Tag Archives: Philosophy

Too many random corpuscles….

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Ffolkes,

“Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do.”

~~ Bertrand Russell (1872-1967) ~~

leelumdob

Leelu Magicat, Daughter of Bastet, at her ease…

Hajime…. In my battle to regain a modicum of composure, intellectually, at least, I managed to cobble together a pretty interesting Pearl. It’s a bit longer than usual, but, only because I cheated in the final, old-school section, by using the entire Pearl of Virtual Wisdom as posted on 10/15/2011, only a couple months after beginning here on WP. All in all, I’m content, if not entirely happy, with what occurred; under the given circumstances, it’s the best I can do…. which is yet another situation where “So be it….” becomes appropriate….

To make the transition, from standard reality to mine, a bit smoother, I think a strong display of will power is in order; applying it to an efficient trimming of this introductory section may enhance today’s overall reading experience, enough to make it more palatable than otherwise may be the case. Of course, this presupposes it is edible, or potable, in the first place, but, we’ve been known to make unwarranted assumptions previously, & can’t be expected to change overnight, & most especially, on command. We can, however, be expected to back up those assumptions with a bit of proof. Now, if we could only find some, all would be well. Since we cannot, our only possible alternative is to completely ignore it all, & go on as if nothing at all has taken place…

Mostly, you’ll note, it hasn’t. Let’s see if we can’t find something a bit more entertaining, if no more compellingly ridiculous. We’re getting pretty close to complete absurdity, as I retreat further & further from true reality, hoping to find surcease, if not redemption, in a magnificent display of madness, which, given our predilection for such displays on short notice, might have been possible, had it not been for your alert reaction. Go figure, eh?….

Now, then…. If you aren’t completely confused, well, then, so am I. Let’s see what other madness we can generate….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth
the first time he bites off more than he can chew.”

~~ Herb Caen ~~

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chooka

Chooka Parker

Image from Pinterest.com via Google Images

In 2011, this young man, then 16 years of age, walked onto a stage in Australia, as an entrant in the Australia’s Got Talent TV show. He proceeded to play the piano, but, with a slight twist. He made his song up on the spot, improvising it as he played, expressing how he felt at that moment…. He went on to win that competition, with his second and third improvised songs, (each better than the last….), and now plays all over the world.

Follow the link in the player to his You Tube page, where you can find any number of great videos showing him play, in his unique style, every note improvised. Somebody DID eventually teach him to play standard music, (I suspect he can play anything he hears once, though I haven’t looked into that talent in his case); I watched a clip of him making up a blues/boogie-woogie song about 5 minutes long, which was, without doubt, the most incredible piano work I’ve EVER seen or heard…. Just watch & listen; your mouth will drop open, I guarantee, at his brilliance….

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Mozart, Reborn
Chooka Parker

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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

An Ancient Pearl

From 10/15/2011….

Ffolkes,

The Sun, life-giving orb of light and warmth, which dies each night, is born again each morning, gloriously aflame with potential. As the world turns in slow majesty, a scene of aching beauty is revealed; small plants and trees stretching their leaves toward the source of warmth, creatures great and small moving over the land, greeting the day with energy and purpose, colorful birds arcing and swooping through the warming air.

With a look at each other, the two young boys grinned, and with a cry of pure joy, took off running toward a nearby stand of trees. Legs pounding as hard and fast as their hearts, evenly matched, they ran with abandon, startling birds and small creatures, laughing in sheer exuberance. When they came to the edge of the trees, they stopped by mutual accord. Breathing hard, they gazed into the shadows, thinking about why they had come, why they were here, filling their souls with beauty at the beginning of the day….

I’m told that constant practice makes for constant improvement, and if this is so, then I should be getting damn close to competence, if not perfection. The paragraphs above are the start of yet another story that will most likely never be told. I write them principally to keep dross from building up in my psyche, and as a sort of contrast to the reality of the rest of the piece. An introductory bridge, as it were, carrying the reader into the realms of thought, where I can then provide you with an upgrade to the DABSDS (Defense Against B___S___ Delivery System) that comes installed in your brain. It gives me a chance to limber up my typing finger, and loosen the mental muscle, which, as we all know, is an essential precursor to the use of these peripherals without sustaining injury.

Today’s group of Pearls is an eclectic one, with a diverse, compelling batch of authors. Cultural values from all over the world, and from many different ages of history are represented here, and I think the variety is part of its strength; it goes to show that wisdom is not limited to one book. Indeed, I believe that the admixture that came together today is greatly enhanced by the contrast of ideas, creating a more powerful effect upon the reasoning mind… hope you enjoy!….

“If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.” — James Thurber

The only real failure in life is the failure to try.

“It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most
people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.” — Deng Ming-Dao

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave Gently they go,
the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know.
But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.

~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music” ~~

“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of–but do it in private and wash you hands afterwards.” — Lazarus Long

“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” — Emily Dickinson

Trust yourselves, my friends, so that ye may trust one another…..y’all take care out there…..

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It’s done. Looking back over it, I have decided to leave it alone. It’s odd enough as it is. In fact, I’ve done enough damage for one day, so, I’m outta here…. I’ll see y’all next time; no predictions today as to when; we’ll all have to be patient, & allow time to tell…. 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

Featured Image -- 14285

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
A series of crippling platitudes….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Truth is sacred;

and if you tell the truth too often

nobody will believe it.”


~~ G. K. Chesterton, ILN, 2/24/06 ~~


CEO


The CEO….


Hajime…. I’ve managed to cobble together a fairly decent Pearl, in only one day, so, I’ll post it, & hope for the best. My recent absences have, I think, caused some Gentle Readers to not come by very often…. SIGH. Oh, well; so be it. Since I do have this one ready, I guess I’ll post it right away. In order to do so in a timely fashion, I’ll even condescend to forgo all tricks, traps, sudden turns, or nonsensical forays into my head, opting instead to call this an intro, & be done with it. It’s actually one of my favorite openings, if only because I don’t have to come up with anything in particular, beyond what you already observe. Yep, I’m often lazy, but, then, I am human, aren’t I? Why, yes, yes I am. See y’all in the closing section….


Shall we Pearl?….


