Tag Archives: politics

Plagiarizing from life…..

Posted on by
5

Ffolkes,
I am finding my PTSD to be more of an inconvenience these days, now that it has chosen to re-activate itself as a significant factor in my life. The stress of living in poverty, with the uncertainty of whether it will ever change, has brought me to this point, and I can’t say that I am real happy about it…. I’m not sleeping well at all, and the days are longer and longer, especially when I’m tired all the damn time. It’s not like I have any important stuff to do, other than to make sure the stuff is done for my disability case, and that only takes a few minutes of time, separated by months and months of waiting for them to do something with what I submit to them….

Now, I’m once again on hold while they meander through their inanities, taking their sweet time, and I sit here fuming…. I now have to go on November 8th to an appointment with a psychiatrist, so he can generate a report on the status of my PTSD….. all because I happened to mention it in one of the papers I submitted, and they don’t have any record of treatment for it….. Well, of course they don’t…. I haven’t been able to afford to go to a psychiatrist for years, not at $30 or more a pop for the co-payment; I can’t afford to take all of the medications ordered for me, much less add on an expense like that. So, I’ve had to just live with it, just like I live with the constant pain in my back and hips, or the constant fatigue I feel from my diverticulosis…. and, I’ve learned to cope with the constant feeling of impending doom, and the edge of hysteria just under the surface, ready to have me burst into tears at the drop of an emotional hat.

Once this doctor gives them his opinion, I may just be able to get some kind of real decision as to my whether or not to award my disability….. if they deny it a second time, I am not sure just how badly I will react…. I am already living on the edge, and suffering another delay will just about be a final straw….. and I find it to be a bit ominous that my mind refuses to think about it…..

It’s like it is hiding from me exactly what it plans to do if that kind of obstacle is thrown up in front of me…. and if it is hiding that knowledge from ME, it means it knows that I won’t approve, which means the planned explosion is more violent than even I will consider, if in my right mind…. The trouble is, if this happens like that, I know I WON’T be in my right mind…. The fantasies that I have envisioned at times in my head, thinking about what I’d like to do to those bureaucratic assholes, are, to be honest, pretty graphically horrendous…. bloody body parts are a minor issue, believe me…..

Ah well, I guess my violent fantasies will have to wait…. again. Throughout a fairly long life, I’ve managed to avoid violent behavior pretty well, outside of work; dealing with violence at work was, for a long time, the order of the day, but that is another story for another time. Mostly, I was able to find other methods of dealing with my problems in life; I’ve always believed what Salvor Hardin said, (one of the protagonists in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series of books), to wit: “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”  But, it has always been there, and I’ve dealt with it, on my terms, as well as its own…. and I’m pretty damn good at it, when I choose to engage….

I suppose I’m just going to have to take it as it plays out, and make my decisions “ala carte”, so to speak. It is what I end up doing every time, anyway….. as do we all. Life changes on us, every day, every way, and we can either hold on and learn to enjoy the ride, or spend our time picking ourselves up from wherever we have been tossed, and trying to clamber back aboard…. I guess blowing up the train won’t help this time…. Such is life in the fast lane, ffolkes….. I’m done whining now, so…. Shall we Pearl?….

“Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.” — Things We Can Learn From Dogs
__________________________________

“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 has been established pretty well that the premises as presented in this scholarly tome from the 19th century are essentially true; most scholars agree with Mssr. Tyler’s assessment of historical forces as they have played out, with very little to pick at that doesn’t reek of jealousy for not having written it themselves. In light of this, it then becomes the task of the moment to run a comparative study, to gauge the current temper of the country we inhabit, and form an opinion as to where on the scale we are living now….. This, of course, will no doubt engender as many different responses as their are responders….. fortunately for the time factor involved, the number of responses is naturally limited to one…. my own. You may, of course, use the comments section to respond, and are welcome, even encouraged to do so…. but, if not, here is my take on it….

I thought for a time that we should be placed in the “apathy” stage, or possibly the “complacency” level. But, then I realized that, no, we are most certainly caught, as we have been for some time, in the “selfish” stage…. It began, really, with Nixon, obviously, as he was the perfect example of a man who went into public service for purely selfish reasons…. he loved the power that being President, or any other public office, gave him, and the simple fact that, as a public official, people HAD to pay attention to him. My whole life, I always saw him as that geeky kid nobody would ever pick for their team, who discovered the attraction that being an elected official had for that kind of emotional neediness.

It is dangerous, I know, to be critical of Nixon’s replacement, JFK; his assassination guaranteed his martyr status for the liberal left. But, regardless, he was far from perfect, and in fact, was one of the most effective manipulators of public opinion ever to grace the White House. His relatively liberal political agenda favored the middle class, not because of his overpowering virtue, but because he saw that as his power base, and was, in some ways, fundamentally opposed to much of the agenda of the political right. That opposition is why the corporate masters had him killed; they already had their paid lackey, LBJ, in place to assume the role they wished him to play, so, all in all, they lost very little time at all in the solidification of the corporate grasp on the throat of America….

Then, of course, came Saint Ronnie…. the very heart of evil. A man who smiled really big, as he repeatedly drove his knife into the backs of the American middle and lower classes. He probably actually believed the whole “trickle down” theory of economics that he postulated and forced on the American people; I can see him being that actively, deliberately stupid; he did, after all, graduate from USC…. that unashamed cradle of the 1%, where virtually the entire graduating law classes step right into politically connected positions with prestigious firms who act as the defenders of the elite. I don’t think that the legal term, pro bono, is even taught at USC; doing something for nothing doesn’t compute in their world….it’s all about the billable hours….

Ah, well, I could spout off for a long time, listing the crimes perpetrated on the American public over the last 50 years by the corporate masters who control the world; even those who get into power with ideas of reform are either ridiculed for manufactured immorality, blocked by oppositional lawmakers, or victimized by lies and innuendo spread maliciously by the conservative right, that easily manipulable segment of the population so beloved by the ruling classes for their sheer stupidity, and the ease with which they can be misled.

But, trying to let folks know about the people out there who are screwing them left and right is kind of like shouting into the wind; tiring, and not very productive. Let it suffice to say that I believe we are deeply ensconced in the stage of history known as “selfish” according to the above scale. I don’t think there is much doubt of it, though I’m willing to hear arguments…. feel free to comment below. In the mean time, I’m going to let this thousand or so words on the subject speak for themselves…. Don’t forget to vote, little as it means…. it is the only gesture we have to make, so make it count….

“I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education.” — Wilson Mizner

As smart as a politician/lawyer is honest. — Smart Bee
__________________________________

“What do you want me to do?  Say it again in worse English?” — Robert Frost, when asked about the meaning of one of his poems.

A Late Walk

When I go up through the mowing field,
The headless aftermath,
Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,
Half closes the garden path.

And when I come to the garden ground,
The whir of sober birds
Up from the tangle of withered weeds
Is sadder than any words

A tree beside the wall stands bare,
But a leaf that lingered brown,
Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,
Comes softly rattling down.

I end not far from my going forth
By picking the faded blue
Of the last remaining aster flower
To carry again to you.

Robert Frost
__________________________________

WARNING: X-Rated Material below…. If the following offends you, well, hey, don’t read it…. I happen to think it’s funny, so, deal with it….  🙂

I know I’ve spoken to you before about the darker side of Pooh…. He’s actually, for a Bear with Very Little Brains, a pretty swinging guy, and stays active in a part of town that I’m don’t even go to…. In fact, he has been caught en flagrante delecto on numerous occasions, and has never shown a bit of regret, or a shred of remorse. He is an incorrigible sex addict, which is, when you stop to think about it, really, really sick…. I give you now more examples of just how nasty he has been known to be….

— Bother! said Pooh, with a sexy grin, as he tied up his favorite redhead!!

— Bother! said Pooh, as Macgyver ran to him with his pants down.

— Bother! said Pooh, when Christopher Robin came in his mouth.

— Bother! said Pooh, as Piglet pulled out the Anal Intruder.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he rolled over and lit a cigarette.

And, worst of all…..

— Bother! said Pooh, as he flashed a group of nuns.

I wouldn’t have believed it, if I didn’t see them there in black and white….. Hey, it’s not any harder to believe this, than it is to believe some of the shit coming out of Mitt the Twitt’s mouth, now, is it?….   🙂
__________________________________

Well, it is definitely not the best Pearl to ever come down the Pike, but, it has the advantage of being finished, so it will have to do. Now I hope I can get it published without too much hassle…. In any case, it has been a bit of a struggle, so I’m counting this one as a win….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Secrets to becoming an Adept….

Posted on by
2

Ffolkes,
Caution–I was not hired for my disposition…. I’ve always known, it seems, that anger is what we use to cover up our fear, so it is really no surprise to me to feel the depths of anger I am currently feeling. I know exactly why I’m angry, and of what I am afraid; they (the ubiquitous ‘they’…) never tell us whether or not it is ever justified to feel this way, though, so I do have some slight guilt, for feeling anger at any who may not deserve it…. That guilt, however, is very small, and won’t affect my letting that anger out on somebody, should the right circumstances arise; I’m feeling very justified in my anger, and I don’t much care if it spills onto someone…. folks will just have to take the risk today, if they wish to deal with me…. because I am one pissed off puppy…. thanks to the power of bureaucracy….

“Bureaucracy is the art of making the possible impossible.” — Javier Pascual Salcedo

My anger is so strong right now, it is almost a palpable thing, and it is probably fortunate that I don’t plan on actually seeing anyone face to face today. I have no money, so it will be off the library later to post and check email, where I don’t have to talk to anyone unless I choose. I’m also so out of money that I’m still out of cigarettes to smoke, and the 96 plus  hours of doing without is doing wonders for the anger…. fanning it nicely into a very respectable rage… I kind of hope a creditor calls this morning, so I could let some of this out on someone who deserves it….. Plus, since I haven’t smoked a cigarette in that long, my cough is actively trying to turn my lungs inside out, to get rid of the crap in there, so I can, if I’m lucky, cough right in some asshole’s ear….

You know, one of the things I’ve noticed about creditor companies, you know the ones who call up to harass you about a bill you never made, or one you’ve paid off, or one you are late on by a day or two…. it is always a male who calls…. Apparently they can’t get women to do that sort of dunning on the phone, because I’ve never had a woman’s voice call me about any of those kinds of things…. Interesting, eh? Sorry, little side-track…. but, it really doesn’t surprise me that men are the only people with enough asshole in their system to do the job….

Well, that certainly covers enough ground to be considered an introduction, though it doesn’t introduce much of anything….. I suppose one might say it fits right into the uncategorizeable  nature of most of what goes into these sections of the Pearls. “Typical” is a word that seldom applies around here, by design…. so, we’ll just pass over that like it isn’t there, and get on with the standard activities for which we are gathered…. Shall we Pearl?….

“And sometimes the bear eats you.” — Smart Bee
__________________________________

So, I’m cruising, looking for a pearl, and this picture pops up on my desktop…. it is one I found on Facebook months ago, and may have used previously, once, as part of another pearl…. I’m not sure. But, since it has been almost an hour since anything interesting either came up on the dB screen, or in my head ( writing poetry does that to my head for a while…. just a dial-tone sounding buzz in there….), I figure this will do. It is one of those pictures that stimulate inner dialogue in the viewer…. Well, it does in me, anyway…. My first thought when I saw it was, “Oh, poor baby!”, in reaction to her terrified expression and posture, and the second was, “What a perfect caption!”, because, if I were caught in this position, those would be my exact words….

