Tag Archives: Professor Bernardo de la Paz

Pulchritude has intrinsic value….

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Ffolkes,

“Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book
known to him by his heart,
and his friends can only read the title.”

~~ Virginia Woolf ~~

Alaska taxi

Alaskan Taxi off to Juneau, or the interior….

Hajime…. I skipped posting anything at all yesterday, & frankly, I can’t work up any particular emotion about that. Even a couple months ago, going even a day or two without writing or posting would have prompted an outburst of creative angst sufficient to produce any number of words, most of which could be construed as purposeful, if not elegantly literate. But, these days, I’m lucky to produce a complete, even sparsely filled out Pearl; hell, the poem I’ve been trying to write has gone & disappeared entirely, no dregs of it to be found anywhere…. SIGH. Even that, I’m afraid, doesn’t stimulate any guilt, which tells me, at least on one level, my sanity no longer depends on this process, though, I have to admit, it is soothing in some way to have written an entire paragraph, even one as choppy & pungent as this one…. Hey, it’s all fresh, so, whattya want? Ibsen on demand? Jackson Pollock at a moment’s notice? Hah…. Not here, ffolkes….

That isn’t to say I don’t have a Pearl for today. But, it’s being posted late, without a fresh poem, and it’s not going to get any better, or, any less fulfilling for me, so, I’m gonna post it, late as it is. It’s only late because I now sleep normally, arising at a time when I’d have been up writing, & getting ready to post for at least two hours. Hell, it’s already light outside, which isn’t normal for this process at all. But, despite my new ability to actually sleep for a normal period, thus resuming a diurnal existence rather than an insomniacal one (well, one equally nocturnal as diurnal, anyway….), it can’t be called anything but nearly normal, a phrase I thought never to apply to any of this. Normal just hasn’t been in the works for a very long time, & I’m not certain I like it….

But, there it is, in all its mundane glory, so, we’ll post it & see how it flies. In fact, we’ll do that now, so I don’t lose what little nerve I have remaining. We’ll use one of our oldest, most reliable techniques, too, just to keep things moving in the proper direction. It’s very simple, & works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“To live content with small means,
to seek elegance rather than  luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion,
to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich,
to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly,
to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart,
to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never,
in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious,
grow up through the common, this is to be my symphony.”

~~ William Henry Channing ~~

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chase goehring

Chase Goehring

Image from Facebook.com via Google Images

This young singer/songwriter is another fine talent, a finalist in the 2017 America’s Got Talent competition, playing all original songs for his performances. He made it to the Finalist list, but, didn’t receive enough votes to make the Top 5. I think he is going to one day be well-known, for his songwriting skills and originality will ensure him a place in the music industry. I thoroughly enjoy his music, and hope you do as well….

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Chase Goering
AGT 2017

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Comedy_Tragedy

Augmentation: Inner Aye

Distant, peals of thunder, vividly.
Closer, a patter of rain, falling gravidly.
Between the light and the darkness of fear
find merely the remnants of one lonely tear.

Do not hate us, though we have not sinned;
eager for courage, upon whom all hope is pinned.
Tales of insolence, hatred, or fallen virtue
fill us up, not down, in such pristine foreign venue.

Capable hands severed, able hands tied;
the future is angry, all but now denied.
Multiple times, warnings sounded across the pale
nobody heard, nobody came to tell the tale.

Gifted by time, salience fails in epic rhyme;
watchmakers watching, each a separate crime.
Logical solutions refuse to emulsify
forever pretending to cruelly crucify.

Blood will fly alongside pertinent composure,
never seeking, never finding tea, or closure.
Falsely laid trails on mountains of gold
imply no happy endings, no fortunes told.

Ages past have no time for repetition;
further chances only lead to perdition.
Destiny feels a shameful portion of guilt,
for a thousand sand castles, never built.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/2/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Further notes on Life @ Large….

*******

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

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

*******

“A man is a very small thing,
and the night is very large and full of wonders.”

~~ Lord Dunsany, The Laughter of the Gods ~~

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“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 ~~

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“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture,
or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful;
but it is far more glorious to carve and paint
the very atmosphere and medium through which we look,
which morally we can do.
To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), “Where I Live”

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“Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.”

~~ Things We Can Learn From Dogs ~~

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

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

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke, “Archaic Torso of Apollo” ~~

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“Nothing endures but change.”

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

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Well, there you have it, such as it is. I’ll be back in a day or three, hopefully with more creative material than today’s mess… which is okay, but, I wouldn’t call it an iconic Pearl…. It’s just a Pearl, of Virtual Wisdom, at that, so, use it with care. Be well, be happy, be strange, and, damn it, stay alert…. I’ll be back, as the saying goes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

Featured Image -- 15342

À bientôt, mon cherí….

 

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Devising new strategies takes time….

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Ffolkes,

“Life moves pretty fast.
If you don’t stop and look around once in a while,
you just might miss it.”

~~ Matthew Broderick ~~

~~ in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, screenplay by John Hughes ~~

big ben

Big Ben, from the other side….

Hajime…. Bedraggled, bothered, and bewildered, as is often the case around here at 4:30 in the morning, the old man sits again to write his sanity into being. Since only he knows whether or not it works, we’ll forgo any predictions; instead, we’ll merely note the severe case of separation currently extant, as it is patently clear the old fart hasn’t a clue about his own state of mind. If he did, he’d be writing this in the first person, rather than hiding his actual feelings in the third person. Go figure…..