“To make up a great action there are no subordinate mean ones.”


~~ Thoreau ~~


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


No introduction needed today; the music I’ve chosen is of a genre everyone knows, as it is, perhaps, the single most ancient form of sharing music, other than by singing. Humans have played guitars, or an instrument like it, since the days we hung out in caves to stay dry during inclement weather. In my opinion, anyone who does NOT like classical guitar simply hasn’t learned how to be fully human…. Enjoy!….


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Classical Music

 Guitar






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Comedy_Tragedy


Blue chameleon


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

So it says on the news.

Guess there’s nothing to do again

unless it’s sing the blues.


The blues are gettin’ old, though.

So I say, & I should know.

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

For what seems a long row to hoe.


S’pose it could get better someday.

I’ve heard that tune before.

Always seemed out of tune anyway;

I ain’t waitin’ any more.


Bang those drums & kick the cans.

May as well raise some hell.

Clang together some old pots & pans;

It hides the little voices so well.


Never worry, don’t you fear at all.

We’ve got certificates of note.

Bureaucratic protections, officially small.

Non carborundum illegitimi, he wrote.


Time, and circumstance, wrote me today.

It came in the daily mail from home.

It said I shouldn’t write unless I say

you’ll be charged for the distance you roam.


~~ gigoid ~~


5/28/2016


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pearls_3


Naked Pearls


Notes on Life at Large….


*******


“An it harms none, do what thou will.”


~~ Wiccan Credo ~~


*******


“Man shall not live by bread alone.”


~~ New Testament, Matthew iv, 4; Deuteronomy viii, 3 ~~


*******


“Forget the cake, go for the icing.”


~~ from Observations on Life From Children ~~


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“All’s fair in love and war – What a contemptible lie.”


~~ Lazarus Long ~~


*******


“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves;

otherwise we harden.”


~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


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“It is a fundamental law of nature that nothing ever quite works out.”


~~ Murphy’s Seventh Law ~~


*******


“Sure, understanding today’s complex world of the future

is a little like having bees live in your head.

But there they are . . .”


~~ The Firesign Theater, “I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus!” ~~


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There you have it, ffolkes. To make the closing section rather more of a match for the intro, I shall bring it to a rapid close, without the usual caveats, contortions, or blather. Makes for a nice change, don’t you think? Whatever…. I’ll be back tomorrow, if reality doesn’t intrude in its inimitable fashion. Until then, be well, & happy as you may be. I’m heading out into the BBR today, for a bit of guitar practice meself. Don’t step on any myrmidons; it irritates their sense of entitlement…. 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


Featured Image -- 14285


À bientôt, mon cherí….





		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Brief moments of rationality….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time;

serenity, that nothing is.”


~~ Thomas Szasz ~~


Leelu w-attitude


Attitude….


Hajime…. It seems one truly can never expect the unexpected…. I was standing on my back porch, when my mind settled into a train of thought which led to an epiphany, of a deep, and abiding truth. Without detailing what led to this, (because now, it seems so obvious, the triggering perception is unimportant…. it’s in the past….), it can be said thus: The universe in which we live, which we have determined to exist in duality of nature, begins where it ends, with the very process, and concept, of creation. The simple most critical point of this duality thus demands that creation MUST simultaneously destroy. That’s it; everything else we perceive, as well as any and every thing we can imagine, by its birth, destroys the universe that existed prior to its inception…


The implications of this idea are staggering in scope; thus far, I cannot think of any part of reality that does not obey this injunction, nor any part that suggests anything that can alter it, without altering the very nature of reality. Go figure, eh?…. Exquisitely simple, as is life, when one can learn to accept things as they are, without any need, or desire, to change anything other than one’s self; they are the only changes that can alter our own reality, for they change, at once, our perception, and our ability to attain serenity and clarity of mind in the balance, the ambiguity, in the very imbalanced balance of the universe. Death. The concomitant fears that go along with the certain knowledge of our own ‘end’, lose their power to affect us, for we know, for certain, all is as it is meant to be… for WE are the ones who supply the meaning, with the expression of our spirit in the poem/song/dance that we create by living.


Is this sinking in? Every living creature, here, or anywhere in the universe we can perceive, is continuously engaging in the process of creation, destroying the present by the existence of a potential future; each moment of our lives is a note in a song, a word in rhyme, a step in the dance of living. Each second of living, each creature is making itself new, and destroying its old self in the process…. Every rock, every mountain, every atom, all change, made new each second by every life it surrounds and supports, as the other side of the coin of existence…. Pretty cool, eh?….


Wow… Did that just happen? Hmm… As I still observe the lines above, it appears so. It seems the time I’ve spent recently, immersed in music, has provided me with some rather cogent ideas for cogitation…. I am thinking, at this point, the intro section was probably not the right place to let all that out; what’s more, it obviously isn’t done; there’s a lot more to be said… but, I think it’s going to be a poem. While considering what to include in today’s poetry section, I found a poem I wrote about a year ago, which seems to echo, from the past, some of the stimulation for these ideas; they’ve clearly been percolating a while. The final group of pearls has many of my favorite contributors, all in one fine common thread….


In any case, it’s probably a good time to go to the rest of today’s Pearl. I’ve put some work into it, including finding what I think is the absolutely perfect accompanying music for today… Before reading further, turn it on; it makes it all better…. Now, let’s see what there is to see….


Shall we Pearl?….


“Rock gives reality to the otherwise abstract notion of transhuman time.”


~~ Edward Abbey ~~


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Moondance - Van Morrison - (1970) - (freeallmusic.me)


To anyone over the age of 30 who knows anything about music, this artist needs no introduction. Those of us listening when he began playing his song to the world, and to literally millions upon millions of people around the world, this album’s songs will be not merely familiar, but, loved. It also works very well to go along with reading damn near anything; in fact, I can’t think of a time, or a task, it would not enhance…. If you haven’t ever heard it (unlikely, but, possible in today’s world….), you’re in for a treat…. Enjoy!….


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Van Morrison

 Moondance






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“I have thought many times since that if poets

when they get discouraged

would blow their brains out,

they could write very much better when they got well.”


