/2012

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

Plato-Aristotle

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

~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~

The Sound of Silence

Hello darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone
Neath the halo of a streetlamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light, split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw, ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared, and no one dared
To stir the sound of silence

Fool, said I, you do not know, silence, like a cancer, grows
Hear my words and I might teach you, take my arms then I might reach you
But my words, like silent raindrops fell, and echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they’d made
And the sign flashed its warning in the words that it was forming
And the sign said the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls, and whispered in the sounds of silence

~~ Paul Simon ~~

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

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

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Progress Notes….

*******

“Always store beer in a dark place.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

*******

“We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”

~~ Tombstone epitaph of two astronomers ~~

*******

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold,
it would be a merrier world.”

~~ J.R.R. Tolkien ~~

*******

“Man is what he believes.”

~~ Anton Chekhov ~~

*******

“Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.”

~~ Rumi ~~

*******

“To make the individual uncomfortable, that is my task.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*******

“Why don’t lawyers lie on the beach?
Cats would bury them.”

~~ Non-sequitor Bee ~~

*******

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

Done. Not sure just how that happened, but, I’m sure y’all are familiar with the old one about gift horses, right? Right, then. Since I can’t think of any further crap to throw at y’all, I guess I’ll go do something less productive for awhile. (Hmm… Just how long IS ‘awhile’?…. Oh, well, no matter…) Sorry for the little side trip there. Okay, let’s post this bad puppy, and get on with our day, shall we? See y’all tomorrow, come hell, or, high water….

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….

Tales of electricity and corn….

Posted on by
5

Ffolkes,

“There are no other colours without the blues.”

~~ Doctor Who ~~

south-of-eugene

Oregon in autumn….

Hajime…. I am not sure, & don’t feel like spending the effort to find out for sure, but, I believe it was R.D. Laing who said, “Insanity is a sane reaction to an insane world.” The past few days, and, hell, weeks, have offered quite a lot of evidence in favor of the truth of that. My own involvement in the process of sanity/insanity maintenance is a core issue much of the time, though it is carried out behind the scenes, so to speak. I am hopeful the picture of me seen by the outside world is one which promotes confidence, but, also imagine that’s a groundless hope. Of course, what other kind is there?….

In the past two days, sanity took a back seat for much of the day. Somehow, I’ve managed to post; in looking back, that seems to have been slightly over-confident, as the rest of both days was spent in the morass of my own mind, trying to keep my balance, a process complicated by living with a small, fur-bearing extortionist, whom I love dearly, but have quite a time finding the inner serenity with which to handle her with any aplomb. It’s a constant day in school, learning ways to adjust to another creature’s needs and desires…. Who knew it could get so complicated? Ah, well, it’s only because I’m so damned self-critical; it’s too late to change that, and I wouldn’t want to, anyway, as it’s part of who I am….

I suppose I should make a choice here; keep wandering fruitlessly through my transparently muddled thoughts, or get on with the process of posting today’s effort. Given my state of mind, the latter is our most likely, and most amenable choice. To keep from getting completely out of hand with the chatty nonsense, I’ll do that now, and do it the quick, easy way. That looks like this….

Shall we pearl?….

“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.”

~~ Oscar Wilde, “Oscariana” ~~

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

Rolling-Stones

Image stolen from Google Free Images

While searching for some music, I came across this concert, which happened to be the first time the old boys had been invited to the Glastonbury Rock Festival in England. Go figure, eh? At any rate, it’s hot, right from the start, so, here ’tis. Enjoy, ffolkes; the old boys still bring it….

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

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

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

Comedy_Tragedy

After the odyssey….

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

3/10/2013

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Framed in Idyll….

*********

“He who has the courage to laugh
is almost as much a master of the world
as he who is ready to die.”

~~ Giacomo Leopardi ~~

*********

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us or we find it not.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Essays” ~~

*********

“I see my life go drifting like a river
From change to change; I have been many things –
A green drop in the surge, a gleam of light
Upon a sword, a fir tree on a hill,
An old slave grinding at a heavy quern,
A king sitting upon a chair of gold –
And all these things were wonderful and great;
But now I have grown nothing, knowing all.
Ah! Druid, Druid, how great webs of sorrow
Lay hidden in that small slate-coloured thing!”