Hmm…. What do you think? Is that sufficiently nonsensical? Does it distract anyone from reality sufficiently to begin a Pearl? It certainly distracted me; shocked me right back into first person, it did. Go figure, eh? See, I can be Canadian, if I try. But, when I do, all bets are off, for, I’m not only NOT Canadian, I don’t even like Canadian beer, very much. But, then, I’m not a big beer fan, anyway. Most of them seem too, well, too damn filling. Whiskey is much less filling, and one achieves the primary purpose for consuming alcoholic beverages much sooner. I’m all about efficiency, when I can find it…..

Having spent the last 72 or more hours in a deep funk, with tears popping up to embarrass me on a too-regular basis, I am now pulling myself out of that, into a more productive mien; Leelu is, I think, trying to help, in her own way. I’m going to assume that, because I don’t want to believe she doesn’t care. I know, I know, that’s anthropomorphizing something terrible, but, it’s what we humans do, for the most part; try to make reality fit what we want, or perceive, rather than just taking it as it comes….

SIGH. Oh, well, such is life, right? It’s all a crap shoot, once the balloon goes up, so, one may as well hedge their bets, or, find another game, which could be difficult, given the intransigent insistence on reality’s part to maintain a status having nothing at all to do with quo…. As it seems I’ve reached the point of abstruse complexity which somewhat precludes immediate comprehension, I think it might be best to find our way OUT of my head, and back onto the track which will lead us into the meat of today’s always messy effort. In short, it’s time to get the slow on the toad. If that STILL isn’t clear, well, the best I can tell you is, hang on, because you’ll need to be alert, as well as fast, to make it to the end…. Don’t fret, the music should help; it’s pretty decent.

Since I can’t speak for the rest of it, with any degree of confidence, anyway, we’ll just resort to our newest technique, and end this, right here, right now. If you watch closely, you might catch the transition…. or, not….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

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phish

Phish

Image from http://www.jambase.com via Google Images

I only began listening to this band last year, when I happened across a video of a live webcast from Austin, Texas. I was amazed at the quality of their music, as well as the originality I had thought gone from the modern music scene…. Here is another webcast concert, from early this year…. Enjoy, ffolkes; these guys are damn good….

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Phish Live
Riviera Maya, Mexico
1/15/2016

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https://youtu.be/NJrTA7Sb5SA

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Dont keep calm

“A right is not what someone gives you; it’s what no one can take from you.”

~~ Ramsey Clark ~~

As human beings, we are all subject to the laws of this universe. One of those laws is this; everything that lives, dies. In the final analysis, this is your ONLY right, as a living being. Nothing else in this universe is promised to you for being alive; death is our only unchosen duty. It is also one nobody can take from you; any other so-called ‘rights’ are nothing of the sort, for you only have those rights you can defend. Any of the things we regard as our ‘rights’ can only be taken; the universe does not gift them to you. If you believe it does, you are in for some rather nasty surprises, as long as you live, for nothing exists in this universe that is not subject to its laws. Not even us…..

Albert Camus made a statement I find to be true, to wit: “Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is.” In reality, this often manifests with a human being trying to act as if the rules of life do not apply. We have become slaves to a set of delusional beliefs, none of which are supported by reality; this has led us to our current unstable position, with the most likely outcome the complete extinction of not only our own species, but, the unwilling inclusion of most other species who live here with us in that extinction, as we have fouled our own nest without any concern for the outcome, denying the connection we have to all other life in almost every aspect of our culture…..

This, naturally, is disappointing, especially as there are some of us who do NOT subscribe to the same set of delusional behaviors as the majority of our brethren. For these sages, life is not a competition, but, a panorama of beauty and grace, that can only be completely embraced by acknowledging our place as a part of the whole. Any other path leads us away from what is real; the further we get from reality, the harder we try to make it fit our preconceived notions, thus showing the characteristic insanity so common to our breed…

Not only is it disappointing, but, so unnecessary. Life, if approached with an open heart and mind, can be truly simple to live, with joy balancing pain, and the beauty in which we exist is seen for itself, whole and complete, not for its possibilities as a commercial commodity. Of course, there are some rules to living with such grace and intelligence, which naturally follow the same lines as those that exist in reality… Rather than continue to explore such an esoteric set of ideas, we’ll finish off this discussion with a few old-school pearls, which will, I hope, give us an idea of how such a life might be lived, with dignity, love, and joy as the hallmarks of existing… Good advice here, ffolkes, so, listen up.

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After all there is but one race – humanity.

~~ George Moore ~~

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“Happiness and freedom
begin with a clear understanding of one principle.
Some things are within your control.
And some things are not.”

~~ Epictetus ~~

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“Justice is having and doing what is one’s own.”

~~ Plato ~~

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“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 ~~

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“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”

~~ Kris Kristofferson ~~

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Comedy_Tragedy

Retrospective, defined in folly….

Yesterday
I wrote a poem.

It bled out of my head,
like I’d been struck with
an axe,
right through the artery,
in the neck,
spraying blood around
everywhere,
like a pulsing garden hose….

It hurt, at first,
then came the feeling,

of quick relief,
of timeless beauty,

of pain avenged,
of lust aroused,

of outrage aflame,
of deep compassion,

of endless empathy,
of truest love….

