Tag Archives: Poetry

Serendipity strikes….

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Ffolkes,

“True silence is the rest of the mind.
It is to the spirit what sleep is to the body
–nourishment and refreshment.”

~~ William Penn ~~

HaroldViolet

Harold & Violet, circa 1910

Hajime…. In summary of the past five plus days, let me just say, whew! What a ride! It has taken me nearly 48 hours of near catatonia, and about 20 hours sleeping, to approach the near-human state I have awakened to this morning. I managed to finish a Pearl over that time, by working at it in spurts, as more energy became available. I can’t say it’s the most compelling Pearl ever created, but, it’s pretty good, all things considered. Any summary of the time leading up to today should also include two comments, to wit: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”, (shout-out here to Chuck Dickens….), and “Regardless of our perceptions, the universe remains in balance.”

I realize those may be a bit obscure, in terms of details which might explain their relevance, but, any such relation of details will have to wait for tomorrow, and/or other Pearls yet to be composed. I will say this now: it was one of the most illuminating periods of time I’ve ever experienced. During the time I spent traveling, and during my stay in Oregon to fulfill death duty, I connected with more new, and old friends than in any previous comparable time in my entire life. Though I am a trifle sad at the passing of my friend, his change of path was accomplished with love, and dignity, and compassion, so, in that, I am content.

I am also more than merely content at the serendipity I found in traveling. On both legs of the train ride to my destination in Oregon, I met people with whom I became incredibly connected, about whom I shall speak in time. Suffice to say, I met one of our species’ Great Souls, one of the most influential men of the 20th and 21st centuries, whom I met when I helped him navigate his way through the coach section in which we found ourselves to the dining car for dinner.

He is 85 years of age, though he appears to be in his 60’s, and spent much of the latter half of the 20th century pursuing his interests on the highest level stages of world events/history, starting with his invitation to come to the US from his home in India to participate in the Manhattan Project. He was traveling in Coach, because he wished to meet new people, to help him achieve a sense of balance lost at his wife’s death the year before. We spent, literally, hours and hours exchanging ideas, and our histories, and our contact information, to ensure we would meet again.

I also met two very intelligent, passionately alive young men, one traveling for pleasure, the other on his way to a Zen Buddhist institute to study advanced Zen mysticism, with whom I debated the existence of God for most of the last night on the train…. Since it is almost impossible for me to sleep on the train, it helped pass the long night in both directions. I’m just now getting over the exhaustion I incurred over the four day trip, having slept very little, but, cannot regret a single moment of the time spent awake, for my mind feasted on joyful cogitation, and discovery, the entire time I was gone…

Now, I’m back, and note I have rambled & blathered quite enough for one intro…. I’m sure I’ll relate more of the trip, as I am still processing all that occurred… In the meantime, let’s get on with today’s mess, so we can all get on with the rest of the day…. See ya down the page, ffolkes… Hang on, we’re goin’ in fast & hard….

Shall we Pearl?

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

~~ Pablo Casals ~~

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pentatonix

Image from You Tube via Google Images

I first became aware of this group last year when Leonard Cohen passed away, whereupon a number of artists covered his works in tribute. This A Capella singing group performed Lenny’s “Hallelujah” in a video, with excellent innovative passion. I found this via a link from a friend on FB, & thought it was perfect for today, to honor the passage of my friend, Dennis, and, offer some hope for the future of humanity…. If naught else, it’s grand craic, and, if you can’t appreciate its genius, you are in need of some cultivation of your basic humanity…. Enjoy!….

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Pentatonix

“Imagine”

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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

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Notes on Life at Large….

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“All beginnings are hard.”

~~ Chaim Potok, “In The Beginning”, 1975 ~~

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

~~ Kurt Vonnegut Jr ~~

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“Only through time time is conquered.”

~~ T.S. Eliot, “Burnt Norton” ~~

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“Think of everyone as a idiot.”

~~ MSgt. R. H. Moore, Driving Rule #1 ~~

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“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants.
The question is: what are we busy about?:”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

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“To a rational being it is the same thing
to act according to nature and according to reason.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, vii, 11 ~~

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“You think your pain and your heartbreak
are unprecedented in the history of the world,
but then you read.
It was books that taught me
that the things that tormented me most
were the very things that connected me
with all the people who were alive,
or who had ever been alive.”

~~ James Baldwin ~~

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“If you are stopping now, then stop.
If you are seeking a time when you finish,
there will never be a time when you finish.”

~~ Zen Koan ~~

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“If you get confused, listen to the music play.”

~~ Robert Hunter ~~

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It’s been a number of years since my mornings were so infused with positive energy to any appreciable degree; to feel such again is nothing less than a joy, which I can only work to extend as far as I can. I guess by seeking the balance it brings with it, that can be made real. In point of fact, that’s the plan for the day, and the coming days. Let’s go get a start on it, shall we? I’ll do my best to return tomorrow, with another fine Pearl of Virtual Wisdom, and hope all of y’all have as fine a day as I am having, and intend to maintain…. Be well, be happy as you may, and, remember to stay mindful, and, alert. Things really do work out better that way, y’know….

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….

Totally en passant….

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Ffolkes,

“Always do what you are afraid to do.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

Ireland 021

Fish? Where?….

(Photo by Lady P….)

Hajime…. I spent yesterday geeking with my computer, but, found it still confused this morning. I managed to get it up & running, and am only here long enough to get this posted. I will be infrequently present for the next few days, & don’t know if or when I’ll have time to write, or post. I will try to at least re-blog each day, but, can’t promise anything, as I have some critical business to deal with out in the BBR, that cannot wait.

Since I will be busy most of today, dealing with all of it, I’ll forgo any trickery here in the intro; even today’s old-school pearl is truncated to five entries, as I don’t have time to find another pair to fill it out. So be it. There IS a new poem, which I hope you enjoy, &, as always, some rather fine music, to go with the first section’s journey into a past Pearl to share some personal views on living…. That’s it, though, and all you’ll get for a while. I’ll be traveling, to see a friend who went into hospice, so, I won’t be worrying much about anything else, until I’ve seen him, & made contact before he travels on to the next world….

For now, that’s all I’ve got, ffolkes. I’ll see you in a day or two, or, whenever I can get back to relative normality…. Onward….

Shall we Pearl?

“A human being should be able to change a diaper,
plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building,
write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying,
take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations,
analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer,
cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein, “The Notebooks of Lazarus Long” ~~

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From 6/9/2012:

My life, described in six words….

