Clipping the bright plastic….

Posted on January 8, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke.”

~~ J. R. “Bob” Dobbs ~~

Night Sky in Oregon

Image Credit: Deepanshu Arora | PhotosByDeepanshu via Space.com

Hajime…. If one were to take seriously our opening statement of attitude from J.R., it would go a long way toward providing them with a seriously improved lot in life, as they would no longer have to worry about offending anyone. Once you can bring yourself to realize the wisdom of such an all-inclusive, non-discriminatory epithet, why, nothing else matters. Life becomes a breeze….

Of course, that’s because you won’t have any friends, and all your loved ones will probably try their best to see you dead, but, hey, who cares, right? Right. As long as you can maintain such a demeanor, other folks will pretty much leave you to your own devices, which, believe me, can be a blessing… It’s also a curse, naturally, but, one must make sacrifices in life to achieve one’s ends….

Okay, I’m done with the snarky silliness…. You may disregard the previous two paragraphs entirely from this point onward, as they really have nothing to do with anything but filling up space. My brain is currently non-functional, in spite of having consumed my first cuppacoffee in record time, and, having zipped halfway through my second. But, since the degree of non-functionality is so severe, it also blocks any feelings of guilt; there is simply nowhere for them to hang out near an exit….

There. Done. Honest, I won’t do this again; too many points where it could have caught fire & burned the whole deal to the ground. I’m thinking, sort of, it might be best to just head out, and deal with things as they happen…. Sure I will. Meantime, let’s use this little gizmo right here, and get the hell out of here, before I can say anything close to coherent…. Wouldn’t want that, would we? Of course not….

Shall we Pearl?….

Enjoy the spring of love and youth,
To some good angel leave the rest;
For time will teach thee soon the truth,
There are no birds in last year’s nest.~~ Longfellow ~~

~~ It is not always May ~~

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The Kinks

Image from music.naij.com via Google Images

For anyone my age, this band needs no introduction. It they are new to your ken, why, then, sit back, and prepare to have your mind blown a bit, if not a lot…. Enjoy, ffolkes; these guys set the standards for a LOT of today’s rock & roll, as well as pop music, to mention only one venue they influenced during their time in the limelight….

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The Kinks

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https://youtu.be/LemG0cvc4oU?list=RDLemG0cvc4oU

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The Anti-trafficking Movement Needs Survivor Voices: Why Are We Ignored?

Dueling Rants

Today’s rants come from the archives… On the date shown, I found two short discussions, on two of our favored subjects, to wit; religion and politics… Go figure…. I have cleaned up the formatting, but, changed none of the text; anything weird will just have to fly solo….

From 2/8/2012:

“If God had meant for us to take life seriously, He wouldn’t have given us a sense of humor.” — Theologist Bee

I would say this is true, as far as it goes. I would feel compelled to add that to listen to some of the folks who consider themselves tight with God, would be to believe they don’t figure He has one; at least they won’t cop to it. They live and act as if they never did anything bozoid, or made a mistake, or for goodness sake, looked at a platypus. If that creature isn’t proof that God has a sense of humor, I couldn’t say what is.

Since I don’t honestly believe in the tenets put forth by any of the organized religions I’ve studied (damn near all of them now), I would have to say that our sense of humor is a survival characteristic, a buffer for our minds, to protect it from all the crap and nonsense that floats free in the universe, especially in what we see and hear from our cohabitants on this little mudball we call home. Such a device is essential to retaining one’s sanity in the face of the kind of complicated, emotionally charged, irrational, and illogical BS we constantly have to deal with when trying to deal with the great unwashed masses.

It certainly has aided me in my campaign to bring some light to the dark-headed among us (I refer here to the old saw: the lights are on, but nobody’s home), both by acting as a favored method of teaching for me, and a favored method of learning for them. So, for me, it is a two-edged sword, giving me both protection from the assaults on my mind from the ignorant, and allowing me to share some helpful information in people who can’t learn any other way.

And in the final analysis, it’s always good to remember that humor is best applied in looking at ourselves. I can’t tell you how often I break out in sheer delight over something stupid I’ve done, something I have told myself time and again to not do, but that I end up doing anyway. Just goes to show that even us smart guys are not immune to bozoid tendencies…..thank God…..

🙂

___________________________________

“I have a feeling that at any time about three million Americans can be had for any militant reaction against law, decency, the Constitution, the Supreme Court, compassion and the rule of reason.” — John Kenneth Galbraith

Mr. Galbraith makes a valid point here, but I think his estimate is low, considering there are over 310 million of us now. I’d wager it’s closer to 30 million, of which 95% would be fundamentalist Christians and/or Mormons. The entrance qualifications for acceptance into one of those organizations are pretty low, and since the principal characteristic of all of them is sheer mental laziness (they refuse to think for themselves, instead of blindly accepting what their leaders tell them), their ranks have swollen in the last decade. If you need proof, look at the Tea Party, which I consider one of the more apt descriptions for that entity. I would, however, prefer to add some words to it, to wit: the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

For the sake of argument, let us look at just one subject, say evolution vs. creationism. As recently as November of last year, several of the Republican candidates for the nomination to run for President expressed their doubts about evolution, trying no doubt to appeal to that 30 or more million folks who believe in creationism. Below, you will find just one argument on the subject; there are literally millions more scientists who would say the same…..

“Evolution is as much a fact as the earth turning on its axis and going around the sun. At one time this was called the Copernican theory; but, when evidence for a theory becomes so overwhelming that no informed person can doubt it, it is customary for scientists to call it a fact. That all present life descended from earlier forms, over vast stretches of geologic time, is as firmly established as Copernican cosmology. Biologists differ only with respect to theories about how the process operates.”– Martin Gardner, “Irving Kristol & the Facts of Life”– The Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. XII No. 2, ppg. 128-131

In reality, I am aware that I’m preaching to the choir here; most of the folks I know don’t much hold with nonsense. But, a lot of other folks may eventually read this, and if I can offend them enough, maybe I can get them to think for a moment or two, much as it pains them to do so……if not, well, it’s fun for me, and leaves them feeling confused, so that’s all good…..

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A Failure to Germinate

Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.

Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.

Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.

I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.

My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.

Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/27/2012

This is one of the first poems I wrote after a 35 year hiatus from writing any at all…. I still like it, & I hope you do as well….

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Today’s final section contains a rather classical style old-school pearl. The process for including the following was, for the most part, unconscious, which is why I couldn’t say what the message may be, at this time. It may come to me, as it usually does, by letting the ideas into my head, & letting them play together for a while; the message always settles out as a precipitate…. Trust me on this, it works…. Go ahead, try it…. I dare you….

For a true master,
Sitting on a throne
Is no different than
Sitting on dirt.~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

*********

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

~~ Samuel Butler ~~

*********

“Some folks say honesty is the best policy,
while others say keeping your mouth shut is even better.”

~~ Contrary Bee ~~

*********

“Morality is truth in full bloom.”

~~ Victor Hugo ~~

*********

“To find a fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.”

~~ Plutarch ~~

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

~~ Frank Herbert ~~

*********

He who knows nothing, loves nothing.
He who can do nothing understands nothing.
He who understands nothing is worthless.

~~ Paracelsus ~~

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It’s done; that is, unfortunately, the best I can say of it, for, it went by so fast, and without much input from me, it rather created itself, by process rather than any sort of creative process in me. So be it; it is, all that notwithstanding, done. I’ll try again tomorrow to get this right. Until then, y’all be strange, it’s cool out there…. or, wait. Oh, never mind…. See y’all tomorrow; it isn’t meant as a threat, but, take it as you like….

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….

Three frozen minuets, if you please….

Posted on January 7, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

The miracle is not to fly in the air,
or to walk on the water,
but to walk on the earth.

~~ Chinese proverb ~~

Festive Display of the Law of the Jungle

Galway ~ Ireland

Hajime…. Well, ffolkes, here I am, such as I am. I used up my ranting angst last night for today’s ranting section; it’s a good one. Powerful message, anyway, if not perfectly disseminated. ‘T will do for our purpose. With that said, I believe today just might be the day I create a new record here on ECR; this is going to be, perhaps, the shortest intro I’ve done since 2001, or thereabouts. Hmm, not in the dictionary, but, you get the idea…. Oh, right. Short, I said…. How short? This short….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.” — W. Somerset Maugham

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

Having walked a lot yesterday, I’m tired, & in the mood for some classical music. Here is another mix from someone who also likes to have music while reading…. As usual, I picked the one with a picture I liked the best today….. Enjoy!…

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Classical Mix

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https://youtu.be/2v1NicefAfE

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“Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.”

~~ Plato (428-348? B.C.) ~~

We all know Plato is thought to be one of the most influential thinkers in history; little did we know just HOW correct this particular example of his conjectures/assertions were to be in the final analysis of human nature; nor, I think, did anyone guess/believe how NOT paying attention more closely would cost the entire species.

As humanity exists in today’s world, virtually every man alive is, not merely unaware of this powerful description, personally, but is, as well, completely ignorant of the implications of this simple truth for society, by virtue of their ignorance of self…. This is, essentially, why the most common human male unconsciously bears an unwarranted sense of entitlement, which allows them to put aside any moral, or ethical, rational considerations, in favor of what they WANT….

These boys, for they never become what I would consider men, live their entire lives without examining their own feelings; it is discouraged from birth, by dress, by the attitudes of their parents, siblings, and any peers, all of whom are under the same illusion of superiority, based solely on physical strength, on a gross level. In short, from birth, men are taught “might is right”, and anyone who doesn’t learn to fall in line is branded for life, with any number of labels, which have attached to them a perception of shame for the bearer, all of which discourage individuality and introspection, while simultaneously encouraging the completely unnatural, divisive attitude of false entitlement.

Thus, these ‘boys’, in men’s bodies, learn to abuse women, or any other creature they wish to intimidate, such as the weak and/or vulnerable, or animals. They are taught it is their right, and duty, to “get what they can, and hold it”, usually justifying with such grand logic as “chicks dig dudes with money”… or, a car, or power, or whatever their personal fantasy entails…. and, as behaviorally shaped by commercials on TV….

Finally, without ever having learned any restraint, they learn the most dangerous of these perversions of rationality, they learn it is acceptable to kill to achieve their own desires, at no cost to their own sense of self, or conscience, if any….. These attitudes are all the more insidious for their its most attractive feature, to wit: there is no personal responsibility borne by those who assume the mantle of what I term rogue males of the human species… None of any of what I have described above is ever examined, or discussed, or acknowledged, in public, or in private…. Thus, darkness covers the entire human culture on the planet. Many of the rational men and women in history who HAVE resisted such insanity have noted, “Repression can only exist in silence.”

I saw a picture flash by on my screensaver a moment ago; the subject was a face shot of a lovely young woman, draped in a softly white, almost transparent shawl/scarf, with a pensive expression, fingers of one hand to her chin, with heavily accented eyes… My first thought was of Keats, or another poet’s verses on love…. Then, in a faint echo, from the deep past, I heard, in an accent much as that of the TV character Gomer Pyle (or Goober; perhaps Gomer was talking to his cousin…), a voice saying, “Boy, I’d sure lahk to fuck that!” I realized, even though the thought, or the feeling that spawned such a vile epithet in regard to any woman, was not mine, it was one I have heard so many times, the attitude it represents is embedded in the very culture in which all the men on this planet, mostly (certainly more than 90%…) have been raised since their birth….