Now it’s gone, cast away
like pearls before twine.

(Grin…)

You thought
I was going to call you
a pig,
didn’t you?

Hah!

Well, you’re not.
You’re a person.

I know, because
you’re reading this poem…
if that’s what it is.
I think it is,
so,
maybe it is.

Or, maybe,
it will be,
someday, when it
grows up,
and learns to rhyme.
Whew…
Just in time…..

That’s all.
Reality often sucks wind,
y’know?

S’okay, though….
It keeps us busy,
and out of some of the
mischief,
so much part
of our
nature.

We all can do
only what we
do.

Or, don’t.

Two sides, one coin.

~~ gigoid ~~

8/31/2014

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

How it is to be….

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“HELLO, everybody, I’m a HUMAN!!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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“You cannot teach a crab to walk straight.”

~~ Aristophanes ~~

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

~~ James Dean ~~

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“There may be many reasons for who we are, but there are no excuses.”

~~ Limon ~~

*********

“Learning isn’t a means to an end; it is an end in itself.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

*********

“Simplicity is always a virtue.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*********

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

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

*********

“To perceive is to suffer.”

~~ Aristotle, De Anima ~~

*********

“Don’t ask me where I’m going,
Just listen when I’m gone
And far away you’ll hear me singing softly to the dawn”

~~ Pippin ~~

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Okay, so, that went pretty well, all things considered. So well, I’ll not fuss with it further, but, will leave you with our usual caveat, to wit: I’ll be back, most likely tomorrow morning, with yet another misguided attempt at levity and/or intellectual fun and games. Or, maybe I’ll create another fresh Pearl. Whatever happens, it will be right here, tomorrow around this time. So be it…. gigoid has spoken, for better, or worse….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Scrap all the intricate filigree…

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Ffolkes,

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

~~ Bob Dylan ~~

Angry bird

The Original Angry Bird

Hajime….. Since we begin with a such a cogent quote from one of our society’s most prolific and long-lived bards, I’ll have to try to keep this within the parameters thus implied. We’ll see how that goes, what with insomnia, curmudgeonly reaction to same, and an extended period of cat training yesterday, I’m in a bit of an odd mood. Sometimes that works well to improve the results here; other times, not so much. Whichever it might be, we’ll use our advanced sage training to make it palatable…. You know, good & bad don’t exist but in our minds, that sort of thing…

Of course, that presupposes I have the chutzpah and general wherewithal to pull of that kind of advanced philosophizing; the hour of the day can affect that heavily. I guess I just wait for the correct moment to apply the fix; once I’ve got enough coffee on board, that should be an obvious jumping-off point we can use to our advantage, such as we may. Otherwise, what happens could turn on us, making it hard to cash your checks, er, get y’all home in one piece….

Having thus assured us all the bozoid tendencies upon which we rely are firmly in place, we can, I think…. no, make that we must, I think, get ourselves out of this convoluted mess I call an intro, and on to the oyster beds, before it gets any more slippery/slimy than it has already gone. In fact, I’m going to use one of the new tricks I found in another drawer in the Tardis…. It’s pretty cool; all it does is this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“To be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough;
the prime requisite is rightly to apply it.”

 ~~ Descartes ~~


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The_Death_of_Socrates_cropped

The Death of Socrates

Image from en.wikipedia.org via Google Images


Today’s video selection is not musical, but, rather a sublimation for ranting, as it were. The social phenomenon that is Last Week Tonight showed, in the recent past, how powerful a tool the internet and media can combine to fashion, a tool that can actually change the course of societal events. I’ve included a link to the show’s You Tube page, where about 50 or more of the episodes are listed; the one with which we begin is a recent show, dealing with some of the issues we are seeing in today’s news…. I won’t say enjoy; I will say, pay the fuck attention…. It’s all stuff you’ll do better for knowing….


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John Oliver
Last Week Tonight

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le penseur-rodin

“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

I am not sure when I first read the above statements from the professor, but, I know it was before the age of twenty. Even then, it struck a deep chord of familiarity, as if it were something I had always known. For sure and for certain it is I have lived my life by this standard, ever since my earliest memories…. It may have come from my family environment, or, perhaps it’s just a lucky gift of nature; I don’t much care, nor, worry over how it came to be, for it has made my life, if nothing else, my own, which, as far as I can see, is pretty rare.

I have a feeling it came from my father and mother, who taught us about personal responsibility; this was enforced by having four siblings, all of whom insisted on their own brand of individuality. Since we had the example set by our parents to follow, we all learned to accept life as it came, without the more obvious problems that can arise…. Oh, not to say it was paradise; no Army family of seven is ever completely peaceful. But, none of us ever suffered injustice or dishonesty from anyone at home, which gave us armor against those dangers in the world away from home.

Having this ‘advantage’, it makes it easy for me to see how lacking such a background could cause problems for people, both as individuals, and for society at large…. But, having put off completing this piece too long, I no longer have the urge, or the time to explain that statement…. For today, and now, let it suffice to say, the lack of ability to take personal responsibility for one’s actions, without causing undue inner struggle or conflict, is the primary reason our species cannot seem to find any peace. I see this failure of morality/ethical training as our single most telling flaw, one which, if we do not/can not discover how to negate, will eventually kill us all.

