Bill them for the bastardized version…

Posted on November 10, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

~~ The Beatles, The last lyric of their last song ~~

Memorial to the Famine Victims, Galway, Ireland

Boy howdy, ffolkes…. Life, in all its glory, can be a bumpy ride at times; I guess that’s what drugs are all about. Of course, such a smarmy, sardonic statement so early in the day indicates a somewhat less than perfect status of the mind to take as a good sign, but, I think we can overcome any objections anyone might have, by merely saying, if you ain’t tried it, you don’t have nothing to say. Or, as Lily Tomlin, I believe, once put it, “Reality is for those people who can’t handle drugs.”….

All controversy aside, it’s a decent morning, thanks in part to the magic of cannabis, along with a bit of marginally risky application of a thaumaturge disguised as a cabbie, I’m alive, awake, and typing. Who knew? But, again, I digress, out of sheer relief and gratitude for a job well done, if not fully completed, or documented. This completes your morning dose of prevarication tempered with real-time compassionate intent, all for the amazingly low price of (FREE)!. What a deal!

And, hell, I’ll throw in the nonsense for nothing, too. We’ve got plenty in stock, believe me. By the way, the Pearl you will find below is not merely an odd one, it was unique, in that none of it was particularly vituperative, or even very snarky. It is, however, complete as I can make it, and that will have to do, as always. We don’t have any contracts right now, anyway, so it’s all part of the service we provide in these slack times for everyone. Besides, that way, we can keep up your dependence without having to spend anything extra…. bonus!

I can’t think of anything more for this section; I’ve emptied out my bag of BS already. I guess we’ll just give Luigi his head again, and get on over to the oyster beds, before we get into any deeper water. Hang on, ffolkes, he’s getting a little rambunctious these days…..

Shall we Pearl?….

It is better to deserve honours and not have them than to have them and not to deserve them.” — Mark Twain

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

Lucille Ball

Image from ebay.com via Google Free Images

Lucille Ball was one of the most powerful women in Hollywood during her day, long before powerful women were even seen as such. She lived her life exactly as she wished, and for that, if nothing else, deserves our respect. She’s also one of the greatest comediennes to ever trod the stage or screen. Enjoy ffolkes, as we all did as kids, for a half-hour to an hour a week, when Lucy, Desi, Fred, and Wilma (oops, Ethel….wrong sitcom) joined the entire USA in their living rooms….

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

I Love Lucy

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

https://youtu.be/aqSY3C_2woA

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

Le Penseur, The Thinker, by August Rodin

I don’t feel like ranting today; so be it…. Here instead is some self-revelation, all of which still applies…. Damn! Too much consistency enters the realm of hobgoblinship, so to speak. Oh, well, I like me, mostly, so, we’ll go with what Brother John told us, and “Let it be”…..

Last posted on 7/21/2014:

From 11/30/2013:

A man who can fool chiefs, and even gods, must still face the monsters he himself created.” — Old Maori saying

Introspection has always been a hobby of mine, but, since turning the ripe old age of 63, (note from the future; made it to 65…) it seems to have become even more of a time-consuming process for me than has been true for most of my life….

I can remember laying on my bed in the state of Washington, when my father was stationed there at Fort Lewis…. I would stare at the bottom of my brother’s upper bunk, and imagine all manner of things, including about myself, and my place in the universe…. Even at the tender age of 8 or 9, as the son of an Army sergeant, I had been many places, and seen more of the world than is usual for anyone other than Army brats…. our proud designation for ourselves…. The quest to maintain one’s personality in the face of all the changes going on around us gave me the impetus to perpetually be aware of more than is the norm for kids of that age; at least, it always seemed so, from what I can tell from my knowledge of others of that age….

Now that I’ve reached an age that completely got skipped in my earlier musings of what life would be like, I seem to be thinking back and forth more often, making connections with the past that explain certain elements of my own persona as they manifest today…. My hair, for example…. (I know, I know, my hair isn’t generally the subject of a rant, but, that’s not really what this is…. this is more of a…. a retrospective, yeah, that’s it…. a retrospective…. so, calm down, I’m not going to get all graphic, or gloomy, or pick at anyone in particular, other than myself…. ‘kay?…. ‘Kay!….)

So, I was looking at my picture on my About page, and can only say that, well, there I am…. My hair is even longer now, (a bit grayer, too….). as I see no particular reason to cut it…. which is the root thought that stimulated this entire subject today…. A little while ago, I was standing outside a moment, with my hair not yet tied back into the usual ponytail, and the wind was blowing it around a bit…. I started to get annoyed, then realized I could only blame myself for it getting in my face, because the solution to that problem is right over there in the drawer, where the scissors live…. I thought to myself, how many times has someone asked me, “why don’t you cut your hair?”, and realized I couldn’t count that high….

My own reaction to that particular query is to think, (again…), to myself, “Well, actually, the question that occurs to me to ask is, why don’t I NOT cut my hair?”…. It seems to me, when I stop to consider the matter logically, and reasonably, that if the hair grows, as it has always done, it must have some sort of evolutionary purpose for doing so, right? It seems logical to me…. Therefore, it seems logical to ask, as well, “who am I to fuss with evolution?” This line of reasoning, naturally, tends to piss of most of the folks who make the original statement to me…. but, I figure that sort of anger is a personal problem, don’t you? I can’t go around taking the heat for what other people don’t like about me, when their anger is based on THEIR beliefs, not mine….

In a way, I suppose it’s the old hippie in me…. Aha, you say, now we’re getting to the meat of the matter! And, typically, I am supposed to say, at this point, “Just what do you mean by that? I don’t know what you’re talking about….” Then, I smile, and get on with what I was doing, which is explaining why being a hippie is not what most people would think…. I mean, there were a lot of popular misconceptions floating around all during the 60’s (Believe me, it was a very confusing time…. I know, I was there….), when there were a lot of people who thought that there was something wrong, or even evil, about being described as one of those misunderstood knights of the sub-culture….

Yes, I said knights…. Jedi knights, before they were the iconic, eternal, peaceful warrior as made popular in later years…. Hippies were the knights of the 60’s and 70’s, diligently tilting at all the windmills we could find, poking our noses into the business of the military-industrial complex, which I now refer to as the BRC, until they were sick of the sight of anyone with long hair…. Back in the day, even the most rigid of conservative hawks understood that they were witnessing a change of culture, and there was nothing they could do to alter the course that history was taking…. The power of love, and compassion, and freedom swept through the entire world, as well as refreshing American society, with repercussions still being felt today….

One of the most important characteristics of hippies that I don’t think most people understood is that we were only interested in revolution in the sense that revolution means change; no hippie worth the name ever wished to violently overthrow anything that didn’t threaten violence first…. But, it is also true that real hippies have no objection to using violence to defend themselves, a fact which always comes as a big surprise to those who would try to oppress them. As with any tool, honor has to be the regulatory agency for determining which tool should be used, and how…. This, sadly, is a concept that those who prey on other people, who seek power over them, can never truly understand, as it is not a part of their perception of reality….

I see that I’ve reached a point where this must either get very pointed, or fade into the background for the time being…. I’m feeling mellow, due to re-connecting with the halcyon days of my youth, so I’ll show mercy here, and opt for the latter…. Besides, I’m all out of introspection for the nonce, and there’s no telling when it might drop back by…. I’ll leave y’all with one final pearl, to seal the deal….

“Oh, how we fear the metamorphoses through which we truly become fledged humans, real mensches of the species homo sapiens. Yet even if we do not willingly undergo them, changes pursue us just the same. The woman who never bears a child metamorphoses in different ways. We may dig in our heels and dare life never to change, but, all the same, it changes under our feet like sand under the feet of a sea gazer as the tide runs out. Life is forever undermining us. Life is forever washing away our castles, reminding us that they were, after all, only sand and sea water.” — Erica Jong: Parachutes and Kisses

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

This one goes with the above treatise, as it was last posted on the same date last year…. Enjoy!….

Roses for Noses

I have a bozoid personality, of the first degree;
nobody, I mean nobody, knows that better than me.
I often wonder, as the world goes around, and around
how many others have realized just what I’ve found….

I know for a fact, I’m not the only bozoid one;
too many people laughing out there, having fun.
Is their laughter, though, at themselves first?
Or is it some other impulse, like purple liverwurst”….

I’ve always loved to make others laugh and giggle,
since my tender youth, when my ears began to wiggle.
The world is full of humor, but not always easy to find
so laughing at myself I learned never to mind….

We bozos know each other, here, there, and everywhere
there’s no hiding such joy, it just wouldn’t be fair.
We all have one feature, our great bulbous nose,
and there’s no doubt at all, cuz it just grows….

There’s nothing like a good, big mistake, a disaster,
to show us the folly of living life faster and faster.
Nothing in the world can ever take the place,
of seeing in the mirror, a happy, smiling face….

Don’t be shy, just let it all hang out;
we bozos have more fun, there’s no doubt.
Life’s too somber and gray if we let it get on top
if we don’t stay loose, the pain won’t ever stop….

My advice to all of you, out there in the world,
let noses grow round & red, keep hair tightly curled.
Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,
you’ll never once regret any price you pay.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 1/27/2013.