“Looked for love, found it everywhere.” — gigoid, to KDFC DJ Hoyt Smith, 2009….

While listening to the radio one day, the DJ was talking about a meme activity he had been told about via an email earlier that day from a listener. The challenge was to describe your life in exactly six words; he gave several examples of those who had already responded, and asked the listening audience to call in with their own. After a couple of moments the above six words floated to the surface of my mind, almost unbidden, so I called in, and, to my surprise, my call was taken, and my quote was put out over the air.

For life, with all it yields of joy and woe,
And hope and fear (believe the aged friend),
Is just our chance o’ the prize of learning love,–
How love might be, hath been indeed, and is.

~~ Robert Browning ~~

(1812-1890) — A Death in the Desert

Considering that what I said to Hoyt in the above six words, upon reflection, is something I can, and still do, say is as true as the day, it felt kind of good to have it shared over the air…. Fortunately, it didn’t lead to any more than 15 seconds of fame, the time it took to say my name, and my contribution…. It isn’t as if I was hoping it would lead to an appearance on Letterman or anything, but it did feel pretty good, as I am proud of the quote…. (Still am, in fact, and it still rings true…. gigoid, from the future, which is now the present, but used to be the… Oh, never mind….)

Of course, though finding love has never been difficult, I’ve never found the rest of the secret, the other part, about getting love to stay, other than that love between friends that is so important. Our culture, so tenuous in its support of monogamy, provides people with so many ways to leave a relationship without penalty, no one seems interested in making them last an entire lifetime any more. It’s like, “Oh well, that didn’t work… there’s lots of fish in the sea….”, and off they go into the dating world again…. Frankly, it makes me dizzy….

I can’t say I know what the problem is in society that dooms relationships these days; if I did, then it wouldn’t be a problem, as I’d know what to avoid…. What I do know is that on (at least) five occasions in my life, I’ve given my heart to a woman, and spent all my energy giving my all to that relationship, faithfully and fully. On all of those occasions, the woman eventually decided, for their own personal reasons, that they didn’t want to continue, and left. I guess they like Will Shakespeare more than I do… as they seemed to take on his attitude…..

“I dote on his very absence.” — William Shakespeare ( Though I hold most of his work to be crap and nonsense, even he came up with something coherent occasionally….)

I’ve been fortunate, I guess, in that, of those five times, only three were painful in their intensity, leaving my heart shattered, my life in tatters; two of them were relatively amicable breakups. (Sure they were; that’s what I keep telling myself….) But, I’ve just gotta say, it hurts when a woman I’ve loved for 23 years, and intended to die with, decides she’d rather pursue other options; it hurts, and it hurts a lot…. I can testify, from the evidence of a more recent nature, it also hurts when a woman has said she loved me for ten years, and has been lying the whole time…. That kind of betrayal brings a very lasting pain, and is slow to pass…

I hear you reproach, “But delay was best,
For their end was a crime.” Oh, a crime will do
As well, I reply, to serve for a test
As a virtue golden through and through,
Sufficient to vindicate itself
And prove its worth at a moment’s view!
. . . . . .
Let a man contend to the uttermost
For his life’s set prize, be it what it will!
The counter our lovers staked was lost
As surely as if it were lawful coin;
And the sin I impute to each frustrate ghost
Is–the unlit lamp and the ungirt loin,
Though the end in sight was a vice, I say.

~~ Robert Browning ~~

(1812-1890) — The Statue and the Bust

Pain is an old friend of mine, though, in all its various guises, and I know it always passes in time. Now I am looking for love again, in my own time, still trying to find that one woman who can be both loving and honest. The ones I’ve known so far have all had a problem with that last part…. it’s not something our society teaches well. But, until I find her, I’ll have to make do with the pain…. But, I know she is out there, somewhere….. There’s got to be some woman who would enjoy being worshiped by an old, fading, but faithful, romantic curmudgeon with a soft spot for dogs, cats, kids, & a good laugh, along with a severe case of wanderlust to complicate the issue….

In the desert a fountain is springing,
In the wide waste there still is a tree,
And a bird in the solitude singing,
Which speaks to my spirit of thee.

~~ Lord Byron ~~

(1788-1824) — Stanzas to Augusta

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This was found along with the above discussion; it’s too good to NOT include, so, you get it today, as a bonus pearl…. It’s pretty much a stand-alone anyway, requiring nothing to make it whole and complete….

The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.

~~ The Buddha ~~

I can’t think of a single thing that needs to be added here, so I won’t….. As Nike says, “Just do it….”

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playing-for-change

I’m in a hurry, as noted, so, here is one of our default music selections to help move us along the necessary path…. Enjoy!

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Playing For Change

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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”

Comedy_Tragedy

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Motif en passant…

Death becomes me, I shouldn’t wonder;
or, perhaps, she merely beckons?
Ah, well, perhaps ’tis both, or, neither;
knowing how, now, might give pause,
or rise to such crescendo
exposing the crack in reality’s mask.

Such a burden to bear only comes
to those who wear the dark’s mark;
murder, slain by Cain’s evil twin,
on a Tuesday, of course;
Mondays have always been reserved
for expedience, the blessing of the coin.

Allegory chases metaphor around the parlor table
as eternity scoffs at such paltry buffoonery;
for those waiting upon the latest schedules
intricate mazes with traces of sincere regret
forgive the sins of all who travel, bereft
of any claim to legitimacy.

Patterns in simple fabrics wear better,
whenever reality intrudes.
Fabulous notions simply will not make the grade
until fashion completes a viable task.
All the petty reasons devised in haste
fall gently into place, softly saving grace.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/5/2027

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Five notes on Life at Large….

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“He that will not reason is a bigot.
He that cannot reason is a fool.
He that dares not reason is a slave.”

~~ William Drummond, “Academical Questions” ~~

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“I wonder why. I wonder why.
I wonder why I wonder.
I wonder _why_ I wonder why
I wonder why I wonder!”

~~ Richard P. Feynman ~~

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“Patience serves as a protection against wrongs
as clothes do against cold.
For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases,
it will have no power to hurt you.
So in like manner you must grow in patience
when you meet with great wrongs,
and they will be powerless to vex your mind.”

~~ Leonardo da Vinci ~~

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“It is easier to pull down than to build up.”

~~ Latin Proverb ~~

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“A hug is a heart to heart talk.”

~~ Bobby Matherne ~~

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Not only am I in a hurry, I’m in a big hurry. So, I’ll merely say, see y’all later, & leave it at that. Be well, be as happy as you may, and, be cool. There’s no sense go out without some dignity, & that is about all we humans have left….