I have actually heard, in defense of the human male’s urge to fight, and fuck, whenever he likes, this urge, or, in truth, false sense of entitlement, is based on natural laws, such as the behavior of the lion in re: they will fight over the right to copulate with any female willing & in season. Of course, these idiots, (excuse my mild flame….), when it is pointed out they are completely wrong, both as to motivation of the lion, as well as the consistent non-lethal results of such fighting, and the natural urges involved, (they don’t want to hear how the males never fight the females… ever, unless they are, for their species, insane…) they refuse to listen, or even, if invited, to go actually watch a pride of lions for some time, to try to understand what is actually going on, rather than assuming what they WANT to be true, is as they wish it to be in reality…. (see Plato, above….)

I challenge any one of my readers, male of female, to dispute this assertion> Any who do so, if you would, please provide some sort of justification for doing so. I’d hate to flame anyone on my own blog for trying to do so without any sort of evidence at all. I’m willing to listen to any reasonable contrary opinion, as long as it is presented in the same framework I am offering with mine.

My own evidence lies partially in my own experience as a male growing up in this culture, and, 65 years of experiencing, observing, and studying (with books and social intercourse, i.e. discussion), the human species, and, its society,, throughout human history, with a focus on trying to understand the nature of the bloody beast. I may not be Aristotle, or Plato, but, I’ve sure as hell read more on the subject(s) than they ever had the chance to do, for sure and for certain….

Go ahead. I’ll wait…. While we are waiting, how about an old-school pearl, touching on some of what we’ve been discussing, sort of, in general, or, that vicinity…. You’ll see…. Some of it, if one observes closely, provides some of the evidence for my assertion, if in no other way than to point one’s study/focus/thoughts in a certain direction, in order to find the tangible proof….. Trust me not; follow them to their end, and it will be there for you to perceive, inside yourself, as verified by what you see in the world…. Or, ask/comment below, and we’ll try to come to a consensus both can accept…..

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

“MTV – Why Johnny can’t read, tie his shoes, speak, think.” — Truthful Bee

“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 is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” — Voltaire

“There are more horses’ asses in this world than there are horses.” — Grandma Soderquist’s conclusion

“A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.” — Sir Barnett Cocks

“Independent self-reliant people (would be) a counterproductive anachronism in the collective society of the future […] (where) people will be defined by their associations.” — John Dewey (1859-1953), educational philosopher, — proponent of modern public schools. 1896 — “The Tyranny of Government Schooling”, John Gatto, 1992

“Clinton wants us to sacrifice – We should start with the politicians. Which do you recommend – burning at the stake, an altar & knife job, or the tried-and-true ‘Feed the Volcano’ method?” — Don Meyer dlmeyer@uiuc.edu

“If the Catholic church couldn’t stop Galileo, then governments won’t be able to stop things now.” — Carlo de Benedetti of Olivetti on the folly of trying to regulate information technology

“Give a monkey a brain, and he’ll think he’s the center of the universe.” — Ouch! Bee

“A “pacifist male” is a contradiction in terms.” — Lazarus Long

“He who is bent on doing evil can never want occasion.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 459

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After the odyssey….

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

3/10/2013

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Naked Pearls

Being Human

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

“The more clearly you understand yourself
and your emotions,
the more you become a lover
of what is.”

~~ Spinoza ~~

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“When nothing is sure, everything is possible.”

~~ Margaret Drabble ~~

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

If you can distinguish between good advice and bad advice,
then you don’t need advice.

~~ Van Roy’s Second Law~~

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“In our haste to deal with the things that are wrong,
let us not upset the things that are right.”

~~ Unknown Bee ~~

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

“Man is great by thought.”

~~ Blaise Pascal ~~

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

There is always more than we see.

~~ Mindful Bee ~~

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

“He who possesses most must be most afraid of loss.”

~~ Leonardo Da Vinci~~

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

~~ Aristotle ~~

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

“Man is free to think as his reason tells him.”

~~ Spinoza ~~

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Not too bad, I think. With the help of the Tardis, it’s even done at a reasonable hour…. To echo the brevity seen in today’s intro, I’ll merely say this: Bye, ffolkes. See y’all mañana, if my luck holds…..

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….

Silly is just another word for sublime….

Posted on January 5, 2016 by gigoid

.Ffolkes,

“Hopelessly lost, but making good time…”

~~ David Letterman ~~

Leelu preying…. A deadly predator to shoes and paper.

Hajime…. Yesterday’s foul mood, while passed into memory, mostly, remains hovering around the edges of my persona; I suppose, given today’s world, a certain amount of angst will be humanity’s lot from now until the world has settled into whatever the future brings….. In other words, “What the fuck?” is the new paradigm for human reality, so, we’d best get used to a higher degree of chaos in our daily lives…. So be it; we have no one but ourselves to blame for any of it….

I’m tired, having spent a restless night, post foulness of mood. Also c’est la fucking vie, so, no sense worrying over it now. It isn’t as if I hadn’t been there before, right? Right. Since we’re being so damn logical and grounded this morning, perhaps it would be best to get the slow on the toad, right away, before we lose any of the competence we may possess by virtue of the new day. Yeah, that’s the ticket…. Hang on, we’ll teleport over to the oyster beds, so we can get started without any further delays, or, opportunities to fuck it up…. Sure, like that will work…. Oh well, let’s go, anyway….

Shall we Pearl?….

“In a room with four mirrored walls — physical, emotional, mental and spiritual — you can easily look in one mirror look in two if you try, and possibly look in three but you can never see yourself in all four. You have to spin around, change your focus or better, have a friend who can watch your back reflecting what they see, and help you grow.” — Callan Williams

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A few days ago, I used the MTV Unplugged video of Eric Clapton’s session on that show. On the page where it resides, I found another concert, from 1988, & decided to listen to it…. The show opens with two of the finest guitarists alive, absolutely killing old Cream songs, for the first 20 minutes or more….. I just sat there smiling, with my jaw dropping on a regular basis, as Eric, or Mark, went off on the guitar solo riffs in both White Room, and another couple of the old tunes…. Amazing…. When Elton joins in, it’s magic, ffolkes…. Enjoy….

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Clapton, Knopfler,Elton John
Live in Tokyo, 1988

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https://youtu.be/c7ZdSuuTMEI

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“Human beings were invented by water as a device for transporting itself from one place to another.” — Tom Robbins

As an opening for a rant on politics, I can’t think of a better writer than Tom Robbins, to illustrate for us the primary cause for all the problems we humans seem to make for ourselves in that silly, yet, deadly arena of human existence. With one masterful line, he shows exactly how we fail to understand the true nature of not only Reality, but, ourselves, as well. Of course, one must possess the wherewithal to understand the incredibly subtle metaphor he employs, but, hey, if there is anything we know around here, it is the power of the Metaphorse….

With that said, I’m feeling generous today, as well as smarmy, so, I’ll forgo ranting in favor of poking at the BRC, and all the other Asininnies we can include, with the sharpest sticks we can find in the oyster beds today…. Since we have, naturally, using the power of a Time Lord, as bestowed by virtue of a Tardis on loan from the Doctor, already collected all the pearls we shall need, why don’t we get right to it? Okay, that was easy…. Oh, and, fair warning, ffolkes; there are 13 of these puppies. Take it slow….

Almost Naked Pearls

How to irritate others, and lose friends…

(All implied criticism is intentional… gigoid)

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

“A man can’t get rich if he takes proper care of his family.” — Navajo Proverb

“Politics is a pendulum whose swings between anarchy and tyranny are fueled by perennially rejuvenated illusions.” — Albert Einstein

“If the newspapers of a country are filled with good news, the jails will be filled with good people.” — Daniel P. Monynihan

“Of course the US Constitution isn’t perfect; but it’s a lot better than what we have now.” — Eric Sheppard

“Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof.” — Ashley Montagu

“Fewer possess virtue, than those who wish us to believe that they possess it.” — Cicero

“A prune is a plum that worried a lot.” — Witty Bee

“It is utterly implausible that a mathematical formula should make the future known to us, and those who think it can would once have believed in witchcraft.” — Betrand de Jouvenel, The Art of Conjecture, 1967

“It’s hard for the modern generation to understand Thoreau, who lived beside a pond but didn’t own water skis or a snorkel.” — Bill Vaughan

“The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern.” — Lord Acton

“That which leads us to the performance of duty by offering pleasure as its reward, is not virtue, but a deceptive copy and imitation of virtue.” — Cicero

“He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” — Chinese proverb

“A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a Unicorn.” — Ancient Human Proverb

(Sources on Google ranged through countries & cultures all over the world; the implication of that is obvious…. and, if it isn’t, then, it becomes an exercise for the Gentle Reader to THINK about it….)

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For The Blind Poet, Embraced

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

9/30/2012

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Naked Pearls

Thoughts on Life at Large

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

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

~~ Hermann Hesse ~~

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

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

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

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

“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

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

“It takes a very long time to become young.”

~~ Pablo Picasso ~~

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

“No man can be brave
who thinks pain the greatest evil;
nor temperate
who considers pleasure the highest good.”

~~ Cicero ~~

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

“We are all born for love.
It is the principle of existence,
and its only end.”

~~ Benjamin Disraeli ~~

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

“Don’t reinvent the wheel, just realign it.”

~~ Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book ~~

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

“Every time a man unburdens his heart to a stranger
he reaffirms the love that unites humanity.”

~~ Germaine Greer ~~

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

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

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

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Well, it’s a Pearl. Further, deponent sayeth not. As to the future, well, one never knows, do one? You can be sure, given today’s post, I WILL be back tomorrow, to try again…. It may not be better, but, it will be different….. For now, I’ll merely say, adieu for now; I’ll be back, as long as I don’t run into anyone meaner, or trickier than myself…. If I do, read the news, for it will probably be there…. If not, I’ll be here….

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….

Pike staffs with curlicues….

Posted on January 4, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.”

~~ Franklin P. Jones ~~

Luna, 12/25/2015

Image found at https://europasicewolf.wordpress.com/author/europasicewolf/

Hajime…. I’m unsure as to why eight hours sleep results in awakening if a foul mood; it’s foul enough I don’t give a shit. Everybody ELSE in the world, today, will just have to deal with it, because, I don’t intend to. For some reason, I woke up with absolutely no patience; not for foolishness, not for rudeness, not even for cat nonsense. Moreover, this time, I am NOT going to be the one making any fucking adjustments. Whoever crosses my path will act with perfect rationality, or they WILL pay a price for not doing so in my presence….

That out of the way, I’ll note today’s effort won’t be much of one, anyway…. I spent much of yesterday working on the no-doubt excessively wordy rant you’ll see today, but, it’s a pretty important one, to me, so, read it anyway, ‘kay? I worked on it pretty hard, even so far as to re-blog another bloggers most excellent piece as part of the lead-in to our subject matter today…. I guess the theme ended up being “how to fix things, or not” which is about as murky and unclear as I can make it… Sorry, not in a mood to be anything but straight-line. In fact, I’m done here; let’s get to it….

Shall we Pearl?….

Cat: Ethereal music wreathed in mystery.

~~ Bastet Bee ~~

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

I’m in a rotten space, as I’ve noted. One of the few pieces of music tolerable at all are these two symphonies, by the man I consider the most talented musical genius mankind has produced, thus far. Don’t care if anyone feels otherwise; in this mood, this is the only thing that can bring me any peace, so, if you don’t appreciate classical music, you may move on to the ranting section, where you will be encouraged to use the mind you possess for its intended purpose…. See you there, if I can manage not to get arrested before I get there….