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

I’d call this an Advice on Life at Large pearl, if I had my way. Oh, wait. Right. My blog. Okay, it’s an advice pearl…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s got some good stuff in it, which, if utilized, can make your life, well, better…. Try it, you’ll like it….

“Sleep is the best meditation.” — Tenzin Gyatso, XIV Dalai Lama

“Do not speak harshly to any one; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way. Angry speech is painful: blows for blows will touch thee.” — The Dhammapada (c. BC 300)

“Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy.” — Lazarus Long

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

“You cannot run away from a weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand.” — Robert Louis Stevenson, _The Amateur Emigrant_

“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

“Only that in you which is me can hear what I’m saying.” — Baba Ram Dass

“Why should we take advice on sex from the Pope? If he knows anything, he shouldn’t.” — George Bernard Shaw

(Oops! Sorry, that one slipped by me…. but, it’s funny as hell, isn’t it? I guess, it fits, if one looks at it with the right eyes…. Okay, one last good one, to make up the difference….)

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” ~~

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

Leelu is lobbying HEAVILY for the application of her morning cuddle & scritch, so, we’re done, as she INSISTS it happen NOW! See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the sun comes up. Odds are good on that.

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….

Positively charged pinnipeds on parade….

Posted on November 1, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

The Warrior at Rest

Bon soir, monsieurs. et madames…. Today I celebrate (if that is the correct word…. perhaps ‘acknowledge’ comes closer to the truth…) my 65th birthday. And, that, you may be sure, is the last you’ll hear of it from me. I’ve got too much on my plate, and mind, to spend much time considering, or spending time on, an event which happens every damn year, and no longer warrants much enthusiasm as a new experience…. It’s like Ronald Raygun said, back in the 60’s (if I remember it right…. tough call for some of the memories from that time….), “if you’ve seen one tree, you’ve seen ’em all.” Familiarity, in many cases, CAN breed contempt….

End of story…. Of course, now I’m tasked with finding and employing some other snappy trick with which to open up today’s mess. Over the past four years, I’ve tried a number of methods: nonsense, fiction, ranting, even subletting to a robot. None of it seems to last long, however, so, the daily battle to make this introduction interesting, or, at least enough so to get y’all down the page far enough it’s too late to turn back…. well, it continues to rage unabated, with no logical end in sight. Damn! It’s a good thing we don’t depend on logic, isn’t it?

That’s probably enough fun for one section, even if it only approximates actual fun. We’ve got bigger fish to fry today, even if half the post is from archived material. I figured out it makes little sense to spend too much time on this one, with only a couple days left until I won’t have to jump through so many hoops to get it posted, a five or six step operation that is much less conveniently performed away from home, without even factoring the travel involved, or the added stress on my budget. I’ll be glad when I don’t have to do that any longer, for damn sure… For now,

Shall we Pearl?….

“Whatever you’re doing, it’s not as important as petting the cat.”

~~ Leelu ~~

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

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

All the choices today are mine, by default; today’s musical choice meets that requirement, with my all-time favorite piece of classical music…. Enjoy!

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

Vivaldi
The Four Seasons

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

https://youtu.be/GRxofEmo3HA

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

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

gigoid’s rule of law

Back in early 2013, I received a blogging award from a fellow blogger (if you visit the archives on the date below, you’ll find a link to elliebloo’s site, one of my earliest follows, and followers….) The information I included on moi, if not particularly intimately informative, or complete enough to give up a lot of private stuff, turned out, altogether, quite amusingly accurate. So, to pat my own back for once, here’s what I wrote for receiving the award, whose name I forget at the moment….

From 4/12/2013:

Seven things about gigoid you probably didn’t need, or want to know, but rules are rules…..

1) I am a true curmudgeon (I hate everybody, and everything they do…. equal opportunity cynicism, at your service….), with a large streak of closet romantic in me….. so be it….

2) If you took all of the moments in my life I’ve been truly happy, it would make quite a good 10 minute video…. Just kidding…. Actually, it would have to be considered an epic film, because I’ve been happy, mostly, for much of my life…. I discovered, a long time ago, if we are just happy with the way things are now, then things will work out for the best, most of the time…. In other words, a man who knows he has enough, is rich beyond measure….

3) Apparently, I don’t like to talk about myself, at least not intimately, because I’m stuck here on #3, with no idea of what to say….. Hmm, how’s this?…. I’m giving up Boston Baked Beans for good…. what they do to my guts shouldn’t be allowed in polite society, so we’re parting ways, with no hard feelings, only odoriferous remnants of past repasts…..

4) I am not a Vegan…. in fact, I’d rather eat a Vegan than talk to one…. No, really, just kidding, but, I’ve never understood the impulse toward such ideas…. First, why fight several hundred thousand years of evolution? My body LIKES meat, and processes it as well, or better, than many other foods in that category I like to call rabbit food…..

Sure, I believe in the connection between all life forms, but, given the chance, there are many members of the animal kingdom who would have no objection, philosophical, or otherwise, to eating me, should the opportunity arise…. Sharks, any big cat, wolves, bears, komodo dragons, monitor lizards, any of them would be happy to consume my carcass, cooked or not….. I feel no need to avoid eating them, as long as I appreciate the sacrifice, and grok their spirit….

5) As I grow older, I am finding myself appreciating my years of experience more each day. Tasks I found onerous throughout my life become simpler with the inside knowledge of how things work in the real world, and though I cannot lift as much as I used to, and I walk pretty slowly now, I THINK a lot faster, and there isn’t much I can’t do now than I could as much as twenty years ago…. If I do have to move quickly, or apply some strength to accomplish something, I may pay a higher price, in pain, for doing so, but, in general, I find most stuff easier, because it is familiar, and thereby made simple….

6) What is the mind? This question has fascinated me all of my life, and has provided me, because of the breadth and width and depth of the query, and the implications of whatever speculative answers one may find. It makes the study of people, myself included, a topic of endless fertility, as I try to understand my own mind, and how it works, and how it perceives the universe, as well as watching other people to try to ascertain the answers to the same questions that I see in their behavior, or in their words.

This question has been the central driving force behind all of my curiosity, and hopefully, will continue to stimulate my interest in Life right up to the day the Grim Reaper comes for me….. whereupon he will need to use all his skills and tricks, for I will not go quietly from this plane of existence, even though I do not fear what is next…. I’m just having too good of a time to go when HE wants me to go…. If I’m not done, I’ll be kicking and fighting every step of the way to Hell, or wherever my next stop might be…..

7) Damn! Isn’t that enough?…. Okay, okay, here….. I’m a sucker for a good hat. When I received the money from SS for all the months they had delayed in awarding the benefits, my second purchase was a new hat, followed by the third, a beautiful black homburg with grey trim around the brim…. very classy and dignified…. Hell, it might even get me in to see the Queen when I’m in London, you think?…..

Alright, that’s seven…. Whew! I thought that would NEVER end….

Okay, now I have to notify all the folks in my list of blogs, above, so I’ll be off to do that…. Thanks again to elliebloo for nominating me for this award, which I don’t deserve, but appreciate a lot….

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

Writing haiku has always come naturally to me; the numerical requirements seem to fit right in with the way my mind works. I’ve been a bit slack about writing a poem each day for this month’s challenge, choosing instead to pick from my archive. Today, I will force whatever is in there to come out, even if only as haiku…. Let’s hope it’s more than just one of those….. As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ (I still don’t know if I’m doing this right, but, oh well….)

Haiku II

An inner light glows
shining out of open eyes;
madness or wisdom?

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

Early Observations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

Well….. that just popped out, in near-record time…. It doesn’t rhyme, except at a couple points, but, I like it, so, here it is, for better or worse….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken…

_________________________________

Written & posted 4/12/2013.

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

I like this one. SB struggled a lot in giving it up; you’ll note more than one pearl you’ve seen before, if you’ve come here often. But, with a few ideas added, expressed in new ways, the message is slightly altered, thus offering yet another opportunity to find that one key thought to lead you onward, into realms unexplored, where enlightenment waits for us to find. If it doesn’t happen this time, well, perhaps the next…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“At birth we woke to dream in this world between.”

~~ Kan’ami Kiyotsugu ~~

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”

~~ Seneca ~~

“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.”

~~ Yun-Men ~~

“If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are.
For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained.
Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing.”

~~ Saint Augustine ~~

“We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~

“Men are born with two eyes, but only one tongue,
in order that they should see twice as much as they say.”

~~ Charles Caleb Colton ~~

“If happiness changes hands, that’s no catastrophe.”

~~ Simone de Beauvoir, Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter~~

“Not all who wander are lost.”

~~ J. R. R. Tolkien ~~

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”

~~ Buddha ~~

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

The Colonel’s right; ya gotta love it when a plan comes together; it feels great, even when there was no plan. As I said somewhere above, and meant with all my being, so be it. gigoid has spoken…. and, probably, quite enough for one day. Let’s try it again tomorrow, shall we? As long as the revolution holds of a while, ffolkes, we’re good to go, & I’ll see you mañana…. Well, not SEE you, but, well, you know what I meant…. I hope.

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….

Full licensing requires pink taffeta, and/or pale green tissue organza….

Posted on October 14, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If you can’t say something nice, say something surrealistic.”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

Supermoon eclipse over Arizona September 2015

Image from gizmodo.com

Good morning…. Okay, so, momentous news…. sort of…. You see, I’ve come to realize, it’s too late… I’ve been living alone too long, and, it’s too late to go back. I shall, from this now forward, into the next, etc., ad nauseam, be condemned/blessed by remaining in that state until my demise.