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….

Tit for tat is a bargain….

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4

Ffolkes,

“To be willing to die for an ideal is to set a rather high price on conjecture.”

— Anatole France ~~

Last of Eire 2015 002

B&B, Galway Bay, Ireland…

Hajime…. Yesterday morning, I tried to update a program that was asking me to do so. This, apparently, was a mistake, for ever since clicking the button to agree, my computer has been giving me fits. Long story made short, it’s still doing so. To keep from becoming any more pissed off than I’ve already managed thus far, I’m cutting the intro short, filling in where necessary to complete the parts of today’s post, and getting on with the rest of the day, which will, I imagine, involve a lot of geeking to try to bring the computer back into full functionality. Usually, that’s great fun for me, but, so far, it hasn’t been, as all I’ve done seems to have worsened the problem, as yet unidentified…. SIGH…. damn Microsoft!…

As noted above, this will be short. How short? Precisely this short….

Shall we Pearl?

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

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

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☬

From 6/9/11:

Ffolkes,

Since Frank and Ernie couldn’t make it today, you’ll have to settle for my drivel. Of course, it isn’t drivel to me, but that’s subjective, and you are under no obligation, either expressed or by warranty, to consider it anything more than dross. Defining what happens here could be problematic anyway,and we don’t really want to get the lawyers involved, now do we? I didn’t think so….. Now that’s settled, we can get on to what really matters. And that is nothing! Nothing matters, and if it did, we wouldn’t care! We are invincible in our ignorance, and we like it! Life is way too complicated to get involved in it; I’ve decided to just ignore the whole ball of wax. Taking up the mantle of recluse gladly, I go now to dwell among the beasts of the field, who shall be my only companions.

Enough…..letting my mind loose this early in the morning can get out of hand quickly; last time I ended up in some dive in MexiCali, with a bad hangover and a new tattoo. We’d best get down to business before anything similar happens.

Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite historical figures, and ends up on these pages fairly frequently, because he had a unique view of the world at large, and a wonderful way of expressing that view. Today, we present an all-Oscar group, just because he’s so cool……..

“Reality is a crutch for people who can’t handle buttons.” — Smarmy Bee (Whoops, how did that get there?……oh well, just go on….pay no attention to that man behind the curtain…..)

“I suppose there are now few survivors among the people who had the delight of hearing Oscar Wilde talk. Of these I am one… That his talk was mostly monologue was not his own fault. His manners were very good; he was careful to give his guests or his fellow-guests many a conversational opening; but seldom did anyone respond with more than a very few words. Nobody was willing to interrupt the music of so magnificent a virtuoso. To have heard him consoles me for not having heard Dr Johnson or Edmund Burke.” — Max Beerbohm

“The basis for optimism is sheer terror.” — Oscar Wilde

“I can believe anything, provided it is incredible.” — Oscar Wilde

“It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.” — Oscar Wilde

After the first night of one of Oscar Wilde plays, an ill-wisher handed him a cabbage. Unruffled, Wilde sniffed it appreciatively and said: “Thank you, my dear fellow. Every time I smell it, I shall be reminded of you.”

“Long engagements give people the opportunity of finding out each other’s character before marriage, which is never advisable.” — Oscar Wilde

“Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing.” — Oscar Wilde

“Experience is the name that everyone gives to their mistakes.” — Oscar Wilde

“Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others.” — Oscar Wilde

Whoa! I didn’t realize how many of his gems I had stored away…..but hey, well worth it. I only wish I could have been around to hear him hold forth……. y’all take care out there….

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

Due to the aforementioned computer issues, we’re going with default where necessary. It turns out, necessary extends into nearly every function I ask it to complete. Hence, our choice today to include another collection of classical tunes. Enjoy!….

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Classical Music

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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 ’tis but my own……

~~ gigoid ~~

6/13/2012

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pearls_3

Thanks to the computer issues of which we have already spoken, Smart Bee, and Arthur, too, are being persnickety, to the point of obtuseness. To keep us on track, it became necessary to raid old Pearls for today’s post. Here is one from WAY back in time, before I had a clue how to deal with WP…. I’ve edited it a bit, just to format it into the current motif. I hope you enjoy it, cuz it’s what there is today….

☬

From 6/8/11:

Ffolkes,

The morning light pours over the far hills, warming air gone still in the night’s cold, with amber drops of dew glistening along the branches of awakening trees, gilding the edges of the day. Birdsong trills, insects hum, as a meandering brook winds through the forest, rushing along in its’ desperate race to the sea. The water babbles as it moves, all the voices blending together into a continuous stream of just-unheard secrets, gravid with meaning. The air begins to move, heated by the burgeoning warmth to swirl through the leaves, adding its’own thoughts, dreams to the chorus thus formed. Thus does the world turn, unheralded, implacable, real. Thus is another pearl born; ask me not how, or why, for I no longer know. Knowing I must is all I know, or need to know….

“If you want to know all about the sea, you go and ask a sailor, or a marine biologist, or an oceanographer, and they can tell you a lot about the sea. But if you go and ask the sea itself, what does it say? Grumble, grumble, swish swish. It is too busy being itself to know anything about itself.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

Leave the past behind;
leave the future behind;
leave the present behind.
Thou are then ready to go to the other shore.
Never more shalt thou return to a life that ends in death.

~~ The Dhamapada (c. B.C. 300) ~~

“It is the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It is the dream afraid of waking
that never takes a chance.
It is the one who won’t be taken
who cannot seem to give.
And the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live.”

~~ Bette Midler, “The Rose” ~~

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be “happy.” I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” — Leo C. Rosten

It may not be Art, but it is Frank, and Earnest….. y’all take care out there…..

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Well, I did it, though I couldn’t say exactly how it happened. I’ll take it, though, and run. Hopefully, I’ll have a successful day in geekland, which will allow us to return tomorrow, when I will have a new, freshly leaked poem, and whatever else I can cobble together to make up the rest of this mess. For now, I’m outta here, & off to geekland…. See ya, ffolkes; wish me luck, if you will… If you won’t, well, so be it…. 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

Featured Image -- 12162

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Exhibiting signs of miscellaneous joy….

Posted on by
6

Ffolkes,

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are for.”

~~ John A. Shedd ~~

stained-in-greenock

Kirk windows, Greenock, Scotland….