    Onward….
__________________________________

Penance, Made Simple

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid
__________________________________

I am too angry to rant…. I know, that sounds silly, but it really isn’t….. I am so incensed at the disregard for human needs that is shown by our federal government, I am too distracted to focus down and use my mind to write about it. I know, I hear, or read, about it, and write about it frequently, in one or another of my political or religious (I reckon that should more accurately be, anti-political and anti-religious….) rants, but this is different. It is too close to home, and affects me too directly; I start to write about it, and get all tensed up, and then the uncontrollable weeping to which I am subject under stress starts, my head fills up with fluids, and it’s a big mess….

So, rather than get into that whole ball of wax, I’m going to gather together some appropriate pearls to take my shots at the talking heads today…. If you don’t know at whom these are directed, just pick a government agency, or a candidate for election, or a local/national religious pundit, and apply it to them. It will probably fit just fine…. Any who, here are a bunch of comments on the asininity of government, and those who engage in it…..

“…I am opposed to all attempts to license or restrict the arming of individuals…I consider such laws a violation of civil liberty, subversive of democratic political institutions, and self-defeating in their purpose.” — Robert A. Heinlein, in a 1949 letter concerning “Red Planet”

“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” — Lazarus Long

“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” — Smart Bee
(See Italian Proverb, below, for further wisdom on this subject….)

Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. — United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
— adopted Dec.10, 1948. — This article is frequently violated in both spirit and letter — by most UN member governments, including that of the United States.

“Many politicians … are in the habit of laying it down as a self-evident proposition, that no people ought to be free till they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of the fool who resolved not to go into the water till he had learned to swim.” — Thomas Babington Macaulay

“He who knows nothing, doubts nothing.” — Italian Proverb
(Rather a precise definition of the members of the Westwood Baptist Church, wouldn’t you say?…. It is also pretty scary-correct if applied to just about any Congressional committee, or even Congressional member…. Hmm… come to think of it, it DOES apply, to virtually ANY Congressional member, House or Senate….)

It took a while, but I found a fitting final pearl for this spot. The above paints a complex picture of life, even though focused only on one or two aspects of public behavior, to wit: politics and religion, as affected by and related to, human stupidity, or cupidity, take your choice…. Hmph, sorry, I get wound up…. any who, this is so elemental, I’m leaving it alone, to stand alone….

“Grain grows best in shit.” — Ursula K. LeGuin
__________________________________

“Don’t hold to anger, hurt or pain.  They steal your energy and keep you from love.” — Leo F. Buscaglia

“Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans; it’s lovely to be silly at the right moment.” — Horace (65-8 B.C.)

In looking back over today’s effort, I see that once again, fate intervened to direct my hand (or, my unconscious mind knows me better than my conscious mind does….). These two pearls were collected during my search this morning, even though they didn’t fit right in with what I was seeking, and I didn’t know why I kept them, for sure. But, now I see, they were needed…. by me. Well, and maybe by you, as well, after getting through my drivel this morning…. In any case, they are quite acceptable as final thoughts, so, they stay…. and we can now get on with the rest of our day, such as it may turn out to be….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

So much for formatting….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Penny has yet to dance the lambada….

Posted on by
Reply

Ffolkes,
Yesterday, I corrected Time, so we are all caught up in that respect; the missing day has been banished, and no longer exists, for our purposes. This has, unfortunately, allowed Murphy a whole new 24 hour period in which to plan his persecutory activities, and I’m a bit timorous about diving right into a day where he’s had so much leeway for setting up potential chaos. I don’t even have a clue as to where he might strike…. my head seems fairly clear, but I have yet to examine or test out Smart Bee. He could have messed with the program somehow, as I don’t think geeking is beyond his skill set; I’ve been hit too often with little glitches that only could have come from him….. Ya never know, with Murphy….

I suppose one of the reasons I make such a good target for him, and his minions, is that I really, really hate his guts. I don’t care how often he claims it’s his job; I don’t care that the universe HAS to have someone like him, to maintain balances. He’s an asshole, plain and simple, and I don’t care how important he is to the universe. He could figure out ways to fuck with people less than he does; it is obvious to the most casual, and causal, observer that he goes above and beyond the call of his job to create special pain for people. To me, this is unacceptable, and unforgivable…. to have the choice, to make pain for innocent folks, or to mess with them, just because you can, is completely the work of an asshole, and is deserving of the disrespect of every honorable man alive….

If you can’t tell, I’m still angry at Murphy from his actions on Friday morning…. Having the Social Security case worker call me at 0801, to suggest I might wish to WAIT LONGER to get my benefits, was a  brilliant stroke on his part, if one considers such acts dispassionately. Nothing could have ruined my day, and my month, any better than that simple call. I did make the analyst pay, after a fashion…. Since his question had to do with my PTSD, I treated him to a full-on episode of emotional breakdown, at flash speed, complete with blubbering, shouting, and pressured speech, with the particular added bonus of my erudition at full out attack mode…. the man definitely got an earful in a short time….

I don’t know if that will help or hinder, and since the lawyer has yet to return my call (they’re a bit lax about that…. we’ll have to have another word or two on the subject, I can see…..), I am not sure how to think about it. I’m hoping I made it clear to the analyst that any further delays in awarding my benefits would only have a bad effect on me, and that their intransigent dallying is causing me no end of problems, both physical and emotional. Not that they care, particularly, that I can see, but at least I’ve made my position clear to them…. I can only hope the lawyer agrees…. and if not, well, they are the ones who are supposed to be guiding and controlling this process; they should start doing that, to my way of looking at it…. As may be apparent, my patience with the entire process is getting a bit thin…. and if something doesn’t break soon, I’m going to start looking for targets for my angst, which, I can assure you, is building up to a nice, big explosion….

Since I’m up and writing, and it’s only 0710 (bounced up at 0635 for some reason…. might have been the falling asleep at 2100 that did it…. but, hey, how ’bout them Giants, eh?…..) I suppose I’d best get started on today’s Pearl. Once again, I’m starting with zero material…. no quotes yet, and no incipient poetry, at least not at this juncture. Ah well, it’s been worse, for sure…. Shall we Pearl?……
__________________________________

“Why does this magnificent applied science, which saves work and makes life easier, bring us so little happiness?  The simple answer runs: Because we have not yet learned to make sensible use of it.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended, civilizations are built up, excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top, and then it all slides back into misery and ruin. In fact, the machine conks. It seems to start up all right and runs a few yards, and then it breaks down.” — C. S. Lewis

Sometimes it takes two to make the correct point….. Between these two quotes, we are given a glimpse of both the problem that mankind suffers from most, and the solution to that problem. Of course, the solution is one that, so far, has been unpalatable to most people, but, it is at least visible for discussion…. Most simply put, the whole problem that our species confronts can be ascribed to our spiritual deficits, as they pertain to both our treatment of each other, and our treatment of the world in which we live…..

In the first case, there are still too many people who think it is acceptable to seek power over others; in the second case, that spiritual flaw translates into a sense of entitlement that extends to how we utilize the resources of the planet, to wit: without proper or even minimal restraint. In the sphere of interactions between people, this deficit leads to misunderstandings, cruelty, slavery, and war…. in the case of planetary resources, it leads to strip-mining and unsustainable industry, unchecked pollution, and ecological suicide…..

I could spend a long time detailing just how far along the path to extinction our species has come; in fact, I’ve done so many times in the past. Such detailing is to little effect, however, so today we will assume it is already done, and we have established the fact that we are further along the road to perdition than most folks want to admit. At the same time, it is necessary to admit that we are also no closer to finding an answer to the question of how we are going to persuade the majority of mankind to make major internal changes, to their beliefs, their spiritual compass, and indeed, the very foundations of their entire existence, if they wish to live, and to give their children an even chance of the same….. This is a difficult proposition, as most folks won’t even admit to the necessity for change, much less what they themselves need to do…..

The depth of ignorance, you see, is not the only problem. For many, that ignorance will keep them from ever realizing just how bad things are, right up until the Grim Reaper comes knocking on their door. But, there are many, many people out there who know exactly what they do that is wrong, and they don’t care, because they believe it will have no ultimate effect on them, only on others…. To be so uncaring as to the fates of others, it is required that one be disconnected from reality, including the reality of one’s own motivation. These folks, who live for power, will not even examine their own motives, because they already know that they are flawed; they chose to be flawed deliberately, because it serves their own self-interests, and they are incapable of understanding that they will be as affected by the end game that is coming as everyone else…. and, in this case, one can see how deliberate ignorance becomes its own justice, eventually….

I wish I had an answer…. I wish I knew a way to convince those who need to know that what they, and the fools they allow to control the world through their own inability to see clearly, their own choice to remain ignorant, cannot continue to expect to live if they do not learn to open up their minds to a new way of seeing life. These fools are rushing into oblivion with their eyes closed, believing they are blessed and protected from harm by their faith in a mirage, when in reality, their faith, and their ignorance is guaranteeing their extinction…. and unfortunately, mine along with it… So, yes, I wish I had an answer…. but, I don’t, so I’ll have to make do with my plans to wreak severe havoc amongst the philistines when the time is ripe…. If we are all marked for extermination by the universe, I’m making sure some of the guilty are going down with me…. Trust me….

“In the dark colony of night, when I consider man’s magnificent capacity for malice, madness, folly, envy, rage, and destructiveness, and I wonder whether we shall not end up as breakfast for newts and polyps, I seem to hear the muffled cries of all the words in all the books with covers closed.” — Leo Rosten

“Here pigs will fly, lightning will strike twice, hell will freeze over, and eventually, things will get really interesting…” — Smart Bee
__________________________________

I’ve looked inside, and nothing is turning up in any of the dark corners where they hide, mumbling to themselves until I rip them out into the open air…. so we will have to make do, and settle for something from a proven source…. which shall remain nameless, until I find out who it is today…. Be patient, you will know soon enough…..

Portrait of the Artist as a Prematurely Old Man

It is common knowledge to every schoolboy and even every Bachelor of Arts,
That all sin is divided into two parts.
One kind of sin is called a sin of commission, and that is very important,
And it is what you are doing when you are doing something you ortant,
And the other kind of sin is just the opposite and is called a sin of omission
and is equally bad in the eyes of all right-thinking people, from
Billy Sunday to Buddha,
And it consists of not having done something you shuddha.
I might as well give you my opinion of these two kinds of sin as long as,
in a way, against each other we are pitting them,
And that is, don’t bother your head about the sins of commission because
however sinful, they must at least be fun or else you wouldn’t be
committing them.
It is the sin of omission, the second kind of sin,
That lays eggs under your skin.
The way you really get painfully bitten
Is by the insurance you haven’t taken out and the checks you haven’t added up
the stubs of and the appointments you haven’t kept and the bills you
haven’t paid and the letters you haven’t written.
Also, about sins of omission there is one particularly painful lack of beauty,
Namely, it isn’t as though it had been a riotous red-letter day or night every
time you neglected to do your duty;
You didn’t get a wicked forbidden thrill
Every time you let a policy lapse or forget to pay a bill;
You didn’t slap the lads in the tavern on the back and loudly cry Whee,
Let’s all fail to write just one more letter before we go home, and this round
of unwritten letters is on me.
No, you never get any fun
Out of things you haven’t done,
But they are the things that I do not like to be amid,
Because the suitable things you didn’t do give you a lot more trouble than the
unsuitable things you did.
The moral is that it is probably better not to sin at all, but if some kind of
sin you must be pursuing,
Well, remember to do it by doing rather than by not doing.

Ogden Nash
__________________________________

“Don’t ever become a pessimist, Ira; a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun — and neither can stop the march of events.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough For Love

As with many important truths, this one does not comfort one to know it; a common attribute of remarks by Lazarus, who has a tendency to voice the truth regardless of its potential, or even certain, effect on the audience. And, damn it, it is just so much simpler to let all the bad stuff hold sway on our attention, and give in to the depressive urge to berate and chastise the universe for its lack of tact and consideration for human sensibilities. It never listens, anyway….