The proof is too strong to ignore, I’m afraid. I guess I’ve seen it coming, but, in the end, it only took eight-plus-fun-filled-(NOT)-days, of enduring a Hell worse than anything in Dante’s feeble imagination, to get my mind clear enough to acknowledge the truth of what I perceive… I’ve become a completely unsocialized human being, with too many idiosyncrasies to allow myself to consort with other humans…. S’true, so don’t try to convince me otherwise; I’ll be a hermit, and it’s probably for the best…

Now, I’m not being depressive by saying that…. No, I am, in truth, motivated by what love I have left in my heart for the species at large, and for the eight to ten people whose company I seem to be able to tolerate for more than two minutes without feeling homicidal. The more time I spend around mundanes and myrmidons and slaves and assholes and creeps, and all the other idiots who seem to be all that is left in this part of the world, the more I have to assert firm control over my weapon hand, to prevent myself from leaving a trail of bodies behind me, EVERY FUCKING TIME I STEP OUT THE DOOR! I tell ya, it gets wearing….

Then, when, as in the past two weeks, my physical issues keep me house-bound, I end up getting to a place as I did just a little bit ago, where I am sitting here, in front of the computer, mind racing, Mozart playing at full volume, when I realize I am much happier alone. I don’t feel like killing anyone, and the weirdest thing I do is what prompted this little diatribe, to wit: I periodically find myself talking seriously to the programmer of whatever software I’m using, cursing him/her out for never learning to code with elegance, or otherwise bitching about the way it works, just as if she/he were right here to hear me, and, as if they cared…. Stupid is as stupid does. and talking to absent, arrogant hackers is stupid, AND weird, too….

Ah, well, I guess I COULD chalk it up to having been up all day and night for 9 of the last 11 days; that can be somewhat tiresome, I can attest…. Whoops! What the…? Oh. Okay, never mind. Just a little Tardis turbulence. Y’all know what that means, don’t you? I lost some time, and had to use the powers of a Time Lord to get back to the correct date. Now, I can attest the tiresomeness of sleeplessness holds true, the same when it’s been 11 of the last 13 days, as well for lesser amounts of time…. Pretty fucked up, to tell the truth; I found out there are levels of Hell lower than Dante’s Inferno ever dreamed of. In fact, where I was being held was right above the two lowest levels, for lawyers/politicians/preachers/pimps/myrmidons, and oligarchs. Honest, I could hear them screaming; it helped….

But, I’m back, temporarily, to further attest the veracity of the VERY old saying, true freedom is the release from pain…. While I’m in the groove, I think I should let Luigi do his thing…. Take it away, amigo….

Shall we Pearl?….

To be truly conscious of your stupidity is one of the greatest steps you can make toward wisdom. If you know others, you are learned. If you know yourself, you are indeed wise. It isn’t the things that you don’t know that get you into trouble. What gets you into trouble are those things you know for sure that ain’t so.” — Artemus Ward (1834-1867), aka Charles Farrar Brown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Image from al.com via Google Images

©Jay Blakesberg

Image from billboard.com via Google Images

I’ve already pulled my covers as a Deadhead; no surprises there. It’s also no surprise the live concerts the band played, in June and July of this year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first tour, have already been released to You Tube for the fans to hear. This is even though the CD’s and other merchandise for the tour is still on sale, and the band, with the new members to replace Garcia, Hunter, and other deceased band mates, are going on a new tour…. In short, the Dead community, which includes the Dead Family, have allowed the music to remain online without legal action…. It is a clear indicator of why the band’s connection to their fanbase, and American society in the last half of the century, reflects our entire history of that time…

Here for your enjoyment are two of the concerts the band played during the initial celebration tour, in June of this year…. Enjoy, ffolkes; there’s nothing like a Dead concert, for sure, and for certain….

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

Grateful Dead
Fare Thee Well X 2
2015

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

https://youtu.be/Du9QPhLgblY

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

https://youtu.be/5WZmNdfvAjY

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One might think, given the fact my last post was made on the 9th, I would have come across something rantable; I may have, but, to be frank, the period of time between then and now is one I’d prefer NOT to think about ever again. Having made the decision to excise those six days from my life and memory, as being unworthy of keeping, I must confess I honestly don’t remember getting worked up enough about anything to have written anything caustic, or even analytical. What I did manage to do, somewhat unconsciously, I think, is collect some rather good pearls that do make some reference to the world’s continuing problems on the human society front….

Mankind is, quite simply, as a species, a major fuck-up, perhaps even rating ‘clusterfuck’ status…. Anyone who says otherwise is NOT paying attention. Below you’ll find some reasons why that is true, along with some more general comments regarding the situation, which drew my attention as having something worthwhile to say, if only as a piece of smarm, or sarcasm…. Hell, without looking, I know I included something derogatory about a politician, or a lawyer, or a preacher of some kind…. I can do that in my sleep, and though I didn’t come anywhere near sleep for almost seven straight days, I did find these pearls, for better, or for worse…. Your call….

“The more laws, the less justice.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) Roman Orator, poet, statesman — De Officiis (44 B.C.)

One of the unpardonable sins, in the eyes of most people, is for a man to go about unlabeled. The world regards such a person as the police do an unmuzzled dog, not under proper control.” — T.H. Huxley, 1893

“A sect or party is an elegant incognito devised to save a man from the vexation of thinking.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I cannot convince myself that there is anyone so wise, so universally comprehensive in his judgment, that he can be trusted with the power to tell others: ‘You shall not express yourself thus, you shall not describe your own experiences; or depict the fantasies which your mind has created; or laugh at what others set up as respectable; or question old beliefs; or contradict the dogmas of the church, of our society, our economic systems, and our political orthodoxy.'” — Jake Zeitlin

“Any priest or shaman must be presumed guilty until proved innocent.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

“In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.” — Mohandas K. Gandhi

“A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.” — Albert Einstein

“Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.” — Bertrand Russell

“If people behaved in the way nations do they would all be put in straitjackets.” — Tennessee Williams

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Historical Perspective

When all has been said, and all been done,
there really isn’t much to say;
we all come to the same place in the sun,
where darkness overtakes us on our way.

The road seems long as we trundle along,
our perception of time allows us this boon.
In truth, our time here is a short, sweet song,
ending far, far too soon.

There never seems to be all the time
we would wish to have for our own.
Right at the point we find reason in our rhyme:
“It’s for you; your friend Death’s on the phone.”

Yet we all keep moving along our chosen pathway
burning each moment in imagination’s hot fire.
Future and past are held well at bay
lest we are distracted from our desire.

‘Tis no wonder history is rife with pain, and fear;
we sang sweet songs, but the key was wrong.
The only real surprise, it seems crystal clear,
is why the darkness has taken so long.

Just an observation….

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 10/13/2015.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For some of our Gentle Readers, this pearl may be somewhat murky; it’s okay. It was constructed over a week’s time, during rare moments of lucidity, and, though I wasn’t certain it would work, it did. In fact, it came out rather well, which is why I chose to use the icon(s) you see above today’s final section. It’s a test, with no grade, just a minor thrill of discovery if/when the point comes clear…. and, yes, there’ a point. Sarcasm doesn’t become you…. Okay, it does, but, it’s unnecessary in this case, so, enjoy….

“Agesilaus being invited once to hear a man who admirably imitated the nightingale, he declined, saying he had heard the nightingale itself.” — Plutarch — Life of Agesilaus II

“Think for yourself and question authority.” — Timothy Leary

“Dialogue becomes pointless with someone who escapes the procession of the years. I ask those I love to be kind enough to grow old.” — E.M. Cioran

“A man would still do something out of sheer perversity – he would create destruction and chaos – just to gain his point…and if all this could in turn be analyzed and prevented by predicting that it would occur, then man would deliberately go mad to prove his point.” — Feodor Dostoevsky, “Notes From the Underground”

“It matters not how long you live, but how well.’ — Publius Syrus — Maxim 829

“Wilderness begins in the human mind.” — Edward Abbey

“If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.” — Lin-Chi

“As Caesar was at supper the discourse was of death,–which sort was the best. “That,” said he,”which is unexpected.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Caesar

We chased our pleasures here, dug out treasures there.
Can you still recall the time we cried?
Break on through to the other side.

~~- The Doors~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s Pearl, as noted in the intro, somewhere, turned out special, if only for having taken damn near a week to complete. Ah, well, such is life in strife, as we say downtown, and, hey! It does have a new poem, right?. All we can do is all we can do, as I’m sure you know.

I guess I’ll try to do this again, hopefully by tomorrow. As those of us who have the powers of a Time Lord know so well, Time will tell. It always does. See y’all sometime during that Time; in fact, I don’t think anyone can prevent it now…. Nor would they, now, would they?…. Okay, I’m done.

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….

“Committing the Sin of Indolence” — a retrospective….

Posted on September 21, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I cannot teach anybody anything,

I can only make them think.”