Hajime…. In the last two or three days, between bouts of business out in the BBR, and the inconvenience of an inconsistently gurgling gut, I managed to put together a rather extensive Pearl. There is old stuff, new stuff, and some middle-of-the-proverbial-road stuff, all of which, while often obscure or allegorically impure, is nonetheless cogent for all that. Since that sentence, alone, is quite murky enough to suit the censors, I’ve decided to just let it fly, & take whatever consequences reality may bring. Scary, but, that’s life, right?….

In case it isn’t clear yet, this is what I call an ‘off-the-cuff’ intro, meaning all of it has been made up, on the spot, by allowing my overburdened head let out what it has to release, willy nilly. Such arrogance on my part is, I’m afraid, natural; I am human, after all. But, it is tempered somewhat by my reluctance to speak ill, whether of the dead, or the living. Well, okay, so, it’s not, really. I just couldn’t figure out any other way to get this going, having found the usual vast empty spaces facing my astonished gaze this morning, as I took my first peek inside, searching for inspiration, or, at the very least, reason to live….

Facing conundrums so early in the day is de rigeur for this process, so, rather than dwell upon that which cannot be altered, I’ll go on, to things not bigger, or better, but, in the final analysis, different. At this point, such an attitude comprises the proof of our pudding, to wit: all we can do is all we can do. Moreover, we’ve done it, and, thankfully, we are allowed to use that as excuse, if not justification. The law is very strange, is it not?

Okay, I’ve lost my way, & haven’t enough coffee on board to offer any possibility of finding it. I can’t think of anything else, so why don’t we just do this?….

Shall we Pearl?

“History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.’

~~ Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning” ~~

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caroles rose

Old friends….

I’ve decided to make use of some older material, written before I began blogging on WordPress. I’d been creating Pearls for several years, but, mostly published via email to my list of subscribers… long story. The material I found is several months of Pearls from the SFGATE website, where I posted them for a few months… For the next period of time, until I run out, or get tired of it, I’ll be including some of them here in the first section,, where many of my rants used to appear; some of the older Pearls fit that description, anyway, so, it works for me. Y’all can let me know what you think in the comments, if you wish. I’m gonna do it anyway, but, feel free…. *grin* Abondanza!…

From 8/20/2011:

Ffolkes,

And so it begins again. It’s enough to make you just want to rant sometimes. The news every day bombards us with the craziness going on in the world, providing us with the mental equivalent of dried dung in such quantities the Berbers could make a fire lasting all night. Politicians speak out every day, spewing tons of the most amazing crap, proving with every word just how insane they are, and people keep lapping it up like ice cream. The media that reports all this possibly plays the worst part in the charade, as they continue to report on the most trivial BS they can find. They don’t seem to care whether it is dignified, or if it makes any sense; they just want to increase ratings, and bad news does that better than good.

Oh well, I could rant on this forever, and it’s not going to make any difference. It’s unfortunate, because I’m beginning to believe that it is too late for us humans; we passed the turnoff to sanity a while back, and nobody noticed. Our beloved ruling class has decided that they are not going to buy into the idea that we are killing ourselves, and will hold that opinion all the way to the graveyard.

I’m also of the opinion that we little people only have one choice left, and that is revolution. The conditions which produced the first American Revolutionary War are fully present today; government is NOT responsive to the will of the people. Hell, they could care less about the people; to them it’s all about what they can get before getting caught, and even then they don’t get prosecuted. How many bankers and Wall Streeters were put in jail for stealing all that money a few years ago? None…instead we gave them bailout money.

Ah hell, that’s enough for one morning; if I continue I’ll end up with indigestion, and I’ve only been up for a half hour. F….. ’em, they’re not going to ruin my day….today’s Pearls were picked out when I had this on my mind, so they may reflect that…..they’re still a pretty good group….

“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.” — Francis Bacon

“When forced to resort to arms for redress, an appeal to the tribunal of the world was deemed proper for our justification. This was the object of the Declaration of Independence.” — Thomas Jefferson

“I never wanted to see anybody die, but there are a few obituary notices I have read with pleasure.” — Clarence Darrow
(How long is YOUR list?…..mine runs to three or four pages….and the first two are just the politicians (most of whom began as lawyers) and preachers).

“I don’t mind if you don’t like my manners. I don’t like them myself. They’re pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings.” — Humphrey Bogart to Lauren Bacall, in The Big Sleep

Existing order thrives upon ignorance and lies. Objective truth and individual reason are feared above all.

“The seeker after truth must, once in the course of his life, doubt everything, as far as is possible. What is doubtful should even be considered as false. This doubt should not, meanwhile, be applied to ordinary life.” — R. Descartes, “1-3rd Principles of Human Knowledge”

Well, I feel a little better…..reading pearls always helps me regain my equilibrium. Hopefully, they do the same for you….. y’all take care out there…..

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srv-and-ak

Albert & Stevie

I feel like the blues today; not my mood, just my wants…. Since it doesn’t get any better than these two, we’ll go with their finest session…. Enjoy!….

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Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughan
In Session

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Comedy_Tragedy

Platitudes for Attitudes

Platitudes shake us, attitudes break us.
Life can be a real pain, y’know?
Still, if we don’t fight where it takes us,
it’s a pretty straight row to hoe..

A lot of what we see and hear
isn’t always in the best of taste.
Life at large can be one long frisson of fear.
Making an effort often seems a huge waste.

Pundits, dogma dogs, myrmidons, oligarchs & pimps;
assholes and predators every one.
Twisted, sick, anti-humans; anomalous, ignorant wimps.
Logic says, every time, lobotomize ’em, & be done.

Illusions, delusions, confusions, a dedicated data dump,
bilious, divisive, spicy with hatred and fears.
Inflation, immigration, promises from the clownish Trump
Leaving even our basest survival heavy with tears.

Ancient sages left signs on the path to peace,
for those with wit to see.
No need for undue effort, no quest for golden fleece.
All we ever need to do, is be.

~~ gigoid ~~

8/29/2015

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

“But soft, what light breaks….”

*******

“Nothing can bring lasting peace,
but you have it already
if you just stop disturbing it.
It is there always.”

~~ Sri Swami Satchidananda ~~

*******

“I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze
than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor,
every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”

~~ Jack London, Jack London’s Tales of Adventure ~~

*******

“You cannot do a kindness too soon,
for you never know how soon it will be too late.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*******

All truly wise thoughts have been thought already
thousands of times;
but to make them truly ours,
we must think them over again honestly,
till they take root in our personal experience.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~

*******

“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential.
Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.
We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

~~ Maya Angelou ~~

*******

“Be your own reason.”