~~ Mark Twain ~~


Comedy_Tragedy


Hmm… A bit prosaic, eh, Mark? Perhaps, one who wrote only prose felt a bit jealous? Perhaps…. but, it seems to work for me, so, maybe he’s right….


Absently Gestalt


After the echoes of silence are faded away

Comes the cacophony which accompanies dismay.

Apocalyptic thoughts and emotions run free

Spreading fear enough to fill the holy see.


Speak softly to the beloved ruling class

Deathly darts sunk deep are painful, and crass

Sloth and ignorance are commonly shared

By those who would rule, alone or au paired.


Images and opinions are sullenly forlorn

Yet hope shines bright wherever ’tis borne.

Feeble strengths hide many objective flaws

For reality bites, with hard, vicious jaws.


Can you stand up and state your own name?

Will you hide in a handle, behind a great flame?

No hole and no mind is so deep and so wide

As to furnish safe haven in which to hide.


Bring out the weapons of your reluctant choice

Bring them to bear on the sound of their voice.

Silence the ignorant, and muzzle the fear

Make reason the only message you hear….


~~ gigoid ~~


9/5/2016


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pearls_3


Naked Pearls


“Let the buyer beware…”


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“Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth.”


~~ Socrates ~~


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“Everyone who becomes conscious of

even a fraction of his unconscious

gets outside his own time and social stratum

into a kind of solitude.”


~~ Carl Jung ~~


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“When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth.”


~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~


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“No man is free who is not master of himself.”


~~ Epictetus ~~


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“If there is a sin against life,

it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life

as in hoping for another life

and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life.”


~~ Albert Camus ~~


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“The road uphill and the road downhill are one and the same.”


~~ Heraclitus ~~


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“There are as many nights as days,

and the one is just as long as the other in the year’s course.

Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness,

and the word ‘happy’ would lose its meaning

if it were not balanced by sadness.”


~~ Carl Jung ~~


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“Don’t hit me!!  I’m in the Twilight Zone!!!”


~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~


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Well…. Not too shabby, even considering how long it took me to put it all together. As they say downtown, I’ll take it. And, so will you. I’ll try to return in a timely fashion; ‘timely’, of course, is relative, but, so be it. For now, I am content, & such moments should be savored. To best do so, I’m goin’ back to bed awhile. Afterward, I’ll go see what sort of trouble I can cause…. hopefully, for anyone but me…. Y’all might consider doin’ the same; never can be too much trouble of that sort…. I’ll be back, so, stay alert….


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….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Asymmetric consistency enhances any melody….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“We dwell at the bottom of the sky.”


~~ Subtle Bee ~~


famine memorial


Memorial of the Exodus, Galway…


Hajime…. Well, here we are again. Rather late, if y’all hadn’t noticed; so late, in fact, there’s no time to explain any of the reasons, none of which could be considered either justifiable, or rational, other than existing as rationalization. So, we’ll skip all that, & get on with today’s mess, which was thrown together, helter-skelter, in just under an hour. This is, unfortunately, much less time than I typically spend on a Pearl, so, I’ll forgo any nonsense about the quality, & merely acknowledge ’tis done…


It is, to my credit, completely fresh & original; the old-school pearl, composed of seven fine gems, came together in, if not record time, a remarkably adequate fashion. There is our usual musical compromise, with some of the world’s greatest music collected for your listening pleasure by some random You Tube user. And, there is a new poem, finished this morning under extreme pressure, the extremity of which I found necessary to get it down on the screen before the blood loss reached a critical level. Go figure, eh? Sometimes, it’s easier than others, so, I hope you enjoy it…. Personally, I think it’s not bad, but, I often don’t really ‘get it’ myself until the metaphors have circled around my head for a while….


Okay, chatty rationale aside, I’d best get posted, before the reality of the day’s agenda strikes home. To do so with dispatch, I’ll employ an old, old literary technique, which I call ‘the dump’…. You’ve seen it before; it works like this….


Shall we Pearl?….


“Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds

on the heel that has crushed it.”


~~ Mark Twain ~~


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


Those familiar with our habits here on ECR will know just why I chose classical music today; those not so in tune may merely enjoy it, without knowing I’m ‘going with the flow’… Either way, it’s good stuff to read by…. Abondanza!….


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Classical Music






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Comedy_Tragedy


Whispers in the Dark


Contrast burgeons, each moment we exist,

drawing perception, offering simply delicious ambiguity;

imagination gives reality an emotional twist,

we create the dance, step by step, in perpetuity.


Glorious, spinning with uninhibited glee,

joyous in well-fitted shoes, alive in every atom;

Death itself smiles, in gentle wonder, to see

such pure illumination, deeper than any fathom.


Myrmidons stand, helmeted heads shaking in sad confusion,

unable to comprehend the complex notion of simplicity;

multitudes gaze hypnotically into depths of crass illusion

totally ignorant of their own  vile duplicity.


Precluded from taking flight in silent wonder, we fight

to preserve all we believe, ever falling short of kindness.

Beauty remains; we walk through it to the light,

a glimpse of druidic insight leaves us wishing for blindness.


~~ gigoid ~~


8/21/2017


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pearls_3


Naked Pearls


Notes on Process and Program….


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“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.”


~~ Confucius ~~


*******


“In memory everything seems to happen to music.”


~~ Tennessee Williams ~~


*******


“Have the courage to act instead of react.”


~~ Earlene Larson Jenks ~~


*******


“I am not the rose, but I have lived near the rose.”


~~ H. B. Constant ~~


*******


“Because right is right, to follow right

Were wisdom in the scorn of consequence.”


~~ Alfred Tennyson, “Oenone” ~~


*******


“Each man reaps on his own farm.”


~~ Plautus — “Mostellaria”, Act iii, Sc. 2, 112, (799.) ~~


*******


“Life is not meant to be easy, my child; but take courage

— it can be delightful.”


~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~


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I can honestly say I don’t know how I did it, so, I won’t. I will note, however, it’s done, and a damn good thing, as my OCD is building up angst, the later it gets. Over two hours past the artificial, yet compulsory, time I set for myself, & I’m still typing. How about I stop here, & go get this posted? Okay…. See y’all in a day or so, when I find some space in my head to make the effort to ‘pull it together’. Let’s not get into how long that might be; let’s just say, blessed be, & be on our merry, if less than perfectly sane way….