My semi-rant in section one today is a perfect example of this principle at work; I do try to maintain some optimism in the face of reality; I even have learned to try to explain away all the weird stuff as being outside the statistical universe being considered. It’s a lie, but it’s my lie, so I usually can buy into it, long enough to allow denial to set in, and thus preventing the otherwise inevitable depression over how bad things have gotten…..

Actually, right now, it is fairly simple to stay completely distracted, as we always have the election, and all the shenanigans taking place on that stage, to draw our attention away from the imminent demise we face as a species, or even, more importantly, our personal concerns of everyday living. It’s easy to deny the inevitability of carbon monoxide pollution when we have Mitt the Twitt’s lies to chase down, or Biden’s latest zinger to admire, or Lyin’ Ryan’s latest example of elitism to watch with dropped jaw….. it’s a veritable circus, and the clowns are in full swing….

It’s not just the candidates providing the entertainment, either…. every Tom, Dickwad, and Mary is chiming in with their two cents, on TV, radio, and, most prodigiously, on the Internet, all trying to get SOMEONE to listen to them during the run-up to the election. Those two cents can get very, very strange, as each commenter tries to make the most outrageous statements and/or claims/accusations about all the actors on stage, and is a whole new package of entertainment for us to have on hand, each one vying for our attention at the top of their lungs, figuratively speaking…..

This is where the metaphor of the circus gains its credibility, although, more accurately, I am reminded by this, most emphatically, of just about any carnival at the County Fairs I’ve been to….. Disheveled, sinister-looking barkers, complete with suspenders and a cigar in their mouth, yelling out the prizes they promise, each one grander than the next, and easy as pie to win: exotic visions that promise endless satisfaction of desires, enormously valuable jewels and objet’s d’art for virtually nothing, and endless illusions to draw the eye away from the seediness and underlying, almost frenetic despair permeating the air….

Yes, indeed, the political scene here in America has always reminded me of a carnival, and the events and activities that prompt my impression of the election as an illusionary device, designed to fool the public into thinking that things will change if they vote, has never been stronger than it is now. I have hope that by voting against the obviously evil side of the campaign, the overall effect on the immediate future will be mitigated to some degree. But, I can find within me very little hope that the eventual outcome is in doubt, and that outcome is not one that anyone is going to like…. at all.

My optimism is fairly natural to me; I’ve always been a hopeful kind of person, and I continue to hold hope that mankind’s future will extend beyond this century, groundless as it may be. My pessimism, unfortunately, has the advantage of having the most evidence in it’s favor right now, even if Obama wins the election, as I expect he will. He is only one man, and the course of human events is very difficult to change once it is headed in a particular direction. My hope is based on the wish that more than just he will learn to make the inner changes needed for us all to survive the storms that are coming…. a slim hope, yes, but hey, it happens to be all we’ve got…..
__________________________________

I seem to have gotten stuck today, harping on the same general issue in both of the prose sections. This is no doubt the result of the intense mind-control I have now assumed, in order to keep from going stark raving mad….. That severe control is causing some stilted thought patterns, falling into short, but seemingly endless loops…. I suppose I will have to sacrifice a standard or two today, in order to clear the internal censors…. but, that is simple enough. I’m human, and temporarily setting aside standards is pretty simple for us, as a rule….

Besides, I have to decide on whether to write a poem, or find one, and that can be a decision of some magnitude, depending on, well, stuff…. stuff that isn’t always clear, to me, or for me… so the decision is made more tedious, as it were…. and I’m babbling now, so I’m going to put a stop to this, with some ruthless use of the power of will…. just watch me, I’m going to stop typing any moment now, and you’ll see…. keep a sharp eye out, or you’ll miss it….  Oops, there you see, all done…. did you catch it?….. I’m just happy there’s no blood…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

In defense of inconvenient innuendo….

Posted on by
1

10/20/12, aka 10/21/12 ~~ Time, or the labeling of same, is mine to dictate, so, today is tomorrow…. the missing day is banished from memory. So Be It….

Ffolkes,
It seems my unconscious mind has taken a hand in directing my conscious life as well…. but, in this case, it seems to work fairly well, all in all, so I’m going to leave it alone for the time being. I know that sound mysterious, but saying this precisely this way is merely withholding details that would be unenlightening, and at the same time, counter-productive to discussion. Suffice it to say that I am here now, sitting down to write, with more than average clarity, and a degree of unusual comfort…. Thank goodness for coffee, eh?……

I know, I know, that was a less than illuminating paragraph, but, believe me, you really don’t want any more details, so let’s just get on with our regular business, shall we? Suffice it to say that this is a case where you need to trust me, you don’t want to know any more than you do now…. So, you may as well give it up, because I ain’t talking…. Well, I wouldn’t be, but this IS the intro section, and I have to say SOMETHING….

I could point out that, here at Exploring Consensual Reality, you do get more respect…. I could have skipped the above two paragraphs entirely, and not even mentioned the new schedule changes, thus avoiding inadvertently letting out TMI, but figured that my readers are too smart, and might notice something…. so, I figure it’s better to just mention it in passing, rather than try to fool you all into a false sense of complacency. Such a condition is anathema to me, and I refuse to create it in others, if at all possible…. I’d rather create a small bit of confusion, than a great deal of it….

With all that being said, and so cheerfully, we should probably get on with the search for pearls; it promises to be somewhat of a hard line search, as I am starting off with zero to work with (as might have been surmised by this intro, and it’s obvious stretching of ingredients…). This will be posted from the library again, as it is that time of the month when my available cash is scarce…. Until we can get to that point, though, we need to find some pearls…. so, shall we Pearl?…..

“It’s OKAY — I’m an INTELLECTUAL, too.” — Zippy the Pinhead
__________________________________

Okay, so there I was, cruising through Smart Bee, and these little gems popped up. Each one tempted me to begin a rant, or a discussion, but, none of them completely grabbed my attention enough to do the trick. They are all much too valuable to throw out, so I had this idea to include them as a “new-school” pearl….. Y’all can take the ideas herein described, and formulate them into your own pearl of virtual wisdom…. there is plenty here to work with; I’ve used many similar pearls myself to create unforgettable rants, or brilliantly funny forays into nonsense. (Sure I have….. trust me….)

“The correct way to punctuate a sentence that starts: “Of course it is none of my business, but –” is to place a period after the word “but.” Don’t use excessive force in supplying such a moron with a period. Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

“In certain trying circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity furnishes a relief denied even to prayer.” — Mark Twain

“In regard to disagreeable and formidable things, prudence does not consist in evasion, or in flight, but in courage. He who wishes to walk in the most peaceful parts of life with any serenity must screw himself up to resolution. Let him front the object of his worst apprehension, and his stoutness will commonly make his fear groundless” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, _Essays_, Prudence

“I figure that if God actually does exist, He’s big enough to understand an honest difference of opinion.”  – Isaac Asimov

“There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but there  ain’t no way to make the cat enjoy it.” — Jed Clampett

“Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by dozens.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xii, Apology for Raimond Sebond

“Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

So, you should find it reasonably simple to do the same yourselves (creating a pearl, that is, not wearing plaid…) …. and if not, well, they are all fairly strong stand-alone dribbles of good advice/good observations, so you aren’t completely without recourse…. No refunds, though, we’re not completely without shame…. Remember, you get what you pay for in this world, right? TANSTAAFL….. (for the uninitiated, that is, There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch….)
__________________________________

Choosing a Theme

Powerful words playing hide and seek in my mind,
teasing with subtle cruelty, pretending to be kind.
Grand visions and flowery verses of beauty and truth
evaded my inner eye all through the days of my youth.

Affable interludes interspersed with allegorical wit
softened the crimes, against all reason, to finally acquit.
Time became at once an enemy, and an ally
Never once compelled to provide an answer why.

Giving gifts of simple kindness are their own pay,
spreading ripples of compassion are felt far and away.
Love given freely is precious, we are ever told,
increasing love received, more than a hundred fold.

Living long and with passion has centered my soul,
allowing me room, and time, to choose my own goal.
Now that I’ve gone past any need to pretend
I love everything in life, even knowing it will end.

~~ gigoid
__________________________________

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

— Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) — Just So Stories (1902) “The Elephant’s Child”

I first read the phrase “feeding the Elephant’s Child” in a Robert Heinlein novel, many years ago, and enjoyed it as a metaphor for reading/learning, before I knew from whence it originally came. Once I did know (a moment of illumination whose exact placement in time is hazy….), I liked it even more, from an aesthetic standpoint. The above little ditty is brilliant doggerel, astute observation, and deep insight, all presented in a simple, straightforward style, with a powerful, basic lesson for any would-be philosopher, or any one who wishes to encompass reason as their modus operandi, so to speak. Besides which, I find that another piece of Bob’s advice fits well with this one, to wit: “Life tastes better in big bites….”

“Never wear anything that panics the cat.” — P. J. O’Rourke

I like this, a lot. It summarizes perhaps one of the most elemental rules of getting along in the Universe, in essence saying, “You can learn a lot by watching what happens around you…” It is the perfect companion to the concept of learning as presented above, as it contrives to speak to both sides of Reality, i.e., how you approach reality (the clothing you choose to show to the cat….) and how reality will change to react to your approach (the cat’s opinion of your clothing….) It also gives one a subtle warning about how the wrong clothing can produce unwanted consequences, and we all know how an offended cat is likely to respond…. as Mark Twain once remarked…. “A man who carries a cat by the tail is learning valuable things. He will never again be dim or doubtful. Chances are he’ll not carry the cat that way again, but, I say, if he wants to, let him!”  You can’t say fairer than that….

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” — Buddha

One can always trust the Buddha to state the most profound thoughts in the simplest way…. I often wonder how he came to such a complete understanding of Murphy, whose presence is acknowledged in all of what the Buddha stated, but whose ministrations seem to have passed by the Buddha’s existence…. either that, or Murphy shows him a lot more respect than he does anyone else alive. At times, it seems that what the Buddha states, such as in this statement, is, in at least one respect, an answer to a question that is raised when Murphy intervenes in our lives…. in simpler words, he explains why Murphy is able to affect us as he does, by cutting through the bullshite we perceive to the truth of what is real….. SIGH…. one of these days, enlightenment will slap me upside the head, and I’ll be able to see Murphy coming…. I hope…

There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.” — Bob Dylan

Often I feel as if not only is life a joke, but it is our duty and purpose on this plane of existence to codify that joke, to put it down on paper, or on screen/disc, to free ourselves from the prison of sobriety, achieving an understanding that everything in this silly universe is here for our amusement, and we have been taking it, and ourselves, seriously for entirely too long….. So seriously, we have begun to offend those parts of the universe that just want us to relax and enjoy ourselves, and the time is growing nearer when we will have to admit that the joke is on us, for not being able to change our inner selves enough to be able to handle the humor of our situation…. See, the universe thinks death is funny…. not because it is cruel, but because death is just another part of life, and it doesn’t care about one more than the other…. See, now, isn’t it funny how you never noticed that?…..

I once read a science fiction novel, whose title and author escape me completely; in all it was very poorly written, with prose that did not live up to the good ideas contained in the plot line. However, it was a great plot line, in all….Specifically, there was one chapter I liked, which had a super-genius taking on the task of finding the solution to a mathematical treatise, an equation so complex and advanced that no civilization in the galaxy had ever been able to completely solve it.

The genius/hero of the book shut himself up in his room for three weeks, working on the problem. At the end, he was thinking so hard he entered a trance-like state, computing while nearly dead…. after a week of this, he suddenly opened his eyes, gave a look of astonishment, and burst into uncontrollable laughter for approximately 25 minutes. When he could finally control himself, he simply said, “It’s a joke….” and would never discuss it again….