As I see reality, we have a choice. We can change our ways, and assume the weight of responsibility for our acts, and find a way to survive the coming cataclysmic environmental events. Or, we can die, ignobly, as the poet said, not with a bang, but a whimper. To my mind, it is that simple. Not, by any means, a simple task, but, a simple choice…. I’m not sanguine about which choice we’ll make…. For now, here are a few pearls which speak to the matter, in their own way…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s easier than listening to another of my interminable rants….

“Man is descended from a hairy, tailed quadruped, probably arboreal in its habits… For my part I would as soon be descended from [a] baboon… as from a savage who delights to torture his enemies … treats his wives like slaves … and is haunted by the grossest suspicions.” — Charles Darwin

“Despite its suffix, skepticism is not an “ism” in the sense of a belief or dogma.  It is simply an approach to the problem of telling what is counterfeit and what is genuine.  And a recognition of how costly it may be to fail to do so.  To be a skeptic is to cultivate “street smarts” in the battle for control of one’s own mind, one’s own money, one’w own allegiances.  To be a skeptic, in short, is to refuse to be a victim.” — Robert S. DeBear, “An Agenda for Reason, Realism, and Responsibility,” — New York Skeptic — (newsletter of the New York Area Skeptics, Inc.), Spring 1988

He’s not a politician.  He’s just ethically challenged.” — Morality Bee

“Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.” — John Adams

“Humanity has in the course of time had to endure from the hands of science two great outrages upon its naive self-love.  The first was when it realized that our earth was not the center of the universe, but only a speck in a world-system of a magnitude hardly conceivable…  The second was when biological research robbed man of his particular privilege of having been specially created, and relegated him to a descent from the animal world.” — Sigmund Freud

Okay…. I’m feeling generous; five is enough…. We’ll speak on this again, trust me…. For now, go enjoy the poem….

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Comedy_Tragedy

    It’s been a while since we heard from this poet; it’s time…. Enjoy! He’s a bit crusty, but, always hits people where it counts….

air and light and time and space

‘-you know, I’ve either had a family, a job, something
has always been in the
way
but now
I’ve sold my house, I’ve found this
place, a large studio, you should see the space and
the light.
for the first time in my life I’m going to have a place and
the time to
create.’
no baby, if you’re going to create
you’re going to create whether you work
16 hours a day in a coal mine
or
you’re going to create in a small room with 3 children
while you’re on
welfare,
you’re going to create with part of your mind and your
body blown
away,
you’re going to create blind
crippled
demented,
you’re going to create with a cat crawling up your
back while
the whole city trembles in earthquakes, bombardment,
flood and fire.
baby, air and light and time and space
have nothing to do with it
and don’t create anything
except maybe a longer life to find
new excuses
for.

~~ Charles Bukowski ~~


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About Hopi Indian Symbols

    Today’s final pearl, old-school variety, is special, but, don’t ask me why. Instead, read it, let it percolate a bit, then, decide for yourself why I might say that. I even gave y’all a clue, at the top of the section. If you require it, call it homework, or a challenge. Anything you want….. I call it

Esoterica/Life at Large


“You cannot put the same shoe on every foot.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 596

“Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, viii, 51

“We are being educated when we know it least.” — David Gardner

“All conversations with a potato should be conducted in private.” — Wilner’s Observation

“The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.” — Shirley MacLaine

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” — Zen proverb

“Life is too short for grief. Or regret. Or bullshit.” — Edward Abbey

“I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.” — Antoine de Saint Exupery

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” — Anais Nin

“But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.” — Alan Watts

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery,
None but ourselves can free our minds.

~~ Bob Marley ~~


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What an ordeal! Suffice it to say, again, it’s done. It was such an ordeal, I’ll not bore you further, but, will take my leave, stage virtual. I will, however, leave you with the knowledge of my return, tomorrow, should Fate be kind…. Of course, we make our own Fate, so, well, you get the picture…. If nobody stops me, I’ll be back…. See ya…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Simply bursting with indifference….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.”


~~ Chinese proverb ~~


aurora-australis-iss-virts


Aurora Australis, seen from the International Space Station


NASA Image by Astronaut Terry Virts




Good morning… let’s keep it that way….


Shall we Pearl?


“Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors and miss.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


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beethoven2


Ludwig von Beethoven






Image from library.ucf.edu via Google Images




Those who don’t know this artist, or, for that matter, this symphony, are the unhappy possessors of some serious gaps in their cultural education…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. Da da ta DA!….







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Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony











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Dont keep calm




    Once more, I find my level of angst not up to a full, fresh rant, though I found several good openings… Instead, I’ll use what I’ve found to create an old-school pearl, with some comments about those who would rather prey on their fellow man than make any attempt to live with honor… In other words, Asininnies of every variety…. Polly pundits, Dogma Dogs, Corporate Snakeheads, Pimps, Uniformed Myrmidons, Mundanes, and all the others who make life a misery for others, simply because they are ASSHOLES!… Sorry for shouting….




“All cruelty springs from weakness.” 