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….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Softly altering the edges of reality….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Water go down the hole…”


~~ Baby Plucky. ~~


meditation pathway


Meditation on the Bay….


Hajime…. My usual routine for posting a Pearl comes with an arbitrary deadline, of 0600, a time I chose back in the early days, when sleep was an uncommon event. Since achieving a degree of physical stability, meaning I could sleep more regularly, I’ve kept it at the same time, to give myself a target at which to shoot. Today, I missed the target by a wide margin, thanks to my sleep being thoroughly disrupted by my resident furry extortionist, who wanted to play all fucking night, without any consideration for what I may have wanted…. The upshot is, I am up late, and in a foul mood, neither of which bodes well for being able to write with any panache, or, for that matter, comprehensibility. Hell, it’s all I can do to keep from tearing my hair out, & I don’t have much of it left…


Fortunately, I had already finished most of today’s mess, so, I’ll merely curtail any impulse to attempt to overcome my handicaps, and put aside any unwarranted desire to furnish this with any foolish attempts at wit or erudition. Instead, I’ll make this the final introductory paragraph, and try to go with what little flow I can find. To do so is, also fortunately, relatively simple; all I need to do is this….


Shall we Pearl?….


“If at first you doubt, doubt again.”


~~ William Bennett ~~


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Lucy


Lucy Spraggan


Image from belfastvibe.com via Google Images


While on my recent binge of watching talent shows on You Tube, I heard this young woman audition for Britain’s Got Talent, wherein she played a song she wrote, called “Tea and Toast”. It was, to say the least, a great audition, for she played her guitar & sang with a unique style, as well as lyrics that displayed wit and insight. I then visited her website, where I found she had released an album, and a short four-song CD, both of which I bought. All her songs are fresh, lyrical in a unique way, and delightfully witty. I think one day, fairly soon, she’ll be commonly known as one of music’s brightest new stars…. I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I do….


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Lucy Spraggan


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Comedy_Tragedy


Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….


Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me

Ah’m not even sure of mah name,

or how Ah come to be;

no idea from where Ah came.


Ah does like a mystery tho’,

puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,

good from bad fo sho,

Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.


If’n Ah cain’t figure out what’s best,

Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,

seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,

‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.


‘Course, he’d lived a good long time,

‘n had lots of stuff go on by;

Went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,

never once used it fer an alibi.


He tol’ me once Ah’d best learn to learn,

school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.

Yer own good measure you can earn,

by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.


Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,

he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,

‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,

kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.


Without ever sayin’ the word itself,

Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others

not some fake stuff from some shelf,

but, knowin’ whut’s right, ‘n that we’re all brothers.


Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think

to get around the block at least two times.

I s’pose long as my head don’t shrink

Ah’ll keep on doin’ right, ‘n makin’ these rhymes…..


~~ gigoid ~~


4/6/2013


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


pearls_3


Naked Pearls


There and back again….


*******


“It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.”


~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~


*******


“I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years,

and I’m happy, Doctor, I finally won out over it.”


~~ Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, 1950. ~~


*******


“Madness need not be all breakdown.

It may also be breakthrough.

It is potential liberation and renewal…”


~~ R.D. Laing ~~


*******


“One kernel is felt in a hogshead;

one drop of water helps to swell the ocean;

a spark of fire helps to give light to the world.

None are too small, too feeble, too poor to be of service.

Think of this and act.”


~~ Hannah More ~~


*******


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

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


~~ Alice M. Swaim ~~


*******


“Count your age by friends not years, and count your life by smiles, not tears.”


~~ John Lennon ~~


*******


“It is pleasant to have been to a place the way a river went.”


~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~


*******


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


Okay, that’s all I’ve got. It’s better than I’d hoped, for I managed to keep from pounding my keyboard into dust. The effort did cost me a lot, as I found myself having to restrain my homicidal, or, in this case, felinicidal impulses, so as to remember where all the keys were. But, it’s done, so, rather than dwell upon the past, I’ll go post it, & hope for the best. I hope your day starts better than did mine; perhaps the music, and the poetry, or maybe the pearls will help in that. If so, I am content, & I think that’s the best I can hope for today. Since that’s so, I’m outta here, before it all falls down… See ya, ffolkes… be well & stay alert….


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 -- 14259


À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Blatantly aphoristic rumination….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is.”


~~ Albert Camus ~~


sleeping gaia


Sleeping Gaia…. Can you see her?….


Hajime…. Words flow, at times, like a melodic brook falling softly down a forest glen; still other times, they fade away, disappearing into the grey fogs swirling always at the edges of the mind. No matter which side of the universal coin they present, seemingly at the whim of fate, the need to use them, as the means of stilling the cacophony which builds up, in reaction to perception of our confusing, complex, beautiful world, remains an undeniable impulse. Better yet is to find the place inside where the words merge and meld into music, often as if meant for no other purpose; such moments are true epiphany, for me, for any truly human being….


I have to write; it’s no longer an option to keep from doing so, if only when I can physically tolerate the numerous repetitive actions, while seated, required to perform the very act,  all of which puts stress on our bodies, so accustomed to activity. In the recent past, I’ve come to understand my time of introspection needs to turn toward action, in the sense I must now, as Joe Campbell would put it, ‘follow my bliss’…. So, I intend to try to meld my need to write with my love of music, & start practicing on my guitar, & trying to fit some of my poetry into the music I find in me…. I can’t say any of it will ever reach the stage of showing it to the world, but, the attempt itself will be a learning experience, so, we’ll see what I learn.


For the moment, which comes two days after composing the above paragraphs, we’ll jump right in to the effort I’ve made over the last few days of recovery, since last posting a fresh mess. It wouldn’t help to detail this particular morning’s events, as I am neither happy about them, nor content with my own state of being; I’ve been up since 0230, thanks to some negative behavior seeking by the resident fur-bearing extortionist, after a long day with 3 naps yesterday, trying to recover a bit of energy. Suffice it to say, the rest of the day has to go better, for it couldn’t have been much worse so far….