In a pearl such as this one has grown to be, there comes a time when I have to decide whether to continue on, to try to reach the conclusion that was nebulously hovering somewhere in my mind as I began, or to admit that I have once again wandered into uncharted territory, and might find it a bit tricky to find my way back to clarity. This is that time…. and I’m leaving it up to Smart Bee, as always…. If I don’t find a proper pearl to carry on the tenuous chain of thought I’ve created, then we’ll take the first one that will appropriately wrap it up as a lost cause….. all within a specified number of attempts…. so, here we go… You’ll know in a moment what will happen….

“In a word, neither death, nor exile, nor pain, nor anything of this kind is the real cause of our doing or not doing any action, but our inward opinions and principles.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap xi

There, see?…. That didn’t take long at all…. and I managed to find the perfect pearl to cover both bases…. In this case, we will use it as an ending quote, since it sort of summarizes a lot of the discussion, after a fashion. It could conceivably also be used as a springboard for further discussion, but this has gone on long enough, and I wouldn’t want to lose anybody due to an injudicious application of excess verbiage, culminating in tedium…. Of course, we may have reached that point some time ago, but, hey, who’s counting?…. Any who, I hope you enjoyed this little foray into not very much….  🙂
__________________________________

Well, there you have it…. Yesterday, or recently, I said, in a poem, “All you can do, is all you can do… and nothing more.” I’ve done all I can do today…. A couple thousand words, mostly all original, an old-school pearl, a new-school pearl, a poem…. it’s going to take me some time to close all the veins I’ve had to open up this morning…. but, it was worth it. It kept me from considering Reality for quite some time, other than as an objective subject for thought, so, that is a good thing…. and, it has the added positive characteristic of being DONE…. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing this one…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Insert non-standard cliche here…..

Posted on by
1

Ffolkes,

The following is the post that was intended for posting yesterday, October 18th; it was written in time, but Reality intruded to prevent me from getting to an internet access point before the end of the day…. ah well, twice in a year and a half isn’t bad…. Enjoy, and I’ll do my best to see that I get posted tomorrow as well…
Wild horses, I swore, are not getting me up early again…. but, that was before the silly beasts started in with their neighing at scream volume, and pounding hoof beats. And what is with the ropes and shit, dragging my butt onto the floor?….. Any way you look at it, I lose, it seems…. At least today, I made it to 0700 before having to give up and get up, once more in the grip of sleeplessness, and more going on in the head than I care for this early…. Ah well, I’ve had it thoroughly drilled into my awareness that Murphy gives not a sh__, er, whit for what I care for, or about…. So, off I’ll go, into Pearl land, seeking, as always, excellence and enlightenment….

Yesterday, I read a pearl, in passing, that said something like, “You know you’re getting old when…. reading the obituaries is like reading a high school yearbook….” A bit grim, I know…. but, it reminded me that such events are catching up to me, as more of my peers, from high school, and beyond, are starting to bite the dust with alarming regularity….. And, in today’s day and age, other calamities can strike without warning, bringing sorrow and fear with them….

One of my friends, the wife of my oldest friend (we’ve known each other 52 years now, since grade school, and they’ve been married for over 23 years….), was very recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and will be having a double mastectomy on Friday, I believe…. My friend, of course, is very upset and afraid, though he is holding up well; he is an honorable man, and intends to be strong for his mate….. The prognosis for the surgery is good, as they caught it early-on, and have found no traces of spreading into the lymph system yet; this type of cancer has a very good survival rate, when caught at this stage, so we are all hopeful those statistics hold true….

So, any who, I only mention this so I can ask for you to send out good thoughts and, if you are so inclined, prayers for her good deliverance during surgery, and for many more years of sparkling (she’s good at that….). I’m not sure where the surgery is being done, so if you would just send them toward Northern California, I’ll make sure they get to the right vicinity…. thanks very much, she deserves, and needs, all the help she can get…. as can my friend….

Well, there’s a way to get the old juices flowing….. bring on a spate of tears, and the old metabolism just jumps right up into work mode… a bit harsh, though, I think, to have to put one’s self through that to find a muse…. But, then, when have we ever done things normally around here? That’s correct, that answer would be…. never…. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

Herein you will find a recipe for Life Well-Lived….. the first ingredient is illustrated here:

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

— Tao Te Ching

The second ingredient needed to add to the first is here:

Hug O’ War

I will not play at tug o’ war.
I’d rather play at hug o’ war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

— Shel Silverstein

When these two parts are smoothly integrated into a malleable state, add this:

“I was standing in the kitchen one day, fixing a sandwich or something, when suddenly I heard a very distinct “sneeze” emanate from the fridge. Naturally curious, I opened the door and scrutinized the various food items. Suddenly, the mayonnaise began to scream, “The ketchup did it! The ketchup!” Of course, I was stunned. This, after all, was an inanimate object. And, truthfully, to this very day, I’ve never been able to coax the ketchup to say or do anything and have concluded the sneeze was my own imagination.” — Smart Bee

At this point, nearly uncontrollable giggles should emanate from either the substance being mixed, or from the mixer; both are a good omen for the success of the dish…. Now we can add the fourth ingredient, as below:

“The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with the qualifications for adaptation, the ability to accept the inevitable and conform to the unavoidable, to harmonize with existing or changing conditions.” — Dave E. Smalley

As any good chef or artiste knows, harmony comes, strangely enough, in odd numbers…. and thus with this final ingredient, blended well with what has gone before, you will find yourself in the presence of true beauty and grace…. This is a two-medium ingredient, textual/conceptual and visual….. (picture by Carol Welsh, from her blog at WordPress, here: http://carolwelsh.wordpress.com/  )

“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living…. and above all, those who live without Love.” — Albus Dumbledore, from J.K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows”
__________________________________

I had no time to hate, because
The grave would hinder me,
And life was not so ample I
Could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love, but since
Some industry must be,
The little toil of love, I thought,
Was large enough for me.

~~ Emily Dickinson
__________________________________

Here are some examples of the astounding depths of Stupid that can manifest in humans……

“The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” — Pat Robertson, Man of God and serious Republican presidential aspirant, in a letter to supporters
(My calculator broke when I tried to count how many wrong things there are in this statement…..)

“Trees cause more pollution than cars ever did.” — Ronald Reagan
(I had a hard time believing he actually said this in 1982, or thereabouts, but, there it was, right there in the newspaper…. and, in the annals of history, as it remains as the record for the stupidest thing ever said by a US President…. though Ronnie’s VP, Gerry Ford, later made some valiant attempts to break it, during his own stint in the Oval Office….)

Where Mind and each believing mind are not divided,
And undivided are each believing mind and Mind,
This is where words fail;
For it is not for the past, present, and future.

— Seng-T’San (540?-606 A.D.)
(Actually, this may not be stupid…. but I can’t tell for sure, because it is so opaque, and hides its meaning so deeply in complexity, it sounds stupid…..and is therefore subject to the Duck Test…. i.e., if it quacks, etc……)

“Facts can be used to prove anything that’s even remotely true. Facts, shmacts!” — Homer Simpson
(Come to think of it, ANYTHING Homer says could be included here…. I regard Homer to be the absolute incarnation of Human Stupidity, and thoroughly regret his popularity, though it doesn’t surprise me at all….)

Kinsey: “Oh, please. Given the chance, half of all American citizens won’t even vote, and the half that do vote are too stupid to know what they’re doing.” — from Stargate
(I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that, if you heard it on TV, it must be true…. or, in this case, be a pretty clear reflection of society….)

This kind of search, for pearls of real stupidity, as opposed to their opposites, is a slow one… Not that there are fewer examples of this kind of thing available, but, Smart Bee tends to lean toward the other end of the spectrum, keeping and displaying the most valuable and elegant aphorisms uttered through the ages, rather than these demonstrations of humanity’s other talents. So, here is a last example, which will, no doubt, be welcomed with open arms…. Just remember not to use these as Pearls Of Virtual Wisdom, or for goodness’ sake, real wisdom…. I won’t be responsible for the outcome….

I met a fool i’ the forest,
A motley fool.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), As You Like It — Act ii, Sc. 7
(In this case, what we see is a double dose of stupid…. one, what is written…. and two, all the fools who fall all over themselves to say that Shakespeare was so wonderful…. when what he was, was the best hack of his time, with a good PR man…. People still fall for this crap!…..)
__________________________________

You may have noted a certain lack of original material in today’s Pearl…. which is not surprising, given my current state of mind….. It was all I could do to come up with commentary for this morning’s efforts, as I’m still a bit groggy from the hour, and quite empty of anything but the barest skepticism, my constant companion…. On days like these, I depend on Smart Bee, and the wisdom of others to carry me through this process, trusting that routine, of sorts, will produce an acceptable group of pearls. All in all, I don’t think I did too badly, and, as is the standard rule here, it’s done, and it’s not getting done over…. So be it…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Orders to cease and resist….

Posted on by
4

Ffolkes,
Damn, damn, damn….. say it rapidly enough, and almost any frustration is, if not eased, at least properly expressed….. In this case it is my reaction to being up again at 0630. I have no idea why I’m up this early again, unless it is a physical reaction, somehow, to all the heat we’re having around here. It is the middle of October, almost a full month into autumn, and the temperature today is predicted to be near 90 degrees F. There is no fog outside to cool things off, so it is not a typical summer pattern; it is more like a stalled high pressure system sitting over the state that traps the heat, burdening us with weather that brings to mind tropical islands, swaying grass skirts, and drinks with umbrellas…..

Whatever the cause, I am up, and too awake to persuade myself to go back to sleep…. so, I’m here courting inspiration, hoping the poem I’ve felt percolating for some time will come to light…. Oops, don’t want to spook it away by talking about it…. any who, what to do, what to do….. hmmm, how’s this?…. I found this last night, thought it might come in handy, and sure enough….. Here is a bit of deeper information on an old nemesis….

I often lament in this space the ubiquitous presence of Murphy…. In order to get full appreciation of just how much he messes with me, of course, one would have to walk in my shoes…. but then how would I get anywhere? No, I’ll keep my shoes, thanks…. However, let me just say, I hate his guts, sincerely, and hope such negativity so early doesn’t darken your day….. Nonetheless, I like to help people understand his far-reaching asininity, so here is some information on the origins of Murphy’s Law, as cobbled together by the editors of Smart Bee, and the on-line Hacker Jargon File….

:Finagle’s Law: n.  The generalized or `folk’ version of {Murphy’s Law}, fully named “Finagle’s Law of Dynamic Negatives” and usually rendered “Anything that can go wrong, will”.  May have been first published by Francis P. Chisholm in his 1963 essay “The Chisholm Effect”, later reprinted in the classic anthology “A Stress Analysis Of A Strapless Evening Gown: And Other Essays For A Scientific Eye” (Robert Baker ed, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-852608-7).

The label `Finagle’s Law’ was popularized by SF author Larry Niven in several stories depicting a frontier culture of asteroid miners; this `Belter’ culture professed a religion and/or running joke involving the worship of the dread god Finagle and his mad prophet Murphy.  Some technical and scientific cultures (e.g., paleontologists) know it under the name `Sod’s Law’; this usage may be more common in Great Britain.