~~ Seneca ~~




“What would happen if the President, the Supreme Court, and all members of both houses of Congress were stoned out of their gourds twenty-four hours a  day? The chilling truth is, it might be an improvement.” — Allan Sherman


“Humility is a virtue all preach, none practice, and yet everybody is content to hear. The master thinks it good doctrine for his servant, the laity for the clergy, and the clergy for the laity.” — John Selden (1584-1654) — Humility


“A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty. There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self.” — Eric Hoffer


“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.” — Virginia Woolf (Alternate definition of a politician…)


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




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


~~ Navajo Proverb ~~




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





Comedy_Tragedy




    Maggie Mae has done it again, ffolkes; sometimes, the poems she writes are so powerful, I have to include them here, so everyone who comes here will know about her poetry…. Enjoy! This one is special….




Caterpillar


Ink is raining again.


Stan, on the radio, rapping tattoos

onto white-trash girls,

sitting, spinning on bar stools.


The highway is moving ninety miles

back, to late August madness,

cars are splashing


into phone booths

left over from big cities

and light houses.


But ships don’t come in

like they used to.

The calm of the sea 

isn’t the color of God’s

angry finger anymore.


Caterpillar!! 

Across the back of my shoulder!

“To rob.” “To pillage.”

“To suck the ink out of every living thing.”


My name is not what matters.

The alphabet is random.

My fingers have no pattern. 

I’m bound to and wrapped around each syllable

like a piece of cabbage.

An appetizer. A long, soft caterpillar

eating my way into you.


~~ Maggie Mae ~~


http://maggiemaeijustsaythis.com/2015/05/18/caterpillar/






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





lao




    A simple little pearl, this one speaks of how to live your life with courage and compassion, guided by reason….


“Safety is on the shore, but the pearl is in the ocean.” — Chinese Proverb


“A good philosopher is one who does not take ideas seriously.” — Edward Abbey


“It is human nature to think wisely & act foolishly.” — Anatole France


“Take hope from the heart of man, and you make him a beast of prey.” — Ouida (Marie Louise de la Ramee)


“The light is reached not by turning back from the darkness, but by going through it.” — Leonard Roy Frank


“To be alive is to take risks; to be always safe and secure is death.” — Edward Abbey


“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


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


Without even looking it over, I can tell it’s done. Or, maybe it’s me…. Yep. That’s it. I’m done. Since it would be fruitless, not to mention pointless, to continue, I’ll cease torturing y’all, and take my leave, stage center rear…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless my imagination quits working overnight…. Not bloody likely….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch








dozer3




À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Blood? No. Sweat? No. Tears. Maybe….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


 


“Freedom = Responsibility” — Smart Bee600801_388558564581781_493680709_n




     Ooh, I’m late again. You know what that means, don’t you? No? Oh, good, then I can lie with impunity, just like a politician, and we might end up posting this on time…. just as if we were professionals, and had a deadline…. Of course, nobody would believe it, anyway, but, we do like to keep up appearances, even if those appearances are a total fabrication…. When I make it up like that, I’m practicing, for the next time I decide to run for a local office…. God forbid I ever lose my mind so far…


No, it isn’t hypocrisy for me to ask favors of God…. Since I figure He’s an illusion, when not an obvious delusion, there’s really no harm in it, and it often provides just the right phrase, or lament, or other form of communicative effort that is helped by the very fictional nature that generally assumes the focus as our target of disdain…. But, here at ECR, we’re all about equal-opportunity ranting, and are careful in our choice of targets, making sure they are worthy of our vitriol, as well as not real enough to bring suit, or hire a shyster…. The shotgun on display at the entrance probably helps, too….


If you couldn’t tell, I’m in a pretty good mood, if not exactly a frigging ray of sunshine…. I’ve got pain, I’ve got misery, but, I’m damn happy with the world at large anyway, thanks to BBR events that went well, and continue to progress with at a nice rate of advancement…. Who knows? At this rate, I could actually say something nice about somebody, before I caught myself ignoring the rules of curmudgeonry…. Not that I will, naturally, but, I could….


I think I’m going to ignore ALL the rules today…. It might just be our only hope, and I’ve never been one to deliberately take away people’s hopes…. Well, okay, there was that one time, but, I stopped before it made them cry, and did give them a rational option to try; I wasn’t a total butthead… Well, not by the same standards to which we hold our Asininnies, anyway…. I will admit, I’ve shown more ethics in the past, so, my suggestion is, we leave the subject alone, and get on with the Pearl for today….


Won’t that be nice? An actual Pearl of Virtual Wisdom, all for y’all…. I think so…. In honor of the occasion, I’ll even stop blathering now, and simply tell you I found the great picture above. with its message of “Duh!” for all to see, on Facebook somewhere. without any attribution, so, if you want any, you’ll have to find it yourself…. Me, I think it’s a PERFECTLY intelligent observation, if nothing else…. Plus, it got us to this point before any of our random right-wingers could so much as draw a breath to scream their complaints about the term “GAY MARRIAGE”…. Bonus!…. The bloody idiots….


Shall we Pearl?


“When men lack a sense of awe, there will be disaster.” — Lao Tzu, Tao Teh Ching: verse 72


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


By the time this Pearl is posted, the probe from the satellite chasing the Rosetta Comet will be on the surface of the comet (which is about the size of central London, for a scale of reference…). On landing, if it does so successfully, it will begin its programmed series of research experiments and sensory exploration of the material the comet is made of; if it doesn’t make it safely, it will still have been a successful mission, over 10 years long, a veritable epic adventure, to chase, find, catch up to, and orbit the moving object, far away in the Solar System, then land the probe on the surface, the last stage in which we find ourselves today….