~~ William Butler Yeats, “Fergus and the Druid” ~~

*********

“Nature, whose sweet rains fall of just and unjust alike,
will have clefts in the rocks where I may hide,
and secret valleys in whose silence I may weep undetected.
She will hang the night with stars
so that I may walk abroad in the darkness without stumbling,
and send the wind over my footprints
so that none may track me to my hurt:
she will cleanse me in great waters,
and with bitter herbs make me whole.”

~~ Oscar Wilde, “De Profundis” ~~

*********

“Sometimes you win,
sometimes you lose,
sometimes you get rained out.”

~~ Satchel Paige ~~

*********

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

I’m happy I found our final pearl of the day. It reminded me of what’s truly important, which is, as we all know, the ability to be comfortable with ambiguity. I mean, hell, that’s about all we get from Reality, right? May as well learn to like it…. In any case, we’re done here, so, I guess I’ll call it a day. I will, in all fairness, warn y’all; I’ll be back again, to test your sense of complacency. Get used to it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bargaining with Murphy….

Posted on by
11

Ffolkes,

“If a man insisted always on being serious,
and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation,
he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”

~~ Herodotus ~~

ketchikan-early-morn

Spring morning ~ Ketchikan, Alaska….

Hajime…. According to all I’ve been told most of my life, there are limits to what we may expect from Life. I don’t remember ever quite believing it, since all I could observe around me failed to support such a thesis. (Yes, I was precocious….) So, I’ve always tended to go beyond what others might feel is prudent, which was fine with me, but, tended to make my young life a bit more, shall we say, ‘interesting’? But, then, nobody ever learned much from never being challenged, did they?

Y’all might, at this point, wonder just what the hell I’m getting at, but, that would show your own self-absorption. If you thought about it a moment, you also might remember you shouldn’t expect what you expect around here, and it wouldn’t surprise you to find out I’m not getting at anything. Well, nothing particularly meaningful, or, for that matter, relevant. I was just sort of wandering around in my head, and that’s what I found. I do that a lot, which, if you’ve been here any number of times, you’d already know, and have skipped down to the music.

For any Gentle Readers who remain at this point, it probably won’t cause any further feather-ruffling to announce we’re done here, and will be moving on, as soon as I figure out a reasonably intelligent way to get myself out of this cul-de-sac of reasoning in which I’ve inadvertently placed myself. I’m afraid I’m going to have to resort to an old, tried-and-true method, we used to call #4….. Actually, it’s pretty cool, not to mention efficient. How does it work. Easy. Just like this….

Shall we pearl?….

“A reverence for life does not require one to respect nature’s obvious mistakes.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

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

norah-jones

Norah Jones

Image from desktopimages.com via Google Images

A friend reminded me to include music, which I do using his own stated preference, with great pleasure. Especially for the opportunity to include the music of this daughter of an icon, sister of another, as well as an iconic talent herself. In today’s world of hype and illusion, her music stands out, as real. Here’s a live concert from a few years back, purported to have good sound quality…. Let’s go see if that holds true, shall we?…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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

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

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

Comedy_Tragedy

Stray Cats

The veils that billow and fold
between dreams and reality
may sometimes part,
showing the visions of one to the other,
blending, bleeding as one,
only to bring us up short,
closely jammed against immovable fate.

Still, we keep our watch,
seeking to find the vision
that brings with it the mark of reality’s regard,
a humble mind, and a compassionate heart.

Events of broad impact draw us away again,
distracting with shiny glitter and tinny music,
leaving our feelings raw and bruised,
the victim of universal disregard.

Now, in the twilight of years, the music is fading,
and the glitter has all gone….
yet the memory of visions remains sharp and clear,
melancholy reminders of reality’s promises,
unkept…..

~~gigoid~~

4/12/2013

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Justifiably Inane….

*******

“Words must be weighed, not counted.”

~~ Polish Proverb ~~

*******

“The truth is always the strongest argument.”

~ Sophocles — Phaedra, Frag. 737 ~~

*******

“Hypotheses are not to be multiplied without necessity.”

~~ Occam’s Razor ~~

*******

“The shortest distance between two people is laughter.”