One variant favored among hackers is “The perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum” (but see also {Hanlon’s Razor}). — from The on-line Hacker Jargon File V423

Well, there you have it…. all the latest on our old pal Murphy, and the great god Finagle…. HAH! The asshole…. may his lips become close through the efforts of super-glue…. Given the early hour, perhaps you will excuse my lack of taste and impulse control…. I’m thinking at this point it is most likely the best idea if we just give up on achieving any real coherency, and go on to diving…. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“I share the belief of many of my contemporaries that the spiritual crisis pervading all spheres of Western industrial society can be remedied only by a change in our world view. We shall have to shift from the materialistic, dualistic belief that people and their environment are separate, toward a new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality, which embraces the experiencing ego, a reality in which people feel their oneness with animate nature and all of creation.” — Dr. Albert Hoffman

Dr. Hoffman (I suspect a Ph.D. here, or, at best, a Doctor of Divinity….) (and certainly not THE Doctor….. you know, the one with the Tardis ….)  has made a very astute observation, and a clear statement. However, it is constructed, and presented, in such a way that 99% of the people who need to know this will fall asleep by the end of the first sentence…. and anyone who makes it to the part that says “new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality” will certainly lose any remaining interest in a flash….

The people who most need to understand this are people the good doctor does not comprehend, for to them, “oneness” comes only with the involvement of beer cans…..or Vaseline…. In order to throw off a materialistic, dualistic belief system, one needs to have the basic ability to understand what that is, and the average human, busy with life, has no time or inclination to think about their belief system in those terms, or at all, for that matter….. Much less have they any investment in whether or not it is dualistic; they deal with it just is the way it is, without any thoughts as to its structure….

“It is your resistance to ‘what is’ that causes your suffering.” — Buddha

The point related here by Buddha is also very astute, and in a way, offers support to the statement above. One of the problems with the idea of humanity changing its basic world view is that we, as a species, have learned to cope with things, as they are, in ways that may not be moral, or ethical, but are very effective in terms of allowing those who use these methods to have their way, thus reinforcing their desire to continue doing things their way. This means that, no matter how logical, or true, a new, different way of doing things may be, no matter how morally or ethically superior, people aren’t going to want to use them, unless it appeals to their own self interest, and rewards them somehow for giving up their old ways…. Difficult to do when it takes away all their power over others….. a very addictive bonus in the old method of coping….

Thus, we see that these people, who learn to love power, deal with their suffering by attempting to change “what is” to suit their own preferences. That others allow them to do so is, to me, one of Life’s great mysteries; I suppose it can be attributed to human stupidity, but I hate to be so simplistic, and would rather think it is either cowardice or cupidity. Neither is more attractive, as a reason, or as an excuse, but at least they place the blame where it belongs.  In the larger picture, humankind does not present a very pretty aspect, because our history is rife with examples of how people who know better give in to people who just don’t care.

Hell, our entire system of government, if you look at it dispassionately, can be described as one where the greatest number allows the least number to dominate, merely on the basis of how well they can tell lies…. and it is also set up to reward those who lie, cheat, and steal from their society mates, with the full approval of those mates. Doesn’t make a lot of sense when one looks at it from that direction, does it?

I’m afraid I stumbled into a deep discussion, before my mind was fully prepared to deal with it…. this subject deserves a much more detailed examination, with some expanded reasoning and discussion. But, this morning isn’t the time to do that, as I am already in a small corner, and can’t seem to find a good route back out into the middle. So, we will leave this here, with a pearl that, if nothing else, will provide you with a path out of this morass back into the realms of reason…. as well as giving a hint of how some of us deal with the intransigence of the majority of society….

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me.   If I find them tolerable,  I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them.  I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” — Professor Bernardo de la Paz

In the infamous words of the Governator, “I’ll be back….”
__________________________________

Ah, there it is….. I knew it was in there somewhere…..

Raging at Aging

As old as you feel, we are told, is old as you are,
custom assures such vision will carry us far.
Reality begs to differ, may it be so bold
it is really quite painful, and very, very cold.

The power and strength felt in our halcyon youth
desert us with age, yet another unwelcome truth.
Irony rules our time here on this bountiful earth
as we reflect the changes over time since our birth.

As physical powers fade from this fragile shell,
we learn our mind can serve us quite as well.
The strength that once filled our bones and hearts
is now applied by our will, to more arcane arts.

Life’s greatest gift is our freedom of choice
no matter how often we forget, we still get a voice.
Energy, or apathy, by our will we may choose,
failing to do so, our only way to lose.

Each of us lives in the grip of time and space,
always seeking our balance, our own chosen place.
One must accept reality, for it is true at the core,
all we can do, is all we can do, and nothing more.

~~ gigoid
__________________________________

I’m feeling a bit lazy this morning, (big surprise!….), so here is an old school pearl, loosely pointing at the value of individuality and self-expression…. with the usual bent toward taking responsibility for self…. In the interests of keeping that purpose foremost, remember this….

Hard work has a future. Laziness pays off now. — Bumper Sticker

See? All in the wrist….. enjoy!

I is the first letter of the alphabet, the first word of the language, the first thought of the mind, the first object of affection.  In grammar it is a pronoun of the first person and singular number.  Its plural is said to be _We_, but how there can be more than one myself is doubtless clearer the grammarians than it is to the author of this incomparable dictionary.  Conception of two myselfs is difficult, but fine.  The frank yet graceful use of “I” distinguishes a good writer from a bad; the latter carries it with the manner of a thief trying to cloak his loot. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” — Oscar Wilde

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.  With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Essays: First Series (1841) “Self-Reliance”

“I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” — Sir Winston Churchill

“I know a lot of people without brains who do an awful lot of talking.” — The Scarecrow, Wizard of Oz
(Oops! Busted!…..)

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” — Albert Einstein

Finally, in order to bring just the right touch of class and elegance to this process, I give you this most excellent finishing thought, to return you to the proper state of mindfulness necessary to getting on with the day…..

“My pants just went on a wild rampage through a Long Island Bowling Alley!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
__________________________________

Okay, well, they can’t all be masterpieces…. that would be a bit much to expect, don’t you think? Of course, we are in no danger here of ever being accused of that anyway…. but, we keep trying…. I’m not sure about y’all, but I’m done trying to think coherently for the day. I’m going to save the dark energy simmering in my mind, as my unconsciousness mind chews on the things in my life that are stressful, to let out on some telemarketer, or a bureaucratic bozo who manages to get through my phone screening system…. they generally deserve it, or are at least accustomed to hearing it…. or maybe I’ll go read a newspaper’s front page, to get an idea on how close we are getting to the Apocalypse….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Elements of improbable style…..

Posted on by
2

Ffolkes,
Unknown random thoughts awoke me early today, and I have yet to pin them down sufficiently to see just why it was so bloody important for me to be up just now (0645…. that’s AM, in case the military time doesn’t compute….). I can’t see anything particularly in need of my attention, and I can’t believe my head got me up just to witness the very short power outage at 0642, which lasted all the way until 0643….. my assistance was not necessary, other than to re-program a couple of clocks, which could have been done later.

Considering my retired state, and the fact that I don’t HAVE to get up at all, should I so wish, whatever reason I’ve been summoned awake at this hour is insulting, not to say a bit tiring….. and if it was merely to set the clocks, then I need to have a serious discussion with my unconscious mind; it’s getting a bit out of whack with reality, and what is important.  But, hey, I’m up, so I may as well begin the Beguine…. so to speak. (And, boy, did I just date myself there!…..) (Of course, I MAY be the only one left alive who knows the song, so…. I might be safe….)

Much of today’s Pearl was written last night, as Smart Bee presented me at that time with a plethora of quotes with which to work. In addition to the fine group of them that centered on my usual topics, I also found this one, which relates to a post I made some weeks ago; that post, it turns out, was a pivotal post, as it seems to somehow have attracted a large number of new readers to my blog, many of which have begun to follow it, to my delight and surprise.

That post, the title of which escapes me (as they all do, since I don’t bother to make them logical, or indicative of content….) spoke in the intro section about fish sauce, and its importance in society….. That post has become the most widely read post I ever wrote, with well over 30 Likes, and a number of comments….. Fish sauce struck a chord, somehow, with a LOT of people, it seems…. Any who, the following may shed light on just why it turned out to be so popular…..

“SAUCE, n.  The one infallible sign of civilization and enlightenment. A people with no sauces has one thousand vices; a people with one sauce has only nine hundred and ninety-nine.  For every sauce invented and accepted a vice is renounced and forgiven.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

I find this to be somewhat comforting, all in all, as it lends to the concept of civilization a somewhat elegant veneer. Little did I, or any other historian or scholar, for that matter, realize just how intrinsic to the inner nature of society Sauces really are…. I do know that the world would be a darker, sadder place without gravy, especially Country Gravy, and who can deny the socially redeeming value of a good Hollandaise? Then, of course, there is fish sauce, without which our society would never have arisen, lifted up from the culture of the caves to assume the grandeur of what it is now. We owe a lot to Sauces, and fish sauce is one of the grandest sauces ever conceived. I don’t know about y’all, but a fresh fish sauce just makes my toes curl in anticipation…. YUM!

Okay, now that is over, my medication is starting to take effect, so fish sauce stories will soon become impossible to write, much less explain later to the authorities…. It must be time to put all this aside, and get on with the scheduled program…. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

While searching for pearls for this morning, (as noted above, last evening would be more accurate…..) it seems as if Smart Bee wants me to take a few shots again at the political scene here in America…. almost all of what is coming up is pointed in that direction, and who am I to disparage Smart Bee?….. So, here are some pearls, some from political figures, some from philosophers, some from talking animals, and some from screenwriters…. maybe some others, too…. My comments will appear between pearls, to provide some direction….. if it can be called such….

Nick: “There are lots of things worse than movies: politicians, wars, forest fires, famine, plague, sickness, pain, warts, politicians…”
Jack: “You already mentioned them.”
Nick: “I know I did. They are twice as bad as anything else.”

— The Last Action Hero

Years ago fairy tales all began with “Once upon a time…”, now we know they all begin with, “If I am elected…” — Carolyn Warner

These two pearls are such that just about every American can identify with, and that is just sad. Nobody in this country will argue with either of the above opinions, as expressed, because they know there is just too much evidence proving them to be true. Deciding for whom to vote is no longer a matter of examining and comparing the candidates’ positions on various issues, but rather a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. And, as Jerry Garcia once pointed out, “The lesser of two evils is still evil….”  We will know that things are changing if ever someone hears this kind of joke, and objects….

“I have never been hurt by anything I didn’t say.” — Calvin Coolidge

It is really too bad that more politicians don’t take what Calvin said to heart. In fact, it seems that Mr. Romney has not only NOT listened to this advice, but has actually gone in the other direction; just about every time he opens his mouth to speak, he says something that he later regrets. This is not merely my opinion…. just look at the news every day, and you will find yet another example of how poorly qualified he is to speak in public.

“Ah say, son, you’re about as sharp as a bowlin’ ball.” — Foghorn Leghorn

The saddest and most disheartening part of it is two-fold; one, in his bowling ball state, he believes that, merely because he wants to be President, he should be allowed to be President…..

“Faith:  not wanting to know what is true.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900)

Second, there are millions of IDIOTS, wallowing in their faith, who actually listen to him, and nod their doltish heads in agreement as he spouts off again…. They do this without ever pausing to consider whether or not what he says is true, because he has appealed to their basic fears, their bigotry and racism. It’s quite pathetic, when viewed dispassionately…. and what is true gets lost in the shuffle…

“Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do.” — President Ronald Reagan

“Poor dear, there’s nothing between his ears.” — Margaret Thatcher, — about Ronald Reagan, in the 6/2/88 issue of The New York Times

But, the idiocy we see in Romney’s acolytes is actually comprehensible when one considers that these are the same fools who thought Reagan was a saint, when in actuality, as the above statement shows, he was not only a fool, but a vicious, narcissistic fool, who didn’t care at all that what he said was absolutely false, as long as it served his purpose. To make such an ignorant statement as the above shows me not only that he hates Americans, but has no respect for them, or for their innate intelligence…. not to mention his cluelessness re: his own lack of IQ points….