Here is a video representation of the landing process, and some links to other places you can see more about this mission; hopefully, by tomorrow, I’ll have another video, of pictures beamed directly from the surface of the asteroidal wanderer…. Late word on that…. No  more videos available at this time; at last report, the scientists were still trying to figure out if they will be able to secure the probe to the comet’s surface, after the failure of the landing harpoons to fire correctly, thus making the landing site not as stable and secure as planned…. But, even if the mission fails at this point, it has been a huge success, teaching us a lot about the needed technology for such missions…


 


Comet-Chasing Rosetta Spacecraft Releases Probe for Epic Landing Attempt

    
























 


 


 


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


I could rant, but, my hands aren’t in the greatest of shape today….. plus, I found this old Pearl that just seemed to cry out to be re-posted…. I’m a sucker for a Pearl with a pretty face, or a decent opening, so, I will do as it asks, thus sparing y’all a fresher rant, that may not digest as well…. This one, truncated as it is, will probably go down better, as it is cut into smaller pieces than is now the norm….


from 1/5/2012:


Ffolkes,

Back in the good old days…..well, they weren’t all that good, after all, were they? That phrase has always bothered me anyway. Harking back to better times is a fool’s game; who says they were better? You mean we should go back to having the toilet outside? Or, maybe, dying at age 40 from lack of dental care. Or, dying in childbirth, perhaps. Yeah, they were the good old days, alright. No electricity, no computers, no refrigerators, no indoor plumbing.


Wanting to go backwards is just another way of complaining about one’s lot; happiness isn’t wanting more, happiness is being happy with what you have. But, people will be people, and common sense has never been common. Better I think, to just take things the way they are, and not worry about more, or better. Try harder to NOT be a trained consumer, always wanting something newer and shinier….. you just might find something entirely new to you……self-respect…..

___________________________________


“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


This is the truest freedom we have. The concept of duty fulfilled is the hallmark of the free man, it is the only badge he will wear. Everything else assumes secondary importance to whatever task a man sets for himself, for the truly free man chooses his duty, and once chosen, it assumes the central point of his focus, and any other task or request becomes subordinate to the chosen duty.


I find it to be an extremely rare quality in most men these days; boys are not being raised with honor, and so cannot become such, without some kind of guidance from older men. But somehow, the twin concepts of honor and duty have fallen out of favor in modern society. Instead we are encouraged to believe the nonsensical claptrap spouted by self-proclaimed patriots, who haven’t the slightest intention of acting with honor, men who have made self-interest their guiding principle, and spend their days finding new ways to manipulate and degrade their fellow man.


What we need now is for those who still believe in honor and duty to realize that their newest, and most critical duty, is to put a stop to the evil that has crept into our society, and is happily sending us on a suicidal path. It’s time for free men to stand up, time to take back the rights that have been stolen from us, and return society to a path leading to harmony, and survival……


 


Where are the prophets ?

Where are the visionaries ?

Where are the poets to preach the dawn of the sentimental mercenary?~~ Smart Bee ~~




___________________________________


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


Aristotle makes an insightful observation here, one that many in the modern world are completely unaware of, due to a relatively new phenomenon. This part of the human experience, the ability to think with great scope and precision, is being driven out of commonly accepted practice, because for the first time in history, an entire generation has been brought up with television and computers.


From the time they were small, these people have been conditioned to accept as truth anything that is put to them by a “talking head”, no matter how fantastically improbable, or how close to truth it may be. (Usually pretty far removed from any such condition….) Kids grow up with the culture of TV land shaping their thought patterns and beliefs, every day from the time they could first understand what was said to them.


First it was Ernie and Big Bird, then Mr. Rogers, then their teachers (who now include televised lectures as part of the educational process, further cementing their dependence on pre-packaged knowledge), and finally, the Six O’Clock News on channel whatever. When people stop thinking for themselves, they become much easier to manipulate.


Our Beloved Ruling Class now is able to just tell the public whatever they want them to believe, while being recorded, sitting behind a desk, with just the shoulders and head appearing, calmly relating a complete report consisting entirely of outright lies. But, most folks will never even know they are being manipulated, because they are unable to hold more than one thought in their head at one time….


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


Very well…. I’m busted…. I’m lazy, and don’t feel like finding a poem, so, here is another of my older poems for today’s offering….


 


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 ~~






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


Smart Bee has been pretty cooperative, not to mention generous, of late…. So, here is another group of pearls picked out without benefit of any direction from me, only editing power… It’s another good collection of observations and advice for a Life Well Lived….


 


“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






“There are two kinds of truth, small truth and great truth. You can recognize a small truth because its opposite is a falsehood. The opposite of a great truth is another truth.” — Niels Bohr (1885-1962)


“It was the saying of Bion, that though the boys throw stones at frogs in sport, yet the frogs do not die in sport but in earnest.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Which are the most crafty, Water or Land Animals? 7


“Courage begins when we can admit that there is no life without some pain, some frustration; that there is no tragic accident from which we are immune; and that beyond the normal exercise of prudence we can do nothing about it.” — Victoria Lincoln


“There is no cure for birth and death other than to enjoy the interval.” — George Santayana (1863-1952)


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


 


But the tender grace of a day that is dead

  Will never come back to me. ~~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) ~~






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


I am unable to come to a conclusion regarding the quality of any of the above; I guess the act of writing it took all my resident conscious intelligence. There doesn’t seem to be any left over for the ending…. Ah well, it isn’t as if that hasn’t happened before, now, is it? Nope…. and, since that is the case, I am authorized to say this: We’re done. Go away…. No, just kidding…. We are done, and you may go when you’re ready… There isn’t anything left here to read, anyway…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..