~~Victor Borge ~~

*******

“My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool;
it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.”

~~ Ursula K. Le Guin ~~

*******

“If you are out to describe the truth,
leave elegance to the tailor.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

*******

“Appearance must not foil, nor shifted sphere confuse thy brain.
Ample are time and space–ample the fields of nature.”

~~ Walt Whitman, CONTINUITIES ~~

*******

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

It may be premature of me to make any judgments, so, I won’t. What I will do is continue the efficiency so bravely provided in the intro by using the old #4. In the closing section, that looks like this…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Just try to stop me…. Hah!….

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 -- 10055

À bientôt, mon cherí….

If only they knew, or even suspected….

Posted on by
6

Ffolkes,

“Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

sidewalk-show

Sidewalk Show….

Hajime…. Although we are always good to go when it comes to doubtful challenges to our purpose, there is no profit for anyone in being coy. Also, let it never be said we have been anything but obscure, lest, for good reason, we end up in court. Nobody likes going to court. Therefore, in the interests of fair play, and good whiskey, I am hereby declaring this Pearl open, with the concomitant, and irregular, degree of nonsense, as well as a complete, full helping of blather. Not bad for 0600, eh?

Now I’ve got that out of my system, I’ll tell you a bit about this Pearl. It’s done. There isn’t much of it, and what there is, is a bit strange, even for us/me. There’s no point in fretting over it; Reality is what it is. I’ve included one of my older poems, just because I can, and it seemed to fit the mood. There’s an old-school pearl, with a decent, if obscure message to decipher, for those inclined to make a foray into my less than normal cogitative processes. Just don’t take any of it too seriously, and all will be well.

I’m also going to be nice, since the day began otherwise, as a sort of attempt at balancing the scales. By that, I mean we are leaving now, to make our way down the page, manually or on auto-scroll, your choice. Or, you can do it the simple way, just reading and using the down arrow on your keyboard. It makes no never mind to me; remember, I’ll never know which one you choose, so, your privacy is intact. More than you can say in most cases today, right? Right…. Let’s do this, before I lose my chutzpah….

Shall we pearl?….

“We must respect the other fellow’s religion,
but only in the sense and to the extent
that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.”

~~ H. L. Mencken ~~

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

Comedy_Tragedy

A Dubiously Soft Morning

Idiosyncratic images, clamoring for regard,
fill up the white, white screen on which I view
my life, never seeing, nor invited to sup
ambrosial remnants of anything new.

Still, yet almost in motion, allegory sails away
bobbing gently, quick and easy to find,
signs of one happy child, seriously at play,
blissfully immersed, focused joy in mind.

Formidable cries of outraged simple justice
echo plaintive relevance, in half the time.
Maladaptive infants, destined for hospice
salvage an only child, daring to sing in rhyme.

Creativity equals unquestioning farce,
often reaching for absurdity, brazenly afire.
Instead, a blow is felt no joy will ever soften,
accepting the price, added to the cost of desire.

~~ gigoid ~~

7/26/2013

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Notes on Process and Program….

*******

“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

*******

“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker.
Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy.
Speak your mind
and fear less the label of “crackpot”
than the stigma of conformity.”

~ Thomas J. Watson, Sr. ~~

*******

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”

~~ E. E. Cummings ~~

*******

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

~~ Bertrand Russell ~~

*******

“The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears,
for there’s no risk of accident for someone who’s dead.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

*******

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, –that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

~~ John Keats — Ode on a Grecian Urn ~~

*******

“Let us endeavour to live that when we come to die
even the undertaker will be sorry.”

~~ Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar (1894) ~~

*******

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

Once again, chutzpah or no, we’ve made it to the end of another Pearl. Yippee…. Before we are undone by such enthusiasm, allow me to get the hell out of here. I will, in spite of all advice to the contrary, do this again tomorrow. Take warning, take heed, take a chill pill, & I’ll see you next time…. Hasta la bye-bye, amigos….

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 -- 10055

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Toby’s too tawdry to tango….

Posted on by
4

Ffolkes,

“Go into yourself and see how deep the place is from which your life flows.”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet ~~

grumpy-leelu

Who’s this ‘grumpy cat’ dude?….