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

Mozart
Symphonies 40 & 41

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

https://youtu.be/X5ZS8jCrnh4

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

Le Penseur ~ The Thinker

August Rodin

“Never frighten a little man.
He’ll kill you.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

~~ from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love” ~~

At first look, this short, pithy assertion about human nature by The Eldest may not seem particularly apt, nor deep enough to warrant a picture of Le Penseur to begin an examination of such a complex subject…. No worries, mates; it’s much, much deeper than it appears, and, I’m about to explain why…. (For those readers who don’t know why I call Lazarus by that title, ask in a comment, & I’ll explain)

Since the first of our species, long ago, before any modern human can even comprehend, first picked up a rock or stick, to defend itself against an attack by a predator, or, even, another of its own relatively peaceful species when not aroused to violence, (all of which, after all, is a natural function of life on Earth before technology…,), and, by virtue of possessing a weapon, killed his/her antagonist, the human imagination has turned its power to the improvement of the stick, and/or the rock, as a weapon, and, to the various methods of killing other creatures, whether predator or prey, upon which it fastened, as our primary means of fulfilling its natural function, of creation…

We have spent the intervening millenia in creation, mostly along those lines, improving both our weapons of death, and, the use of our imagination, to give free rein to the most vicious side of our animal nature… We became the planet’s most efficient predator, so much more of a killing machine than any other, almost NONE of our competitors are left, but for the power of Nature itself, which our imagination continues to attempt to control, to turn the very nature of Reality to its own vicious purposes, to the detriment of not only all the other animals and other life forms here, but, to the entire ecosystem, of which we are only a part… In short, we are so intent on the achievement of our own foolish desires, we are killing ourselves…. Stupid is as stupid does, it seems, is a truer representation of Reality than we knew….

If we are capable of viewing our species’ history in this light, the above statement takes on new meaning; the most dangerous human is one who fears…. There have been many sages throughout our history who, in contrast to those who pursue predation as their means of survival, have pointed out the folly of such avarice based upon ignorance and fear, and, of the necessity of learning about the universe, rather than fearing it, as we do…. Most people, because of the fear they feel, are given little chance to ever USE the mind with which we are equipped; from birth, they are taught to fear… to fear God, to fear other people, to fear reprisal of any kind….

The other side of that counterfeit coin is the promise of reward (i.e., the removal of fear), as well as the promise of ‘immortality’, which is, as is eminently clear, merely the province of the Universe as a whole… All of the individual PARTS of that Universe, in Reality, die, and change form into something else…. They, and everything that exists in Reality, ‘die’, and are ‘born’ again, as a different type of energy/matter…. Matter becomes energy, energy becomes matter, in a duet, a dance of Life and Death, through all of Eternity. Or, as much as we can perceive in this form.

That much is plainly visible to the simplest mind, as the proof is visible, in plain sight, in everything we witness in this consciousness we call Life…. This means, of course, the reward promised is fake, for each and every person is already immortal, as a part of the Eternal NOW, in motion through time, moving without cease, until it is destroyed, thus changing form….

One of the worst factors of this approach to Life the majority of our species has chosen, whether consciously, or not, is the sense of false entitlement, and, assumption of superiority which is characteristic of those who ascribe to any such philosophy…. It is particularly egregious, as well as culturally embedded, in the male members of humanity, who have, for all the time since we first became a species of killer apes, have abused their naturally greater physical strength to abuse and intimidate the female of the species, believing ‘might makes right’, no matter the resulting pain, or death, it may cause to others…. Only the wishes and desires of the strong, in their minds, have any validity….

I’ve often used the following meme, from ex-President Carter, to illustrate one of the ways this attitude has manifested throughout history, and, in truth, before we started keeping it in written form. It is a very clear summary of the issue, from the point of view of an intelligent, well-educated man, who was NOT one of those men who feel as most others do….

Before finishing this post, I had decided to re-blog the piece of work located at the link you see just below…. I’d like my Gentle Readers here today to take a few moments to read it, if they haven’t already, before resuming this narrative…. In my opinion, the story this woman has conceived is, absolutely, the most powerful, and, the most logically likely scenario for the familiar tale to have occurred, in true Reality, as opposed to what everyone today has been taught to believe…. In my mind, this is, most probably, the actual way Mary became known as the Mother of God…..

Be warned; it is a powerful tale, and not to be taken lightly; if you cannot disengage from your feelings while reading, you WILL weep before you are done…..

http://bellejar.ca/2015/12/29/blessed-art-thou/

Ffolkes, this has to stop. The men of the human race are killing each other, and all of us; raping women, and children; and, are, in general, strutting around the planet acting as if they are the only ones who matter at all…. They are not only dead wrong, but, they, in their extreme ignorance, blinded by the lust for power, and control over others, (which exists only to assuage their own fears of inadequacy), are in the process of killing us all; a species which does not act in concert to survive, will never do so… That particular rule of existence is written right in the basic roots of Universal Reality in this plane of existence….

Kindness, compassion, love, and honor are what characterizes my view of a Man; I see very few of our species living up to that standard…. The most painful irony, and, most painful truth is, most of the men alive on this planet are too ignorant, too weak, too afraid, and too wrapped in themselves to ever realize it….. The man of honor is no longer the majority, in this country, or, in the entire world, I’m afraid. Instead, they exist, only, as a rarity….

Pathetic is what they are; I guess it’s almost time for me to go hunting….

gigoid has spoken.

So be it.

It seems gigoid has more to say….

Yesterday, after writing the above, I read a blog, written by a Palestinian woman I regard as one of the most intelligent humans on the planet; she is burdened by not being free to use her full intelligence, simply by being born in a place that places little regard in women, at all, and, are actively repressive to any who display such power of mind, in public, and mostly, in private….

Moreover, she is trapped in a country which is occupied by another, and must survive, protect her family, and keep herself safe in what is, essentially, a war zone, called Palestine, in Gaza, next to the zone occupied by the Israelis, at whose bloody hands the city has become a festering cauldron of murder, repression, and, quite simply, inhuman atrocity, against an entire culture…. all in the Name of God.

She wrote a long piece in her native language, which Google could only HOPE to come close to translating. However, it was clear enough to me she had written her usual brilliant analysis, with her own reactions, of a recent meeting with a man and woman she considers as mentors in rational Islamic thought. While trying to make sense of the translation, it occurred to me, she was also trapped by the same trap as every other woman, man, and child on Earth, to wit: she has been labeled…..

All of us bear labels; it is human nature to assign a word to another, in order to place them into the proper slot in their mind’s world view… We get so wrapped up in labels, we confuse our real selves with what we have been labeled as being, though it may not have any real relevance to what is in our hearts and minds….

Names, places, religions, skin colors, genders, hair/clothing/body/life styles; we all receive them, and, usually, accept them as true without thinking about it, since it fits into our preconceived notions of self, or others….

And, it’s all another fucking illusion, ffolkes…. To comment on her post, I wrote a more prosaic, somewhat shorter version of the following, which I have decided to entitle….

Manifesto

I was born in the USA;
it is a place on the Earth.

I am not an American.

I am a human.

If I MUST be labeled an American,
then,
I must also consider myself
to be :

Palestinian,
Egyptian,
Israeli,
Chinese,
Russian,
Irish,
Belgian,
Kenyan,
Tibetan,
Afghani,
AND,
every other country
in the world.

If I am anything,
I am a citizen of Earth,
of Terra,
our Home.

As long as humans regard themselves any other way,
as citizens of different countries,
as proponents of different religions,
as possessors of different colored skins,
or different genders,
or,
as ANYTHING other than a human being,
FIRST and LAST,
we will never learn to make peace with each other.

Applying a label, of any sort, to a human,
is to place limits
on what they can be, or think, or do….

Accepting such labels
as truth
leads only
to death,
without honor,
without hope,
without peace.

Freedom,
true freedom,
has no limits;
there are no labels
among the free.

Humans don’t need
a creator,
money,
fear,
or,
violence.

Humans need
compassion,
kindness,
love,
honor,
and,
each other.

Simple logic,
and absolute truth
about human nature.

You won’t find it
in any version of a Bible,
or of the Quran,
or any other book.

You can only find
this absolute truth
in your own
heart and mind.

~~ gigoid ~~

1/3/2016

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

Future Shocked:

Weeping, I wake;
waking, I weep, I weep.
I weep for the ages to be lost,
for the children never to be born.

Time comes calling, strident and spare,
nudging us toward the future with bony hands.
No pausing, no waiting, always away,
Frantic hearts unseen, unheard.

Spirits are dark, afraid.
And the Beast hunts, hungry and cruel,
seeking out the weak, and the foolish.

We all weep now…..

~~ gigoid ~~

7/22/2013

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Naked Pearls

Life at Large, Redux

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

“It’s amazing how much one person can do,
little by little,
over time.”

~~ Worker Bee ~~

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

“There are no mistakes.
The events we bring upon ourselves,
no matter how unpleasant,
are necessary
in order to learn what we need to learn;
whatever steps we take,
they’re necessary
to reach the places we’ve chosen to go.”

~~ Richard Bach, The Bridge Across Forever ~~

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

“The chief cause of human error
is to be found in prejudices picked up in childhood.”

~~ René Descartes ~~

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

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”

~~ Flannery O’Connor ~~

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

“A lotta cats copy the Mona Lisa,
but people still line up to see the original.”

~~ Louis Armstrong ~~

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

“I do not believe in the creed professed
by the Jewish church,
by the Roman church,
by the Greek church,
by the Turkish church,
by the Protestant church,
nor by any church that I know of.
My own mind is my own church.”

~~ Thomas Paine ~~

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

“Children are remarkable
for their intelligence and ardour,
for their curiosity,
their intolerance of shams,
the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision.”

~~ Aldous Huxley ~~

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

“If I were to wish for anything,
I should not wish for wealth and power,
but for the passionate sense of potential;
for the eye which,
ever young and ardent, sees the possible.
Pleasure disappoints; possibility never.”

~~ Soren Kierkegaard ~~

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

“Fortune rarely accompanies anyone to the door.”

~~ Balthasar Gracian ~~

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

It’s done, & I’m still in a foul mood…. I’m gonna go play with Leelu, & see if I can find a bit of peace inside…. See y’all tomorrow; I’m pretty sure, if I can keep myself from going out into the BBR, I’ll still be here to do so…. Time will tell, the tattletale….

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 facility for gasping at flaws….

Posted on January 3, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Just by choosing where you stand,
You alter your destiny.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

Home

Image from a Tweet by @LimaChely

Hajime…. Finding our natural rhythm, once lost under the sands of time and circumstance, can take time, even if one is treading the proper path. The damage done by neglect over time is just as deep as that incurred quickly, adding to the frustrations that come with any such effortful task. But, small steps get one to the same place as long strides, thus taking the time needed to make sure one remains on the correct path. Or, as is commonly stated by those wise ones on the streets, “Keep on truckin’!….

All that said, it merely means I’m late again; different reason, but, the rhythm remains the same. The result is, I’m again sitting here, with nothing really done for this Pearl, beyond picking a picture for the top, and a couple quotes to go with it. Such is the life of a blogger, I suppose, meaning I’d best get to it….

Some will be fresh, but, some will be either archived, or, someone else’s work that fits in with today’s theme, whatever it is…. I’m not the person to ask, because I couldn’t tell you until it’s nearly done; I never know until then, as the process demands a certain degree of unconsciously directed thought and choices…. Trust me; I’ve been doing this a while now; it’s best not to fuck with the process, lest it fall apart at the seam…. Only the one, so, we try to be careful….