~~ Levis ~~

*******

“Being human is a complicated gig”
So give that ol’ dark night of the soul a hug.
Howl the eternal yes.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*******

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

It’s done, though I can’t claim to fully comprehend exactly how it happened. Since it’s dead, we won’t beat it any more; instead, I’ll use this opportunity to take our leave until the next time. I am hoping that will be tomorrow, but, given the instability we are witnessing on all levels of society, I’d rather not make any promises I might not be able to keep. I can promise to try, and, I shall. For now, I’ll merely say, see y’all later, ffolkes. Seize the day before it slips away….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

Featured Image -- 2780

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Engaging metaphor implies allegory….

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2

Ffolkes,

“The one unforgivable sin,
the offense against one’s own integrity,
is to accept anything at all simply on authority.”

~~ Maureen Johnson Long ~~

galway-street-boys

Buskers in the Spanish Arch, Galway, Ireland…

Hajime…. My understanding of the human condition occasionally brings to light certain characteristics of being a member of this species which do not reflect well upon us. Such is the case today. I have arisen at a normal time (for me, 0300 is normal), & attempted to pursue the normal routine. The problem is, I just don’t feel like it is getting me anywhere I want to be. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s merely inconvenient, when one has stuff to get done, yet lacks the motivation to do any of it. This Pearl, sadly, falls into that category, a conundrum indeed, for it is nearly done, in spite of my lack of motivation….

Of course, it wouldn’t be anywhere near done if I hadn’t lucked out, finding a poem I had completely forgotten, hiding in a nearly-five-year-old Pearl. Default music, a new/old poem, and some odd but cogent pearls for the old-school section, & we’re all good to go. All that is required at this point is for me to come up with a compelling intro, and a closing section that both stimulates and soothes. I know, it’s all too ambitious, but, such is life, you know. As is apparent by this whiny opening, we do what we must, if only to keep from biting our own ass. Currently, my ass is bloody, but, who’s counting?

Alright. So be it. If I can’t do it, I can’t do it, & there’s no sense in complaining. Moreover, I believe continuing in this vein could conceivably lead to some relatively serious nausea, if only in my own mind. Hell, at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself moving past mere dithering, into sheer, unadulterated blather. Before we arrive at such an ignominious estate, let us adjourn to the latter portion of today’s program. I get the distinct feeling, if we don’t, we may cause a crack in Reality. Wouldn’t want that today; I’m low on duct tape…. Instead, I’ll do this, which seems to be my only hope for saving this from complete disaster. What? Nah, we couldn’t possibly already have reached such a…. Hmm…

Y’know? Maybe you’re right. Let’s be on our way, before an unexpected explosion occurs…. Around here, such blasts can be, shall we say, intrusive? Let’s avoid all that, like this….

Shall we Pearl?

“I am pleased to see that we have differences.
May we together become greater than the sum of both of us.”

~~ Surak of Vulcan, “The Savage Curtain,” stardate 5906.4. ~~

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

I’m a bit lazy today; this isn’t new, or even infrequent, though it is inconvenient at times. Today, it just means we go default for our musical selection. As always in such cases, this collection was chosen by the picture that caught my eye….. Enjoy, if you will….

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Classical Music

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Comedy_Tragedy

While searching through the archives, I found a poem I wrote almost five years ago; somehow, it got overlooked when I consolidated all my poems into the folder in which they now reside… It’s really not too shabby, so, here ’tis, in the light of day once again…. I hope you enjoy it….

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 ~~

9/5/2012

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

What? What? Oh….

*******

“The easy way is always the hardest way.”

~~ Murphy’s Paradox ~~

*******

“No human thing is of serious importance.”

~~ Plato ~~

*******

“It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*******

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”

~~ Socrates ~~

“The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.”

~~ Frank Herbert ~~
*******

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”

~~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau ~~

*******

“Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then. Life is boring without it.”

~~ Pearl S. Buck ~~

*******

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

Today’s Pearl cost a lot, but, the price is right, as always. I’m not going to comment on quality, nor quantity, nor any other judgmental characteristic. What I WILL do is this…. See ya, ffolkes. I ain’t go no more to say….

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….

Paradigm for sale, cheap….

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2

Ffolkes,

“Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.”

~~ Clarence Darrow ~~

skills-training

Cat skill training….

Hajime…. Good morrow…. As I suspected, events in the real world prevented completing this Pearl, until this morning. Upon arising, more changes in my(our) morning routine were called for to deal with events taking place while I slept. In spite of all that, I find myself sitting here, adjusting like crazy, with just enough time and chutzpah to get it done, with a couple of minor cheats. To maintain the week’s strategy, of ‘going with the flow’, I shall trim ruthlessly, beginning right here in the beginning; it seems my best shot to fulfill my intention, as well as a logical way to do so… Who’d a thunk it? Begin at the beginning, & go on…. Sheer genius, eh?

Well, perhaps not. Nonetheless, I’ll do what I can, which, though probably less than perfect, will be all I can do. Which, naturally, leads into another use of my own favorite axiom, to wit: all you can do is all you can do. On that brief, yet cogent note, I will employ our latest version of the abrupt ending, right here at the beginning, just as if I knew it was the right thing to do….

Shall we Pearl?

“That that is is not that that is not.”

~~ Subtle Bee humor ~~

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hot tuna

Old Guys, Rockin’….

To ensure a pleasant, if not overwhelmingly exciting experience here in our music section, I checked out the included concert by Hot Tuna yesterday…. I can attest, it’s another example of how well these guys’ music has aged over the years. They just keep gettin’ better, in my humble opinion…. Listen, and see if you don’t agree….

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Hot Tuna Live

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Comedy_Tragedy

I’m tired of my own poetry, & since I’m sure y’all are, as well, here is a classic poem, from a classic author, whose name requires no introduction. It’s one of my favorites of his, but, that means little in regards a poet who wrote so many of my favorites. Arguably one of the best ever, in my opinion, which I would say is shared by anyone who reads poetry…. Enjoy!…

Fergus And The Druid

Fergus. This whole day have I followed in the rocks,
And you have changed and flowed from shape to shape,
First as a raven on whose ancient wings
Scarcely a feather lingered, then you seemed
A weasel moving on from stone to stone,
And now at last you wear a human shape,
A thin grey man half lost in gathering night.
Druid. What would you, king of the proud Red Branch kings?
Fergus. This would I Say, most wise of living souls:
Young subtle Conchubar sat close by me
When I gave judgment, and his words were wise,
And what to me was burden without end,
To him seemed easy, So I laid the crown
Upon his head to cast away my sorrow.
Druid. What would you, king of the proud Red Branch kings?
Fergus. A king and proud! and that is my despair.
I feast amid my people on the hill,
And pace the woods, and drive my chariot-wheels
In the white border of the murmuring sea;
And still I feel the crown upon my head
Druid. What would you, Fergus?
Fergus. Be no more a king
But learn the dreaming wisdom that is yours.
Druid. Look on my thin grey hair and hollow cheeks
And on these hands that may not lift the sword,
This body trembling like a wind-blown reed.
No woman’s loved me, no man sought my help.
Fergus. A king is but a foolish labourer
Who wastes his blood to be another’s dream.
Druid. Take, if you must, this little bag of dreams;
Unloose the cord, and they will wrap you round.
Fergus. 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 the small slate-coloured thing!