“If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” — Thumper (1942)

Ronnie, and now, Mitt the Twitt, will never understand what Thumper said; they probably think that there is nothing to learn from a cartoon rabbit. While Thumper’s mom obviously has a compassionate nature, and some common sense, these men simply cannot comprehend how a metaphor can apply to them. Of course, I’m fairly certain that neither Romney, nor Reagan, could have defined the word “metaphor”, much less understand how it might apply to them. They just don’t care enough about anyone else for that kind of insight to ever occur in their insulated little world of delusion….

“No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the Legislature is in  session.” — Lysander Spooner

Here is another pearl whose very existence is telling. The very fact that someone can say this at all implies that it is a foregone conclusion, that it is such a truism that there is no argument whenever such criticisms are leveled. Everyone knows about this, but, like the weather, nobody ever does anything about it…..

“Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its one sure defense.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), Notebook, 1888

Thus, the final line explains the process of creating Pearls of Virtual Wisdom; they are my inadequate but sincere attempt to defend the liberties that are threatened by these political assholes who want to get rid of the basic rights our forefathers procured for us. If I can make one person laugh, or stop to consider what I’ve said, then I’ve achieved my basic purpose…. which is more than can be said for many of my undertakings. I can only hope that by doing so, I can, in some small way, contribute to the dispersal of the truth about the congenital liars and thieves who are currently trying to usurp this country, and send us back to the dark ages….. And we all know who is behind them, don’t we?…..

:Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.” — Ambrose Bierce: “The Devil’s Dictionary”
__________________________________

I’ve sat and stared at the screen for about a half-hour or so now, and nothing seems to be gelling, at least, not into anything remotely resembling poetry…. SIGH…. I suppose this means we’ll have to settle for something classic this morning….. such a burden!…..  🙂  Ah yes…. after so much reality, a bit of fantasy, from one of the Romantics….

Faery Songs

I.
Shed no tear! oh, shed no tear!
The flower will bloom another year.
Weep no more! oh, weep no more!
Young buds sleep in the root’s white core.
Dry your eyes! oh, dry your eyes!
For I was taught in Paradise
To ease my breast of melodies,–
Shed no tear.

Overhead! look overhead!
‘Mong the blossoms white and red–
Look up, look up! I flutter now
On this fresh pomegranate bough.
See me! ’tis this silvery bill
Ever cures the good man’s ill.
Shed no tear! oh, shed no tear!
The flower will bloom another year.
Adieu, adieu — I fly — adieu!
I vanish in the heaven’s blue,–
Adieu, adieu!

II.
Ah! woe is me! poor silver-wing!
That I must chant thy lady’s dirge,
And death to this fair haunt of spring,
Of melody, and streams of flowery verge,–
Poor silver-wing! ah! woe is me!
That I must see
These blossoms snow upon thy lady’s pall!
Go, pretty page! and in her ear
Whisper that the hour is near!
Softly tell her not to fear
Such calm favonian burial!
Go, pretty page! and soothly tell,–
The blossoms hang by a melting spell,
And fall they must, ere a star wink thrice
Upon her closed eyes,
That now in vain are weeping their last tears,
At sweet life leaving, and these arbours green,–
Rich dowry from the Spirit of the Spheres,
Alas! poor Queen!

John Keats
__________________________________

Since I used an old school pearl format above to take some shots at the political spectrum, I thought this would be a good spot for a bit of the same sport with my other favorite whipping boy…. religion, and the folks who like to fiddle around with it….. This time, I’ll leave the pearls to their own devices, and allow your minds to meander among them as you would, picking out the choicest pieces for perusal…. Enjoy!…

“You believe God created you in one day? Yeah, looks like a rush job…” — Smart Bee

“Instead of striving to be like Jesus most Christians would rather presume that Jesus was just like them.” — Callan Williams

Instead of being born again, why not just grow up? — Smart Bee

Born again? No thanks, I was born right the first time…. — Bumper Snicker

Born again? Mom said, NO WAY!…. — Smart Bee

“One Galileo in two thousand years is enough.” — Pope Pius XII
(Shows how brave they are, eh? And how worried about people who can actually think….)

God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM. — Exodus 3:14
(So…. God is Popeye…. who knew?….)

That is most likely enough for one day. I imagine pearls such as this one tend to drag my karmic burden a little further into the gutter, but, I can’t resist….. We, as humans, have a lot of payback coming when it comes to religion, and all the shit it has heaped on us humans in the last 5000 years….. I’m just getting some of mine back early, that’s all….
__________________________________

I’ll take it. Sometimes, the best policy is to just take the money and run. Since I know for a fact that no money will be changing hands today, I’m proceeding directly to the running part…. I’ve always found myself to be a more difficult target when I’m running….  I do hope you’ve enjoyed today’s efforts; I’d be crushed if you didn’t…. well, sort of crushed….. Any who, y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Such beauty lives without shame….

Posted on by
4

Ffolkes,
I love rice. I do. It is so versatile as a food…. it can be eaten as a side dish, complementing an entree item. Add some sauce and veggies, meat, and cheese to it, and you have a lovely risotto. Dress it with a vinaigrette and some garden specialties, and you’ve got a cold salad for an afternoon lawn event. If you enjoy the nutty flavor of a good rice, it can be eaten as is, too….. And, I am sick to death of it…. I know now why so many folks in the throes of poverty use it so much, along with beans, and pasta…..

A little of it goes a long way to stretch other foods, it’s cheap, compared to many other staples, and it takes longer for the family to get tired of it, as long as one is creative in the kitchen…. But, I swear, when I can afford more food, rice will go to the bottom of the list, merely because I am so incensed at having to eat it every day to stay alive, and not giving in to the temptation to steal…. It is surprising, perhaps, to realize how quickly one’s ethics and morals can be put aside when one is hungry and angry….. bad combination, I can attest….

Ah well, life could be worse, I’m sure…. It could be that I couldn’t afford the rice, and had to subsist on beans… Now, THAT would be tragic,  not to mention the danger to the public…. I mean, I already have a pretty heavy reaction, methane gas-wise, when I consume beans… even refried beans can cause some serious toots. If I am forced to eat more beans, I’m not sure the walls of this apartment will stand up to the volume under pressure that is engendered in my bowels by vegetable protein…. and the effect of both the noise and the odoriferous output on my neighbors is bound to be considerable, given that I would have very little control over when such outbreaks would occur….. It could turn into a Keystone Kops type event in a flash…..

So, I try to stick to pasta and rice for my staple starches. It’s best for everyone if I do…. Hmmm…. I just realized, in reading back over this morning’s introductory remarks, that I may have strayed into the TMI category….. not everyone thinks body functions are funny…. Nurses do, for sure, and healthcare workers of any kind can develop such a basic appreciation for the less public aspects of our physical processes….. The rest of society, however, seems to have an objection to body fluids, and the humor they can provide….

I noticed this difference once when I had surgery, to remove a piece of evil from my midsection…. After abdominal surgery of any kind, the first thing the doctor and nurses want to see happen is for the intestines to resume function; this is indicated by the build-up, and passage of gas. Thus, it becomes a point of interest, and even enthusiasm, when the nurse is first informed of any such activity by a surgical patient… in other words, nurses are the only group people who get happy and enthused to learn that people are farting…. Kinda get ya, right here, doesn’t it?….. (points at his heart….)

Okay, that’s enough fart humor for one day, such as it is…. It doesn’t affect me negatively at all, having been privy to its charm for many years from my nursing experiences, but I know that it can affect others detrimentally. I’ve been informed of such by many folks, just before they storm out of a room in high dudgeon, miffed because the conversation turned to phlegm, or other such delightful substances that the human body is wont to produce at times. Silly humans…..

I have a feeling I had best get on with the normal business of the day, before there isn’t anyone left to read it….. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of confusion and bamboozle requires intelligence, vigilance, dedication and courage.  But if we don’t practice these tough habits of thought, we cannot hope to solve the truly serious problems that face us — and we risk becoming a nation of suckers, up for grabs by the next charlatan who comes along.” — Carl Sagan, “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection,” Parade, February 1, 1987

Unfortunately, Baloney Detectors became out of style….. No one listened to Carl, and we are STILL recovering from exactly what he pointed out could happen. As soon as Clinton left office, after leaving the first budget surplus ever, Bush 1 took over and proceeded to give Reaganomics another try; the first time they hadn’t stolen quite as much as the figures showed they could, so they had to go back for all that money. Along the way, they jacked the budget deficit back up a couple trillion dollars, and turned it over to Shrub 2, who decided  to spend us completely into oblivion, starting two wars, all because he was covering for the crap his father pulled to keep his theft of the 2000 election out of public scrutiny….. Whew, sorry, didn’t realize there was so much indignation to pack into one paragraph summarizing the Republican meltdowns of the American economy…. which they continue to try to blame on anybody but themselves and the Bushes, much less Saint Ronnie….. the asshole….

Don’t forget, I knew Ronnie before he got to the Presidency…. he was governor when I went to college….  I was one of the ones he was talking about when he made the remarks regarding turning student protests into blood baths…. Mind you, these were PEACE protests, against the war in Vietnam….. I was there when he and his oh-so-sweet wife Nancy made their undisguised play for their chain of facilities to garner a monopoly on the mental healthcare market, by changing the laws to turn mental patients out of the state hospitals, back to their counties, where the facilities owned by the Reagan demons were the only available places to put them…. In case you wondered, they were called Heavenly Manor I believe, and the state-registered owner of record was Nancy Reagan…. even though her husband started, supported, and signed bills to try to make it happen…. No nepotism there at all, eh?….

I never trusted Reagan, ever since he got out-acted by that ape in that movie back in the 40’s where he was the world’s most unconvincing college student (well, his ditziness in the role seemed to be an accurate display of character, but you know what I mean…. he just wasn’t very real, and looked like he was made of cardboard….) His actions as governor were clearly anti-American, and yet people for some reason loved him. It didn’t surprise me at all when it came out that his administration was one of the crookedest ever, and hid more from the public than even the rest of government was comfortable with….

None of this mentions how disastrous his economic policies were; you remember, don’t you?  Ronnie was fond of the term, “trickle down” theory, a policy he espoused in which, according to Ronnie’s strange math,  giving huge breaks to the richest would result in more money “trickling down” to the rest of society…. Well, guess what folks? It didn’t work, nor could it ever have worked, because there is no “trickle down” where it concerns money, and those who covet it…. they will hold on to every little bit they can, and cry for more if threatened….

I realize the view I am presenting is far different than what you might see in history books of the time, or even what some conservatives who idolize Reagan will want to remember, but none of what I’ve said is based on anything that I didn’t see happening myself; it’s all documented stuff, on the nightly news in somebody’s archives. What goes in the books is what all the folks in power decided to say happened, not what actually occurred.

If most folks knew, or even thought about, what actually happened for most of history, they would think they’d been lied to their entire lives…. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!   They HAVE!   It cracks me up, a little bit, when I’m done being sad, just how little truth is EVER told by those in positions of power over others in society. Lying and cheating are pre-requisite habits, and sheer  necessities, in getting into the positions they hold, and they aren’t about to stop once installed in office with the treasury keys in their pockets.

So, go ahead and believe, if you will, that the beloved ruling class, epitomized so darkly and accurately by the Republican Party in the last 40 years, is on your side, and is working hard to make your lives better…. They will go on stripping you of every freedom the founding fathers gave us, along with all your money, and your hope for a brighter future, because they DON’T CARE! Not about you, or anything that you believe; they care about themselves, and how much power they can accumulate in their lifetime.  They don’t even THINK about what it may cost anyone else…. they don’t consider anyone else’s benefit or interests, at all, ever….. And that is the truth, whether you can accept it or not…..