Sure we do….. Regardless of any near-untruths we may use here in the intro, we/I do try to avoid it altogether; if seen here, one may regard it as a necessary nod to expediency, and forgive us our trespass…. Or, not; we/I care not…. Just trying to be like the universe….. Innovative, unpredictable Change, often more rapid than we can believe, or handle, is the Norm, so, we/I do try to keep up in that respect. To do so today, and, in the interests of maintaining the small degree of efficiency so far displayed this year, I’ll get us over to the oyster beds the most efficient way, with my mind, and the power of the Metaphorse…. Watch closely….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.
When mindfulness embraces those we love
they will bloom like flowers.”

~~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~~

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

Eric Clapton

Image from http://www.last.fm via Google Images

I feel like some of the Best this morning; for me, as a guitar playing singing fool, there’s only one guitarist who can claim that title today…. There may be someone better than Eric, but, I’ve never heard them, or seen them, so….. he’ll do for today…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this is as good as it gets…. Oh, turn it up….. All the way…..

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

Eric Clapton Unplugged

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

https://youtu.be/xGavzOvTMjY

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

Lao Tzu, Laughing

I didn’t have time to rant, so, here is an old-school pearl of nine gems, beginning and ending with some appropriate comments from Shakespeare, on the subject of the Decline and Fall of the American Dream….

***********

The devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape.

~~ William Shakespeare — Hamlet, Act ii, Sc. 2 ~~

“There are those who claim that magic is like the tide; that it swells and fades over the surface of the earth, collecting in concentrated pools here and there, almost disappearing from other spots, leaving them parched for wonder. There are also those who believe that if you stick your fingers up your nose and blow, it will increase your intelligence.” — “The Teachings of Ebenezum, Volume VII”

“Blood is a cleansing and sanctifying thing, and the nation that regards it as the final horror has lost its manhood … there are many things more horrible than bloodshed, and slavery is one of them.” — Padraic Pearse

“Courses of action which run only to be justified in terms of practicality ultimately prove destructive and impractical.” — Mark B. Cohen

“Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. In democracy, what you get generally is bad government by a bully, tempered by the pen of several newspaper editors.” — George Bernard Shaw — Man and Superman (1903) Maxims for Revolutionists: Democracy

“If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.” — Isaac Asimov

“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.” — Robert Frost

“Bill Clinton’s tax-and-spend policies will create a recession in America.” — Vice President Dan Quayle in New Jersey, 10/19/92. — He did not go on to distinguish between the predicted Clinton recession and the current Bush recession. — (reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/20/92)

“He must needs go that the devil drives.”

~~William Shakespeare, All ‘s Well that Ends Well, Act i, Sc. 3 ~~

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INCOMPOSSIBLE, adj. Unable to exist if something else exists. Two things are incompossible when the world of being has scope enough for one of them, but not enough for both — as Walt Whitman’s poetry and God’s mercy to man. Incompossibility, it will be seen, is only incompatibility let loose. Instead of such low language as “Go heel yourself — I mean to kill you on sight,” the words, “Sir, we are incompossible,” would convey an equally significant intimation and in stately courtesy are altogether superior.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

So, after the quote, you expected someone else?…. Enjoy, ffolkes; definitely one of the treasures of humanity, right here on the page you see….

Election Day, November, 1884

If I should need to name, O Western World, your powerfulest scene and show,
‘Twould not be you, Niagara—nor you, ye limitless prairies—nor your huge rifts of canyons, Colorado,
Nor you, Yosemite—nor Yellowstone, with all its spasmic geyser-loops ascending to the skies, appearing
and disappearing,
Nor Oregon’s white cones—nor Huron’s belt of mighty lakes—nor Mississippi’s stream:
—This seething hemisphere’s humanity, as now, I’d name—the still small voice vibrating—America’s
choosing day,
(The heart of it not in the chosen—the act itself the main, the quadriennial choosing,)
The stretch of North and South arous’d—sea-board and inland—Texas to Maine—the Prairie States—Vermont,
Virginia, California,
The final ballot-shower from East to West—the paradox and conflict,
The countless snow-flakes falling—(a swordless conflict,
Yet more than all Rome’s wars of old, or modern Napoleon’s:) the peaceful choice of all,
Or good or ill humanity—welcoming the darker odds, the dross:
—Foams and ferments the wine? it serves to purify—while the heart pants, life glows:
These stormy gusts and winds waft precious ships,
Swell’d Washington’s, Jefferson’s, Lincoln’s sails.

~~Walt Whitman~~

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

Naked Pearls

Short Shots on Life at Large

**********

“O, well,
you win some, you lose some,
but you gotta get dressed for ’em all.”

~~ Susan Kenney ~~

**********

“A Lie is still a Lie, even if you believe it.”

~~ Honest Bee ~~

**********

“Never let yesterday use up today.”

~~ Wise Bee ~~

**********

“What is defeat?
Nothing but education,
nothing but the first step toward something better.”

~~ Wendell Phillips ~~

**********

“When you are content to be simply yourself
and don’t compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.”
–
~~ Lao-Tzu ~~

**********

“But where shall I start?
The world is so fast, I shall start with the country I know best, my own.
But my country is so very large,
I had better start with my town.
But my town, too, is large.
I had best start with my street.
No, my home.
No, my family.
Never mind, I shall start with myself.”

~~ Elie Wiesel ~~

**********

“Give more than take.”

~~ Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book ~~

**********

When all is done, human life is,
at the greatest and the best,
but like a froward child,
that must be played with and humoured a little
to keep it quiet till it falls asleep,
and then the care is over.

~~ Sir William Temple — Miscellanea, Part ii, Of Poetry ~~

**********

“Where does it go when you flush?”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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

Whew! I wasn’t sure I could do it, but, as usual, trusting the process, and, maintaining an unconscious direction, saved the day. So to speak.

What the hell? It’s done; in the final analysis, who gives a crap what else happened? We cannot afford such weakness; hence, this offering. I do hope you enjoy it, or, if nothing else, it pisses you off; any reaction will do…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the world keeps spinning along….

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….

Reigned in with some reluctance….

Posted on January 2, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Democritus said, words are but the shadows of actions.”

~~ Plutarch — Of the Training of Children ~~

Beginning/Ending

Hajime…. I’ve been taking the words of Democritus more seriously of late; walking more & sitting less at the computer. Yesterday’s rant makes it hard to walk, but, the sky is still blue, & it’s pretty easy for us humans to ignore reality, so, I’ll keep it up, as it seems to be helping me regain some of the stamina and overall healthy status I once enjoyed. It has, oddly enough, also regularized my circadian rhythm; I’m sleeping at least 8 hours each night, often 10. That, however, is playing hell with my morning habit of being up early to finish each day’s post…. Now, I have to get done the day before, or, rush in the morning to do so….

So, you’ll find some shortcuts today; my regular readers realize this means some of the Pearl will be from the archives, where, in the last four-plus years, I’ve written about eight million words upon which to draw…. Bonus! It also means I’ll be cutting some of the crap out of this section, in order to get on down the page where I can make things right, with either fresh material, or, an archived piece….. In fact, you’ve already seen how that works, which is exactly like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I don’t think I’m ever more “aware” than I am right after I hit my thumb with a hammer.” — Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

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

Image from beatchronic.com via Google Images

Today’s music is from the same organization I wrote of yesterday, Playing For Change, which you can find here: https://playingforchange.com/. I receive an email notice when they publish a new song, and this one was so happy, and full of so much human spirit, it was irresistible to include today…. Enjoy, ffolkes, and, consider helping them out with a donation…. It’s well worth it….

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

Pemba Lake
Playing for Change

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

https://youtu.be/f8IZnTgQWu0

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

Today’s ranting material comes from the archives; I started one, but, didn’t have time to finish it…. Hence, this blast from the not so distant past…. Enjoy, such as it was…..

From 2/5/2014:

Robert Heinlein called the latter half of the twentieth century, “The Crazy Years”, with good reason…. I have reason to believe that the period of US history to which he SHOULD have applied the term might better be placed in the beginning of the current century, instead…. As proof of that, below, I offer five links, to articles on ONE news site, all of which give a pretty good estimation of the depth of the problems we have in society today…. It’s a pretty good overview of some of the issues, but one should remember to remember the irony of having to read the words they’ve written, at all…. My comments will follow each link, in parentheses to avoid confusion….

“Two rules we should always have ready,–that there is nothing good or evil save in the will; and that we are not to lead events, but to follow them.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — In what Manner we ought to bear Sickness, — Discourses, Book iii, Chap. x

http://www.sfgate.com/raiders/article/2nd-Raiderette-joins-suit-over-wages-expenses-5203869.php

(In sooth, this one isn’t so crazy as sad…. In the massive pyramid scam that comprises the structure of the NFL, the bosses make billions, the players, basically a bunch of grown up kids, make millions, the lackeys (like cheerleaders, equipment managers, beer vendors, stadium workers, and all the other mundane drones working in the business somewhere…) make a few thousands, while the fans, who are paying in all of that gelt, pretty much get screwed… but, then, what would you expect of a business that engenders billions of dollars of revenue each year, while engaging in what is essentially a complicated game of tic-tac-toe, with live x’s and o’s….. Actually, the whole NFL scenario reminds me of the whole Religion scenario…. same scam, different clothes… Robes and collars in one, uniforms and helmets in the other….)

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Sochi-city-hall-orders-killing-of-stray-dogs-5200318.php

(We all knew the Russian government was crazy, as often proven by their chief crazy, Vlad, the Bad boy, Putin….. and this little exhibition of the power of expediency over compassion is a perfect example of how the leaders of society take nothing but their own agenda into account when making decisions, regardless of how those decisions may affect another living creature, canine, or simian….. They don’t give a shit for anything but themselves, in essence, and this is more proof of it, to my way of seeing things….)

http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Senate-sends-farm-bill-to-Obama-5202152.php

(You know which farm bill this is, right? I’m pretty sure this is what they call the Farm Subsidy Bill, the one that distributes the BILLIONS of dollars, stolen by the government from taxpayers, to various American farmers, to supplement their income by paying them NOT to grow things…. Farmers, being PAID to NOT GROW food…. now, if that isn’t crazy, then I don’t know what the word means….)

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/television/article/Bill-Nye-defends-evolution-in-Kentucky-debate-5202990.php

(You know we’re in trouble, as a species, when a scientific theory that has been proven beyond all doubt is STILL being questioned in public…. The fact that the debate here is taking place in a Creation Museum is one of the more ironic parts of this….. Here, in one spot, is gathered all of the major points of ignorance that are held as true by Creationists, who believe the world was created 6,000 years ago, reportedly by some aged, white-haired, Caucasian Supernatural Being, with serious busybody tendencies, (whom nobody saw, other than a few minor prophets, where they had been in the desert, happily having visions from dehydration, and experiencing beautiful, inspiring visions from consuming the desert plants…), with the aid and collusion of some of history’s most accomplished con men, in support on the ground…. The mere fact that the matter under discussion here is still being questioned, by ANYONE, is the most ironic, and the saddest part of this one….)