Hajime…. Running, chased by gibbering demons, claws extended to rend my flesh, I pant in abject terror. Of course, then I wake up, generally, so, all is well; the nightmare of insanity passes quickly, as a rule. As a human, my mind naturally organizes my perceptions into an ordered framework, one with which it can deal, of which rules are an important part, delineating, as they do, the boundaries of our understanding. Yes, I realize, now, that’s probably a bit more complex & esoteric a thought than I should be trying to express at this point in time; hell, I’m barely awake, having had only one cup of coffee before starting to work on this Pearl….

Ah, well, so much for my application to join the real world. I didn’t really WANT it to be accepted, anyway; it all seems so pointless these days. The world itself is broken, and there’s little to be done now that would, or could, be of any significant help in fixing it; people have pretty much sewn up their future into a casket, ready for lowering six feet down into the ground. The evidence keeps piling up, and few will even look at it, so, my own sense of hope is pretty well eroded down to a nub. But, that’s too depressing a thought with which to start the day, so, how about we let it be, and get on with what I originally began, to wit: today’s Pearl of Virtual Wisdom….

A short reminder to my readers: Pearls, and pearls, as well as mere pearls, are kind of special to me. The collections I gather usually lead to a train of thought, always off the schedule, but, running on time. They are intended as a means of feeling uplifted to begin the day. The fact they don’t usually do that isn’t important; it’s the thought that counts, right? Right. On that cryptic, if transparent note, let’s get this slow on the toad. All I have today is a poem from a couple years ago, and a rather odd, Zippy-directed old-school pearl. It’s what I’ve got, and, as always, will have to do….

Shall we pearl?….

“Als das Kind noch Kind war, gab es diese Fragen:
Warum bin ich mich, und warum nicht dich?
Warum bin ich hier, und warum nicht dort?”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~

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

Comedy_Tragedy

A dream, weeping….

“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said
with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.
“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….
what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”

So, we plucked up our dreams of old,
to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,
stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,
for luck, and perfect proof against charms.

Storms follow the sun, but, never stay;
lessons round every corner, all free.
Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,
the journey becomes the reason to be.

Simple kindness manifests untold riches,
in defiance of common cause’s demise.
Bold courage, hanging in stitches,
mends wounds that come as no surprise.

Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.
Too much pain cannot apprehend
the salient, sharp points of epiphany,
nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.

Folly dogs even the simplest truth,
fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,
alienated as a loose rotten tooth;
it often hides itself, for a long while.

Sought after eons ago, we cried out,
to believe, to suffer no more doubt.
But found instead good reason,
for love, and truth, from season, to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

~~ 8/30/2014 ~~

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Watch that last step….

*******

“A wide-eyed, innocent UNICORN, poised delicately in a MEADOW
filled with LILACS, LOLLIPOPS & small CHILDREN
at the HUSH of twilight??”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

*******

“It is one of the commonest of mistakes to consider
that the limit of our power of perception
is also the limit of all there is to perceive.”

~~ C. W. Leadbeater ~~

*******

“To develop a complete mind:
Study the science of art;
study the art of science.
Learn how to see.
Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

~~ Leonardo da Vinci ~~

*******

“If our behavior is strict, we do not need fun!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

*******

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”

— Louisa May Alcott ~~ ~~

*******

“It is good to have an end to journey toward,
but it is the journey
that matters in the end.”

~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~

*******

“When this load is DONE I think I’ll wash it AGAIN..”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

*******

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

Well, there you have it. No excuses; it is what it is. And, I’m done. Not merely done; I’m outta here. I will, however, be back to do this again, to as little purpose as ever. Thus far, nobody has figured out an effective way to stop me…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

Featured Image -- 10011

À bientôt, mon cherí….

A most formidable hamster….

Posted on by
4

Ffolkes,

“It is better to copulate than never.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

portobello-market

The market on Portobello Road, London

Hajime…. As our opening quote from Lazarus signals, today’s Pearl might get a bit rambunctious. I seem to have entered a time bubble, or, perhaps, slipped through a worm-hole into an alternate universe. Whatever it may be, for four days, almost, I’ve been getting closer to a sort of balance, between all the hard places, and the soft. Not to imply it’s nearly so simplistic, but, let it suffice for now as a fairly close approach to my personal reality, and get on with the fun….