~~ William Butler Yeats ~~

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Finding the Way…

*******

“When something is wrong with the river, I will not blame the rock.”

~~ Chris Pirillo~~

*******

“In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then
to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”

~~ Bertrand Russell ~~

*******

“Be careful or be roadkill.”

~~ Calvin, “Calvin and Hobbes” ~~

*******

“Things determine each other, but man is ultimately self-determining.”

~~ Frankl ~~

*******

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

~~ Aristotle ~~

*******

“He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own.”

~~ Confucius. ~~

*******

“Where the map differs from the terrain, believe the terrain.”

~~ Swedish Army Manual ~~

*******

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

Hmm…. Not too shabby. It may be tempting fate to say so, but, it seems Murphy is taking a short break. Before he wakes up & decides to stick his pointy nose into our affairs, I’ll maintain today’s ruthlessly efficient technique by finishing this off quickly. How so? Easy. Watch this….

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 -- 12015

À bientôt, mon cherí….

The low-down on the high notes….

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3

Ffolkes,

“The Golden Rule is of no use to you whatever
unless you realize it is your move.”

~~ Frank Crane ~~

Ensenada plus 035

Looking south from La Bufadora, Ensenada, Baja Mexico

Hajime…. Between the events which took place out in the Big Blue Room over the last few days, and the contortions and incidences of discomfort my healing body provided for my consideration over the same period, I’ve been mostly unable to write, or even to read much, especially on the Net. Yesterday, I spent about 12 hours with my abdominal organs wiggling, gurgling, & generally having a high old time giving me fits, while cleansing itself, purging a lot of unwanted material, and, apparently, repairing decades of ill-function, in one swell foop. After the discomfort passed, I felt, relatively, great, just long enough to get some sleep. A long, difficult day, but, encouraging in the results….

I hope that was delicately enough put to spare anyone any distasteful imagery; it’s harder than it looks to impart the sense and feel of such matters, without going into basic descriptions which can get a bit graphic in nature. Rather than dwell on such things, I suggest we just take what there is so far, and go on to other matters, more relevant to our avowed purpose here, which is to sublimate my own inner urges, and to provide y’all with a few moments of entertainment, or, at minimum, distraction. Since I never worry about whether or not we actually achieve that purpose, (why torture myself?…), this means we can go on to the meat of today’s post without any residual guilt. Well, I can; y’all, as ever, are on your own.

Not that I don’t care; I just don’t care. But, that’s another story, & this intro is already wandering further from its intended path than planned. This, of course, is the usual result when I start blathering about current events, while attempting to maintain a bit of tact. Not an easy task, I admit, but, if I don’t do it, who will? I’m the only one here, aside from a periodically intrusive feline familiar; since she refuses to even consider using the keyboard to communicate, it falls to me. Go figure, eh?

It’s been too long, I think, since the last fresh Pearl; I don’t feel as if I’m quite getting the tone, or the incisive feel I want for a solid intro. Ah, well, chalk it up to lack of practice, & we’ll go on, just as if it was acceptable. Otherwise, there’s no telling when this will get posted. To save us any further embarrassment, I’m going to employ one of our usual methods of forcing the issue, to wit: the drop back five yards & punt technique, which happens to look like this….

Shall we Pearl?

“If I repent of any thing, it is very likely to be my good behavior.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

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I have been working on a long rant, which keeps growing with time, but, has never, yet, reached a point where it can be finished. SIGH…. To sublimate the urge, I’m posting this photo, which contains what I consider the guiding philosophy of my life, as taught to me, and my brothers, without any words used, by my own father…. How, you may ask, did he manage that? Easy. He lived by these rules, and let us watch…. You cannot do any better than this to help a young boy become a Man….

rules of a gentleman

 

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

Though I am in somewhat better shape than any time in the recent past, I’m still not at top form. Today, this means we go with one of our two default choices for music, with some soothing classical tunes, chosen, as always, for the picture which caught my eyes while perusing the choices…. Enjoy!…

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Classical Music

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Comedy_Tragedy

As an explanation/excuse for seeing my own poetry so often of late, I offer the simple fact of my condition, which prevents a great deal of research and/or reading I might otherwise do to find something new or different; using my own past efforts saves me that time. Today, this one merely gives a notion of how the last few days have passed for me, so, I’m going with it, for the reasons cited…. I do hope you enjoy it, nonetheless….

Dead Hands,Typing…

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

2/25/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Stuff worth remembering….

*******

“Bring all you got.”

~~ Bob Gibson ~~

*******

“The chain that can be yanked is not the cosmic chain.”

~~ Cal Keegan ~~

*******

“Life is pleasant.
Death is peaceful.
It’s the transition that’s troublesome.”

~~ Isaac Asimov ~~

*******

“Deeds, not words shall speak me.”

~~ John Fletcher ~~

*******

“If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.”

~~ Kindly Bee ~~

*******

“One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels.
The thing to do is to supply light and not heat.”

~~ Woodrow Wilson ~~

*******

“Have a great morning, and remember: if you don’t like the news,
go out and make some of your own.”

~~ “Scoop” Nisker, KFOG radio reporter, Preposterous Words ~~

*******

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

I have to say, this is one of the odder Pearls I’ve ever put together. Not surprising, to be frank, given it was created in pieces, at a number of various times over the past four days. In fact, it’s a small wonder it came together, at all. As it did, I’m going to take the money & run, far and fast. Well, as far, and as fast as I am currently able; I can’t honestly say that’s very far, or very fast. But, you get the idea. On that rather abrupt note, I shall take my leave, with the usual caveat, to wit; I will be back to do this again. Given the changing state of reality at all times, and the particularly uncertain state in which it currently exists, I’ll forgo predicting how long it will be; I’ll shoot for tomorrow, but, without promising to make it happen by then. In any case, we’re done today, and we’ll be back. That’s about as firm as I can be; so be it. Be strange, ffolkes; the alternative is unthinkable….