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Slain-Napa-girl-kept-in-suitcase-freezer-police-5204040.php

(I’m pretty certain I don’t need to comment at all here, though I will; this story is infused with craziness…. The sheer insanity of this couple’s journey into methamphetamine hell, turned them from being human, into monsters…. I lay the blame for this death squarely at the feet of the BRC, as more proof of the failure of their “War on Drugs”….. Hell, from what I can see, everything the BRC has ever done to fight drugs has only worsened the problems that produce the drug use in the first place…. The drug use that is endemic in the lower reaches of the financial scale in our society is a direct result of the widening gap between the rich and the poor…. The sense of futility and hopelessness that goes with living in poverty, (and I know it’s real, having been there….) leads to despair, and drugs often seem like the only way to forget it all for a while….. Deal with THAT issue, the financial gap, and there MIGHT be some improvement in that area of societal behavior…. It’s obvious by the last 50 years that the current attempts to deal with drug use is NOT working….)

There you go ffolkes, a compendium of evidence that goes to prove how insane society has become…. I wish us all the best of luck in the coming years…. We are going to need it, badly….

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

Intelligent Crimes

The value of wit is often said to cause harm,
for those who think, such is its greatest charm.
The new and the bold cannot be fulfilled
if innovation and change is left unwilled.

Society behaves at its base as a mob
conformity and submission its primary job.
Any sign of rebellion against the mob’s rule
is met with resentment, naming such rebel the fool.

Intellect and talent are looked at askance,
expressing artistry stands nary a chance.
To stand out from the rest of mankind
is fraught with danger, for body and mind.

Often I stand to watch in solemn dismay
as beauty and joy are left by the way,
ignored and reviled by the unwashed masses
who prefer darkness, and acting like asses.

With shouts of derision the normals make known
their fear of intelligence, greater than their own.
They hope to stop all semblance of progress;
for thoughts and ideas, they couldn’t care less.

The world struggles on in spite of all opposition,
managing to maintain its advanced position.
Pulling the foolish along in spite of reluctance,
helping each to learn the survival dance.

Hard though it may be to keep up with the future
genius manages its plans to develop and nurture.
In the final analysis, those who live by reason
enjoy life the most, season to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/7/2012

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

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines,
but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”

~~ Buddha ~~

**********

“If what Proust says is true,
that happiness is the absence of fever,
then I will never know happiness.
For I am possessed by a fever
for knowledge, experience, and creation.”

~~ Anais Nin ~~

**********

“You will know unexpected happiness.
You will know the sorrow
of seeing what is dearest to you cut down before your eyes.
Accept that
That is the nature of human existence,
and you have no time to buffer this fact
with fairy tales and illogical explanations.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

**********

“I always look outside myself for strength and confidence,
but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”

~~ Anna Freud ~~

**********

“All virtue is summed up in dealing justly.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

**********

“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”

~~ William Makepeace Thackeray ~~

**********

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”

~~ William Shakespeare ~~

**********

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

~~ Anais Nin ~~

**********

“I don’t have all the answers, just those that count.”

~~ gigoid bee ~~

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

In spite of the natural and unnatural handicaps with which the morning has burdened our existence, this Pearl is done. I can only say hallelujah, and, be grateful it isn’t any worse than it is…. Not that it’s bad, necessarily, but, I don’t think we’ll need to notify the Pulitzer committee to convene any time soon…. On that deprecatory note, I shall bid thee adieu for another 24 or so hours…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; there doesn’t seem to be any choice in the matter for me….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

All the Djinn joints in all the world….

Posted on January 1, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children.
One is roots.
The other is wings.”

~~ Hodding Carter, Jr. ~~

Pointing the Way

Hajime…. I’m up rather late, though I went to bed early. C’est la vie! It’s a new year, again, so, all can be forgiven, claimed merely as building new habits…. Sure, that’s it…. It’s my story, and I’m sticking to it….

Today’s mess is, for a Pearl, a bit choppy, from this end; it may look smooth and simple, but, believe me, it was not. That said, and, to begin new methods for a new year, I’ll curtail any urges to go silly, or weird, or anything other than efficient…. In truth, this is a ploy, to lull your sense of security into believing me; tomorrow will probably see a return to the general run of idiotic literary tricks and illusions we use to fill up space…. None of that today…. Nope, we’re going straight from here to the oyster beds, and be done with it…. How’s that for efficient? It works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“There’s nothing on my mind that couldn’t be expressed by a long insane outburst of hysterical rage.” — Ashleigh Brilliant

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

Image from beatchronic.com via Google Images

For the last couple of months, since hearing the first of many songs published by this organization, I have been trying to promote the ideas they espouse, as the only way, for the moment, I can show my support. The video I’ve included is a compilation of a large number of their songs, put up on You Tube since 2013, by one of their other admirers…. It gives a good feel for what they do, and the joy it creates wherever they do it….. Enjoy, and then, consider helping out by joining the organization…. It combines our two best weapons against the machine, to wit: Love, and Music….

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

Playing for Change
A Better Place

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

https://youtu.be/Ob_AScYiAzk

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

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

“It is the mark of an educated mind
to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

The sense of touch, of which our skin is the primary perceptive organ is, when one stops to consider, the ONLY sense we actually possess as humans….. Hearing, taste, smell, sight, all are merely extensions of that one sense; more advanced, more complex ways of perceiving different types of energy/matter, of which the universe is composed, but, still, only a variation of what the skin does at its most basic level of nerve function.

Each of the organs we possess to collect those perceptions are based on increasingly small particles to be perceived, yet, all MUST be touched by those particles, little pieces of the universe, in order to function, at all. The tongue must have particles of food touch it before tasting; the ears are more finely tuned, to the touch of sound waves, molecules of air in motion. The nose is even more delicately tuned, to detect specific molecules in the air which signify what is perceived there; very delicate particles, indeed, as it can detect tiny, invisible molecules, such as pheromones from our glands, below the level of consciousness…

The eyes are the last, most complex organ, evolved to detect almost the tiniest of particles in the universe, light waves from an energy source in specific frequencies and amplitudes, below even the molecular level, also unconsciously…. (I say, ‘almost’, because, without aid, we cannot perceive at the atomic level, nor sub-atomic particles….) In point of fact, all the direction of our entire perceptive system is generally an unconscious process…. The brain we possess as humans has evolved, clearly, as a means of processing all that complex, fascinating data, all compiled by five varieties of ONE sense…..

This simplicity, combined with the dual nature of the complexity it mimics in Reality, is why we are constantly being fooled by the universe, because Reality isn’t limited to just one type of matter/energy to be perceived. If one can accept the inevitability of this proposition/assertion, it is only the simplest of logic to discover there are, most likely, many OTHER types of energy/matter for which we do not possess any sort of perceptive organ, capable of even detecting its existence, at all…. We are surrounded by a mystery whose limits, and/or existence, we cannot perceive, or possibly comprehend….

But, we humans, with this nearly unlimited imagination, caught in a small, insulated shell, with hardly more perceptive ability than the rocks upon which we so often founder, think we can dream up a God, and, read His mind, too…. Pathetic little monkeys is all we are, naked, hairless, and afraid, with a nature too fucking vicious and stubborn to even admit how small and unimportant we are in the scheme of things. For us to even believe we can see ever HALF of what REALITY really exists as, is the height of arrogance, and stupidity…. But, then, looking at history, what else is new?

“Science has made gods of us
before we were even worthy of being men.”

~~ Jean Rostand ~~

We humans seem to think our minds, and imagination, are proof against whatever Reality may come up with; how else to explain such arrogant foolishness in the face of an entire universe, which, clearly, barely registers OUR existence, at all. It certainly has no pity for us, or any other such emotional response; for fuck’s sake, ffolkes, the universe doesn’t care about humans any more than a star, & it blows them up on a regular basis. If there were living creatures on planets around such a star, do you believe the star wouldn’t blow because they were there?…. Pretty unlikely, from all the evidence available, I would say.

Yesterday, on the last day of the year, I took a walk, as I needed to get outside, and, off my ass for a while…. I set a nearby store as my goal; the round trip is about mile, and the weather was cold, but, clear…. Before I reached the half-way point, the store, I had witnessed three objects/events/indications of the failure of the American Dream, as epitomized in two statements, one from Thomas Jefferson, echoing wisdom he had read by our opening sage, Aristotle, to wit:

“If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be … If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.” — Thomas Jefferson

“If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.” — Aristotle

Both of these statements imply the necessity for each person in a democracy to take ‘personal’ responsibility very seriously, to educate themselves, and to monitor the activities of those they’ve chosen to govern…. Anything less will, and, sadly, has led us to the exact place we have come in America…. There is NO common feeling among the population which promotes or facilitates such responsibility; the signs are everywhere….

A block from my door, I came upon an open field, next to a building housing a printing company. The open area, next to the sidewalk, is now covered with trash, not merely bags or thrown down wrapping papers, but, broken couches, tables, torn clothing, and, literally, spoiling trash & food all over, covering a good half-acre of ground, all thrown there, obviously, from passing, or pausing vehicles….

At the next corner was further proof of people’s lack of ‘commhair’, (Gaelic for ‘community’), where I found, lying right next to the sidewalk on the corner, the body of a dog, obviously run over by a motorist, who had then pulled it off the street, & left it, covered partially with cardboard, (from the trash lying nearby), to rot, right on the street, where children, old folks, and animals walk daily…. By the time I got there today, it had been there about five days, without anyone reporting it, (I had tried several times, but, could never reach anything but recordings, at the police and city bureaucracies I called), or, burying it, at the very least….

On my way back, I stopped at the newspaper office, at the corner opposite the open field where the trash and corpse lay… I asked the receptionist if the paper had a number for the police or city where what I’d found could be reported for disposal…. She sent me back to the news room, where I explained the issue to a couple of reporters there, working on the next issue, I suppose….

They listened politely, with some slight empathy at what I described, but, didn’t seem to grasp the simple fact they were looking at a blockbuster story, if they chose to address the issues involved, i.e, the lack of community spirit prevalent in society, as well as the inability forced upon the public to seek help from those we elect to TAKE the responsibility for such things from us…. I had to smile, shake my head, and leave, having done all I could do to resolve my own sense of responsibility….

I went outside, & sat on a bus bench outside the paper’s office, & thought of what I had just experienced on my walk…. whereupon, I began to weep…. I felt such a strong sense of sadness, at the death of the American Dream, fought for so bravely by those founding fathers, and protected, sincerely, by thousands and thousands of true Americans since then, including my own father, against the depredations of those who would deny us our freedoms as secured by the Constitution…. I sat there, silently, with tears running down my face, for about five minutes before I could get up, cross the street to avoid the now-ripely-odoriferous canine corpse, to finish my walk….

It’s all dead, and nobody even realizes it, but for a few true Americans, who have educated themselves, and have watched, in pain and anguish, as our government has steadily been BOUGHT by corporate influence; in the courts, since the mid-nineteenth century, and for the entire twentieth century, as those inroads into one branch have spread, like the only true form of life Man has created, the computer virus, carrying its load of evil and selfishness into Congress, and, the White House, until none of those three branches have any interest in pursuing anything but their own agendas, none of which are concerned with securing anything for the people who live here…..

The general run of American has no courage, no education, and no actual freedom to do anything other than follow custom, which they do not even realize is a slave’s collar. The evil inherent in the philosophy of “me first” has killed the hopes of those who founded this country, as well as removing it from the reach of the average man, which, in essence, was the primary intent of the Bill of Rights, all of which are now merely a Bill of Suggestions…. as long as they don’t get in the way of the bottom line profits of the oligarchs who now run most of the world….

The courage to speak out against the madness, the courage of a child, to say, “Look! The Emperor is naked!”, is now gone from the American spirit, as well as from much of the world…. and, we all have heard what happens when evil goes unnoticed, allowed to remain in the dark, where it would have us all exist….