Yes, fun. I decided we/I don’t do fun enough; in fact, I remembered one can’t overdo fun, at all. So, today’s post has some whimsy, some grit, some entertainment, and a bunch of verbiage otherwise known as filler. What can I say? It’s a gift. Or, well, a talent, anyway. Still, it might be worse, you know…. I might have decided to rant again. Not only is there no new, fresh rant over which to fret, the one I chose to include, from the archives, is an abbreviated version, mostly old-school, with only a smidgen of necessary neuronic involvement. Afterward, of course, there’s a poem to ease y’all into the old-school section for our finale today…. Don’t forget, the price is right, right?….

What with all the tasks and events presented to me by Reality yesterday/today, I’m not sure how, but, what follows is a complete Pearl of Virtual Wisdom, with four complete sections. That, and the other tasks are done, and I’m glad…. I think I’ll go eat some worms…. Or, not. Perhaps, instead, we’ll do this….

Shall we pearl?….

“What happens to the wide-eyed observer
when the window between reality and unreality breaks
and the glass begins to fly?”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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

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

In the interests of efficiency and elegance, today’s musical selection finds us with a collection of classical pieces, for study or relaxation. Since both are handy when reading here at ECR, you get them both, for we are nothing if not accommodating, eh?…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s all good stuff, and makes the reading go nice and smooth….

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

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

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

Sandclock .jpg

From 7/20/2014:

I cannot tell a lie…. Well, that isn’t true. I can, but, I have a hard time justifying it to myself, so, I keep it to a minimum; mostly, I succeed… It’s not usual, I know, for people to even think about it, more’s the pity, but, that’s just the way I am…. So, since I can’t, I’ll tell you right now, I don’t have the wherewithal to rant any more this morning…. The intro took most of my angst away; the emotional power just isn’t there now, so, anything I did write would be a bit frail; I like my rants to be robust, if nothing else….

So, we’re going to do this…. Below is a link, to yet another example of A) how egregiously the governments of the world, ours, the Brits, and all of them, are bumbling around, spying on you, me, and each other, while the public sits and watches as they try to justify their insane paranoia by telling the public it’s all for their own good…. It’s bullshit, of course, but, that’s their story, and they are sticking to it….and B) how the lies aren’t even being addressed by those who are telling them, but, rather, are being labeled as legal, by the passing of legislation making it so….

Since I’m NOT going to rant about it, I’ll follow the link with a seven-star pearl that takes aim at those who are involved in the whole ugly mess at the top of the heap, which, in my mind, is beginning to resemble one of those snake pits we hear so much about…. Hiss, hiss, wriggle…..

Enjoy the pearls, ffolkes, and try not to let the article depress you any more than necessary…. If you must, you can be glad this is the BRITISH government that is being exposed in this article…. at least it’s not our own….. THIS time, anyway…. Of course, ours is busy with its own illegal spying programs, none of which have been shut down, or even restrained, in spite of all the hullabaloo over it…. Ah well, see you in the poetry section, ffolkes….

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/18/intelligence-services-email-database-internet-tribunal

“This message has been personally tested and certified by Big Brother Bill, Senator Exon, and the Religious Right to be PC, containing only the best of family values, and Safe For The Children ™. Disclaimer: The caffeine made me do it.” — Smart Bee

“The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes and fears rather than with their minds.” — Will Durant

“Americans used to roar for Liberty, now they bleat for Security.” — Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

“Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail.” — Josh Billings (pseudonym of Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818-1885))

” — I’d love to, but…the President said he might drop in.” — 4 of 101 Easy Ways To Say NO

“It does take a perverse form of optimism to have any faith in the news media when almost every time they cover something you _know_ about, they get it wrong. Maybe they’re wrong that often covering subjects in which I’m not an expert? Naw, it just couldn’t be.” — Grant Edwards

“It ain’t me; it ain’t me; I ain’t no senator’s son!” — (Creedence Clearwater Revival) The Fortunate Son

Yep…. As I’ve noted previously, it’s all in the wrist….