In fact, only concentrating on finishing this episode of my personal quest to find, or create, some rationality in an insane world has kept me from felinicide, or taxicide (fyi, the killing of cats & cabbies who never show up….), so, I’m going to get it posted, hopefully before I get arrested. I’ll even give up trying to explain anything, & get on with it, post haste…. That, of course, looks like this….


Shall we Pearl?….


“Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go fly a kite.”


~~ Lazarus Long ~~


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


Jethro_Tull


Jethro Tull


Image found on random Russian WordPress site via Google Images…


Today’s musical selection is a find of most excellent flavor. The video you’ll see below is called the ‘best version’ of the song played by the iconic band from the 60’s & 70’s… I have to agree with the title’s assumption, having seen or heard it many times, both live & on the radio of the day. Incredible performances by the entire band mark this as a truly iconic representation of the spirit that burgeoned during that era; the energy is incredible. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have, & use the links in the player to listen to some of their more recent work, as they are still playing & living their music….


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


Jethro Tull

 Aqualung, BBC 1977


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




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


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


Comedy_Tragedy


Life as we know it….


As we grow and learn to be, in this sad, yet joyous parade,

we only have our Self with which to face life;

small, we are, and weak,

but, smart.


Reality, in studied contrast, is an invisible, ubiquitous shade

dispassionate ambivalence brings us mostly strife.

It’s never enough to seek.

Take part.


The universe won’t make a compromise, but will make a trade.

Give away your fear for knowledge, and a reasoned life.

It often requires a tweak;

live Art.


Love is an essential part of our own particular charade

without it, life can be filled with strife.

Souls perch high on a peak;

sweet, tart.


Pain  always balances with joy, the price has to be paid;

for us humans, each must be equal in life.

To know one, the other must speak.

Never apart.


We are all actors, playing parts we’ve chosen to have portrayed;

the director’s absence produces endless strife.

Trying to make sense brings only pique.

Go. Start.


~~ gigoid ~~


11/27/2015


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


pearls_3


Naked Pearls


Yep, that about covers it…


*********


“And now, let the fun begin.”


~~ Subtle Bee ~~


*********


“Then somebody spoke, and I went into a dream….”


~~ The Beatles, “A Day In The Life” ~~


*********


“There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.”


~~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~~


*********


“A desire not to butt into other people’s business

is at least eighty percent of all human wisdom…

and the other twenty percent isn’t very important.”

“You butt into other people’s business.  All the time.”

“Who said I was wise?  I’m a professional bad example.

You can learn a lot by watching me.”


~~ Lazarus Long & Ira Johnson, “Stranger in a Strange Land,” Robert A. Heinlein ~~


*********


“As great scientists have said and as all children know,

it is above all by the imagination

that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.”


~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~


*********


“If you don’t care where you are, you ain’t lost.”


~~ Rune’s Rule ~~


*********


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


~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~


*********


“They can because they think they can.”


~~ Virgil ~~


*********


“Living Dead

the path is chosen,

to live forever is to die forever.


To not know when you’ll die

is to find life

wherever you are.”


~~ Alagad ~~


*********


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


I’ve gone over what is above, & found it to be all there; I’ll make no judgments regarding quality, as that is your task. Feel free to tell me what you think, though, I’ll note any critical comments will be cheerfully ignored…. or, at least as cheerfully as I can be, on a day that started like this one. No complaints, & no worries; the sun will come up again tomorrow, & we all get a new chance at it…. I’m hoping to see some small improvement; it doesn’t take much to smooth the waters, really…. I hope to have another fresh Pearl tomorrow, so, I guess I’ll see you then…. I promise I’ll be in a better mood; not hard, as it can’t get much worse today…. Blessed be, my friends….


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 -- 14224


À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Relatively persnickety when startled….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Keep the juices going by jangling around gently as you move.”


~~ Satchel Paige ~~


shadow man


A man and his shadow….


Hajime…. We begin today with a statement from one of my all-time favorite Georges….


“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community,

and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die,

for the harder I work the more I live.

Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me.

It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment,

and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible

before handing it on to future generations.”


~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~


I was going to write a short, pithy piece with this as the starting point, but, babysitting duties have assumed precedence for today. I managed to get it done, but, unless I completely eradicate all surplus verbiage, I’ll never get it posted. Since I promised to do so, here ’tis, such as it is… I hope you enjoy this abbreviated version of an actual Pearl. I’ll flesh out the next one better, I swear. For now, this will have to do, for an intro, and for a Pearl…. Let’s  get right to that….


Shall we Pearl?….


“One idea spoken truly, even in a cave, can change the world.”


~~ Buddha ~~


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


stevie guitarplayerdotcom


I feel like rock ‘n rolling today; as a baby sitter, I’ll need the energy…. If you like music, and especially when played by a master musician, then, you’ll like this…. Enjoy


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






Stevie Ray Vaughan

 Live at Montreux, 1985






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




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


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


Comedy_Tragedy


Because I could not stop for Death —

He kindly stopped for me —

The Carriage held but just Ourselves —

And Immortality.


We slowly drove — He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility —


We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess — in the Ring —

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain —

We passed the Setting Sun —


Or rather — He passed Us —

The Dews drew quivering and Chill —

For only Gossamer, my Gown —

My Tippet — only Tulle —


We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground —

The Roof was scarcely visible —

The Cornice — in the Ground —


Since then — ’tis Centuries — and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses’ Heads

Were toward Eternity —


~~ Emily Dickinson ~~


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


pearls_3


Naked Pearls


Short but sweet….


*******


“If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap,

whence everyone must take an equal portion,

most people would be contented to take their own and depart.”


~~ Socrates ~~


*****


“Primum vivere, deinde philosophari.”

[First comes life, only after that philosophy.]


~~ Ancient Latin adage ~~


*****


“He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.


~~ Henry Ward Beecher ~~


*****


“According to the proverb, the best things are the most difficult.”


~~ Plutarch — Of the Training of Children ~~


*****


“Nothing endures but change.”


~~ Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.) ~~


*****


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


Okay, it’s done, Zoe will be here soon, & this needs to be posted before that, so, let’s see if I can get that done. I shall see y’all in a day or two, when I’ve recovered, and can cobble together some more words. Until then, be well, and happy as you may. And, damn it, stay cool….