“Oppression can only survive through silence.”

~~ Carmen de Monteflores ~~

In a way, I hate starting the New Year with such a depressing rant…. yet, I have a feeling it is needed just now…. All of us, those who can see, as well as those who do not, need to begin anew, to face Life with more courage, and honest effort to show ourselves to be truly human… that is to say, Kind, Compassionate, Brave, and, with Honor as our standard of existence. Anything less than that just isn’t going to overcome the damage already done to society, and, the entire planet’s ecosystem….

“Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat,
Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe
That all was lost.”

~~ John Milton — Paradise Lost, Book ix, Line 782 ~~

You may believe that, or not; the Universe doesn’t really care….

I do; I can’t seem to help myself, even though I know human nature all-too-well…. I love the silly critters; I am one. So, I’ll keep on spouting off, or, ranting, or, whatever I need to do to spread the Love I feel…. It is, in the final analysis, the only damn thing we have to fight back with….

gigoid has spoken, quite enough for one day….

So be it.

Dont keep calm

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

New Year Haiku

The old year is gone.
Who knows what the next will bring?
Glad to say, not me.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/31/2015, 8:05 PM

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

Our final old-school pearl today is, as is often the case, a bit obscure. It’s a classic seven-star bracelet of gems, with a message; my problem is I don’t know exactly how to express it….. I guess it’s kind of like a New Year; ya never know what’s gonna be up ahead, waiting for you to learn…. Enjoy!….

“All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.” — Kahlil Gibran (Sand and Foam)

“Every one is bound to bear patiently the results of his own example.” — Phaedrus (c. 8 A.D.) — Book i, Fable 26, 12

“Charity sees the need not the cause.” — German Proverb

“How bold one gets when one is sure of being loved.” — Sigmund Freud

“The wishbone will never replace the backbone.” — Brave Bee

“Honesty is the best policy – there’s less competition.” — Van Roy’s Law

“Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?” — Kahlil Gibran

Aha! Got it! I think I have figured it out; hint…. it’s advice on how to approach new challenges…. 2nd hint: K.I.S.S…..

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

I am done, thankfully. The new year seems to have brought a bit of attention from our old pal Murphy, who has a new trick; he’s fussing with the software, causing it to freeze every couple minutes, to wait for it to catch up to my commands…. SIGH…. Ah well, it’s done, so, we’ll press our luck a bit, & try to post it…. Wish me luck…. For the nonce, I shall bid thee adieu until tomorrow, when, hopefully, I’ll have fixed this, or, found a workaround…. Until then, ffolkes, y’all enjoy the day off, and all the festivities you can tolerate without getting homicidal…. Ta, then, until they figure out a way to stop me from doing this again….

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….

All you can do is all you can do….

Posted on December 26, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“… denn da ist keine Stelle, die dich nicht sieht. Du musst dein Leben andern.”

“… for there is no place that does not see you. You must change your life.”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~

~~ “Archaic Torso of Apollo” ~~

A Small Congress

A bit of housekeeping… Yesterday, when I wrote the lines wherein I wished all my Gentle Readers a happy season, I, apparently, was not completely mindful, as I described my words as a Winter Wish…. It SHOULD have been a Winter/Summer Wish; by forgetting the Nature of Reality’s Duality, I inadvertently withheld the wish for the many (read: several….) Gentle Readers who reside in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is NOT winter, but, summer….. (thanks to the 23.4º tilt of Earth’s axis, in relation to the plane of the ecliptic)…. (Trust me on this…. It’s true….)….

To all of those wonderful friends, in India, Australia, or, wherever you live south of the Equator, my bad…. Sorry ’bout that; everything I said yesterday was sent to you as well… Believe it….

A few days before Christmas, I went back in time, as suggested by a link below the day’s Pearl, at the bottom of the page, to July 26, 2013. I re-read the Pearl for that day, & I liked it well enough to use it today, in toto, but for the poem, which was used a short time ago here. Below this paragraph, written today, you’ll find the Pearl from that date, as it appeared, but, with a different poem, so as to refrain from repetition too often…. Pearls at that time didn’t have a video section, which evolved later, in 2014, so, no video today; sorry…. Not many quotations in the pearls, either; it’s all pretty serious/somber material…. Nevertheless, I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I did….

Plus, posting this gave me a whole extra day to work on the next Pearl(s) you’ll see…. Bonus, for me, and you, as I’ll have more time to make it right…. Here then, is my version of a re-blog, but, of my own work… Works for me…. See y’all at the bottom of the page….

From 7/26/2013:

Ffolkes,

As some of y’all may have noted, yesterday’s Pearl was disrupted by Reality, whereas today’s will be characterized by Fantasy, or a reasonable facsimile thereof….The most pertinent item I recall seems to be the unexpected increase in planetary gravity that hit about 2 PM yesterday…. Didn’t you notice? It seemed quite significant to me; I had been struggling all day to keep upright, as the normally severe sucking power of our planet pulled at me constantly, no matter what I was doing…. sitting, standing, walking, typing, driving, all of it seemed harder, as if I were swimming through heavy syrup, or wearing extra bags of sand or something…. By eight o’clock at night, I was exhausted from the effort to remain a simian of the modern variety, standing upright like a true hominid….

And, then, I woke up…. t’was a new day dawning, turning the blues and grays of the morning sky to a pale pinkish blue, lifting spirits along with hopes, unbidden. All the bad, mad stuff that filled the last days was gone, banished to wherever such things go when pinned with the light of day, and I am once again filled with piss and vinegar, so to speak, ready for whatever the new day will bring. Of course, being an inveterate planner, I already know what will happen today, at least, according to my schedule, but, Murphy has a tendency to ignore my schedules in favor of his own, with mine usually ending up in the trash, while I adjust to his…. the asshole….

I’m up at my usual hour, and intend to write as usual…. Intentions aren’t always enough, though, so we’ll see how it goes today. It has to be better than it was the last two days, which, even sans the kind attentions of the Murph, I spent in the dumps, thanks to the gift that keeps on giving (PTSD). I’m all better now, having thrown off the unreasoning sense of anxiety that pervaded my conscious mind, and gone beyond whatever it was that triggered the episode…. Once more, I am completely in the dark as to what that might be; I do wish I could figure it out, as it is a pain in the ass, and if I knew how to block its ascent into my consciousness, I would do so in a heartbeat…. Until I do, I am at the mercy of whatever it is, destined to fall into despair in an instant, never knowing why….

Ah well, so what else is new? Life with PTSD goes on, as I said, yesterday, sort of, if we don’t hang on to it too tight, and I’m determined NOT to grip it tightly enough to hold it in its place…. If you see me doing so, please tickle me, or throw some water, or something to let me know, as I’m done with feeling bad for no good reason…. It’s a waste of time I could use to be doing something more constructive….. Of course, writing this blog may or may not fall precisely into that category, but, it’s what I do, so deal…. And, speaking of what I do….

Shall we Pearl?…..

_____________________________

“One of the merits of democracy is quite obvious: it is perhaps the most charming form of government ever devised by man. The reason is not far to seek. It is based on propositions that are palpably not true — and what is not true, as everyone knows, is always immensely more fascinating and satisfying to the vast majority of men than what is true.” — H. L. Mencken

With this statement, Mr. Mencken has put his finger on the pulse of America, that is for certain. It goes a long way toward explaining why so many people in this country are so willing to believe the outright, egregious lies that are told to them every single day by the officials they elect every year at the polls that characterize our republic…. They do lie, you know, with almost every statement that comes out of their mouths…. They begin with the most important lie they tell, from which all the others spring, and that is the lie they tell when they tell you that they want to be elected so they can work for YOU! Each and every politician learns early in their career, if they are at all to be successful, they MUST portray themselves as a public-spirited, honest, and tireless worker whose only purpose is to make life better for their constituents….

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth…. NONE of them are at all concerned with any of that nonsense; they are there to carry out their own agenda, which has very little to do with what is good for the general run of mankind…. No, they are there to serve the interests of the men and women who pay them, those lobbyists and special interest representatives who run the businesses of the corporate masters. The people on the street cannot provide them with the perks, or the cash, that the clandestine rulers are able to come up with, other than peripherally, by electing them in the first place…. Once elected, their true colors come out into the light of day, and it can be easily seen how their actions are never congruent with what they have promised to the people who elected them….

It’s all about power and money to these folks, not service. In my entire life of observing politics around the world, I have yet to see a single elected official who could be shown to be honest, not at the national level. The one who came the closest was Jimmy Carter, and his presidency was marked by how little got done, because he was so honest that the true politicians in Congress blocked every reform he tried to institute during his time in office. His actions during that time showed him to be the exception to the usual rule for politicians, which is why, I believe, he was so ineffective as a legislator….

“Invest in America — Buy Japan!”– Smart Bee

Other than Carter, I have seen concrete proof that EVERY President of this country has lied to the American people, not just once or twice, but continuously, about nearly everything. Time and time again, public outcries are heard or seen in the news about some new revelation regarding something some politician lied about, just like it is breaking news or something, when it is actually the normal state of affairs….

I don’t know why it is, but if a man on a TV set, wearing a suit and tie, makes a statement to the public, the general public will believe it, sometimes fanatically, without ever examining it for whether or not it is true… Then, when it turns out they were lied to, they get all upset and vocalize their displeasure, never once admitting it was their own cupidity that allowed the lie to occur in the first place…. It makes me wonder what happened to people in this country, to make them go soft in the head….

“Doctors are the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too.” — Anton Chekhov

Did you ever notice how many politicians were lawyers, first? Most of them, as it turns out, for the simple reason that learning to be a lawyer gives a politician two advantageous types of training… One advantage is that law school teaches the student how to lie in every imaginable way, in order to ascertain which kinds of lies are legal…. The other advantage is their primary motivation…. I

f asked, a very large percentage of lawyers will tell you their reason for becoming a barrister in the first place is that it is a good way to get rich, ( without mentioning, of course, that this is true only as long as one doesn’t give a shit about other people, and what that might do to them)…. In other words they make their money by taking advantage of people’s misery, holding them as hostages against their own destiny, in order to gain resources, i.e. money, and its sidekick, power…..

Then the lawyers realize that their training is perfect for politics…. The ability to lie with facility comes in very handy to anyone who wants to be in the public eye, as that is how one gets elected in the first place…. Tell people what they want to hear, and they will vote for you, every time, coming back to the same trough to eat, even though they get screwed, time after time…. Having the facility to ignore what happens to others, due to their own actions, is the other skill so important to the political set, and the training one receives as a lawyer fits right into that category….

“Watching the democratic party in a presidential contest is like watching a washing machine with a defective bearing: It starts up smoothly enough, but soon, it begins to wobble and shake, jumping violently from place to place, until it tears itself to pieces, spewing dirty laundry all over the room.” –Smart Bee

Some people will say that there ARE some good lawyers out there, and I won’t argue that…. but, they’re still lawyers, not politicians, aren’t they? They’re doing what they can to help ffolkes find their way through the morass of our legal system to get what they need, even occasionally finding some justice….

But, they aren’t going further, and going into public service, are they? They’re still in place, where they can help, but, they are so few and far between, they are hard to find, and so are very busy, seldom having the time or resources to work against their less honest colleagues. Plus, they really are very few in number, as altruists seldom become lawyers in the first place….