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

Comedy_Tragedy

Unbidden, treasure unfolded…

Taken by surprise, Psyche sits numb
Amidst tall phrases worn of elder time
Seeking a not-new place from which to come
No shiny new horizon, nor altered paradigm.

Sudden regrets shape dreams as times maintain
Shades of memories bring poignant clear sight
Visions of duty, each chosen wild campaign
Shouts echoing clamors to enfold the night.

Arisen from less than eternal havens of sleep
Facing moments created in torment and pain
Destiny weighs upon those chosen to keep
As the sparrow flies now to sever the twain.

Faded pathways lead away, hazy and long
Burned out verges, so long unknown
Images of yesterday, clear and strong
Bleed into today, though t’is but my own……

~~ gigoid ~~

9/6/2012

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Ha, ha, ha….

*******

“Nothing unreal exists.”

~~ Kiri-Kin-Tha’s Law of Metaphysics ~~

*******

“Eternity is a mere moment, just long enough for a joke.”

~~ Hermann Hesse ~~

*******

“When the situation is desperate,
it is too late to be serious.
Be playful.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*******

“A little nonsense now and then,
is cherished by the wisest men.”

~~ Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ~~

*******

“As for myself,
I always willingly acknowledge my own self
as the principal cause of every good and of every evil
which may befall me;
therefore I have always found myself
capable of being my own pupil,
and ready to love my teacher.”

~~ Giacomo Casanova ~~

*******

A monk said to Joshu,
“Your stone bridge is widely renowned,
but coming here I find only a heap of rocks.”

Joshu said,
“You see only the stones and not the bridge.”

The monk said,
“What is the bridge?”

Joshu said,
“What do you think we are walking on?”

~~ Zen Bee ~~

*******

“To see the world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”

~~ William Blake, “Auguries of Innocence” ~~

*******

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

Having completed my chosen duty, with some degree of efficiency, I shall take my leave without any more pathetic attempts at humor. In fact, I’ll be completely serious, and reiterate my intention to return tomorrow, to torment, er, challenge y’all again. See ya, ffolkes; be strange, it’s cool out there….

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.

dozer3

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Needless worry over inadmissible enchiladas….

Posted on by
4

Ffolkes,

Dharma: “What is the greatest mystery of all?”
Yudishthira: “That each day, death walks the earth,
and we continue to live as though we were immortal.”

~~ The Bhagvad Gita ~~

deadline-leelu

You said you had a deadline….

Hajime…. In my recent explorations of Reality, there seems to have arisen within me a large fog of apathy, regarding the state of the world….. My angst seems to have resolved itself into a big package of “I don’t give a shit”. This seems to have destroyed my outrage, and just in time, too. It was killin’ me….

But, I digress. Today, I have very little accomplished in the way of putting together a Pearl. There is a short, five-star necklace below, with a message I am not really sure of; it’s there, but, it’s a bit murky. Oh, well, such is Life in the big city, ffolkes; we’ll all have to deal with it, one way or another. I can’t say I’m particularly enthusiastic for our chances of a Pulitzer, or even making the WP front page (my use of expletives as ammunition keeps that off the table…. something about the word ‘fuck’ they don’t like….), but, at least there will be a post. So be it.

That’s all I’ve got. I’m trying to finish a task for a friend, so, tomorrow may again be a throw-together-if-not-throw-away version; we’ll see how efficiently I can multitask. I used to be pretty good at it, so, we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll also take this moment to apologize to my usual blog visits; I have been unable to find any angst with which to comment, and have been unusually silent. It’s no doubt the same falling angst levels previously mentioned, so, I’m not sure when I’ll be back in touch on that level. I haven’t forgotten anyone; the funk in which I’ve been mentally mired for weeks is starting to clear, and all will eventually be as well as it may be….

That’s my story, and, I’m sticking to it. For now, let’s get this slow on the toad…..

Shall we pearl?….

“Time…do you really believe the past arranges itself
for our convenience into those paltry little squares they print on calendars?”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Affordable wisdom….

*******

“Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.”

~~ Aristotle (384-322BC) ~~

*******

“What you see is from outside yourself,
and may come, or not, but is beyond your control.
But your fear is yours, and yours alone,
like your voice, or your fingers, or your memory,
and therefore yours to control.
If you feel powerless over your fear,
you have not yet admitted that it is yours,
to do with as you will.”