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….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Repeat performances….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


Today’s Pearl is a stealth re-blog; it’s from December of 2012, & I didn’t feel like finding it online, so, I went to my draft archives & pulled it out. Here then, for your viewing pleasure (we hope) is the entire Pearl posted on 12/15/2012, with a few minor alterations to make it look better in today’s format. I hope you enjoy it….


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


Sandclock .jpg


From 12/15/2012:

Ffolkes,

I’m not sure I can do this….. not this way. I’m sitting on a complete Pearl, you see. The one that was completed for posting on the 13th has not made it to the Net, as I haven’t figured out yet whether it will work to edit the old post, or just add a new one with that material….. The title I came up with on the 13th was certainly one of the best I’ve done “Despite the disaster, yak butter was still on the menu….”  Brilliant, if I do say so myself, as it tells a whole story all by itself, without any supportive material, and I don’t know about y’all, but I get a mental vision of some poor sap in a dingy kitchen, struggling to chop vegetables, as he worries about the price of yak butter…. perhaps not quite Hemingway, but perhaps, Raymond Chandler?…. Okay, Steven King, and he’s my last offer….

Any who…. I’ve got all this material already finished, ready  to post, and can’t seem to settle enough to sit down to write a Pearl. I’ve got pieces in progress (who doesn’t?) but it all seems pointless, when I don’t have to do anything at all, and will still have stuff to put up. I had not realized just how tied into the routine I’ve become, I guess; I’m still human, it seems, and can fall prey to mundane habit-forming drills like anyone else, until it becomes the dreaded “routine”, harder to break than a five minute egg. (Five minute eggs won’t break; they just smoosh….) These can be fatal, if not treated at an early stage….

And the verbs! What will I do with the verbs? All my conjugation, so precisely aligned to the proper time frames and concomitant pronouns, all useless! How will I ever know what day it is, if I’m always a day ahead?


 


Since retiring, keeping track of what day it is has become hard enough; I don’t need any help in forgetting. But, it should be okay, in the end…. I’ve finally figured out the bus schedule, and it can tell me what day it is, just by what time the buses go by the house. Of course, that is assuming they are running anywhere close to on time, an event of scarcity during the major portion of the week…..

Enough blather…. I could produce such for hours, probably, if I ever gave myself the chance. But, since nobody is paying me for this, it doesn’t seem very productive, so I’ll take this opportunity to get on with today’s effort at composition, and dive on in. I must say, the water looks inviting today, all blue and refreshing…..

Shall we Pearl?…..

__________________________________


 


“This is the true joy in life – being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you consistent.” — George Bernard Shaw

When I first began creating Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, there was only one quote each day, with short comments by me, only to introduce, and perhaps provide a bit of background to, the pieces I chose, generally on the subject of Liberty, Freedom, Honor, Truth, etc. In those days, this pearl would have definitely made the grade, and, given that I don’t remember all the quotes I’ve used, it may have been used back then. It still makes the grade, so much so that I’m leaving it to stand alone, aside from the closing quote from Mr. Twain, which echoes the sentiment expressed by Mr. Shaw perfectly….

“Let us endeavour to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), from Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar (1894)]

__________________________________


 


“Cruel as death, and hungry as the grave.” — James Thomson (1700-1748) — The Seasons, Winter, Line 393

The only possible comment is the same word that made up the first thought in my head when I read this… WOW…. Such an incredibly powerful line, so gripping and real, it makes me as jealous as I allow myself to feel. To write such a phrase would be enough for me; I could die happy. I’ll do so anyway, (die happy, that is….), just to spite Murphy, but, if I can write one line half as strong as this, I’ll be content, for sure…. Here is something that came to me last night…. at least, it began last night…..

Territorial imperative….


Beauty must define, as augment to existence,  as life must be more than mere subsistence.Nature demands more.Truth helps.

~~ gigoid ~~


It ain’t long, but it’s much…. and better for being so, rather than the reverse….. Just as an afterthought to this section, I offer the following as proof that even genius can feel insecurity and jealousy….


“There are two ways of disliking poetry; one way is to dislike it, the other is to read Pope.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)



__________________________________


 


“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right actions arises by itself?” — Lao Tzu

Ever since being first exposed to the precepts of Taoism, back when I was in college in the late 60’s, it has always appealed to my sense of rightness, and makes the closest approach to what I personally believe about the Universe at large. Not the mystical parts, that cater to the religious order of the time it first was clarified by Lao Tzu, but the essence of the concept of reality, as being both within our perception, and unknown to us as beyond our understanding. We may not possess the necessary sense to be capable of receiving such information, whether about reality or fantasy, and if we assume the omnipotence of a god, then we would not be able to comprehend their existence, lacking the tools to perceive them with our five or six senses…..

This knowledge, however, is tempered by the deduction that, as a physical part of the universe, we are connected to it, and to every other part, if only by sharing that existence. The connection, intuitively, is deeper than merely the physical; it extends somehow into the spiritual plane, which, though not tangible, is nonetheless a proven part of our mental reality. (What IS the mind?) It is this very lack of the ability to explain by which we may know the connection exists, as it echoes the nature of reality itself, which cannot be explained in words. Goodness knows why I’m trying, to be sure…. this is getting pretty esoteric, although, so far, it is consistently rational, if not entirely illuminating.

“Since everything in life is but an experience perfect in being what it is, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.” — Long Chen Pa

And what better way to acknowledge and celebrate the perfection that we can see, or hear, feel, smell, taste, or imagine?…… It’s certainly preferable to a long, dusty discussion of esoteric concepts, and will encourage enlightenment just as efficiently, if not quite so verbally. In some way, I’m always looking for the perfect quote, the ultimate aphorism, that delivers that cosmic truth we are all seeking in one swell foop, and the above from Long Chen Pa comes very close to it, especially when considered in the light of what one concludes from considering the answers to the first two questions today. As a Westerner who has learned to appreciate what the East brings us, the following resonates very well….