I can see that this has evolved into a full scale rant, and we’ve just begun the day, so I’ll call a halt here. I often feel as if I’m preaching to the choir, anyway, when I go through this stuff again…. It’s all familiar material around here, so it isn’t as if I’m presenting new ideas for your examination…. No, this is all old stuff, and, sadly, doesn’t seem to ever create the outrage that I feel in very many other ffolkes… which is too bad….. I forget who said that “if you keep on doing things the same ways as you always have, things will always be the way they’ve always been….”, but, they were absolutely correct…. We are on a path to our own destruction, clearly, but, nobody seems to care…

Nobody, that is, who seems able to DO anything about it, and they are the ones who will need to make the changes….. The people in authority over the rest of us are wearing blinders in this respect…. The idea that what they are doing is wrong, and will eventually kill us all, doesn’t fit into their world-view, so they won’t believe it, and will continue to refuse to make any of the changes needed to re-direct our steps onto a path less dangerous.

It is up to the rest of us to get it done, and that may entail overthrowing the current crop of rulers, either by the vote, or by the less agreeable option of using the necessary force, while making sure the new crop will act in OUR best interests, rather than their own…. If it does happen, it will be the first time in history, which is fine with me…. just as long as it is not the LAST time in history….

“… democracy is not something you believe in, or a place you hang your hat, but it’s something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles and falls apart.” — Abby Hoffman
_____________________________

Today’s poem was not originally used in this Pearl; that one, “A Dubiously Soft Morning”, was used just a few days ago…. I’ve replaced it with a poem from the same year, but, of a different tone altogether…. I hope you enjoy it; it’s actually one of my favorites of those I’ve written, because it speaks of my father…. Abondanza!

Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….

Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me
Ah’m not even sure of mah name,
or how Ah come to be;
no idea from where Ah came.

Ah does like a mystery tho’,
puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,
good from bad fo sho,
Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.

If’n Ah cain’t figure out what’s best,
Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,
seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,
‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.

‘Course, he’d lived a good long time,
‘n had lots of stuff go on by;
Went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,
never once used it fer an alibi.

He tol’ me once Ah’d best learn to learn,
school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.
Yer own good measure you can earn,
by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.

Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,
he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,
‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,
kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.

Without ever sayin’ the word itself,
Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others
not some fake stuff from some shelf,
but, knowin’ whut’s right, ‘n that we’re all brothers.

Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think
to get around the block at least two times.
I s’pose long as my head don’t shrink
Ah’ll keep on doin’ right, ‘n makin’ these rhymes…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/6/2013

Last posted on WP 9/6/2014
_____________________________

“The belief that there is only one truth and that oneself is in possession of it seems to me the deepest root of all evil that is in the world.” — Max Born, physicist

I like this, mostly because of its clarity and brevity of expression…. It’s perfect no-frills wisdom, with no ups and no extras, all you need for enlightenment in one short, pithy phrase. It also exposes the basic untruth of the mindset against which Thomas Aquinas warned, when he cautioned us to “Beware the man of one book.” I often wonder how the Church scholars managed to rationalize that statement into their set of dogmatic rules, and still canonize Saint Thomas as one of the icons of their faith; this statement is so diametrically opposed to all they teach, how did it become his entry into sainthood, with all the perks that involves, like, I don’t know, what, a better seat at holy dinners?

Any who, all sarcastic smirking aside, it doesn’t make sense, but, then, most of what I have heard and read about the more popular Christian religious sects doesn’t make much sense, either…. People seem to find it compelling, though, and manage to invest a lot of time and energy fulfilling whatever agenda items having those beliefs will engender.

“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.” — Lazarus Long

These, to me, are the folks who find it easier to go through life allowing what other people believe determine their own thoughts and feelings, as it is less troublesome for them to have someone else do it for them, than making the effort to understand the world on their own…..

I suppose it’s okay, for them, to allow this, but, for me, it would drive me crazy in no time at all to try to believe some of what they would have me believe, because A) It doesn’t make any sense, and B) the assertions made, aside from the fantastic unbelievability of their nature, are offered without any evidence of their veracity, no proof of their actual truth. Given just those two requirements of mine for accepting something as true, none of what I heard in church makes the slightest bit of sense…

But, for well over two thousand years, this church, along with two or three competing churches, with slightly altered versions of the same set of beliefs on the same subject, has attempted to dominate human existence, saying it has the ONLY answers to the eternal questions, to wit: Is there a God? and, if so, What is He/She/It like?…. Simplistic, I know, but, an accurate paraphrased summarization, I think…. Honest, anyway, right? I mean, when one strips down the basic ideas to their bare bones, they sound ridiculous; then, when one sees there is also no real, incontrovertible proof of any of it, beyond logical constructions based on assumptions not proven, they become simply unbelievable, to my way of thinking….

Of course, one must actually THINK about this stuff, and not just assume it is true…. even what I’m saying should be examined for its own veracity…. I think all I need to do to offer proof of most of my assertions is point to either some part of reality, which generally proves without question what is real, or to something in the news that demonstrates the fallibility of what the churches offer as their dogma, which is legion. T

hen, once the information has been presented, it must be examined for it’s connections to what is real, in order to be able to determine for sure that it IS or IS NOT true…. Sadly, in my experience, most people skip that last step entirely, preferring to go along with what they’ve been told since they were little, because to examine it, one must first accept the possibility of being wrong in the first place…. and, that they are not willing to do….

That is the simple truth folks, no matter how much anyone tries to deny it. Reality determines what is true, not belief, or faith, and nothing anyone can say or do will ever change that simple fact of reality. There are no magic bullets, so, if we want to have magic in our lives, we have to make it ourselves, which leaves out the possibility of depending on anything in nature to do so for us, no matter how much we want it to be so, or how strongly we maintain our faith in what is unreal…. As some other philosopher has stated, “Just because a million people believe something is so, doesn’t make it so…. A lie is still a lie, even if a lot of people believe it…….. or, more colorfully…..

“If you call a dog’s tail a leg, how many legs does the dog have? Four. Calling a tail a leg, doesn’t make it a leg.” — Abraham Lincoln

So, spare me, please, the sermons, and pitying looks, because, quite frankly, the concept of Heaven bores me to tears; it sounds as if the Angel Satan throws a better party, and doesn’t expect his acolytes to curry favor…. plus, they never expect him not to lie to them, as he is right up front about it….

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

Such an outburst! I can see that I am right to write every day…. This stuff tends to build up if I go too long without letting it out, and there’s no telling what kind of harm THAT may cause to the space-time continuum…. Let’s see if it reads half as well as it flowed out….. Hmph, well, I think that the Pulitzer committee may want to stand down, but, it’s better than most Pearls, all in all, and it’s all freshly made stuff, so, so be it…. WYSIWYG, today, anyway…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you….

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 ~~

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Past, last fasts are finest kind….

Posted on December 21, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Hmph! Seriousness. Hmph! Sobriety. A Jedi craves them not.”

~~ Yoda Bee ~~

Saturn’s Moons, Aligned

Image from NASA via Space.com

Hajime…. Whew! Usually, as I sit to begin, I’m still half-awake. Today after half-a-cuppa, a visit to the throne, and a fast, hard 15 training session with Leelu (it seems to hold her for a while, if I feed her afterward…), I’m fully awake, if a bit out of breath…. She demands we move fast in the morning, as she’s been waiting for hours, no doubt, for me to wake up….. Ah, well, new routines always take time to feel comfortable with, so, so be it…..

With that being said, I’ve kinda messed up any nonsensical beginning; it also seems rather inappropriate to get too silly, or weird, after such a, well, realistic, if boring, beginning…. As is my apparent habit, it has taken me only one and nearly a half paragraphs to lose my way. It’s a shame, really; I had this really strange, yet compelling opening all ready to go, then got distracted by Leelu to play, and, poof, out the window of my mind it went…. I guess I should shut that window….

Well, as long as we are this far down the page, I may as well wind this up and get on to the rest of the mess we’ve cooked up for y’all today. It’s not bad, as Pearls go; in fact, since some of it is from the archives, it should hold up quite well. Sometimes, it’s easier to poke holes in things when one uses an older style tool, from the days when brute force was our primary method of living…. Oh, wait…. Hmm. I guess I can’t say it WAS our primary characteristic as humans, because, as we see every day in the news, we still do violence quite well, and often…. Oh, well, there goes ANOTHER paragraph, down the tubes to oblivion….

Never mind. We’ll just employ one of our new toys, found in that drawer in the corner. The one we tried out before worked well, didn’t it? May as well try another one…. Let’s see what this little gadget, in such a nice, black color, will do when we push this button, marked, “Elsewhere”…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“I have tried marijuana, hashish, psilocybin, opium and heroin, but none of these have changed my way of seeing as much as has understanding the process of evolution by natural selection.” — purported J.B.S. Haldane quote

(Addendum: I must say, if J.B.S. found this to be true, he needs to find a new drug dealer; he’s getting ripped off….. Just sayin’…..)

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

Image stolen from FB long ago

As might be surmised from the picture, and, to balance the raucous video we enjoyed yesterday, we are going Classical. We start with Brahm’s Lullaby, then, follow it with nearly 12 hours of soothing music, designed to help babies sleep (like they need help…..). Whether or not it works, it IS soothing to listen to, which is fine with me today…. Enjoy!

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Brahm’s Lullaby Plus

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https://youtu.be/YZQQws9wmSQ

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I find myself spending a lot of the energy I previously put into ranting, by commenting on other WP blogs. Some of my recent comments approach the epic; so far, no one has objected, so, why not? It’s probably why I haven’t felt like letting it all out here, as is my habit. Feeling better gives me more opportunity for surfing the blogs I follow, so, this is, no doubt, a good thing… Since I have so many older rants in the archive, I figured, why not use them here? Indeed, “why not?” is a good question any time….

Here then is a rant suggested by WP at the bottom of yesterday’s post, in a blog from the LAST time we were working up to a Presidential election…. I made some observations then which are perfectly appropriate as a response to the upcoming charade; I found the comments I made regarding the GOP candidate from that year to be quite similar, in fact, eerily similar, to the entire GOP lineup of candidates in this year…. Go figure….

From 9/30/2012:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.” — Alexander Frazer Tyler (1748-1813), — The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic

It seems to me that we, here in America in the early 21st century, are just about at the selfishness phase(s). We’ve been using and squandering a large portion of the available resources of the planet now for quite a while, and apparently haven’t learned to play well with others yet, as a culture. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that we have entered the complacency stage, as we seem also to feel entitled to have so much, and share so little with the rest of the planet, which is a complacent sort of arrogance.

Elitist, to be sure. And in the election coming up in November, we have as one of the choices possibly the most elitist candidate ever to run for the highest office (though Reagan was no slouch at that….) (come to think of it, neither was Franklin Roosevelt, but he seemed to be able to put it aside, for the most part…. He wasn’t nouveau riche, you see; he still had some degree of noblesse oblige left in him….) Mitt the Twitt Romney is unapologetically elitist, and doesn’t seem to care who knows it, even the voters…..

“Whereas it has been known and declared that the poor have no right to the property of the rich, I wish it also to be known and declared that the rich have no right to the property of the poor.” — Smart Bee

Even if we leave aside all the myriad of reasons that Mitt is unqualified for the position of POTUS, and, my use of the word myriad is both intentional and accurate, his sheer arrogance and lack of sincerity should be enough to convince people of his unsuitability for the office. There are literally thousands of reasons not to give this egregious fool such great power, all of which indicate he would abuse that power from day one. But none of those reasons even matter…. to me, his greatest point of detraction is that he is, plain and simple, an asshole, or, as is sometimes used in lieu of that word, a dick….