~~ Marion Zimmer Bradley, “Stormqueen” ~~

*******

“Sure, understanding today’s complex world of the future is a little
like having bees live in your head.
But there they are . . .”

~~ Firesign Theater, “I think we’re all Bozos on this Bus!” ~~

*******

“OMNIVERSAL AWARENESS?? Oh, YEH!!
First you need 4 GALLONS of JELL-O and a BIG WRENCH!!…
I think you drop th’WRENCH in the JELL-O
as if it was a FLAVOR, or an INGREDIENT…
…or…I…um…
HERE’S the WASHING MACHINES?”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

*******

“What the meaning of human life may be I don’t know;
I incline to suspect that it has none.”

~~ H. L. Mencken ~~

*******

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

Well, there you go. That’s what we’ve got, ffolkes. I know, pretty pathetic, right? Oh, well. The good part is, I can try again, maybe even tomorrow. One way or another, I’ll be back, to make some more noise…..

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….

Drawing the string, for luck….

Posted on by
3

Ffolkes,

“Self-reflection is the school of wisdom.”

~~ Balthasar Gracian ~~

lets-talk-leelu

We need to talk….

Hajime…. I’m tired of reblogging old Pearls, so, I’m putting this together with what I have ready, and, so be it. I’ll even be super-nice, and forgo any sort of long, rambling intro, in favor of just getting it done with as little hullabaloo as we can manage. That shouldn’t be hard, given the already overbearing handicaps under which I’m operating, as a matter of course, for the time being. This, of course, is superfluous to our purpose, but, then, little is not.

All that said, with the standard lack of direction fully acknowledged, if not compensated for, I’ll just get on with it, as it will be hard enough. I guess what I should, and will do, is pay attention to our final opening pearl’s advice, and put the damn stones down as they need to be…. Let’s go do that, ‘kay? ‘Kay!….

Shall we pearl?….

“Do not look for all the answers at once.
A path is formed by placing stones one in front of the other.”

~~ The Giant from Twin Peaks ~~

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

Comedy_Tragedy

Pensive early and late…

Endings aren’t always a new beginning
I’m sad to say.
Sometimes it’s just an ending
there’s always a price to pay.

Still, it’s only money, he said
watching it piss away
Did everything ‘cept meet Fred
‘n had a good time the whole way.

Even the bad stuff turned out well,
life lessons are just that way.
Knowing what’s right, you can’t always tell,
we don’t always know the right things to say.

I’ll take all the hard times, without complaint,
learning isn’t always easy to take.
Kindness, patience, and compassion without restraint,
are still the best decisions we can make.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/26/2013

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

pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Logic, untwisted….

*******

“It costs so much to be a full human being
that there are very few who have
the enlightenment or the courage to pay the price…
One must abandon altogether the search for security
and reach out to the risk of living with both arms…
One has to embrace the world like a lover…
One has to accept pain as a condition of existence…
One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing.
One needs a will stubborn in conflict,
but apt always to
total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying.”

~~ Morris L. West, “Shoes of the Fisherman” ~~

*******

“Make no judgments where you have no compassion.”

~~ Anne McCaffrey ~~

*******

“Belief gets in the way of learning.”

~~ Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love ~~

*******

“Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart.”

~~ Steven Stills ~~

*******

“I looked more widely around me,
I studied the lives of the masses of humanity,
and I saw that not two, or three, or ten, but hundreds,
thousands, millions, had so understood the meaning of life
that they were both able to live and to die.
All these men were well acquainted with the meaning of life and death,
quietly labored, endured privation and suffering, lived and died,
and saw in all this, not a vain, but a good thing.”

~~ Leo Tolstoy ~~

*******

“Heaven embraces the horizon.
No matter how jagged the profile, the sky faithfully conforms.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

*******

“Comedy. Sudden, violent, comedy!”

~~ Monty Python ~~

*******

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

There. I feel a little better. It’s not epic, but, it’s a Pearl, so, I’ll take it. And, so will you, for the nonce. I will keep working at this, and may be able to resume steady production in the fairly near future. Yay, me. Or, not. Time will tell; always does. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, one way or another….

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

Dozer

À bientôt, mon cherí….