 


Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Another in a long line of wretched laundry confessions….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


Since it’s already six of one, I’m going to assume that it’s also half dozen of another, and, in spite of how it may seem, or whether or not it is ethical, or moral, or not, that’s the way it will stay. There isn’t a damn thing a single one of us can do about it, so any reluctance to acknowledge this state of affairs can only lead to difficulties for you, and, more critically, for your immediate family…. Sorry, but, natural law is natural law, and there is nothing any of us can do about it, is there? Try to capitulate with some grace, and be a credit to your family, eh?


Nonsense and snide innuendo aside, how y’all doin’? It’s been an interesting two or three days, what with moving, landlord bullying, and internet epiphanies, so I’ll try to correlate some of the more outré information into a palatable format, thus turning shit into jewelry (crap –> pearls). Or not, I’m not sure, and I definitely don’t care HOW it happens, as long as it happens, and does so without bloodshed. I’m running out of bandaging material, or I wouldn’t even care about the blood, so, since I’m strewing BS all over the place at an alarming rate already, we’ll go on, to save resources…


Where, you may ask? Where, indeed…. we are off into the wilds of gigoid’s brain, where there is no telling just what we may find in the nature of biting criticism of humanity’s most dishonorable, shady behaviors (especially as perpetrated by those who would be seen as our leaders…), elegant verse (well, I DO post other poets!….), gut-busting humor, and crunchy, healthful, and flavorful snacks…. 


Okay, so I’m a bit delusional this morning; it’s a natural defense against getting up so early, which, having failed to keep me asleep, inevitably turns to the bag of tricks furnished by a long history of insane thought patterns, along with years and years of exposure to the most virulently insane folks on the planet, when I worked as a psychotherapist…..


But, I digress…. I think…. Is it possible to digress, when one is already lost in space, and time? Hmm, I’ll have to think about that one, one of these days…. In the meantime, I should probably think about getting started with today’s Pearl…. We are fairly well settled in to the new place, and the cat is now a happy camper, with three more rooms in which to practice her psycho-kitty skills, and an extra person to bedevil…. There are only four more boxes of stuff to put away, and a bed to buy….. otherwise, we are good to go, and much more content to be in a building with only one quiet neighbor, instead of 16, comprised of people displaying diverse levels of ignorance, as well as a significant number with unfortunate taste in music . It’s a good thing, yes, it is….


It is now 0540, and I have the entire day ahead of me…. which, I just realized, is one of my favorite things, because these moments are filled with potential…. nothing is yet determined, and the day is mine to do with as I please…. It’s nice to start it with a kiss from a beautiful blonde, too… Since the day is starting so well, and I have wandered sufficiently around my head for the intro section to reach the legal limit, I’m going to make like a tree, and leave…. Ouch, sorry, didn’t mean to get so old and corny…. it just sort of sounded right, but, next time, I’ll go more modern, and save the corn to cook with…. (Sorry again…. couldn’t help it…)


Shall we Pearl?


“A string of excited, fugitive, miscellaneous pleasures is not happiness; happiness resides in imaginative reflection and judgment, when the picture of one’s life, or of human life, as it truly has been or is, satisfies the will, and is gladly accepted.” — George Santayana

_____________________________


“The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this very afternoon.” — John F. Kennedy


What a great little anecdote! I love to see a great life lesson told in a few short words…. Here is a perfect description of the attitude one requires to achieve happiness…. Yes, happiness, an old word, one bandied about much by the uninformed, and the unhappy…. Happy people never need to use the word itself, as they are just…. there. There is little need to think about being happy, when you are, and in fact, not thinking about it is one of the keys to holding it, once found…. Sadly, it is a rare person in today’s world who can sustain long periods where they feel happy the entire time; the world intrudes too much into our lives to give us leave to be happy, unless we know the secret…..


Yes, there’s a secret….. Of course, it’s the kind of secret that is hidden right in plain sight, like Poe’s Purloined Letter. It only requires that one be willing to accept it, and to allow it to enter into one’s spirit, suffusing the world in the less harsh light of contentment, rather than the cold, hard light of resentment. People tend to be like the gardener, blocking their own happiness by finding all kinds of reasons to NOT allow it entry into their world. As humans, we are taught at young age to view reality with stoicism, and mute, unquestioning acceptance of our lot; we are shown all the ways to look ahead, to see the worst of what can happen, in order to be prepared….


But, there is another way to approach the matter, one little known, and therefore little taught…Reality is a tough go, for sure, but, with a little bit of mental effort, much easier than the alternative, one can be in control of how it (Reality) affects one’s life. In short, Life treats us all like shit; what determines how much of it gets in our sandwich depends solely on us, and how we react to that shit…. We can slap the shit between two slices of bread, and choke it down…. or, we can use it as fertilizer, to grow some rather nice weed…. potent, and good for you….