~~ Socrates ~~

Pluto as seen from the New Horizons Spacecraft

Image from the UK Guardian 9/17/2015

I had forgotten just how deeply embedded this process has become in my existence…. It seems the creation of a Pearl is more important to my degree of sanity than I’d previously admitted; if I don’t sit down to write for a while, I feel “off”. Once I’ve cruised through SB for a time, using my mind in a familiar way, some of the angst I seem to build up over the course of the day dissipates, leaving me better able to think introspectively, which is where I need to be just now…. So, I’ll write…. but, I may not post…. We’ll see.

For now, I think I’ll go make some coffee. It’s 0230 (almost) so, why not? It looks like me and LeeLoo will be up a while tonight…. Don’t know why insomnia struck tonight, but, I may as well take advantage of it to get some thinking & planning done…. Or, perhaps, I’ll gather up some pearls, and see what they have to say….

When I told myself, and y’all, this process would be changing, I didn’t realize just how many alterations the change would encompass. No complaints at all; I seem to have misplaced some of the angst I’ve typically carried around with me. Whatever the case may be, it’s slowed this down to a crawl…. The two paragraphs you see above were written yesterday. Since then, most of this Pearl has been finished; only some entertainment left to find now. Yet, I’m not even worried at all whether I get it posted today, or not…. which may be good, or not. We’ll see about that, too, I suppose. For now, I think I’ll go cruise You Tube & find something fun to watch, whenever this gets posted….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The laws of physics have no basis in reality. They describe the operation of the human mind.” — Robert Anton Wilson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don’t believe I need to say anything at all to introduce this artist/philosopher/social critic. Simply, he was the best of his time….

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

George Carlin
It’s Bad For Ya ~ 2008

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

https://youtu.be/vLjJxMyJXXg

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“If the truth offends — too bad.”

~~ Hard Ass Bee, with gigoid’s full agreement ~~

Okay, so, I lied. I COULD say I didn’t lie, so much as I misspoke, as any number of politicians would say. And, have said, repeatedly. (e.g.: “I just didn’t say it.” — Ronald Reagan — Associated Press, 10/5/66)

Actually, what I did is underestimate how long it would be until I was struck by the urge to write about the world at large, when I’m having my own troubles with the world inside the shell of my consciousness…. But, as I cruised through SB for entertainment, the following pearls kept jumping up, practically shouting at me, to insist on being included in a long, involved indictment of men of evil intent, who usurped the government of this nation almost before the ink was dry on the Constitution…..

Their efforts have resulted in the world we face today, where all the rules are made by those who insist on controlling the lives of all they see, without ever considering how others may feel about that…. 90% of the world’s population live as no more than slaves, threatened with poverty and destitution at the slightest emergency or accident in their lives, at the mercy of the bankers, and the predatory politicians, the fat-cat lawyers, the faceless myrmidons (i.e., police) who enforce the will of the masters, and the religious dogma dogs who encourage the slaves to respect those who oppress them, for the promise of a better life after they die.

I was raised by a man who went to war in 1941, to protect his family and home, thinking he was fighting for the liberties he believed he had, and that he believed would be the legacy for his children. He raised us to believe in those same principles, of liberty and freedom for all, upon which he, and we, were supposedly brought up….

If he were alive today, he would be as pissed off at what has taken place as I am, for, since the creation of the National Security Agency during WWII, every one of the Bill of Rights, and, all of the protections of our Constitution, have been abrogated, one after another, in the name of security and ‘national interest’, two concepts the definition of which the beloved ruling class reserves solely for itself…. Neither of those two concepts have anything to do with protecting the interests of American citizens; they only serve to protect the status quo. How else does one explain such statements as the following:

“You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in their struggle for independence.” — Charles Austin Beard, American Historian, 1874-1948

This is the absolute truth. We see this every day, in irrefutable evidence provided by videos of how using the words our forefathers used can get an American citizen shot by the police, ‘for resisting arrest’, or, for ‘disobeying a lawful order by an officer’…. It’s pretty hard to refute visual/auditory evidence, but, time after time, people continue to die, and no police officer is ever charged…. It is a disgrace, and, a national shame, one my father would have deplored with every fiber of his being…. I share that disgust, and, intend to never submit to such treatment myself, without making it clear it is a mistake to assume that a free man can be oppressed…. Whoever tries to take my rights will find I only have those rights I am able to defend…

In the meantime, here are a bunch of other statements that cover the same subject, from various angles, by various contemporary and historical figures; some are examples of how things ought to be, others point out the nature of the problem, or, at least, some of the motivation behind it…. All are, to my mind, spot on….

“If Congress can determine what constitutes the general welfare and can appropriate money for its advancement, where is the limitation to carrying into execution whatever can be effected by money?” — South Carolina Senator William Draden 1828

(Oops! Another warning missed by the general public, from someone who apparently saw what was happening, right from the start…. Typical….)

“Annoy a Fundamentalist: Tell him the truth!” — Sardonic Bee

“Any person under the age of thirty, who, having any knowledge of the existing social order, is not a revolutionist, is an inferior.” — George Bernard Shaw

“Solon gave the following advice: “Consider your honour, as a gentleman, of more weight than an oath. Never tell a lie. Pay attention to matters of importance.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Solon, xii

“Conservative: Proof that evolution is not an exact science.” — Polly Sci Bee

“This is the Nineties, Bubba, and there is no such thing as Paranoia. It’s all true.” — Hunter S Thompson

“Capitalism in the United States has undergone profound modification, not just under the New Deal, but through a consensus that continued to grow after the New Deal. Government in the U. S. today is a senior partner in every business in the country.” — Norman Cousins

“We have watched American democracy at close hand for many years and we believe few governments are institutionally so susceptible to dictatorship as this one.” — Gerald Johnson

“The statesman shears the sheep, the politician skins them.” — Definitive Bee

“The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshiped anything but himself.” — Sir Richard F. Burton

“No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.” — Jacquin’s Postulate on Democratic Government

“Is it fair to hold politicians to the same standards as humans?” — Snarky Bee

Books are burning
In the main square, and I saw there
The fire eating the text.
Books are burning
In the still air
And you know where they burn books
People are next.

~~ “Books Are Burning”, XTC ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sublime Indifference

Faces tell such stories

as these,

we know.

No one saw,

ever.

No one sees,

ever.

But, we know.

Forgotten,

deliberately bought

with

consistent threats

of Sitcoms,

Paisley Ties,

yes, and,

Lava Lamps;

proof offered

unbidden

of Death.

Only

of Death.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 5/21/2015.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In my world, pearls such as this are the standard. As far as any philosophy goes, other than my own, Taoism is the closest attempt made by mankind to describe Reality, period. Beginning, and ending, a lesson/pearl with Taoist principles is a sure way to ensure the balance, and accuracy, of whatever is created…. Add one in the middle, and, it’s unassailably perfect. Go ahead, try to refute ANY of it…. Enjoy!….

My teachings are very easy to understand and very easy to practice.
But no one can understand them and no one can practice them.
In my words there is a principle.
In the affairs of men there is a system.

~~ Lao-Tzu ~~

“You don’t know how much you don’t know until you know a lot.” — Nick Holland

“While all things have their opposites, it is also true that in each the spirit of the opposite exists.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sufi writer

“Clay is moulded to make a vessel, but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing. … Thus, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not.” — Lao Tzu

“The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” — Carl Jung

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” — Albert Einstein

Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.

~~ Tao Te Ching ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I see it is done. Clearly, time to post; what the hell, it’s only two hours (and two days….) overdue, according to the previous paradigm. Good thing a new one is under construction…. For now, I’ll merely say there WILL be more Pearls; when that might occur is anybody’s guess. If the past two days are an indication, it shouldn’t be too long. See y’all then, ffolkes; you can count on it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Wait, sir! Squeegees are NOT allowed….

Posted on September 18, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Live a life worthy of the things that will be said of you when you’re dead.”

~~ Ambidextrous Rex ~~

Stealth Rock Surfacing to Fire Weapons

Good morning…. Life can sure bring us new challenges…. Has anyone else noted how little we generally expect them when they come? It’s always a surprise, even though the same sort of events have occurred many times throughout our lives. I suppose it’s the same sort of amnesia women get after childbirth, that allows them to make love again, knowing the risks…. That’s a joke, by the way. I suppose it might not have fallen so flat were it more of a logical progression, rather than the usual male short-sightedness…. Ah, well, chalk it up to a routine shot to shit….

This morning, that routine has centered around a small extortionist, who insists this time of day is when I should pay attention to HER, not the computer. When I sat down to begin today, LeeLoo came over to the computer & sat directly on the keyboard, staring at me as if to say, “Well? What about ME?”…. She refused to be distracted, & I ended up sitting with her in my arms, purring, while I thought of all the time I was wasting….. until I fell back asleep…. SIGH…. Bloody little tyrant, she is…

I suppose this means this intro section will be turning into a morning report on cat antics, as I can see this is to become the new routine, with me attempting to furnish the cat with activities to distract her from the computer, so I can rush to put out the morning Pearl, in the MORNING! It promises to be a series of Keystone Kops episodes, to be sure…. For today, we’ll call this an intro, even though it barely makes the grade. Luigi is here, though, and we’re all set to go, so, let’s get it done, while LeeLo is buy tearing up the magazine I gave her….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The apple cannot be stuck back on The Tree of Knowledge; once we begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see more, not less.” — Arthur Miller

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the goal.