“Somehow, in the midst of their horrid history, the best among the _gaijin_ learned a wonderful lesson.  They learned to distrust themselves, to doubt even what they were taught to believe or what their egos make them yearn to see.  To know that even truth must be scrutinized, it was a great discovery, almost as great as the treasure we of the East have to offer them in return, the gift of harmony.” — David Brin – Dr. Pak’s Preschool

There’s the key, ffolkes, right there in front of you…. Even truth must be scrutinized, or the universe will have its way with you, and you may never find the gift of harmony that is also there for the taking….. There, not so esoteric, after all…. not too shabby, eh what?…..

“The ancient Taoist sages were poised and alert…. like ice on the verge of melting.” — Taoist proverb


__________________________________

All things considered, this didn’t come out too badly. It’s going to have to do, as I now have more material ready to post than I’ve ever had previously, and I’m not sure quite what to do about it. I know what I’d like to do, but, I’m still waiting for the green light from SS on that, so…. I suppose I’ll just have to pretend it’s the day before tomorrow, when it’s really the day after yesterday….. if you see what I mean….

Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..


 


dozer3

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Bones of stone….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“I saw Eternity the other night,

Like a great ring of pure and endless light,

All calm, as it was bright;

And round beneath it,

Time in hours, days, years,

Driv’n by the spheres

Like a vast shadow mov’d; in which the world

And all her train were hurl’d.”


~~ Henry Vaughan, “The World” ~~


zoe in wonder


At 2, the world is full of wonder….


Hajime…. We begin today with an observation on Life:


“In any given set of circumstances,

the proper course of action

is determined by subsequent events.”


~~ McDonald’s Corollary to Murphy’s Law ~~


Don’t worry, I’m not going to hare off into yet another complaint against Murphy’s trepidations; I only bring it up in order to give me an excuse for not having been writing much of late. The excuse part is realized when one considers the corollary lesson implied by this, to wit: “the hard way is always the easiest way”…. Essentially, taking the hard way is just what I’ve been up to, though, to watch, that might not be readily apparent. But, trust me, at my age, making changes of ANY kind is the hard way….


I’ve found, in achieving this age, remembering to assert one’s will to taking the most difficult choice is important to the process of finding happiness, which in the final analysis, is what being human is about. It may seem counter-intuitive, but, trust me, it’s as true as anything you will ever hear or know, at least for us humans. As a modern philosopher once noted….


“Happiness is the only sanction of life;

where happiness fails,

existence remains a mad and lamentable experience.”


~~ George Santayana ~~


Finding our bliss, as Joseph Campbell has noted in his work, is, possibly, the most important thing any of us can do in our lives, for the quest to find it, and to follow it, is what makes us what we are. Our lives are a form of poetry, the most singularly human activity in which we engage, for poetry is our reaction to life, our expression of our inner being as it makes its way through the cloud of perception into the depths of Reality, seeking that which makes us what we are, a child of nature, part of the whole, and complete thereby…..


Part of my search has led me away from posting very often; it has not eliminated the need to do so. So, to fulfill that need for now, I think we’ll cease and desist any further discussion of how, or why, & just get on with what I’ve put together for today’s mess. I’ve even called in our old pilot, Luigi, who will now take us directly to the oyster beds of imagination, where we may gather up the pearls earmarked for this Pearl…. Hang on, ffolkes; it’s been a while, & Luigi is probably a bit out of practice….


Shall we Pearl?….


“None can love freedom heartily but good men;

the rest love not freedom but license.”


~~ John Milton ~~


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


carly rose


Carly Rose


Image from Soundcloud via Google Images


In today’s musical selection, you will be treated to one of the finest performances you’ve ever seen by a 13 year old girl; this is followed by watching her turn into a star quality performer time after time, as she goes on to shine in the competition on the X Factor TV show in 2012, ending as the runner-up to the winner. She has continued to grow as an artist, and a quick Google search will bring you to her home page. For now, please enjoy a number of most excellent performances, by one of the big stars of tomorrow….


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






Carly Rose Sonenclar

 X Factor, All Performances






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












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


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


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


Passage to eternity….


*******


“To grow old is to pass from passion to compassion.”


~~ Albert Camus ~~


*******


“A heart is not judged by how much you love

but by how much you are loved by others.”


~~ The Wizard of Oz ~~


*******


“The more you love, the more you can love—and the more intensely you love.

Nor is there any limit on how many you can love.”


~~ Robert Heinlein ~~


*******


“There are only two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.”


~~ Albert Einstein ~~


*******


“How you do anything is how you do everything.”


~~ Zen proverb ~~


*******


“Tomorrow never comes! It’s all the same fuckin’ day, man!”


~~ Janis Joplin ~~


*******


Do not stand by my grave and weep.

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am a diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle Autumn rain.

When you awake in the morning hush.

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft star-shine at night.

Do not stand by my grave and cry.

I am not there… I did not die.”


~~ Prayer of the Makah Indians ~~


*******


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


Though I cannot say it is the best effort I’ve ever made, it’s not bad for a Pearl that took four days to complete. As such, it fits our regulatory paradigm, & will serve nicely as the latest in a long series of similar posts. Though this may seem as if I am denying, or avoiding the concept outlined in the introductory discussion, it’s not; finding an ending is NOT as easy as it might seem, nor is it an easy thing to ‘settle’ for less than perfection, especially for those of us who strive for it on a regular basis. But, I digress (go figure, eh?)….. Since I am here at the end, let’s end it. See y’all in a day or two, when I’ve again spilled my guts onto another screen. I would advise y’all to stay strange, and alert; both are of value in today’s uncertain world…. Ta, then….


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




À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Emergent elucidation….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


“Do you imagine that the universe is agitated?

Go out into the desert at night and look up at the sky.

This practice should answer the question.”


~~ Lao Tzu ~~


trans tower sf


Yet another iconic view of SF from the Bay….


Hajime…. A few days ago, I posted a fresh Pearl, followed by a couple days of re-blogs, as I recovered from the physical exertion of babysitting my granddaughter for a full day. Lovely time, but, exhausting…. Now, I’m finding it difficult to explain why, for the past two days, and very nearly this morning, I have completely blown off writing, or posting, at all, in favor of seeking my bliss, so to speak.