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 -- 12015

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Paradoxical dreams of reality….

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5

Ffolkes,

“Man is most nearly himself
when he achieves the seriousness
of a child at play.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

famine-rock

In memoriam; Irish Famine Evacuation, Galway Bay

Hajime…. If any of the following seems a bit rough, you may chalk it up to anything you like; the truth is, though I had a productive day yesterday, not much of that effort went into today’s Pearl, until this morning. Hence my sense of mild panic, for I take my own deadline seriously, more’s the pity. Since I rarely look back at any of it while creating it, I can feel today’s frantic sense of a need to hurry, in order to get it done at all. Hopefully, most of that didn’t come through, & make itself a part of the whole. Y’all may feel free to let me know, or, not, as suits you. Me, I’m just going to go on, as if I hadn’t said a word about it.

I suppose it isn’t uncommon to witness a human being wishy-washy, which is the best I can come up with to describe this class of Pearl; it may not be exactly accurate, but, it gives the “look and feel” of it, just fine. Moreover, it supplies the proper tone of disapproval, for having allowed such a high degree of angst-driven blather, as well as failing to find enough inner balance to counteract any of reality’s insistence upon randomness as a form of worship. Hmm….

I see I’ve retreated into true blather, which, while it may be considered a healthy sign, for some, tells me I probably need to abandon any hope of coherent rationality, at least until we’re done here for the morning. The question, naturally, arises, “What the hell do I do now?”, but, I refuse to answer such a leading query, especially from my own mind; it’s too early to allow schizophrenic impulses any play. Instead, I’ll dig deep into my sense of fair play, to find, and authorize, the use of literary license to get us the hell out of here, and on to what follows. In case you aren’t aware of how that works, allow me to demonstrate….

Shall we Pearl?

“Beware of that person who is slow to anger.
For when it is long in coming,
it stays longer and is warmer and dies not so easily.
Abused patience is a very strong fuel
for a fire not easily put out by any known means.”

~~ Wise Bee ~~

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tommy_adelaide_festival_banner-620x372

Image is the Adelaide Film Festival banner, via Google Free Images

Today, we have a double entry for music. I’ve included a live concert version of “Tommy”, the Rock Opera composed by The Who. As a bonus round, I’ve also included a live concert from the Who, recorded in 2000….. I don’t believe there are many ffolkes who need to be introduced to either, so, just enjoy!….

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The Who
Tommy ~ A Rock Opera

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Comedy_Tragedy

Savory

Blown across steppes of imagination, a spore
finds a niche, takes root,
tries to live longer than now, before
chaos/peace descends, and desire is moot.

Feathered into fecundity, another possibility
builds a nest, hatches kin,
aims at immortality, sans responsibility,
chance manifests, as it does, again.

Leading toward peril, entropy saves creativity,
making tools, and lazy time;
solid signs imply such simple nativity,
as another snitch drops his dime.

Subtle compassion billows, passion to unfold,
covering hearts bloodied by time,
burning flesh made valid, unwaveringly bold,
turning love to brilliant rhyme.

Years weigh lightly, supported by youth,
gaining weight with each year,
only the old men know the actual truth,
peace comes only when we lose our fear.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/9/2013

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Wise bits….

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“One kind word can warm three winter months.”

~~ Japanese proverb ~~

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“If you would know a man, observe how your cat treats him.”

~~ Leelu Bee ~~

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“Many a man’s tongue broke his nose.”

~~ Seamus MacManus ~~

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“I want to live my life so that my nights are not full of regrets.”

~~ D. H. Lawrence ~~

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“If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.”

~~ Things We Can Learn From Dogs ~~

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“Some people march to the beat of a different drummer.
And some people tango!”

~~ Anonymous Bee ~~

“If you lose the power to laugh, you lose the power to think.”

~~ Clarence Darrow ~~

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Well!… That was fun, sort of. The process, fortunately, is sound, & got us here, with all parts intact, in spite of my lack of mindfulness. Since that’s the case, undeserved or not, I’ll take the money, and run. Today’s Pearl has, of course, been brought to you through the auspices of internal psychic anomaly, which, though entirely human, remains a matter of national personal security; as such, the details are classified. Don’t worry, it isn’t permanent. In fact, I should be able to completely deny it by later today, which improves the already good odds of doing it again tomorrow. Let’s just trust the whims of fate, & let it go at that, okay? Okay…. See ya, ffolkes, if I can’t think of anything better to do…. I’ve already quoted the odds on that, so, we’re good to go….

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….

Oblique references to uncommon platitudes….

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10

Ffolkes,

“I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you- Nobody- Too?
Then there’s a pair of us?
Don’t tell! they’d advertise-you know!
How dreary-to be- Somebody!
How public-like a Frog-
To tell one’s name-the livelong June-
To an admiring Bog!”

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

galway-arches

Galway’s Spanish Arch during football finals….

Hajime…. Good morrow, my sweet babaluches…. Today’s version of madness is brought to you courtesy of the (thus far) mostly free internet, as provided expensively by your local representative of corporate greed, and monitored for illegal immoral thoughts by your benevolent, and paranoid, representatives of governmental intrusion. Don’t worry, I’m not going to rant about all that, though I certainly could, if I so chose. However, I’m still working on one of those, which continues to grow beyond all hope of restraint. We’ll worry about that when it’s ready for posting; until then, I’ll keep such diatribes to a minimum, if only to save some space, some time, and some random electrons…..

Having thus dispensed what is most likely a surfeit of nonsense, in one quick paragraphical shot (yes, that’s a new word, I just coined, to the extreme displeasure of my spell-checker. I don’t believe it needs any explanation; if it does, well, too bad. You’ll have to figure it out on your own; I’m busy blathering….), I shall now go on to the next phase of creation, involving moves & techniques no self-respecting blogger/writer would think of sharing with the reading public. Why, I don’t know, unless it is to keep from pulling covers; me, I’m pretty naked, and don’t care. Moreover, it looks as if I’m not going to approach anything resembling sanity, or coherence, anytime soon, so, what the hell…. We’ll just go on to the next paragraph, & see what happens….