Image from Pinterest via Google Free Images

In keeping with the theme as described in the introductory section, here is some music designed to help our furry friends find some peace, for long enough to give us some respite…. Enjoy! As I sincerely hope LeeLoo does….

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

Relax My Cat

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

https://youtu.be/Myp1lut5LmA

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Image Stolen from TalesfromtheConspiratum.com

“History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love (1972)

I’m really late; I had intended to give myself enough time to write about religion today, as I found the above meme on a friend’s site, and found the perfect quote to go with it…. But, I’m too late, and, now, too tired to get it done, so, I’ll do what I always do in such cases; cheat. Here’s a religirant from the archives…. I’ve done quite a few of them, so, it doesn’t take long to find an appropriate entry…. Enjoy!….

From 4/17/2013:

“A thing is not proved because no one has ever questioned it…Skepticism is the first step towards truth.” — Smart Bee

As I was cruising through Smart Bee this morning, looking for inspiration for section 3, I came across this little gem, unattributed. It sounds like it could have come from a number of different philosophers, all of whom are noted for their wisdom and perspicacity (another great word….). It is also a part of the human flaw that has contributed to many of the problems we face as a society, and as a species.

Actually, it might be more accurate to say that the lack of this in humans is part of the flaw; most people one talks to would not agree with this idea, as stated. In fact, it is directly opposed to the educational premises of many cultures, especially those heavily influenced by religions, such as those in Mexico, Central and South America, where Catholicism is a powerful factor in society, and in the governing of that society. India, and much of the Eastern Hemisphere, too, have societies that are heavily influenced by religion, though with more participant sects than is true in the Western Hemisphere; Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, to name a few, are always a contributing factor in the political events that have shaped history.

“The common dogma [of fundamentalists] is fear of modern knowledge, inability to cope with the fast change in a scientific-technological society, and the real breakdown in apparent moral order in recent years That is why hate is the major fuel, fear is the cement of the movement, and superstitious ignorance is the best defence against the dangerous new knowledge. When you bring up arguments that cast serious doubts on their cherished beliefs you are not simply making a rhetorical point, you are threatening their whole Universe and their immortality. That provokes anger and quite frequently violence.” — G Gaia

As a result of this influence, many people tend to reject skepticism, as it doesn’t fit in with what they have been taught, which is to never question anything told to them by persons in positions of authority. Churches tend to encourage this sort of attitude, as their outrageous claims of divinity, and supernatural events performed by their deities, do not stand up well to scrutiny by an objective eye. The leaders of the churches thus play right into the hands of the Beloved Ruling Class, as they counsel their flocks to obey worldly, temporal authority as readily as they are conditioned to obey the secular variety…..

“I just stepped on a factoid!” – Zippy the Pinhead

Thankfully, not all of humanity is defenseless against this sort of conditioning. There are many ffolkes out there who don’t buy into the sort of psychological blackmail being promulgated by the preachers, priests, imams, and shamans of all shapes and sizes around the world, and a large number of them seem to end up blogging, right here on WordPress…. So, I end up preaching to the choir pretty often. But, that’s okay, too, because I know that occasionally, one of those folks who do believe in what they are told, without any questions or doubts, will read this, and, if nothing else, will think about what I’ve said…. Who knows, maybe I’ll go viral, and the whole world will remember that WE ALL ARE GODS?”…… (Remember? Axiom # 3…. “Thou art God, you know…. Let’s do lunch….)

“Youth of today! Join me in a mass rally for traditional mental attitudes!” — Zippy the Pinhead

I suppose that’s a note from my subconscious, to let me know I’ve gone far enough off the rails for now, and should let these good people get on with their lives, rather than wandering around in mine…. Goodness knows where we’ll end up…. So, anyway, just remember to cultivate your sense of doubt, your “crap detector”, as it were, and never, ever take anything “on authority”, without tangible proof…. You’ll find Life to be less confusing that way; certainly, it makes it a lot easier to look yourself in the mirror in the morning…..

“This is patently absurd; but whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities.” — Bertrand Russell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 2012, I began writing poetry again after a hiatus of almost forty years; this is one of the very first I created after breaking the barrier I’d built between me and that part of my soul…. I hope you like it….

Accentuated Lessons

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

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

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

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

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/27/2012.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our final pearl today is a rather standard group of aphorisms on Life at Large…. It’s all good advice, ffolkes, so, pay heed, if you would live your own life well….

“Be virtuous and you will be eccentric.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

“Honor is the reward of virtue.”

~~ Cicero ~~

“Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.”

~~ Robert Cody ~~

“There is only one success — to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

~~ Christopher Morley ~~

“There is only one universal goal: a gracious death with no regrets.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

“He does not seem to me to be a free man who does not sometimes do nothing.”

~~ Cicero ~~

“Do not settle for less than the best your own excellence can command.”

~~ Anne McCaffrey ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, it’s done. I’m pretty sure, anyway. I suppose I better check; hang on a moment….

It’s a damn good thing I checked. I had completely forgotten to complete one of the sections! Ah well, chalk that one up to LeeLoo, who picked the moment I found the missing section to knock over my almost full cup of coffee, just to give me something to do, more amusing for her than watching me type. Hilarious…. not.

But, NOW it’s done, and I can try to get it posted before she finds a way to set something on fire…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the building is intact…. Oh, shit, there goes the corner bookshelf!…. 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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Inexorable notions of impropriety….

Posted on September 16, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“We say the cows laid out Boston. Well, there are worse surveyors.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), “Wealth” ~~

Yep. It’s Luna.

Good morning…. Yet another day spent slipping into the mire…. As I sit here, I find myself having to defend the keyboard against the imprecations of a psycho kitty, who thinks she should have some input into what I’m typing today. Her main problem, I think, is not knowing the entire alphabet; otherwise, I’d probably be watching her type this, rather than the other way around…. Fascinating!….

Ah well, it’s just another adaptation, I guess, one I have to deal with if I’m to ever get this Pearl posted. I’ll not tempt Fate, nor will I push my luck; instead, we’ll just go on, as if I knew what I was doing…. Luigi is going to ‘gently’ convey us to the oyster beds, where we shall hope to find what we need for the day…. Let’s do it now, okay?….

Shall we Pearl?….

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Image from arzapizza.com via Google Images

It looks as if I’ve given up on maintaining my reputation as a crusty, irritable old curmudgeon with these cute animal videos, doesn’t it? Oh, well, what the hell; I like them, so, fuck it…. Guess it won’t be too long before the new psycho kitty has company…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. and, for any Asininnies who MAY be reading, pay attention to how well our companions on the Trail of Life get along together when we don’t interfere with our own idiocy….

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

Dogs & Cats Playing Together

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

https://youtu.be/YSC9kKpmx40

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I came across this statement from Edward Abbey last evening, while searching for pearls. It is the clearest statement of reality in this country today I know of, though. it was first uttered in the last century; I know not exactly when… I am compelled to say I would agree with each and every word….

This, ffolkes, is the statement of an American patriot. The only real kind I know of, a man the men who formed this country would understand. It’s also the statement of a man with whom I’d be honored to stand…. any time, anywhere.

“The tank, the B-52, the fighter-bomber, the state controlled police and military are the weapons of dictatorship. The rifle is the weapon of democracy. Not for nothing was the revolver called an ‘equalizer’ Eqalite implies liberte. And always will. Let us hope our weapons are never needed — but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government — and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws.” — Edward Abbey (1927-1989)

Nothing I could add would say it any better, so, I’ll just leave it there…. After all, what else is there to be said?

So be it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am not sure why, but, this poem seems appropriate for today, as a representation of my recent ordeal overseas…. Too much of the trip was spent in a state similar to this, so, let all memory of that time be gone with this posting….

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 ~~

Written 2/25/2015.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A simple little pearl about Life at Large to finish the day’s effort…. Pay heed, and enjoy Life better!….

Who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own
Self in all beings, loses all fear.

~~ Isa Upanishad ~~

“The older we grow the greater becomes our wonder at how much ignorance one can contain without bursting one’s clothes.” — Mark Twain

“Don’t be ashamed to say what you are not afraid to think.” — Montaigne

“All is flux, nothing stays still.” — Heraclitus

“Patience is the companion of wisdom.” — Saint Augustine

“Cease to be ruled by dogmas and authorities; look at the world!” — H.G. Wells paraphrase of Roger Bacon’s works

“The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.” — Socrates

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, there you go. Late again, thanks to the regularization of my life, and the literary advice of a small fur-bearing critic. Now, if I can persuade here to move long enough to post, we’re good to go…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, like it or not…..

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….

A crimp in time saves pi….

Posted on September 1, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

I stood
Among them, but not of them; in a shroud
Of thoughts which were not their thoughts.

~~ Lord Byron ~~

~~ Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto iii, Stanza 113 ~~

Wind Spinner, Spinning

Good morning…. How can it be otherwise, when I’m going on the road in just about exactly three hours? Yes, today’s the day; the journey calls, and I must answer…. or lose out on the round-trip airfare. No way I’m doing that, so, whatever there may be in the Universe with any objections to my going had best get swallowed, because it sure isn’t going to keep me from leaving. So there….