My search brought me to the realization I am craving life. Not any life, but, the life that exists when one engages fully in the world outside one’s own sphere…. walking, interacting with people, singing, dancing, playing my guitar, cooking for someone…. all those human activities that reinforce our own humanity by being with other humans. I’m even making plans to attend a local Shakespeare festival, where I hope to reconnect with another part of me I’ve neglected over time…. There is something about live theater that speaks to some part of my soul, even when I don’t particularly care for the play (as I’ve noted, Will was overrated, as a writer, to some degree…brilliant, in spots, but, balanced by a LOT of just plain crap).


I’ve spent a lot of time immersing myself in music, particularly listening to new artists, which I have been exploring on You Tube… I would add, that is the ONLY computer time I’ve been pursuing, ignoring all inner prompts to write; what I found has astounded me, as well as providing some hope, ill-advised as such may be, for humanity’s future, should we be able to survive the consequences of attempting to assert our nature on the rest of reality. If only we could place the same energy and passion we put into music into being rational in our dealings with each other, our chances of surviving into the next century would be greatly enhanced.


The problem I now face is deciding whether I want to continue blogging, at all. For years now, I’ve depended on this process to furnish a large portion of rationality with which I try to face Life at Large; it’s kept me relatively sane now for over six years, and well over a thousand posts, & more than a million original words. (Killed at least one keyboard too; even the new one is now missing letters, as I continue to pound away at this poor old machine….). I’ve met a lot of great people, & made some friends I know I’ll have the rest of my life. But, the satisfaction I get from posting a good one seems less important now; making contact with reality, rather than cyber-reality, seems more attractive to my soul/spirit.


What this means for the future of Exploring Consensual Reality remains to be decided; I am unable to completely stop writing. I’d as soon stop breathing, for writing is now as necessary to my peace of mind as the drawing of a clear breath. But, I’m thinking I may post less often, for I intend to make some rather sweeping changes to my daily routine, as I become more physically able to meet the challenges of interacting fully with Life. Walking, playing music, interacting with people, all will assume a greater significance as part of each day, which will, naturally, reduce the number of hours spent hunched over my keyboard, releasing my angst.


So, for those who may wish to converse more often than I may be posting, I’ll point out my email address is in my profile, and I love to write letters; always have, & email makes it even easier than the USPS ever did to stay in touch with those we love…. I’ll be posting, but, perhaps, not so frequently as in the past… I’ll also be spending less time surfing the Net, & more time walking in the real world. As Edward Abbey, one of my favorite modern philosophers, has said, when you walk, the world gets bigger… I’ve still got a LOT of the world to see, so, I guess I’d better get to hoofin’ it, before I can’t walk at all.


For now, let’s go see what I managed to put together while in the midst of all the rest of this; if naught else, you might be happy to know the poem I’ve been slowly leaking is finally done, so, that’s something, eh?….


Shall we Pearl?….


“What each must seek in his life never was on land or sea.

It is something out of his own unique potentiality for experience,

something that never has been

and never could have been experienced by anyone else.”


~~ Joseph Campbell ~~


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


louisa j


Louisa Johnson 


~ Image from You Tube via Google Images ~


Below, you’ll find a compilation of the performances this young woman gave during her journey to winning the X-Factor talent competition in 2015. Her initial performance, at the televised audition for the show, will, I predict, completely blow you away, right from the very first note she sings. As the performances follow, you will witness the emergence of a star-to-be, as she blooms into herself. The last few numbers, as with all of them, show her growth as a vocal artist, as well as her growing self-confidence.


It is, to me, a delightful journey, with some of the most compelling, completely mesmerizing vocal performances I’ve EVER seen, from ANY artist. I hope you enjoy her music as much as I have; you’ll be hearing it for many years to come, I am sure….


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






Louisa Johnson

 X-Factor Journey 2015






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












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


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


Comedy_Tragedy


Satisfaction guaranteed….


Dreaming, we awaken the dawn;

singing, dancing, composing a rhyme

to greet each new moment, to spawn,

negotiating unreality, seeking the sublime.


Down deep, deeper, daring to clamber

where unconscious dreams haunt relentlessly,

past reason, into the sleeper’s dark chamber

the siren calls, yearning endlessly….


Answers we seek so assiduously hover quietly

around the nearest relevant scenery,

alert to any pertinent intent, inherently

absorbed in metaphor, soberly sedentary.


Proportionate allegory, even the plainly mundane,

though among our most powerful tools,

must remember, the map is not the terrain;

first among Nature’s most basic Rules.


Awakened, craving Life in every fiber of being,

seeking to find the grace of the muses,

reaching back into primitive emotion, seeing

at last, Life never, ever refuses.


~~ gigoid ~~


8/3/2017


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


pearls_3


Naked Pearls


The fruit of the vine….


*******


“Sometimes it takes great effort to discover

that life was meant to be effortless.”


~~ Anonymous ~~


*******


“The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.”


~~ Albert Schweitzer ~~


*******


“Failure is instructive.

The person who really thinks

learns quite as much from his failures

as from his successes.”


~~ John Dewey ~~


*******


“Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul.”


~~ Mark Twain ~~


*******


“It is by not always thinking of yourself,

if you can manage it,

that you might somehow be happy.

Until you make room in your life

for someone as important to you as yourself,

you will always be searching and lost …”


~~ Richard Bach, Spoken by Leslie Parrish, “The Bridge Across Forever” ~~


*******


“Warned you have been.”


~~ Yoda ~~


*******


“Therefore search and see if there is not some place

where you may invest your humanity.”


~~ Albert Schweitzer ~~


*******


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


Part of this process has always been on a deadline, but, I find myself unwilling to acknowledge the angst that accrues when the deadline goes whooshing by, or, to allow it to influence the results. It’s done, and this moment in time, to wit: now, is sufficiently within parameters to fulfill my chosen duty. Even if all that is sheer bullshit, I find myself without remorse. So be it. It’s done, it’s got great music, a new poem, such as it may be, and a rather elegant old-school pearl…. & if it ain’t enough, well, so be it. For now, suffice to say, I’ll be back in a day or three, when I’ve filled up on life, & feel the need to get it out… Until then, be well, & be true to your own spirit….


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 -- 14087


À bientôt, mon cherí….