Actually he is both an asshole and a dick, as those words are commonly defined. The running mate he chose is a perfect indicator of how little he cares about the voters, other than what they can do for him, not the other way around. Pauly, the Lyin’ Ryan is, if anything, a bigger asshole than Romney, though he might not be as big a dick, and is no more ashamed of it than his ostensible boss. Each of them is a bare-faced liar. Each of them displays the compassion and sincerity of a sub-lieutenant in Satan’s Army, on a good day. Each of them (Romney & Ryan) is motivated by simple greed, and the desire for power, and, of course, the wish to be handed the keys to the national treasury.

Both have been manipulating the system since their well-funded time in college; neither has ever even held a job that could be considered an actual job; they’ve been sucking at the public teat for their entire adult lives. Now, they are making their grab for the ultimate prize for a thief…. the keys to the national treasury, handed over by ignorant voters who buy into their lies, because they think that these two pieces of white bread will save them from the scary black man as President…. They are counting very heavily on the racist fears of part of the population to carry the tide of victory in their direction; moreover, they are feeding that fear as much as they can, with constant lies and misrepresentations, without even the illusory benefit of sincerity….

As we all know, I could rant about these two all morning, but there are things I need to do today, even though it is Sunday, and I don’t want to spend any more time stirring up shit, even though the shit is only what clings to the Republican ticket every time one of them opens their mouths to spit out another lie….. But, we’ll get on with the day, and try to find something more positive to do…. Just make sure y’all get out there and vote on November 6th, ffolkes, we need to show these assholes that there are more of us than there are of them, and we still have the vote on our side…..

“If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and measures you want to vote for… But there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong.” — Lazarus Long

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After the old rant above, only one of my poems is appropriate; it’s kind of silly, but, I like it. Why wouldn’t I?…..

Geezer to Congress, with Love

Politicos don’t care much ’bout seniors and their ilk,
except for their money, I thinks.
They talk as if they’d cozen them in silk,
what they actually do, it stinks.

“The banks are failing, we can’t allow that!”,
steal from the aged, that’s their plan.
“Their life’s ending, that’s plainly where they’re at,”
lie shamelessly, because they can.

Maybe just once, if we all act together,
it couldn’t miss.
Right on their shoes, no matter the weather,
take careful aim, and piss.

Why the hell not?
It’s worth a shot!

~~ gigoid ~~

12/23/2012

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Naked pearls

A pearl of balance, about Life, lived well…

“Dream as if you’ll live forever.
Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.

~~ James Dean ~~

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

“It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.”

~~ Voltaire ~~

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

“The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point
than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.
The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.”

~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~

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

“Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none.”

~~ William Shakespeare ~~

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

Virtue could see to do what virtue would
By her own radiant light, though sun and moon
Were in the flat sea sunk. And Wisdom’s self
Oft seeks to sweet retired solitude,
Where with her best nurse Contemplation
She plumes her feathers and lets grow her wings,
That in the various bustle of resort
Were all-to ruffled, and sometimes impair’d.
He that has light within his own clear breast
May sit i’ th’ centre and enjoy bright day;
But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts
Benighted walks under the midday sun.

~~ John Milton — Comus, Line 373 ~~

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

“He who learns but does not think, is lost!
He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”

~~ Confucius~~

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

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

~~ Lin-Chi ~~

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

“Be strange… it’s cool out there.”

~~ Hunter S. Bee ~~

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

“Dream as if you’ll live forever.
Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.

~~ James Dean ~~

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

Gee, that was fun…. Really, it was. But, it’s over now, so, in the words of Death from yesterday’s final pearl, I guess I’ll put the chair up, shut out the lights, & lock the door on the way out…. See y’all tomorrow, if they don’t shut off my power….. Bill’s paid, so we’re good to go….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

The world is my oyster, I shall not whine….

Posted on December 20, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Don’t store garlic near other victuals.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

Leelu, platting her next move….

Hajime…. Today, our opening line from Lazarus Long has more meaning than usual, as well as more than is immediately obvious upon first reading it. To understand Lazarus’ point, one must put in some heavy, yet subtle thought on the matter, before the light dawns….. Some see it right away, but, for those who do not, & may mistrust me on this, let me assure you, it isn’t talking just about garlic….

For us, today, it has more meaning because it fits in with the day I had yesterday… at least, up until writing this, of course. Who can say what may happen after? Not me, nor will I even attempt such foolishness. I AM old enough to know better; moreover, I’m old enough to listen when I tell myself that.

I was awakened at 0722 by Leelu, who was annoyed a bit when I rolled over & ignored her for another twenty minutes of sack time…. Once up, coffee brewing, we played for a few minutes, then I distracted her with food while I drank my first cup, & tried to complete yesterdays’ Pearl; some of that episode was related there.

Today, I have managed, in between our mutual training sessions, to complete this Pearl, a full 17.5 hours ahead of the time I usually post, at 0600, or as close as I can get. AND, Leelu now will jump up almost anywhere I ask her to, on command…. Bonus!

Yay! Now, I can even try to work a day, or two, ahead…. To complete this Pearl, tomorrow morning, I’ll just need to write is the closing section, which I like to compose on the day I post…. That way, nobody knows if the Tardis was involved, or not…. Plus, it’s good practice for evading cyber-security paranoiacs…. such as our own government. Ya gotta do what ya can to confuse your metadata; then they can’t predict you as well…. and, they certainly don’t need to know when I use the blue box…. if you get my drift.

Ahem…. Anyway, this one’s done, complete with a new poem, freshly written yesterday, and two, yes, two sections with old-school pearls jammed with metaphor, as well as a touch of smarm and innuendo…. What’s a pearl without a little innuendo, eh? Not much to write home about, that’s for sure. To ensure this introductory section doesn’t even come close to that particular standard of quality, I think we’ll get on with the course of business for today, and get this slow on the toad…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“The present is only a mathematical line which divides that part of eternal duration which we call the future, from that which we call the past.” — H. P. Blavatsky

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Image from youtube.com via Google Images

Today’s video selection s a band to which I was introduced by a friend, a couple months ago, via Twitter… I’m not sure, exactly, why this seems appropriate, but, since I’ve listened to it, I have to say, it fits. I guess I feel like being raucous…. Enjoy, ffolkes; everyone else in this video did….

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Dropkick Murphys
Live: St. Patrick’s Day 2002

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https://youtu.be/jQVaH8pC2Kw

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“War would end if the dead could return.”

~~ Stanley Baldwin ~~

As is probably becoming obvious by now, to me, if to no one else, ranting is becoming more of a chore than a joy. This doesn’t mean it’s over, or, there will be no more of them; it just means, now, I have to think of something else to do to sublimate the anger, and disillusionment I experience every damn day, not only reading the news, which never seems to change for the better, but, by walking on the damn streets, where all the bullshit the Asininnies have been, and, are up to, is becoming annoyingly ubiquitous.

That said, anyone who’s been here before already knows what is coming; any newbies will just have to figure out what happened later. For now, just read the following pearls, let them run around playing in your head, and you’ll have an idea of why I rant so fucking often….. I hope. If not, well, there’s always tomorrow……

Naked pearls

How’s the water in there?

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

“Water really has no value…. until the well runs dry.” — Subtle Bee

“Government, today, is growing too strong to be safe. There are no longer any citizens in the world; there are only subjects. They work day in and day out for their masters; they are bound to die for their masters at call. Out of this working and dying they tend to get less and less.” — H.L. Mencken

” — Bother! said Pooh,as he joined Black September.” — Twisted Bee

“How do you like the new America? We’ve cut the fat out of the government, and more recently the heart and brain (the backbone was gone some time ago). All we seem to have left now is muscle. We’ll be lucky to escape with our skins!”– Carlinesque Bee

“Monotheism is a gift from the gods!” — Sardonic Bee

“It seldom happens that a man changes his life through his habitual reasoning. No matter how fully he may sense the new plans and aims revealed to him by reason, he continues to plod along in old paths until his life becomes frustrating and unbearable – he finally makes the change only when his usual life can no longer be tolerated.” — Tolstoy

“Huh?” — Joe Average, Anywhere, Amurrica

“God Himself has no right to be a tyrant.” — William Godwin — “Sketches in History” 1784

Onwards Christian Soldiers,
Onwards Buddhist Priests.
Onward, Fruits of Islam,
Fight till you’re deceased.Fight your little battles.
Join in thickest fray;
For the Greater Glory,
of Dis-cord-i-a.Yah, yah, yah,
Yah, yah, yah, yah.
Blfffffffffffft!

~~ An Erisian Hymn~~~~ by Rev. Dr. Mungojerry Grindlebone ~~~~ KOB Episkopos, THE RAYVILLE APPLE PANTHERS ~~

The last line of the hymn, perhaps, says it all best….. Most days, I feel a Bronx cheer is the best response one might have to everything outside one’s own space…. which is about all we have any sort of control over…. Ah, well, Life goes on, doesn’t it? So far, so good…..

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Sir I admit your general rule
That every Poet is a Fool
But you yourself may serve to show it
That every Fool is not a Poet

~~ rendered from the French by Pope ~~

Manifesto, sotto voce

In retrospect, I’ve gotta say,
it’s all been rather a muddle.
Life’s tough, ‘they’ say, it’s just that way.
Lots of misery, not much cuddle.

Me, I’ve found life a bit different
than ‘they’ seem to have done.
It’s all been rather excellent;
I’ve had loads & loads of fun.

Sure, there’s been some bad shit.
Who can’t say that?
All of that pales, all of it
when one hugs a dog, a child, or a cat.

I’ve seen, fought, and felt, more than my share,
the presence of evil in life.
The pain that remains often seems unfair;
I ask why I chose to deal with such strife.

I can always find the answer in the same place,
right where it has ever resided.
All we need to do is embrace
the joy we’ve given, and been provided.

Simple is good.

Balance is good.

Life can be both.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/19/2015

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Naked Pearls

Life to Death

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“Nowhere is now here.”~~ Nakagawa Soen Roshi ~~

“It is past all controversy that what costs dearest is, and ought to be, most valued.” Miguel de Cervantes — Don Quixote, Part i, Book iv, Chap xi

(Comment, sotto voce: Is this not an excellent definition of Life? — gigoid)

“Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing.” — Adolph Monod

“When an idea is wanting a word can always be found to take its place.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“When Alexander asked Diogenes whether he wanted anything, “Yes,” said he, “I would have you stand from between me and the sun.” — Plutarch — Life of Alexander

“At the bottom no one in life can help anyone else in life; this one experiences over and over in every conflict and every perplexity: that one is alone. That isn’t as bad as it may first appear; and again it is the best thing in life that each should have everything in himself; his fate, his future, his whole expanse and world.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

“The world is no nursery.” — Sigmund Freud

“Be obscure clearly.” — E.B. White

“When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.” — Chinese Proverb

“When the first living thing existed, I was there waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job will be finished. I’ll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights, and lock the universe behind me when I leave.” — Death

Knowledge by suffering entereth,

And life is perfected by death.

~~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning ~~

~~ A Vision of Poets, Conclusion ~~

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

Done; not only done, but, done before I got up. Good thing, too; it’s taken me damn near an hour to wake up enough to write this. Ah well, planning solves many problems, if the plan works. Since it did, we’ll get on with the business of leaving, and, leave. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as my computer stays up, and the angst stays down…. I know crazy optimism, again…. Deal with it, until tomorrow….

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

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: politics

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