Okay, all flippancy gone, we may now proceed to put together a final Pearl from home, with the warning it could be up to a week before another Pearl appears; no telling how things will work out where I’m going in re: available Wi-Fi spots, not to mention my own willingness to take the time to create them. My focus will NOT be on Pearling; I’ll be busy learning, and seeing, and listening, and walking, and talking with people I’ve never met before, all of which are some of my favorite things in life to do…. So, you will see me when you see me, and not before….

That all said, with the reminder full Pearls should begin again around September 18th, or 19th, depending on how quickly I can recover from the trip…. I’m not as young as I once was, but, this kind of activity tends to energize rather than tire me out…. Well, it used to; we’ll see how it goes. If nothing else, one is always glad to see one’s own bed….

For now, let’s throw together a Pearl, for luck, and for good measure…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“If the obstacles of bigotry and priestcraft can be surmounted, we may hope that common sense will suffice to do everything else.” — Thomas Jefferson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyone at all familiar with how things go around here will know what they’ll see in this section today…. It’s amazing what these search engines can find, if you’re precise in telling them what you want….A little traveling music, maestro, if you please….

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

Classical Music for Travel

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

https://youtu.be/IxOuFGzdqPo

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oddly enough, SB presented me with some nice little stimulants for a rant while putting together the old-school pearl yesterday afternoon, so, I started a rant; I don’t feel enough angst to take it further, so, I’ll find a few pearls to say the same stuff, and let it go at that for now… In short, what you see is what you get….

“The Greeks by their laws, and the Romans by the spirit of their people, took care to put into the hands of their rulers no such engine of oppression as a standing army. Their system was to make every man a soldier, and oblige him to repair to the standard of his country when ever that was reared. This made them invincible; and the same remedy will make us so.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to Thomas Cooper(1814)

Well, for the most part, we blew that one, didn’t we? Tom would be ashamed of us, and, rightly so. He also believed in each citizen educating themselves as to what the government was up to, as well as warning us to keep a close eye on the bankers; he pointed out their attempts to corrupt government practically before the ink on the Constitution was dry. Did the American people listen? No, they didn’t. They listened instead to the preachers, who told them to trust their leaders, never cluing them into the simple fact those leaders were, as they themselves were, lying through their teeth to the people who trusteed them, almost every time they open their mouths.

Beset on all sides by ruthless liars, is it any wonder the common man hasn’t a clue as to his own slavery, thinking he has rights, and the opportunity to improve his life by living by the rules… In fact, the common man has no rights, and the system is designed to reward only those who lie, cheat, and steal in order to get ahead. Simple truths are hard to accept, but, trust me, this one is truth.

“Nature is not cruel, but, pitilessly, indifferent. This is one of the hardest lessons for humans to learn. We cannot admit that things might be neither good nor evil, neither cruel nor kind, but simply callous — indifferent to all suffering,lacking all purpose.” — Richard Dawkins

What people don’t really get, even if they feel the rightness of this idea, is that cruelty DOES exist, but, only as a human characteristic, due to our need to make our own lives have meaning to us, according to our standards. This is, in the eyes of the universe, a handicap rather than an asset, for it leads those who cannot let go of such ideas into failures of logic, and understanding of the real world…. Being able to accept the idea makes it possible to act without fear, or emotion of any kind, interfering with our decision making process… For example…

“Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. Keep this in mind; it may offer a way to make him your friend. If not, you can kill him without hate — and quickly “– Lazarus Long

Lazarus was a smart guy; he also gave us the most efficient, and logical method for dealing with such people, when there are options available short of killing… to wit:

“Never appeal to a man’s “better nature.” He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.” — Lazarus Long

Ah well, we do the best we can, with what others have to offer; other than that, it’s every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost…. What does that mean?…. Any who, as noted above, angst is in short supply, so here is a nine-star pearl to finish this mini-rant in a more palatable fashion, that won’t dull the edge of my excitement and joy…. Not much could right now, but, here…. take this….

Isn’t it strange that the same people that laugh at gypsy fortune tellers take economists seriously?” — Cincinnati Enquirer

“In a decision sure to cause major controversy for several minutes, the US Supreme Court struck down the First Law of Nature, judging it to be unlawfully discriminatory. Though never actually written down, the First Law of Nature is generally accepted by the American Bar Association to be, “If an individual or collection of individuals puts into practice or causes to be put into practice an action which, measured against the judgment of a reasonable person, is unwise or lacking in basic common sense, then the aforementioned individual or collection of individuals shall suffer all consequences resulting from that action, up to and including loss of life.” Translation: “You do something stupid, you die.” — Snarky Bee

“Jesus loves you. Everyone else thinks you’re a jerk.” — Humble Bee

“He is running for Congress … Do you know why he will be elected? Because all the gun owners will vote for him. Why will they vote for him? Because he is against any new law which will require registration of firearms. He claims that if there is a war, we might be invaded by Communists. And we will all need guns. With nuts like that in Congress, it could happen.” — Larry Siegel

“God must love assholes — She made so many of them.”– Druidic Bee

“Do you really believe that fear of the damage that you could inflict with your .22 Squirrel Blaster is the only thing keeping the government in check?” — Mark Oehlert

“The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who hold power, in power.” — Gerry Spence ‘From Freedom to Slavery,’ 1993

“Chaotic Evil means never having to say you’re sorry.” — Shrub Senior (Okay, I lied. Sue me…)

“Congress’ idea of “safe” sex: no reporters.” — Smart Bee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Random Exposure

If I only knew what I was doing here,
I could give others a clue.
Reality gets stranger every year,
and I’m not sure what I should do.

Singing happy old tunes, in an old, gravely voice,
gives me a lot of pleasure.
I’m only glad I can still make a choice,
to look at life, to take its measure.

Memorable moments keep passing by
gilded, framed in precious emotion.
I never have to ask anyone why,
no need for a stronger potion.

Everything in life is clear, to me
there is no doubt, no misunderstanding.
We’re all good, as you can see,
members of Life, in good standing.

Life can be hard, or it can be great fun;
the right path is there for each of us to take.
That choice is often a difficult one;
pay close attention to the choice you make.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/22/2013.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a bit over two hours to lift off, things are moving along quite smoothly, if slower than I’d like…. Funny how the clock slows down when we wish it to run fast…. Ah well, here’s a pretty standard pearl, with the usual tips one living with some dignity, and how to make our lives a bit more comfortable, if not less ‘interesting’…. Enjoy!….

“Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” — Confucius (551-479 BC)

“Individuality seems to be Nature’s whole aim — and she cares nothing for individuals.” — Goethe

“Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the Forest that was left out by mistake.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

“A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle.” — Japanese proverb

“Fear is the parent of cruelty.” — James Anthony Froude

“Dolendi modus, timendi non item.” [To suffering there is a limit; to fearing, none.] — Bacon, Of Seditions and Troubles

“There is never anything to feel sorry about with love. Never.” — Robert Heinlein

“Very late in life, when he was studying geometry, some one said to Lacydes, “Is it then a time for you to be learning now?” “If it is not,” he replied, “when will it be?” — Diogenes Laertius — Lacydes, v

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Done…. Most excellent! Now, I can pack the computer, and, at the whistle, walk out the door…. Rather than prattle on in my usual mindless way, I’ll merely say ‘adieu’, and, with perfect sincerity, wish you a peaceful and happy existence until we meet again, here at ECR, where Reality is what we make of it…. Ta, then, ffolkes…. Eventually, like the Terminator, I’ll be back, with the usual caveat re: incarceration, or death…. neither of which looks particularly imminent…. 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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Are we liable for the fish livers?….

Posted on August 31, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life:

that word is love.”

~~ Sophocles ~~

Defiant Beauty

Good morning…. According to Princess Irulan, beginnings are a time to take particular care in our actions, for they can affect the course of the future. Though not quoted exactly, it remains true by all evidence to be found. Hence, I am taking care with this Pearl, for it is a special one to me.

I was going to explain in the ranting section, but, a sort-of rant grew into that space, so, we’ll cover it here…. This Pearl will be, possibly, the last you will see for a period of approximately two weeks, with a few exceptions, should I find the time while moving from place to place. Yep, I’m hitting the road. as I’ve threatened to do for a while now. I leave tomorrow morning early to catch a flight to Europe. where I’ll be exploring the places I’ve wanted to see for a long time….

I’m so jazzed, I can barely think, much less write, but, duty is duty, once chosen. I’m going to show extreme discipline today, by NOT fussing around at all here in the intro. Business done, we’ll go directly to today’s effort/mess, after telling you the only posts you might see are some photo essays of my travels…. Keep your eye on this space for more news. If all goes as planned these Pearls will resume on approximately September 18, the day after my return flight. Given my age, it might be the 19th; I don’t recover as quickly as when I was younger…. For now,

Shall we Pearl?….

“The hour is striking so close above me, so clear and sharp, that all my senses ring with it. I feel it now: there’s a power in me to grasp and give shape to my world. I know that nothing has ever been real without my beholding it. All becoming has needed me. My looking ripens things and they come toward me, to meet and be met.” — Rainer Maria Rilke, from Book of Hours

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This song is an iconic folk/rock song, written by a legendary songwriter who never made it big in the mainstream, but, was known and loved by all his musical peers. The song Seven Bridges Road has been covered by a huge number of artists, including the biggest, most well known version by The Eagles… Following the link to the page where the video is kept will show you a number of other covers, of this song, and his other works…. I’d forgotten all about him, until a friend sent me the song as a quiz…. Enjoy!….