“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” — Walt Kelly, Potluck Pogo
__________________________________

In my poems, I am trying to get to a point where everything extraneous is stripped away, leaving only the most powerful words to portray my meaning…. I’m getting a bit better, but I’ve a way to go yet, to my way of looking at it, which, as we know, is all that matters, since I’m the one writing it…. I don’t know if I’ll ever be as good at it as I’d like…. but, the following poem, from Ogden Nash, certainly demonstrates the concept that I’m trying to get to…. If I can ever come even close to the sheer genius of this poem, I will be happy….

This was my dream;
I dreampt it.
I dreamed that my hair was kempt,
and my true love unkempt it.

— Ogden Nash

See? Sheer genius! With four tiny lines, he connected to the most lovely and compelling dream shared by ALL men…. completely amazing, and to my way of looking at things, the kind of power that literature should always have…. not that it will…. But, if everyone who writes shoots for at least the same kind of inspiration, and won’t settle for crap, at least we could conceivably see more poetry like this…. and that would be a good thing, yes?….. Yes….
__________________________________

Another old-school pearl, with some observations on Life, the Folks who inhabit the planet, and the stuff they find to keep busy…..

“Among the rich you will never find a really generous man even by accident. They may give their money away, but they will never give themselves away; they are egotistic, secretive, dry as old bones. To be smart enough to get all that money you must be dull enough to want it.” — G. K. Chesterton, A Miscellany of Men

“Never mind what I said,” the Lord spake.  “Doth thou listen to every crazy idea that comes thy way?”
And Abraham grew ashamed.  “Er — not really… no.”
“I jokingly suggest thou sacrifice Isaac and thou immediately runs out to do it.”
And Abraham fell to his knees, “See, I never know when you are kidding.”
And the Lord thundered, “No sense of humor.  I can’t believe it.”
— Without Feathers — Woody Allen
(This is probably a far more accurate portrayal of what took place than what we find in either the Bible, or the Qur’an, both of which talk extensively  about Abraham, and his relations with God, or Allah, take your pick…. It seems more true to human nature, somehow…..and, if God exists, I would like to think he has a sense of humor. If not, we are in deep shit…..)

“Let us begin by committing ourselves to the truth – to see it like it is, and tell it like it is -to find the truth, to speak the truth, and live the truth.” — Richard Nixon, accepting the Presidential Nomination, 1968
(I laughed aloud when he said this, but later, I cried….. in looking at it now, in retrospect, this actually rivals the crap that Romney has been spouting….. and I can see how he, and others, got the idea they can get away with this kind of shit…..)

“Liberty cannot be guaranteed by law. Nor by any thing else except the resolution of free citizens to defend their liberties.” — Edward Abbey
(This had to go here, just to counter balance the severe level of BS that Tricky Dicky raised in one sentence…..)

Extremes in nature equal ends produce;
In man they join to some mysterious use.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle ii, Line 205

“Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an ‘inconvenience.’   We have opted instead for an authoritarian system *disguised* as a Democracy.  We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there.” — Frank Zappa

“He who knows best knows how little he knows.” — Thomas Jefferson

Well, that should be enough…. It’s a rather meandering concept, but it gets there eventually….. and if not, well, it’s always a good time trying to figure out just what dark alleyway of the human psyche I have wandered into, or out of, as the case may be…. Here, we have a combination plate…. enjoy! Oh, and it WILL be on the Quiz….
__________________________________

I’d say this isn’t too bad, but then, I have inside knowledge of what it took to produce it….. which included a pain level rather larger than normal, by a factor of about two (i.e., double the morning dose….) I hate grunting when I stand up and walk; I feel like an ape. One with an irritable disposition, to be sure…. Growling just becomes a natural response when all one wants to do is to be able to straighten up without going into spasms…. and the thought of human interaction is just plain scary. I will have to avoid all contact with folks while on my trip to the library to post today…. I don’t think I want to deal with blood today, mine or anyone else’s….

Ah well, life goes on, and we must take it as it plays out….. My apologies in advance today, for not being able to spend any time perusing other blogs…. it will be all I can do to get this up and posted, so it will have to wait for another day…. Probably for the best anyway, my concentration is shot…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

After Montauk, come the deep waters….

Posted on by
1

Ffolkes,
There are moments when this becomes more than merely writing; it becomes a test. A challenge. Self-imposed, which, as you should know, are the toughest kind to pass with a good mark. I am, by far and away, my harshest critic (now that I’ve been divorced for over ten years, of course…..), and these tests are more connected to my character than to my education. That is to say, the tests of writing that I set for myself are meant to test whether or not I am meeting my own standards for what I write, (and those standards are killers), compared to what I would set for others. This stems from axiom #4, of course, “Excellence is its own reward.”…..

It occurs to me that it has been a good long while since I put the entire contents of Peruaosophy up for the perusal of those who come by….. come to think of it, it might be a good thing to post it on my “About” page…. it would explain a lot, for a lot of folks who might otherwise not quite understand where I’m coming from (as if that is possible at all…. snort….). Maybe I will…. but later. It will be enough for the moment to put it in one of the sections below, with a short intro…. yeah, that’s the ticket…. and it avoids the test, too…. boy, I’m good…..

See, you, too, can learn how to change planned reality in a heartbeat, avoiding all sorts of unwanted, previous engagements, saving yourself all kinds of unwanted angst and worry. The best part is, if one ever gets to write for an editor, it will drive them nuts! Bonus!…. It’s almost as good as being back in school, and getting to tie the princi….. no, wait, the statute of limitations isn’t up on that one yet…. Never mind…..

Yes, I am odd, I know it…. no need to harp on it. It must be time to cast aside all the nonsense that has built up here, and burst through to the other side of silliness…. a place, I know, where I spend a lot of time…. silliness, that is, not beyond…. ah, screw it. Let’s dive…. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

About thirty or so years ago (wow, I hadn’t realized it had been so long…..), I was sitting in my study one day, feet up, reading some philosophy, when a reference was made to the statement by Descartes, to wit: “I think, therefore, I am.”  It occurred to me that there are other philosophies, and philosophers, who have used the same format to describe their own philosophy’s basic premises, or a similar one; it is, after all, merely a re-statement of an “if-then” proposition, which would come naturally to Descartes, mathematician that he was….. Any who, I thought to myself that, if they could write down their own concepts of what is real in life, and formulate their own philosophies, why couldn’t I?

So, I did…. and all in all, I have never been happier with anything I’ve written. The following axioms, which comprise the working premises of this, my philosophy, were all considered well and deeply, with great deliberation and care, before being added to the mix, and I am quite proud of it. It may seem a bit tongue-in-cheek, but look deeper into each axiom, past the humor to the concept, and you will find that what is said here is true, eternally so, and is applicable to every part of life…. enjoy!

Peruaosophy

Axioms:

1)  I think I am; that’s close enough.

2) The nature of the Universe is Change.  Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.

3) Thou art God, you know.  Let’s do lunch.

4) Excellence is its own reward.

5) Girls think differently.  So do boys.  Don’t fight it.

6) Axiom #2 X axiom #5 = And God so loved the world, He said, “Quit whining!”

7) Do your Duty.   Respect Life.   Honor the Truth.   Share your Love.

8)  Go back.  Everything you need to know is in the first seven axioms.

~~ gigoid
__________________________________

Honorable Request

Days, filled to a brim with fluff and time, pass
dimly into memory, bit by combative bit,
ever mournful, yet loud with life and sass,
only in dream do we meet, and dance, and flit.

Souls, spinning ’round in gleeful wonder, comply
as they must, never given a reason,
somberly proper, yet limber and quite spry,
dancing on to greet each bright new season.

Storms, angered by apathetic care, rage
proceeding into ministerial glare, unknown,
clothed in colors, purified solely with sage,
past an infinite future, already flown.

Life, plumbed to its depths and secrets, keeps
flowing with currents, strong and fairly found,
love stands, asking release, as it slowly weeps,
seeking refuge unasked, to stay honor bound.

~~ gigoid

__________________________________

The Eternal is empty (like a bowl),
It may be used but its capacity is never exhausted.
It is bottomless, perhaps the ancestor of all things.
It unties its tangles,
It softens its light.
It becomes one with the dusty world.
Deep and still, it appears to exist forever.
I do not know whose son it is.
It seems to have existed before the Lord.
— Lao-Tzu (fl. B.C. 600)

Well, damn! I should have known, and in fact, did know, but hadn’t appropriately considered, that even Lao Tzu, as revered as he was in his time, and as much freedom of speech that gave him, still had to consider politics in his statements about the universe. The last two lines are, to my sharp, ever-inquisitive eye, a result of that necessity only, and have nothing at all to do with the actual content delivered above it.

Obviously, those in society who feel an urge to oversee the morals of the populace (i.e., the preachers, may they rot in their own hell….)  had been applying a bit of pressure to the old man, and he agreed to include that last part as a sop to the current administration of priests and pundits. Well, it’s obvious to me…. just look at the whole piece, AS A WHOLE…. and it becomes clear that the last part was not part of the original idea…. it doesn’t fit, either in style, or content, or context, for that matter….. it is, as I say, merely a way to be able to deliver the rest without engendering the ire of the priests by failing to give their delusions the proper obeisance. They do get cranky when that happens….

“We are all alike, on the inside.” — Mark Twain

Another great piece of wisdom, and this one so simple, the priests couldn’t figure out how to keep it from getting published. They really, really did want to, though, as this idea is completely opposite of what they would have their followers believe…. In fact, they tend to get their knickers all in a twist if anyone even implies a similarity between them and one of their objects of fear and hatred (blacks or other persons of color, women, other religious beliefs, left-handed people, and almost anyone else who doesn’t hold their beliefs….) This one is such a controversial subject, even amongst preachers and priests themselves, that I am always tempted, when the question arises, of using a somewhat graphic technique to demonstrate just how closely Twain’s statement is congruent with Reality….

Should a priest of say, the Episcopalian persuasion, or perhaps a Southern Baptist, and another preacher, say a Muslim imam, or a Russian Orthodox Greek Coptic,  get into an argument over whether or not the two cult’s followers were alike inside, I would offer them to take a look…. I would tie them down, facing each other, and make some matching slices to their naked bodies, in the same spot, where they can both see the results…. if the color of their blood did not convince them, we would have the option to continue on to deeper examples of how similar are the two bodies in question…. I don’t believe their faith would sustain them after seeing just how much their own liver looked like that of their supposed enemy…. Ah me, by then, it wouldn’t matter anyway, because by then, “I” would be the enemy, so they, if they survived, would have a new obsession to pursue, one with at least a basis in real offenses to them…. and I always enjoy that sort of thing; it keeps the blood flowing, y,know?….

Now, some might say that this is a bit harsh in its approach, but I would counter with two words, that to the intelligent mind, bring with them instant images of the horrors of ignorance allowed free rein in society…. The Inquisition. I don’t care how sincere a priest or preacher is in their beliefs; just allowing themselves to be associated with any institution that was involved in such persecution of knowledge and the innocent, all in the name of the church, is enough to condemn them to me.

Honor, to my mind, demands more than just lip service, and allowing such institutions not only to continue to exist, but to continue to exert their influence over the ignorant and vulnerable, is tantamount to performing such acts. If any priest or preacher really had a sense of honor, he would be burning bibles and shooting Popes every other day…. Well, no, that’s going too far…. once a week would be sufficient…. but, to allow the Pope, and others like him, to continue to exist doesn’t say much for humanity, or for our own sense of honor…. Or, for how quickly we learn…

As is often the case with ranting, I’m unsure of how I got to this particular point; I get so amped up with the force of what I’m feeling about what I’m writing, I forget to keep track of where I’m heading, or where it started out…. ah well, occupational hazard, I reckon…. and if I can take a poke or three at a preacher or two while I’m about it, well, that’s a good day’s work, in my world….. So, we’ll let them be, for now…. rest assured, I still have a lot to say about THAT particular class of society…..   🙂
__________________________________

Well, that was an interesting morning, to be sure…. unrecorded side events unrelated to the creation of this Pearl interrupted about a third of the way through, but proved to be mostly beneficial, and so are a wash, time-wise…. Now, all I have to do is work up the energy to hoof it down to the library and back, to get this posted, and see if I have any email that needs attention…. and maybe, a little time to answer comments, should yesterday’s post have stimulated same…. Ever hopeful, we are…. Any who, I pronounce this one to be finito, so, I will leave you now, with just the right timing….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Savory bytes of digital dessert….