Well, here we are. Now what? I know, let’s go off on a tangent…. Perhaps not; I can’t find one that attracts, or gives any indication of seamless integration as a possibility. Hmm. This is a bit embarrassing; I thought such a random turn would present me with some alternatives to continuing along the already-forged pathway, but, it seems to be petering out before it actually got going. Oh, well, I suppose that’s what happens when I leave it to what passes around here for chance. Such is life, we are taught, but, that doesn’t make it any more palatable, or any less annoying, if only in jest. Besides, I think jesting is already a wash-out today…

Rather than belabor this point any further, I think I’ll just quit, & get on with the rest of today’s mess. I call it that simply because, by the time I’m done, that’s how it feels, no matter how it looks from the outside view. It’s tough for me to obtain such a view, since I’m pretty well stuck here on the inside, but, it sure would be nice to know ahead of time whether what I’ve done is worth the effort. Hmm, sort of a metaphor for Life at Large, isn’t it? As that is the case, even if only nominally, I’ll stop trying to make it better, switching, instead, to making it shorter. I know; this will do it. It always works, for me…. Y’all are on your own again….

Shall we Pearl?

“Cats, no less liquid than their shadows, offer no angles to the wind.”

~~ from ‘Cats’ by Arthur Seymour John Tessimond ~~

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/cats-2/

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doors

Image from Pinterest via Google Images

Today I feel like a trip into the past, back to the days of my tender youth…. Well, okay; I WAS younger then…. Here is a band who played a big part in the lives of many of my contemporaries, and myself, for much longer than they were together as a group. I hope you enjoy today’s musical retrospective, as much as I shall….

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The Doors

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Comedy_Tragedy

Further Proof

No evidence exists, no rumored promise
of a guide on the path we seek.
Salient information lies hidden, seeking solace;
each possibility lost, no longer unique.

The past cascades through today, resolute;
finished and gone, by all reputable report.
Common failings decry any fever in the root,
as pillars of salt offer up little retort.

Longitude has latitude, one dimension to the next;
truth and lies, mirrored, transform on first exposure.
Born in chaos, living in change, by guile and pretext;
artful insanity, with no rational cure.

‘Tis no wonder, some do say now and then,
such creatures are doomed, by their own hand.
Cursed by the force of their very own ken,
until only the leaving seems very grand.

Perhaps, but, then, say those who doubt,
it’s all part of how it works, in fact.
We can’t know, really, what it’s all about
without completing the final act.

Is there any hurry?

~~ gigoid ~~

6/23/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Words of note….

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“Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic,
capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”

~~ Albus Dumbledore ~~

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“Never play a thing the same way twice.”

~~ Louis Armstrong ~~

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“A mistake is a lesson on its way to be learned!”

~~ Milton Berle ~~

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“If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind,
give it more thought.”

~~ Dennis Roth ~~

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“One cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs
— but it is amazing how many eggs one can break
without making a decent omelette.”

~~ Professor Charles P. Issawi ~~

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Why is the universe the way we see it?
If it had been any different, we would not be here!”

~~ Stephen Hawking ~~

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“It did not matter, after all.
He was only one man.
One man’s fate is not important.
If it is not, what is?
He could not endure those remembered words.”

~~ Ursula K. Le Guin, spoken by Gaverel Rocannon, Rocannon’s World ~~

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“You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die, or when.
You can only decide how you’re going to live now.”

~~ Joan Baez ~~

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“Professor! Is this all real?
Or, is it just happening inside my head?”

“Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry!
Why should that mean that it’s not real?”

~~ Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter ~~

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Yes, I do love starting over at the close…. Having been compelled to spend some time acting as a cat-hammock, I lost the thread of where this missive intended to go/sew…. Not surprising, given my state of mind during much of the morning’s activities. In order to ascertain the proper tone for this ending note, I’ve been inadvertently compelled to, well, start over. Having done so has once again given me the impetus to finish, and a damn good thing, too. Why? Simple. I’m fresh out of BS; go figure, eh?

On that abruptly insensitive note, I shall bid thee adieu, so I can go lick my metaphorical self-inflicted wounds, & try this again tomorrow. So be it; gigoid has spoken…. About damn time, too. See ya, ffolkes; gotta go replenish my internal supplies of appropriately insane blather…. Try not to laugh, okay? Leelu gets upset at the 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….

Twisting the night into pretzels….

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9

Ffolkes,

“To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

~~ Marilyn vos Savant ~~

irish-chees-factory

Irish Cheese Factory, east of Galway…

Hajime…. Good morrow, Gentle Reader(s)…. ‘Twas a minor struggle, but, I have managed to put together a Pearl; while I can’t say it’s the best ever, it is up to snuff; ’nuff said on that. The rant upon which I am working continues to grow beyond all reason, & may require both editing and trimming before it’s ready for consumption. However, we’ve got some rather fine music today, to go along with a nicely obscure little old-school pearl, and a poem, which, though mine, isn’t too shabby. If nothing else, all the elements for an excellent Pearl are in place; whether such status has been reached is a judgment I’m not prepared to make, so, you will have to decide for yourselves….

With that being said, to cover my ass, if not my conscience, I think I’ll just get on with it. Such ruthlessness always seems to work out, though not necessarily with any better results, which remain just about as random as they can be. Go figure, eh? The truth hurts, much of the time; we all have to get used to that. Since this blog is, as far as I can make it, dependent upon truth, we’ll pretend we’ve learned our lesson well, and go with the flow, as indicated. That flow is a fast-running stream today, so, we’ll maximize our utilization practices, & get on with it; fighting the current never works well, anyway. I think we’ll use this old method, which just happens to be laying right over here. Watch this….

Shall we Pearl?

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

~~ William Butler Yeats ~~

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ella-and-louis

Image from Pinterest via Google Images

Today, I feel my age, thanks to the constant rain…. Well, I’m using that as an excuse, anyway. This pair of artists were both stars in their own right; together, they made magic….

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Ella and Louis

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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

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Oddly enough….

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“In anything at all,
perfection is finally attained,
not when there is no longer anything to add,
but when there is no longer anything to take away.”

~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery , Wind, Sand & Stars ~~

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“The farther it gets from the bench it was worked on,
the more real the real world becomes.”

~~ Todd Johnson ~~

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“You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.”

~~ Navajo Proverb ~~

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“Happy is he who can give himself up.”

~~ Naguib Mahfouz ~~

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

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

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“Life is a tragedy to those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.”

~~ Jean de la Bruyere ~~

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“Th’ MIND is the Pizza Palace of th’ SOUL”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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Having once again fulfilled the vow made to myself so many years ago, I’ll finish this off with some spare elegance. I will, if all goes well, be back again tomorrow to do this again; one of these days, I might even get it right! Time will tell, the blabbermouth. See ya, ffolkes; Ive got stuff to do, so, I’ll leave you to find your way out by yourselves…. 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

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….