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

Seven Bridges Road
Steve Young

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

https://youtu.be/Ok27kvEy4os

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[From an announcement of a congress of the International Ontopsychology Association, in Rome]:

The Ontopsychological school, availing itself of new research criteria and of a new telematic epistemology, maintains that social modes do not spring from dialectics of territory or of class, or of consumer goods, or of means of power, but rather from dynamic latencies capillarized in millions of individuals in system functions which, once they have reached the event maturation, burst forth in catastrophic phenomenology engaging a suitable stereotype protagonist or duty marionette (general, president, political party, etc.) to consummate the act of social schizophrenia in mass genocide. — Random Smart Aleck

I LOVE this! It’s an absolutely irrefutable statement of the human condition; it’s a bit sticky to get through, but, if one is able to follow the convolutions and anomalies inherent in such a gem of gobbledygook, one finds it is absolute truth. In essence, when boiled down into its simplest expression this says, and, I quote: “People fight, kill each other, lie, cheat, steal, and, in general, have a history of mad violence because they are, incontrovertibly, bat-shit crazy.”

“The subject of a sentence and the principal verb should not, as a rule, be separated by a phrase or clause that can be transferred to the beginning.” — Writing Rule 44

Oh, shoot! I had this really cool thought process all worked out to use, with the help of the above quote, which, on first look, has little to do with this rant. But, I was going to amaze y’all with the brilliance of the connection, before using the switch to demonstrate the point to be made…. However, my excitement for the upcoming trip has completely obliterated it. Nowhere to be found….

Ah well, I guess I’ll just perform another chameleon-like color change, and move toward a lesson of ethics…. Ah, I know…. Instead of worrying about all the other bat-shit crazy denizens of the planet, let’s just consider the words of the Buddha…. Here are two of my favorite of his aphorisms, both a huge part of my own philosophy of life… You can take these as given, for anyone wishing to life with honor and peace…. See ya down the page….

“Believe nothing merely because you have been told it… Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings — that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.” — Buddha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Funny Bones

Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,
from the dance, where
he felt so free, and clean.
Sorrow couldn’t find him there.

Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,
some connection can be found
keeping busy as bees, coping.
Love creeps in, without a sound.

Fat days, skinny nights, passionate
visions of semi-conscious entities,
cannot seem to fully illuminate
or hide our innermost frailties.

Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify
simple rules with every breath
never waiting, anxious to modify.
fear nothing in life, not even Death.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 5/13/2013.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thankfully, today’s final old-school pearl came together fairly smoothly. It’s another group of good advice; pay heed to these, and your life could very well go a lot smoother than heretofore possible…. Really…. Or, not. Up to you, actually…. Enjoy!….

“Each of us visits this Earth involuntarily, and without an invitation. For me, it is enough to wonder at the secrets.” — Albert Einstein

“It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.” — Abraham Lincoln

“Learning is ever in the freshness of its youth, even for the old.” — Aeschylus (525-456 BC) — Agamemnon, 584

“To use words but rarely is to be natural.” — Lao Tzu

“Ya gotta be subtle!” — Mike Hammer

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

“To philosophize is to doubt.” — Montaigne

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Leo Buscaglia

So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan which moves
To that mysterious realm where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

~~ William Cullen Bryant — Thanatopsis ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There will be one more Pearl, tomorrow morning, right before I pack the final items, including the computer, to bid thee a fond adieu…. Until then, I won’t bother with the usual penultimate nonsense. I’ll just say, see ya tomorrow, ffolkes. Count on it one last time, for the nonce….

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….

Is this the unused receipt line?…

Posted on August 30, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Better bend than break.”

~~ Scottish Proverb ~~

Full Moon Rising, 8/29/2015 ~~ Northern California

Good morning…. I promised a blogging friend a photo of the Supermoon from last night; lo and behold, here ’tis! It’s not bad, but, convinces me I need to upgrade my camera a bit…. I guess an 8-10 year old, five mega-pixel version is getting a little out of date. My phone is rated with more pixels, but, since I only use it as a phone, it doesn’t help me at all. Ah well, I guess that’s what photo editing software is for….

Wasn’t that just riveting? What an opening! Drama, the hook, strong language, all ther….. well, okay, so, none of that is there. So what? YOU try coming up with something cool and interesting EVERY EFFING DAY! I’ll tell ya, it ain’t easy. But, I digress, as usual….

Hmm…. Y’know, this seems to have escaped from control rather quickly, hasn’t it? I’m having a tough time this morning, if you hadn’t noticed. Nothing in the head, but for this nonsense. Not that nonsense hasn’t worked for us in the past; no, no, it’s been a real trooper in that respect. No, it’s merely the sheer insanity of this particular nonsense which makes it unsuitable, even for this. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for what happens, should I allow it to show its scary little face….

Instead, I think we’ll head on out to the oyster beds, & see if we can’t find a pearl or two…. Since that’s our intended purpose, anyway, it should work out well. As long as we don’t try to think about it, we’ll be fine…. Hell, let’s just forget all the regs, and do this one nude! Okay, everybody strip!…. No? Oh, well, can’t blame a guy for trying…. Instead, let’s do this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“One of the sayings of Diogenes was that most men were within a finger’s breadth of being mad; for if a man walked with his middle finger pointing out, folks would think him mad, but not so if it were his forefinger.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Diogenes, vi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y’all won’t be surprised, I’m sure, to find we’ve gone to our default music today…. However, today it will be a little different. I’ve mentioned radio station KDFC before, as being the best classical music station to ever exist (well, actually, I haven’t made that claim before, but, it’s likely very true, so, we’ll let it stand, and just call it mild hyperbole….). Below is a link to the station’s home page, where you can click the “Listen Live” button, to hear a fine selection of the world’s best music…. It’s all I’ve got today, but, it’s enough…. Abondanza!….

http://www.kdfc.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of y’all might wonder what that picture is doing above the ranting section. Others won’t care at all. Me, I’ll just tell you this; this is no ordinary rant….

In fact, it’s not a rant at all; it’s merely a statement of insanity from yours truly, to furnish y’all with the latest information on the status of my inner serenity, or, lack thereof…. It’s an annual thing, required by the law that allows me to remain outside the facility…. No, you don’t want to know….

That said, I realize the measure of my coherency is a bit of a conundrum; all of the tools designed to measure human intelligence, and/or levels of sanity in said humans, are somewhat useless applied to me, as I haven’t been human for years…. but, that’s another story, for another time. For now, allow me to just say this, and we’ll go on to the poetry section, where you’ll find a surprise…. a brand new poem, which spurted out of me unexpectedly yesterday afternoon….

Here’s the thing; I’ve decided sanity isn’t such a big deal. I mean, I’ve tried it, and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Oh, sure, they’ll tell you it can’t be done, you can’t make it through your life without it. But, so far, I haven’t found it to be of any particular use; why should it, when the entire society in which we live penalizes everyone who displays it? Every time I try to display a rational, sane response to this insane world, it gets crazier. What can you do with a world like this, but, kick it down the stairs?….

I just realize I haven’t provided any context; you have no clue what I’m talking about do you? I thought not; there were too many frowns and confused faces. Well, too bad; life’s full of disappointments, isn’t it? Y’all will just have to make do without it, this time, at least. Why? Well, because there ISN’T any context. None of this means anything, and I’m not going to explain at all…

Instead, I’ll just quit. This section is already kaput, anyway; there’s no way in hell I can save it, and, why bother. It’s all a bunch of crap, and none of us have any real meaning. Bah! Humbug! Merde! Or, as we’re wont to say downtown, what the fuck?

Okay, that’s it. I’m calling a halt to this. It’s completely broken, and I don’t see any way to fix it….Let’s just consider this a complete loss, and leave it here, where it can die an unnatural death…. I don’t know just what the hell that was, but, it sure wasn’t a rant…. James Joyce nightmare I guess…

Oh well, it can’t all be Faulkner, can it?….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As noted above, this one is new; I hope you like it….

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 a 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.
Purest 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
Even such base survival is left 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 really need to do, is be.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 8/29/2015.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What to say of this pearl? As random as Entropy can make it; though loose, it does not wobble. Though random, it is not less real. I haven’t the foggiest notion what I was thinking, but, I have a suspicion it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. That said, you will understand why I issue a precautionary note, to help you to comprehend what has occurred. That note, which was originally translated from ancient Sumerian, says, “Show caution, and wisdom; tread carefully, lest your brain turn to crap.” Really, it said that….

JABBERWOCKY

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And thou hast slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

~~ Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking-Glass” ~~

“The best way to make children good is to make them happy.” — Oscar Wilde

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” — Mark Twain

“Life without the courage for death is slavery.” — Seneca

“Arguments derived from probabilities are idle.” — Plato

“If you are too busy to read, then you are too busy.” — Literary Bee

“Self-pity is the worst poverty.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan

“Finality is death. Perfection is finality. Nothing is perfect. There are lumps in it.” — James Stephens

“If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.” — Khalil Gibran

“Remember, ‘nowhere’ is also ‘now here’.” — Random Smart Bee

“Curiouser and curiouser!”