Posted on by
6

Ffolkes,
One hopes, given an even chance, that life will be fair…. it is a fool’s hope, to be sure, one smashed on a regular basis by reality, yet it is never driven completely away, nor smashed so thoroughly that it disappears. Each of us will hang on to this hope well beyond the point where it is never going to happen, even though we know it is foolish…. and then will feel badly, because it did not happen. We place far too much importance on a quality of life that doesn’t exist in reality, and bemoan our fate when it fails to materialize…. We ARE a bunch of mopes, aren’t we?….

It’s part of our charm, I suppose, to hope for what we cannot have, for what we really hope for is justice. Human nature craves justice, and deplores its absence, even though it is only a creation of our minds, and has no real existence other than as a human quality, or judgment. The universe is completely indifferent to such ideas, and will not act in any fashion to either support, or deny, any such concepts. It is only by human intervention does justice, and fairness, occur, and people need to understand this more clearly than they do. So many people expect the world to be fair, when it is merely a human desire to force the universe to meet our wishes that fairness exists at all. Mama Nature just doesn’t give a shit…. and that is a fact, a natural law, not subject to either debate or change….

So, it behooves us all to, a) stop using words like behooves, grand as it is…. and b) quit being a pack of idiots, when it comes to expecting reality to fit our notions of what it should be. It just isn’t going to happen, and hoping and wishing is NOT going to turn the tide in your favor, no sir…… not even a little bit.  We may as well get used to it, and get over it….

Well, that was certainly a rude awakening…. so to speak. The previous three paragraphs were apparently sitting in there, just panting to get out and onto the screen, as they just flowed out, first thing after sitting down this morning…. That is a good thing, omen-wise, but a bit of a facer for me to realize how unconscious this whole process really is sometimes…. Ah well, going with the flow is the ONLY way to fly, or float, as the case may be….. Shall we Pearl?…..

“I’m not paranoid – just a student of history.” — Smart Bee
__________________________________

“I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.” — Edith Sitwell

Well, there you go….. that about sums it up perfectly, don’t you think? I do…. I’ve also heard it said that stupidity has a certain charm, but deliberate stupidity is boring and without redeeming value. I can agree with both of these strongly, as they are congruent with my own feelings on the subject, which I’ve developed over too many years of dealing with said condition. It’s a sad state, but not always a choice, so some slack has to be given. And will be, always, up until that slack is taken up with manipulative intent, or with just plain laziness, either of which will earn my immediate disdain, followed closely by an appropriate response, with my own self providing the parameters for appropriate….

“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.” — Albert Einstein

I also hold this to be true, which is why I feel justified in my former statements. I try not to judge people too harshly, especially if they are challenged by holding more than one opposing idea at once without yielding to belief without evidence, or at least suspending belief until more data is collected. Now, that may sound a bit elitist, but not if you consider that I hold myself to the same standards, and in fact, find myself shipwrecked a lot, with the echo of laughter ringing in my ears….. and from these life lessons, I’ve tried to learn. Not learning, by choice, is what I object to in folks who otherwise are capable of doing so, when not learning causes harm to others, or themselves, or the universe at large. Which it does. A lot….

yOU HAve OfFIcialLY eNTereD tHe PRepoStERous ZonE. —  Smart Bee

This is how I often feel, especially after cruising Facebook of late, and seeing some of the sheer ignorance that passes for conservative conversation of late. I’ll see a posting from someone who normally seems to have a brain cell or two that work together on occasion, a posting that, usually, repeats one of Romney’s lies or distortions about Obama (such as the birther nonsense, or blaming the lack of jobs on him, when it is the Republican Congress that has blocked any jobs reform laws 104 times in the last two years, while coincidentally voting FOR increases in military spending for wars we no longer are pursuing…..). I don’t bother to comment on these posts; it only encourages them, but it saddens me to see just how ignorance can be passed on so easily….

“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely  rearranging their prejudices.” — William James

In fact, this sort of rearrangement is what the people of whom I just spoke are engaged in when they post those lies from their bigoted, racist hero, the Great White Hope, who shall save all the white Christians from the big bad black man with the silver tongue…. They are so caught up in their fears that they don’t even realize, and would never admit, their racism and bigotry…. In fact, their usual reaction to such accusations is to accuse their detractors in turn, calling them unpatriotic, or traitors,  other such supposedly derogatory terms….. I don’t know about y’all, but it always makes me feel pretty good to have one of them call me a name, as it means that what I’ve said got through to them, and stimulated a response, even if it is only a defensive one….

“The sky is not less blue because a blind man does not see it.” — Danish Proverb

Nor does a lie become the truth by repetition, despite what the Republican Party, or the Democrats, for that matter, would have us believe. I am thoroughly convinced that the beloved ruling class of this country (and don’t even try to tell me there isn’t one….) truly believes they can tell the American public whatever they wish, and they will be believed, as long as they repeat it enough times…. Sadly, they have been proven correct, as millions upon millions of fearful people attach themselves to the candidate who promises to replace that which they fear with their own programs and policies…. no matter how destructive those policies will be to themselves…. Stupidity has become the greatest political tool of the twentieth, and now the twenty-first century, both in the candidate pool, and the voting public….

“Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest violence.” — Hebrew Proverb

Since we are using pearls from around the world, perhaps one might think that it does not apply to American politics; this would be a mistake, for American politics has evolved into its current state by mirroring what happens in the rest of the world. What, for example is the solution, according to the Republican Party’s platform, to the question of birth control, and/or overpopulation…. Why, denial, of course, of the root causes, and then let’s go blow up a Planned Parenthood building. This can be done after passing laws to take women’s healthcare issues away from women, and place it in the hands of misogynistic men…. How to handle terrorism? Why, let’s go bomb some more little brown people somewhere else in the world, sending some of our finest young people to sacrifice themselves at the altar of the Almighty Dollar while we are at it….

“Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.” — Smart Bee

If you can’t tell, I am getting a bit incensed…. which is not uncommon when I start in on the political scene as it currently is being played out.  I’m going to end this rant here, as it is getting me somewhat worked up, and I’m quite emotional enough already, thanks very much…. I know, I know, I’m the one who started talking about a subject that I know will get me going…. but, it all needs to be said, ffolkes, and I’m the one to say it…. Get out there and vote…. I hope you will vote on the side of reason and tolerance, rather than siding with ignorance and fear, but, as long as you vote, at least you have the right to an opinion…. Try thinking…. it may hurt at first, but it will lessen, the more you keep at it….

“When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.” — A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

“Democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike.” — Plato, The Republic. Book VIII. 558
__________________________________

Nothing bubbling up from my head’s hidden depths today, I’m afraid…. or perhaps that is relief?…. Any who, I need something to feed that part of me that craves verse, so, here is some…. Nash Hash….

Come On In, The Senility Is Fine

People live forever in Jacksonville and St. Petersburg and Tampa,
But you don’t have to live forever to become a grampa.
The entrance requirements for grampahood are comparatively mild,
You only have to live until your child has a child.
From that point on you start looking both ways over your shoulder,
Because sometimes you feel thirty years younger and sometimes thirty years older.
Now you begin to realize who it was that reached the height of imbecility,
It was whoever said that grandparents have all the fun and none of the responsibility.
This is the most enticing spiderwebs of a tarradiddle ever spun,
Because everybody would love to have a baby around who was no responsibility and lots of fun,
But I can think of no one but a mooncalf or a gaby
Who would trust their own child to raise a baby.
So you have to personally superintend your grandchild from diapers to pants and from bottle to spoon,
Because you know that your own child hasn’t sense enough to come in out of a typhoon.
You don’t have to live forever to become a grampa, but if you do want to live forever,
Don’t try to be clever; If you wish to reach the end of the trail with an uncut throat,
Don’t go around saying Quote I don’t mind being a grampa but I hate being married to a gramma Unquote.

— Ogden Nash
__________________________________

“Become what you are.” — Buddha

How powerful is that? How deep is his understanding of human nature, and of our place in the scheme of things? There is none of this, “Do right, and you shall be rewarded”….. No “Do wrong, and you shall be punished.”  No “The almighty God is a jealous God, and craves, nay, insists upon, your worship.” No “Send me money, and you will be saved!”  Just, be yourself, just the way you are, and things will work out… Now, that’s MY kind of religion! If I had one, that is….

I’m not entirely certain that Buddhism meets ALL the requirements to be called a religion, anyway. It’s kinda relaxed about the whole thing, actually, not lending itself well to manipulative pressure on people to do or say any particular thing. Dogma seems to be lacking in their writings, and, in fact, seems to be assiduously avoided in all their efforts at educating people about what they believe. You won’t see any monks going door to door seeking converts, not in any traditional sense…. their way is more a matter of living the way they believe, and inviting others to watch, and join in if they wish…. but, if not, no worries, mate…..

Oh, I’m sure they end up with their share of bozos, but, in general, that is sort of self-limiting, as one of the basic tenets of the philosophy is that each person should undergo a constant state of self-examination, to determine if what they are doing is in harmony with the rest of the universe. This kind of introspection is not merely uncommon, it is often discouraged by more traditional religions, as introspection can lead to independent thinking, and gasp!, rejection of dogmatic, self-destructive religious laws. Can’t have the constituency thinking on their own, there’s no telling what they’ll discover…. and since control is what they are all about, thinking is heavily discouraged in most religious cults. “The Bible says God said it, I believe it, and that’s the end of it!”  Brilliant logic, eh?….

Ah, me…. I’m such a curmudgeon, sometimes…. I start off in praise of Buddha, and end up ranting on fundies again…. It’s just so easy! I mean, they are the ones who insist on trying to stuff their insanity down everyone else’s throats, then complain that their rights are being denied because they have to listen to anyone else’s opinion on anything….. Frustrating, for those of us who bump neurons against each other regularly, to view the effects of long-term starvation on a human brain that has been denied truth for so long…. So, in the interests of tolerance, and fairness (which, as I amply stated above, is up to ALL of us to ensure….), I’ll let this die a natural death, before I start on anyone else…. There are just so many good targets out there, it is hard to resist sometimes….

“If I had my life to live over again, I’d be a plumber.” — Albert Einstein (You KNOW it’s a good pearl if it has Buddha and Albert to bookend it…. and in this case, though the Buddha is absolutely right, I’m with Albert…. Actually, if I think about it, and I can’t help doing so, what the Buddha said applies to plumbers just as well as to anyone, so…. go with the flow, as it were….)
__________________________________

And in your dreams you can see yourself
As a prophet saving the world
The words from your lips
I just can’t believe you are such
A fool.
— Frank Zappa, “Oh No”.

No, I’m not such a fool, though I do enjoy spouting off words that, if heeded, could conceivably serve to work toward saving the world….  My dreams, however,  don’t assume that as a foregone conclusion, so I’m safe from foolishness in this particular instance. I’m happy with the above, mostly; I cannot always make that claim…..  🙂   Ah well, So Be It…. I’m not in a space to worry about it, so this will be going out as is, when I can get down to the library…. Here’s hoping something herein has tickled your fancy, or stimulated a random thought…. that’s all we’re shooting for around here…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!