Whatever one decides, the choice remains, as long as one is aware of the options. The problem with most folks is, they don’t see the options, or they don’t believe they will work, as their attitudes keep them from even trying a lot of new ways to do things. I won’t say it is this way for all people, but the greatest majority of people I see in the world are unhappy, without ever realizing that a) they don’t have to be unhappy, and b) being happy is within their power to choose…. It’s too bad, really, because that unhappiness is part of what makes people go wonky, losing integrity, honor, and any sense of morality, in order to reach for an illusion, an illusion of happiness that, even if grasped, will drift away and vanish, like smoke in a breeze….


This little mini-diatribe was intended to be more…. more clear, more inspiring, more helpful in getting people to think in different ways…. However, I seem to have lost that thread, and it’s getting a bit obscure, and thick…. So, I’m going to switch to old-school, and politely ask Smart Bee to give me the right words to accomplish that intent, without having to subject y’all to another thousand words of pedantic persuasion…. Well, that’s how it’s supposed  to work, anyway…. If not, at least it will have been more palatable, with more chocolate chips….


“Going to bed with a woman never hurt a ballplayer. It’s staying up all night looking for them that does you in.” — Casey Stengel


“Pizza is a lot like sex.  When it’s good, it’s really good.  When it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.” — Smart Bee


“Beware of the “Black Swan” fallacy.  Deductive logic is tautological; there is no way to get a new truth out of it, and it manipulates false statements as readily as true ones.  If you fail to remember this, it can trip you – with perfect logic.  The designers of the earliest computers called this the “Gigo Law”, i.e. “garbage in, garbage out”.  Inductive logic is MUCH more difficult – but can produce new truths.” — Lazarus Long


“Man errs as long as he strives.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust


“‘T is but a part we see, and not a whole.” — Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 60


“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” — Mark Twain


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


Okay, so, that works, sort of….. My apologies…. It’s not as clear as I’d hoped, though it’s quite good, in its own small way…. Not bad directions, if one is accustomed to pearls…. I’ve got it! Here is an example of how happiness works, and is available for use by anyone who wishes to use it….


I’m happy now…. I’m done….


(That’s it…. that’s the secret….. No? Not clear yet? Ah, well…. Well, we’ll try again later, ffolkes…. just remember, you CAN be happy, any time you wish…. It’s all a matter of choice….  Bonus? Nobody can take the choice away from you….)

_____________________________


While searching for today’s pearls, I saw one by Pablo Neruda, so I thought I’d find, and use, one of his poems for this section; that decision is always a good one, as there are an awful lot of good poems in his work from which to choose…. Abondanza!….




Lost in the forest…


Lost in the forest, I broke off a dark twig

and lifted its whisper to my thirsty lips:

maybe it was the voice of the rain crying,

a cracked bell, or a torn heart.


Something from far off it seemed

deep and secret to me, hidden by the earth,

a shout muffled by huge autumns,

by the moist half-open darkness of the leaves.


Wakening from the dreaming forest there, the hazel-sprig

sang under my tongue, its drifting fragrance

climbed up through my conscious mind


as if suddenly the roots I had left behind

cried out to me, the land I had lost with my childhood—

and I stopped, wounded by the wandering scent.


~~ Pablo Neruda ~~


_____________________________


In section 1 today, I spoke about happiness, and how to find it (i.e., stop looking, it’s right there inside you….)…. While I was searching for the proper pearls to use in the old-school portion, the following group of pearls kept popping up…. Together, they all form another fine pearl, pointing in a general way to a picture of just exactly what a person who is happy and whole looks like, or, at least, the kinds of things they do, or say, or just think they say….


“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


“When the need arises — and it does — you must be able to shoot your own dog. Don’t farm it out — that doesn’t make it nicer, it makes it worse.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s   “Time Enough For Love”


“It is the ability to choose which makes us human.” — Madeleine L’Engle (Walking on Water)


“How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 18


“I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle, so he won’t let himself get snotty about it.” — Raymond Chandler


“A person will be just about as happy as they make up their mind to be.” — Abraham Lincoln


“Sometimes, you just gotta say “What the fuck.”” — Risky Business


Wow…. perfect…. If y’all don’t like that one, well, there’s just no more hope….

_____________________________


“All’s well that ends well.”….. There are days, such as today, when this is appropriate, with a slight change in punctuation… Let us say this…. “All’s well that ends, well….”, and leave it at that, shall we? Some days this process goes better than others; given the handicaps, this is better…. Now, let’s see what it looks like from the outside, shall we?….


Hmm…. That took a while…. but, I think it’s all going to be okay. Considering the content of today’s effort, I can only say that I’m good with all of it, as it not only gives me something I can be happy about, it gives me both the means to keep being happy, and a reason to do so… What more can a man ask for from life, eh? Well, winning the lottery wouldn’t hurt, and, I like to follow the example of all cats, who feel that it is always alright to ask for what you want; you won’t get it at all if you never ask…


What this means in the long view isn’t exactly clear to me right now, but, it seemed to fit, so, we’ll just show another cat-like quality, and ignore it…. I’m done, stick a fork in me…. Wait, try again, bozo…. Stick a fork in me, I’m done….. See ya, ffolkes….


Y’all take care out there,

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….




—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.


gigoid


dozer3



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Orders to cease and resist….

			
						

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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?…..

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“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….”

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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

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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

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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!