~~ Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, it’s done. I wasn’t sure I could do it; apparently I can…. Moreover, having done so, I’ll even show some rather good sense, & be done with it for today. I don’t think I could do any more damage than I’ve already accomplished, anyway. I’ll be back tomorrow, ffolkes, with some interesting news to relate…. See y’all then, unless you figure out a way to get out of it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Approaching mundane bogosity, captain….

Posted on August 29, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke, and found that life was Duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, poor heart, unceasingly;
And thou shalt find thy dream to be
A truth and noonday light to thee.

~~ Ellen Sturgis Hooper (1816-1841) ~~

~~ Life a Duty ~~

Supermoon, July 2015, Madrid

Image from an article on Space.com

Good morning…. I’ve decided to throw out the last two days; there doesn’t seem to be much point in remembering such an extended period of misery. Oh, not that it’s been exactly Hell; Hell’s probably hotter than 94º, the average for the last 48 hrs. But, the roller coaster ride of pain, from extreme highs to complete absence, and back again, over the course of an hour or two, every couple hours like a damn clock, sure makes telling the difference a distinct challenge. Faugh! Basta! Begone from my mind!

Please?

Ah, me. Such is Life in the Big City, I suppose. If I didn’t like it, I’d probably move. Hey, wait! Is that….? No, sorry, it’s not her; it’s just the arrival of our delivery of indigestible parables. Not to worry, Luigi will sign for them. Okay, where were we? Ah, yes, about to consider emigration to the wilds of Northern Cali, due to the massive influx of insanity here in the Bay Area. The level of bogosity present out in the BBR is becoming more than merely annoying; it’s getting downright dangerous for us curmudgeons; the act of obtaining one’s bagel in the morning has become a challenge of major proportion…..

Not that there’s anything up with the bagels; it’s the mundanes one must wend one’s way through to get it. They’re everywhere, spreading their ignorance and cluelessness wherever they walk, confusing themselves and others, as they try to understand a world in which they cannot comprehend the rules of engagement. It makes the effort to remain non-homicidal VERY hard to repress; they’re EVERYWHERE, asking dumb questions, making dumb mistakes, honking their horns, walking into light poles as they walk down the street obsessively gazing into their phone…. It’s enough to make an old fart regret not carrying his gun… or, a nice, big, sharp knife….

Oh, gosh. I guess it IS a little early for homicidal impulses, isn’t it? Okay, I’ll quit now. It’s just being indulgent, anyway. I’ve sworn off killing mundanes for at least another month. If I hadn’t decided on a hiatus, I would have reached my legal limit before October. It’s too expensive to get an extension; maybe next year they’ll up the limit….

I reckon that’s enough. I can’t expect y’all to take it forever, can I? Nope. Let’s go see what kind of trouble we can get into down below…. If Luigi ever gets those parables stowed away, we can…. Oh, good, we’re ready. Let’s get on with it, before it’s too late, again….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If the average man is made in God’s image,

then such a man as Beethoven or Aristotle

is plainly superior to God.”

— H. L. Mencken

Ipse dixit!

Q.E.D.

So be it.

gigoid has spoken.

☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬

I’m lazy; big surprise, eh? In this case, that’s a good thing. This collection of music touts itself as the “Best” relaxing classical music on the Beach. You tell me if that’s so, okay?…. Enjoy, please….

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

The Best Relaxing Classical Music on the Beach

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

https://youtu.be/KHg8wBoj_3M

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

☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬

First Dog on the Moon: Cybersecurity

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cartoon/2014/sep/09/first-dog-cybersecurity

The cartoon was reproduced, without permission, but with full attribution, from the UK Guardian news site…..

I decided to give y’all a break from a down-to-earth, makes-you-think sort of rant, opting instead for a bit of educational entertainment, first, with the chosen graphic from the UK Guardian’s own First Dog on the Moon, followed by a rather smarmy old-school pearl, with parameters set to make us laugh at, or jeer at. the Asininnies, of whatever variety we can find, or, you may choose your own to fill in the blanks…. Enjoy! Where else can you find such interactive fun, eh?…. Okay, so, not all of it is funny, or fun. Some of it’s just Truth…. I think you’ll recognize those without any help….

“Believe 1% of what you see, and none of what you hear.” — Dubious Bee

“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.” — Thomas Jefferson to A. Stuart, 1791

“I’m all in favor of the democratic principle that one idiot is as good as one genius, but I draw the line when someone takes the next step and concludes that two idiots are better than one genius.” — Leo Szilard

“Crime does not pay. Unless, of course, you get to make, enforce, or interpret the laws.” — gigoid, the dubious

“I call Christianity the *one* great curse, the *one* great intrinsic depravity, the *one* great instinct for revenge for which no expedient is sufficiently poisonous, secret, subterranean, *petty* — I call it the *one* mortal blemish of mankind.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“Who is secure in all his basic needs? Who has work, spiritual care, medical care, housing, food, occasional entertainment, free clothing, free burial, free everything? The answer might be nuns and monks, but the standard reply is ‘prisoners’; i.e., citizens of a provider state.” — Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn

“The apathy of the born freeman is worse than the docility of the born slave.” — Grant Singleton (1890-?)

“A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.” — real standing law in Pennsylvania, United States of America

“A kitchen in every pot. I mean, a pot in every — I mean, a chicken in every…” — George Bush, 1988

“The law is a sort of hocus-pocus science, that smiles in yer face while it picks yer pocket; and the glorious uncertainty of it is of mair use to the professors than the justice of it.” — Charles Macklin (1690-1797) — Love a la Mode, Act ii, Sc. 1

“Practical politics consists in ignoring facts.” — Henry Adams

“Keep a very firm grasp on reality, so you can strangle it at any time.” — Realistic Bee

“The higher you climb, the more you show your ass.” — Alexander Pope, “The Dunciad”

I must stop here… my fingers are hoarse. In addition, thirteen pearls of this nature is probably enough; we all know what can happen to the Space/Time Continuum if we go to fifteen…. It isn’t pretty….

☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬

Penance, Made Simple

After all the dross is sent away
a celebration can begin,
time will face up to space, to stay
willing, to shine from within.

Anger and confusion come in to share
brushing reason aside,
eager to welcome all that is fair,
alert to danger, eyes wide.

Re-gift the wicked with their own pain
stand with the just;
fail to partake of the ill-gotten gain,
living in honor, the only must.

Standing fast in the face of wrong
is its own prize and reward.
Holding on to truth makes us strong,
well worth working toward.

Little is left to chance by fate
our lessons are never free of cost.
Seldom does reality make us wait
only when alone, are we lost.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 10/23/2012.

☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬

This one is about being human; the good, the weird, the ugly, the wondrous…. but, mostly, it’s about the duality of nature, and, our own inner nature, with which we constantly battle, inside AND outside ourselves… It’s not easy when the only way to win, ultimately, is to keep battling; if either side becomes dominant, imbalance disallows longevity; eventually, whatever is created destroys itself, whether overbearingly good, or obsessively evil…. Sounds a bit confusing, doesn’t it? Yeah, to me, as well, but, it DOES go a long way toward explaining a lot about most people’s reaction to much of what happens to them in life….

SIGH…. Ah well, if they would only learn to listen to the pearls that live inside them…. If not, well, they could always come read some of these; I don’t see how it couldn’t help things. Nothing much else seems to have done so….

“Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is night hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 17

“The measure of man is what he does with power.” — Pittacus

“Nothing shows a man’s character more than what he laughs at.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“You know what they say about paradigms – shift happens!” — Witty Bee

“To him that waits all things reveal themselves, provided that he has the courage not to deny, in the darkness,what he has seen in the light.” — Coventry Patmore

“His red right hand.” — John Milton — Paradise Lost, Book ii, Line 174

“Arms are instruments of ill omen… . When one is compelled to use them, it is best to do so without relish. There is no glory in victory, and to glorify it despite this is to exult in the killing of men…. When great numbers of people are killed, one should weep over them with sorrow. When victorious in war, one should observe mourning rites.” — Lao-Tzu

“Mongo only pawn… in game of life.’ — Alex Karras in “Blazing Saddles”

“Sometimes I think. And sometimes I am.”

~~ Smart Bee, using Peruaosophy as a koan ~~

☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬☬

What the…? How did we get here? Oh, wait; okay, I get it. Sorry, the Tardis was set to put me here at a certain time, & I forgot. Okay, we’re done, right? Right. I suppose I’d better go see what happened up there, before I let this loose on the world….. Hang on….

Hmm…. I think it’s best if I don’t comment on any of that. I’ll just say this; it’s done. That fulfills all the legal requirements, so, I’m going to use some common sense & get us the hell out of here, before Reality is stressed any further…. I’ll be back tomorrow, ffolkes….. Hey! Oh for goodness sake, stop with the wailing and lamentations! It’s not a threat, calm down. I don’t THINK we’ve even made any of the do-not-fly lists yet, so, it’s just another walk in the park. Sheesh…. Besides, what’s your beef? Did you pay for this? No…. Well, not in anything other than a karmic sense….

See ya, ffolkes; that’s a promise…. I don’t make them lightly….

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….

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

View Full Profile →

	katiemiafrederick on Are those Foster Grants to blo…
	katiemiafrederick on Funk-o-matic accessories are o…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on But…. but…. what a…

gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Poetry

Positively charged pinnipeds on parade….

Are we liable for the fish livers?….

Is this the unused receipt line?…

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: