Tag Archives: Robert Heinlein

Use a little filigree for the nose….

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Ffolkes,

A monk said to Joshu, “Your stone bridge is widely renowned, but coming here I find only a heap of rocks.”

 Joshu said, “You see only the stones and not the bridge.”

 The monk said, “What is the bridge?”

 Joshu said, “What do you think we are walking on?”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

“Zensense: The Wisdom of Joshu”

DSCN0027

    Today’s picture, which seems to go so well with the entry from the Wisdom of Joshu, is, truthfully, one of my own, taken on a train trip in 2013, when I visited a friend in Oregon…. I took the picture though the train window, while crammed into my tiny little cubicle, laughingly referred to as a luxury compartment by the thieves who run the trains…. I know, the bitterness kind of takes away from the peace and tranquility implied in the photo…. Still, it came out rather well, don’t you think? I do, but, then, I do have some investment to say so….

All that aside. I like the koan from Smart Bee’s stash of the sayings of Joshu; the title, “Zensense, The Wisdom of Joshu” is my own fictional contribution, which I made up because I thought it was an appropriate word…. I may have coined the word ‘Zensense’, but, I’m not sure, and I’m not going to claim it without knowing for sure; it’s pretty neat, all in all, in more ways than one, a good word to describe the category of ideas we get from Zen koans, or other examples of Zen Buddhist philosophy…. and, it should make it much more convenient to talk about the category, just as if it were lumped into one of the concomitant categories, like Nonsense, or Common sense, etc…. Bonus!

Now I’ve established that, for what it was worth, (I’d guess about $2.95, retail, with a drop to $2.00 on EBay….), we can, legally, go on to our regularly scheduled nonsense. What do we have on tap for today? Your guess is, naturally, as good as mine; this process is fully randomized. I have little to no idea of where we’ll end up, until shortly after I begin writing.

Even then, it’s always a hit and miss issue, as to whether we end up anywhere worthwhile. I try to make it, at minimum, interesting, or funny, but, as with any human endeavor, I frequently fall short, often, spectacularly enough to make me question why I do this at all…. Fortunately, I also possess the quite human ability to deny reality at the drop of a cliche, so, it all works out in end…. or, somewhere near the end….

On that note, with visions of endings cluttering our viewscreen, I think we should probably get on with the business for which we came today…. Once I get the memo telling me what that might be, we’ll get right on it. In the meantime, I think we’ll take advantage of that little hole in the barrier I see just ahead, and dive into the unknown, unguessed future that awaits us in the pearl beds…. See, that one right over…. wait for it….. THERE! Dive, dive, dive…..

Shall we Pearl?

AGE, n.  That period of life in which we compound for the vices that we still cherish by reviling those that we have no longer the enterprise to commit. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

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

All the recent rants you’ve seen here on ECR in the last few days have been generally involved with calling out the lies our Beloved Ruling Class tells us on a daily basis. I try to be fairly light in my treatment, always including what I would term a joke of two, usually at the expense of one of the more vulnerable pundits, such as one of the Shrubs, or Tony Blair, or Dickless Cheney; you know, the assholes. Any who, I figured today, I would shoot for even more comedy, by going with the man who always did it best…. Here is someone’s compilation of his funniest work, all pointed in one direction…. Enjoy, ffolkes, George tells jokes, but, every damn one of them rings with the full volume of TRUTH….


The Best of George Carlin: Exposing our government and fall of humanity one joke at a time

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

“Everything that deceives may be said to enchant.”

~~ Plato, The Republic ~~

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

    Today, I plan to avoid any undue unkindness in my writing. Therefore, I’ve decided for today to NOT compose a fresh rant, as I am, oddly enough, not dubious about how it would turn out. Without going into too much, or, for that matter, any detail, allow me to say I’d either be arrested, or at minimum, receive my first hate mail, a fate I have somehow managed to avoid, in spite of publishing my email address for the entire web to find… I consider that to be merely a chance happenstance; it’s less depressing than to think I’ve never offended anyone… It’s also better than assuming nobody who isn’t already in the choir ever comes by to read what is here….

When I’m being truthful with myself, I admit to the probability of the latter being the correct case. But, right now, I’m lying to myself, and pretending it’s nice of me not to subject y’all to any of what is currently running through my head…. I am of the firm opinion, for the first time, better in than out….

That doesn’t mean I can’t at least make an indictment, if only by using the Metaphorse, that powerful tool of literary nature which saves us closet activists from complete obscurity…. Here, then, is an old-school pearl with a series of comments on our beloved ruling class, and the sham of a government we have inherited, thanks to the inattention of the general public, and the inhumanity of the oligarchs…. Enjoy!

“de-moc-ra-cy (di mok’ ra see) n.  Three wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner.” — Smart Bee

“There is but one element of government, and that is THE PEOPLE.  From this element spring all governments.  “For a nation to be free, it is only necessary that she wills it.”  For a nation to be slave, it is only necessary that she wills it.” — John Adams (1735-1826), Letter to John Taylor, 1814

“We lie about the truth, that’s what ruins us here. And do you know why we lie about the truth? Not because we like to, but because we are scared to death of it. If we looked the truth in the eye nine out of ten of us would run to the graveyard and demand to be buried at once.” — Babbaluche the cobbler

“Don’t ever tell anyone they ain’t free, ‘cos they’re gonna get real busy  killin’ and maimin’ just to prove they are.” — Terry Southern (script for Easy Rider)

“If you attack Stupidity you attack an entrenched interest with friends in government and every walk of public life.” — Robertson Davies

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

“I hope in the future Americans are thought of as a warlike, vicious people, because I bet a lot of high schools would pick “Americans” as their mascot.” — Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

“During his 1956 presidential campaign, a woman called out to Adlai E. Stevenson “Senator, you have the vote of every thinking person!” Stevenson called back “That’s not enough, madam, we need a majority!” — Smart Bee

Oops! Did you see that? It seems one of the pearls included is NOT part of the indictment, but, rather, an expression of how it all got the way it did, in a fashion…. Can you guess which one of them gives us a clue to both the cause of our current state, and the way to correct it? I can, but, then, I did write it…. Feel free to leave your answer in the comments…. or not…. I’m betting most of y’all will ignore this part, and rush on to the poem…. but, I’m a cynic, so, what do I know?….

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

Here is one of mine, from a couple of years ago, written soon after breaking my long hiatus; it’s a few thoughts and impressions about, as we call it around here, LAL, or,  Life At Large….

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 ~~
10/21/2012


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

This pearl, for reasons unknown to modern science, or, for that matter, to me, is damn near perfect! Go figure….. Enjoy!….

Like leaves on trees the race of man is found,–
Now green in youth, now withering on the ground;
Another race the following spring supplies:
They fall successive, and successive rise.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ The Iliad of Homer, Book vi, Line 181 ~~


“As for life, it is a battle and a sojourning in a strange land; but the fame that comes after is oblivion.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ii, 17

“Let us be thankful for the fools; but for them the rest of us could not succeed.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910)

“Life is full of little surprises” — Pandora

“After I’m dead I’d rather have people ask why I have no monument than   why I have one.” — Cato the Elder (234-149 B.C.)

“In handling a stinging insect, move very slowly.” — Lazurus Long

“In his private heart no man much respects himself.” — Mark Twain

“Remember that man’s life lies all within this present, as ‘t were but a hair’s-breadth of time; as for the rest, the past is gone, the future yet unseen. Short, therefore, is man’s life, and narrow is the corner of the earth wherein he dwells.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 10

Oh, sons of earth! attempt ye still to rise,
By mountains pil’d on mountains to the skies?
Heaven still with laughter the vain toil surveys,
And buries madmen in the heaps they raise.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~


See? All in the wrist….

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

Today’s Pearl is brought to you by…. the wonders of modern technology. Obviously. Since I don’t have any piece of whatever advertising you may see here, none of that part of it concerns us. All we know is what I write, which isn’t either predictable, or kosher, (hell, it’s barely classifiable at all….), though we do make it without any of the proscribed ingredients…. Well, okay, we don’t put any faith in there, but, all the rest of it is part of the recipe. We leave faith to those who require the panacea of its embrace…. Me, I’ll take my reason, and doubt, any day….

Which statement brings us, fortunately, to our closing for the day…. I hope you enjoyed today’s nonsense and angst; if not, well, just remember what you paid for it….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

Kowabunga!


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Four is a very friendly number….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil.”


~~ Lazarus Long ~~




POTD-baby-gorilla_3149579kFrom The London Daily Telegraph Pictures of the Week Feature




When I sat down to begin today, I had intended to start with the opening paragraph of another fanciful fictional piece, which come to me when I allow my mind to flow along certain lines…. However, plans changed when I was struck by the need to write my doctor a summary of an issue we are discussing re: my treatment, as part of the ongoing battle with my HMO to get the treatment I want, not what THEY want…. Battling with large, soulless corporations takes time, so, all of what I intended for this time has been usurped….


What does that mean for us now? Simple…. you win. No nonsense, no blathering, (other than what you are now seeing….), and no long, involved rant or introspection in this section…. I don’t have time now, as it’s already close to the time I generally try to get posted. So, this paragraph is the last one you’ll get today, almost as if it were a REAL introduction section. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? I write copious amounts of, occasionally, good stuff, and, it’s mostly useless… Oh well, I suppose I’ve stumbled across another metaphor for my life…. SIGH….


Shall we Pearl?


“Don’t overestimate the decency of the human race.” — H.L. Mencken


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





11-15-2015 004They’re everywhere, they’re everywhere!




Today’s video choice is designed to take me back in time, to a simpler, more innocent age…. Wait…. No, that’s a different video…. This one takes us back, but, not to a time with any more innocence than is present in the world today…. It does, however, take us to some pretty good music, so, it will do for our purposes here today, which may defy description, but will nonetheless fill the bill… or the charlie, or the mary ellen…. Probably won’t fit in your pockets, though…. Maybe we should just go watch it….




Grateful Dead 9-30-89 Shoreline Amphitheater Mountain View CA 















































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“And today’s generation – growing up in a mess of a world created for them by the baby-boom generation, often has little respect for political authority.  They do not trust – and often rightly so – political leaders, and bear a cynicism previously unseen in this country and around the world.  How can they have any respect for governments trying to control the flow of information about bombs on the Internet, when those same governments are responsible the sale of arms and the subsidization of arms industries worldwide, resulting in the death and destruction of countless innocent people worldwide?” — Jim Carroll, 1997 Canadian Internet Handbook



http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/13/brilliant-idea-to-stop-police-brutality-citizens-engage-in-a-new-form-of-crowd-funded-direct-action-against-police-state/


Ffolkes….. I am afraid. I’m very afraid. The world is going to shit, and the only people who might be able to do anything about stopping it have any means to do so…. The inertial power to resist changes in society is not subject to manipulation by small, individual forces, other than by how they can affect the majority to make changes; there is no one alive today who has enough influence over enough people to stop the forces at work that will lead us to the End Game….. This is NOT speculation on my part; it is a logical, organized belief, based on the events transpiring today in the world, and an extensive knowledge of history, and human nature…. If you look at the signs from the past, and at the base flaws so obvious in our nature, it becomes obvious that we are a species destined to join the dodo, and T-Rex among the failed experiments on this planet….


There are, occasionally, signs of hopefulness among the populace; the above article outlines a very good sign, though one that holds its own dangerous elements of predictability…. How long do you think this society can last, when the vast majority of the population has been oppressed by a minority for millennia, and, because of advances in technology, finds out how they have been fooled for so long? The quote at the beginning of this section is all too true, boding ill for all of us when that mistrust comes to a boil….


The reaction by the people of Stockton gives us a clue, which, if extrapolated to suppose the effect on a world-wide basis, would indicate that a massive upheaval of the society of the entire planet is imminent, possibly even BEFORE the coming environmental crisis, which is completely unstoppable by any means we possess. It is entirely possible that revolution in society will take place at the same time we are fighting for our very lives as a species, as the planet’s ecosystem goes bonkers from all the chemical crap we’ve been depositing in the air, in the sea, and in the land, for centuries….


Won’t THAT be fun! You betcha!….


“Don’t look back, the lemmings are gaining on you.” — Smart Bee


I’ve stated this belief previously; I’m sure it’s getting to be old, at least in terms of the freshness of the material. But, I can’t seem to help myself; I’m afraid it’s already too late, and I can’t seem to keep from trying to wake people up to the danger we face…. Heinlein’s Crazy Years are upon us, but, we don’t have the advantage of being fictional, and our survival is NOT as simple as writing a new plot that solves all the formerly unsolvable difficulties we face, right here in REALITY…. I am afraid that, this time, we are not going to see a happy ending to our story…..


This makes me sad…. so sad, I am done ranting, and have begun to weep….. We are all going to die; that is something we all must come to terms with,at some point in our lives…. It makes me sad to know that our entire race will be faced with that, sooner than most of them realize, and all of our BEAUTY, all of our HOPE, all of our DREAMS are going to die with us…. and, as far as I can see, the people who could do something about it not only don’t seem to know of it, they wouldn’t care, as long as they could figure out a way to keep it from happening for THEM…. I guess the justice of life is that they are wrong, and they cannot escape their fate; I just wish they hadn’t taken all of us along with them on their ride to Hell….


I shall leave you now, probably with your thanks for cutting this short ringing in my ears…. That’s okay…. At this point, I’m feeling rather useless, anyway…. I’ll just leave you with the most appropriate thought I can find, which comes, naturally, from an old friend….


“Life is full of surprises when you’re up th’ stream of consciousness without a paddle…” — Zippy the Pinhead


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


Since I’m late, you get Emily…. Or, make that, I get Emily; you get something other than my own poetry, always a bonus, I’m sure….




Because I could not stop for Death–

He kindly stopped for me– 

The Carriage held but just Ourselves– 

And Immortality.


We slowly drove–He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility–


We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess–in the Ring– 

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain– 

We passed the Setting Sun–


Or rather–He passed us–

The Dews drew quivering and chill–

For only Gossamer, my Gown–

My Tippet–only Tulle–


We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground–

The Roof was scarcely visible–

The Cornice–in the Ground–


Since then–’tis Centuries–and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses’ Heads 

Were toward Eternity– 


~~ Emily Dickinson ~~




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One thing I’ve learned over time; a pearl will fly if there are at least three of the key concepts present. Key concepts, of course, are the characteristics of human nature or existence which make for a life well-lived. There aren’t many of them, but, they’re powerful… They are also easy to identify, but, each person must figure out their own methods for doing so; that is what makes us all different…. Well, other than the simple fact of inhabiting different bodies, and positions in space…. In this pearl, those three necessary components are listed right there, in the pearls, for all to see…. but, just to be clear, if you look for thought, duty, truth, and virtue, you’ll figure the rest out, I’m sure…. Enjoy!….




Remembrance and reflection how allied!


What thin partitions sense from thought divide!


~~ Alexander Pope ~~


~~ Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 225 ~~




“Perish discretion when it interferes with duty.” — Hannah More


“We accept many notions because they seem to be the logical answers to our questions. But have we asked the right questions?” — Harold L. Klawans, MD


“A thing is not necessarily true because badly uttered, nor false because spoken magnificently.” — St. Augustine


“Truth has not special time of its own.  Its hour is now — always and indeed then most truly when it seems unsuitable to actual circumstances.” — Albert Schweitzer


“Virtue is its own reward.  There’s a pleasure in doing good which sufficiently pays itself.” — Sir John Vanbrugh, The Relapse




Though man a thinking being is defined,


Few use the grand prerogative of mind.


How few think justly of the thinking few!


How many never think, who think they do!


~~ Jane Taylor (1783-1824) ~~


~~ Essays in Rhyme, (On Morals and Manners, Prejudice, ) Essay i, Stanza 45 ~~




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


Though I’m not as late as it might seem, to my sense of propriety, I’m in White Rabbit mode. Don’t fret, that merely means I gotta go now… See y’all tomorrow ffolkes, as long as the internet stays up….




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


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….







		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Authentic plastic flamingos on parade….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go fly a kite.” 


~~ Lazarus Long ~~


test shotss 006


     Having issued walking papers to Mrs. Grundy years ago, I am perfectly aware of how lucky I am to have done so. Being free of the worries most folks carry around, about what others think, is a truly valuable freedom, and is largely responsible for most of the fresh rants that are produced here…. One must, after all, take advantage of those areas in life where such freedoms may be applied; there are many, many ways the world employs, to try to keep us quiet, whether it be a busybody preacher, telling us to obey temporal authority, or a government lackey, trying to apply some bureaucratic legislative belch, which is supposed to make society moral…. Nothing else has done that, but, for some reason, a lot of folks believe laws will do so…..


At which point, I laugh heartily, and go smoke a joint, while I peruse the latest news of the world’s impending demise…. But, it’s a bit early to get into such a depressing issue. I guess what we are seeing here is another example of of trying to write before coffee has been consumed in sufficient quantity to keep it all rational. Of course, I’m not certain at all what sort of rationality I can claim at 0305 in the morning, so, that’s probably a wash, too….


Oh well, I suppose I’ll need to get ruthless again, if we’re to make any headway today. I have another appointment out in the BBR, a very critical appointment, which can be viewed as a turning point, one which will determine whether the battle is to continue, or if Kaiser will finally raise the white flag, and provide me with the medical treatment I believe is best for me, rather than accepting their asinine policies which have no basis in either reality, or in medical science…. The decision to be made today will, hopefully, mean I can take a well-deserved rest from having to fight for my rights as a person against a soulless corporation…. until their next assault on my sensibilities, of course….


Okay, so, here is where the ruthless part comes in…. If I were you, I’d hold on to the nearest stanchion, or make sure my seat belt is fastened securely, because, at the moment I finish this sentence, we are going in, and the pilot has instructions to make it a HOT landing…. Y’all hang on, now, y’hear?….. Wheeee!….


Shall we Pearl?


“Perhaps I know why it is man alone who laughs: He alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche


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


Today’s video selection is one about which I feel some ambivalence. When this show was on TV, I would never miss an episode, if possible; it was one of the most popular shows of its time. From the vantage point of age, however, I can see exactly how much societal manipulation, aka, brainwashing of the American viewing public, was going on in every episode….


Every American TV stereotype was displayed by the characters, as well as in the plots and dialogue; the crafty American hero, with his motley crew of culturally diverse mates (of each color and nationality), each of whom is a studied caricature of his or her type, a true stereotype, with the Americans, naturally, easily making fools of their stereotypical Nazi “captors”, not to mention everyone else involved…. actors, writers, AND audience… All of them were clueless, not just the actors, producers,  & the networks; none of those who made it, nor any of those who watched it, had any clue as to any political, or thought manipulation that was going on…. but, trust me, you’ll see all of it, exposed glaringly in every episode…


It’s amusing stuff, though, as long as you don’t take it seriously…. and, a nice break from the more modern bullshit we see on TV…. Have you ever seen that ridiculous show called “24”? Pathetic…. any who, here’s Hogan and the boys from Stalag 13…. or, was it 17?…. Ah, who cares?…. Enjoy….







Hogan’s Heroes Season 4 Episode 1 






































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“A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone.” — William Wordsworth


I know it makes me eccentric, to believe some of the things I profess to believe; that’s okay, I’ve been called that particular name all my life. The things I state as beliefs are based on evidence and facts, not supposition, or fantasy, so, I’m not overly concerned regarding the “wall of noise” thrown up by those who choose to allow the Dogma Dogs, or the Pundits, to tell them what they should believe…. I’ll start to worry if they ever choose to throw in a fact or two on the side of their argument; until then, it’s just a powerless sound and fury, none of my concern….


Even though it’s early, I don’t feel like ranting…. Oh, there is plenty about which to rant; I’m just not in the proper frame of mind, being determined to focus on my appointment later in the day. Today, I’m going to, again, rely on my friend Lou to furnish today’s subject for this section…. I haven’t listened to this yet, but, knowing Alan Watts, I’m certain he has a valid group of points from which he argues his position, and whatever he says will be a version of the truth, as seen by one of our Age’s masters of philosophy…. The subject matter is such that I won’t bother to tell you to enjoy it, but, it WILL all be valid, and true, and relevant to reality….



http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/07/alan-watts-what-is-wrong-with-our-culture-506/


“The great experimental principle, then, is doubt, that philosophic doubt which leaves to the mind its freedom and initiative, and from which the virtues most valuable to investigators in physiology and medicine are derived.” — Claude Bernard, ‘An Introduction to Experimental Medicine’ 1865


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Whenever I feel like some REAL poetry, in the sense of how much reality it conveys to the reader, this poet is one who will always satisfy…. Nobody writes closer to the edge of what is real than Charles….




Another Day


having the low down blues and going

into a restaurant to eat.

you sit at a table.

the waitress smiles at you.

she’s dumpy. her ass is too big.

she radiates kindness and sympathy.

live with her 3 months and a man would no real agony.

o.k., you’ll tip her 15 percent.

you order a turkey sandwich and a

beer.

the man at the table across from you

has watery blue eyes and

a head like an elephant.

at a table further down are 3 men

with very tiny heads

and long necks

like ostriches.

they talk loudly of land development.

why, you think, did I ever come

in here when I have the low-down

blues?

then the the waitress comes back with the sandwich

and she asks you if there will be anything 

else?

and you tell her, no no, this will be

fine.

then somebody behind you laughs.

it’s a cork laugh filled with sand and

broken glass.


you begin eating the sandwich.


it’s something.

it’s a minor, difficult,

sensible action

like composing a popular song

to make a 14-year old

weep.

you order another beer.

jesus, look at that guy

his hands hang down almost to his knees and he’s

whistling.

well, time to get out.

pick up the bill.

tip.

go to the register.

pay.

pick up a toothpick.

go out the door.

your car is still there.

and there are 3 men with heads

and necks

like ostriches all getting into one

car.

they each have a toothpick and now

they are talking about women.

they drive away first

they drive away fast.

they’re best i guess.

it’s an unbearably hot day.

there’s a first-stage smog alert.

all the birds and plants are dead

or dying.


you start the engine.


~~ Charles Bukowski ~~




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Today’s final pearls was created ahead of time, by some elves who came through the other day…. I’m not sure just what they were trying to say, but, it didn’t come out too badly, so, we’ll let it go out, as it is…. It seems to be a comment on living, right up until you die….




Just like the falling rainbow

Just like the stars in the sky

Life should never feel small.


~~ Vearncombe ~~


~~ Black, Paradise ~~




“Not every soil can bear all things.” — Virgil (19 BC)


“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein


“Virtue refuses facility for her companion … the easy, gentle, and sloping path that guides the footsteps of a good natural disposition is not the path of true virtue. It demands a rough and thorny road.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xi, Of Cruelty


“For “ignorance is the mother of devotion,” as all the world knows.” — Robert Burton (1577-1640) — The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part iii, Sect. 4, Memb. 1, Subsect. 2


“I bid him look into the lives of men as though into a mirror, and from others to take an example for himself.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Adelphoe, Act iii, Sc. 3, 61, (415.)


Go into yourself and see how deep the place is from which your life flows.” — Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet




Green be the turf above thee,

  Friend of my better days!

None knew thee but to love thee,

  Nor named thee but to praise.


~~ Fitz-Greene Halleck (1790-1867) ~~


~~ On the Death of Joseph Rodman Drake ~~




Aha! Now it makes more sense…. It’s a pearl for Richey, Red’s friend, who passed away suddenly a few days past…. Blessed Be, Richey…. The very last pearl is for you….


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


Well, that went well, for all it was truncated throughout the process by intransigent discomfort, the flux-state of existence currently holding sway in every one of the 210 bones in my skeleton… SIGH…. So much for break time, eh? Ah well, at least I’m done with this for the day…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, Theresa, and Richey…

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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Oh, gosh. We’re definitely going to need a llama….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“A soldier told Pelopidas, “We are fallen among the enemies.” 


Said he, “How are we fallen among them more than they among us?”


~~ Plutarch (46-120 AD) ~~


~~ Pelopidas ~~


Zack at Christmas 12-28-2012 002 (2)


     Odd, poignant pieces of sleep-induced optimism have begun to enter the fringes of my conscious mind, seemingly trying to convince me to hope. Without fail, hope eludes my grasp, while despair grips me in its iron fist, threatening eternity, laughing, and cruel. No light, no innocence penetrates the veil of sorrowful regret covering all I perceive, all I know….


Often, in the morning, these little blurbs leak out of my head; some of them are pretty good, others, not so hot. This one, which seemed to push it’s way out, more than merely leaking, obviously has a better opinion of its worth than is apparent to anyone else…. It’s okay, but, a bit depressing for opening a blog…. The part of me that creates these doesn’t seem to have much real connection to what might be good, or bad; it’s more of a random word generator than a real creative urge, I think. But, it’s worth letting it happen now and again, as a few really fine openings have resulted…. It’s too bad I can’t predict the quality before it comes out to play…. Oh, well….


Now we’ve wasted a good eight or ten lines to discuss not very much, we’re again confronted with the same issue which prompted the opening lines of fictional waffling, to wit: now wtf do I do? (Sorry for the text-style abbreviation, but, I figured it’s a bit early for graphic epithets… this way I still get to say “fuck”, but without actually writing…. oh…. whoops…. I did write it, didn’t I?…. Hmph. Oh, well; best laid plans, and all that…) If I’d had a clue as to what might go well this morning, it would already be here, instead of the ridiculous blathering we are now encountering….


You know what? I don’t have the patience for this…. We’re going to just leave this right where it is, without worrying at all about any damn introduction…. Y’all have been here before (or not… who cares?…), and know that sometimes, you just have to deal with whatever happens…. So, here is your chance…. Deal….


Shall we Pearl?


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


AHA! So, that’s the problem….


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


I’ve stated previously my belief we are not going to be able to survive, as a species, if we don’t colonize in space, whether it be on the Moon, Mars, the Asteroids which circle the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, or on the moons of the larger planets…. Wherever we may decide to go, it will be, in my opinion, the ONLY way we will see the twenty-third century…. Here is a video showing some of what is in store for us out there, to remind us of our true destiny….







1 HOUR of AMAZING HQ SPACE VIDEO – The BEST of Discovery Space 








































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


“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average  star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.” — Stephen W. Hawking, Der Spiegel, 1989


Dr Hawking is probably right; he’s a pretty smart guy. On any normal day, which, admittedly, happens very little around here, I’d find this a perfect opening for a rant of some sort; there are lots of examples of people who have taken their ‘specialness’ way too seriously….


Today, though, I’m still not much in the mood to rant, having been at war with my own body now for a week or two; it’s a bit of a struggle to get myself to care much about anything other than trying to find some peace in my own skin… Those of y’all who have been here frequently will know what THAT means for today’s Pearl…. Yep, we’re going to the archives for todays’ rant, to further cement my reputation as one of the laziest bloggers on the Net….


Here is a pretty good one, from a little under two years ago…. It’s a bit lengthy, but, covers a lot of ground…. Enjoy!….


From 4/11/2013:


“He who conceals a useful truth is equally guilty with the propagator of an injurious falsehood.” — Augustine


If ever there was a perfect lead in to a rant about the Beloved Ruling Class, or our/their Corporate Masters, or about the Priestly Hierarchies, those fawning sycophants who support those two entities in their chicanery, well, I don’t know what it would be, if not this. It’s perfectly positioned to attack any, or all of these groups, all of whom make the described action, to wit: bare-faced lying, a habitual choice in their daily interactions with others. They do this with full knowledge of the harm they may cause, but are not concerned with that, other than as it pertains to the maintenance of their own image; they want us to see them as people who care about those over whom they hold sway. In short, they live a complete lie, they know it, and they like it….


Whether we speak of the political leaders of our nations, the corporate leaders of the banking crowd, or the Pope, Ayatollah, and other figures held as religious icons, they speak “with forked tongue”, in the vernacular of Tonto, our favorite TV Indian stereotype. Not only do they lie to the public almost every time the open their mouths, they know they are lying; with many of them, you can see it in their eyes, as they speak…. Some of them (perhaps even most….) are very good at concealing their cupidity from most people; it’s part of why they are successful. But, to anyone with even a hint of street smarts, or even moderate intelligence, and the patience to observe with impartiality, their lies are obvious…. Hell, it’s been said, with some reason, that you can tell a politician is lying, because his mouth is open….


“If I can’t misquote it, I don’t want it.” — Rush Limbaugh


This statement, whether he actually said it or not, explains quite accurately why he is so popular among the conservatives and ignorant fundamentalists in this country…. I would guesstimate the majority of elected officials in this country use this principle on a daily basis, as one of the standards by which they formulate their public policies, and one of their bywords when speaking in a public venue. Nothing is accepted so readily by the uneducated listener as a quote, or a statistic, that sounds elegant, and real, and comforting, even though it is an absolute untruth, or a mistake, or even a misquotation…. None of that matters to those in power, because they know that their success hinges on their ability to lie successfully to the public….. It’s a time honored tradition in our government, one every politician knows in his bones…


“It’s not that simple, no matter how you wish it so.  You made public statements from a position of false authority;  now you’re having them shoved down your throat.  Welcome to netnews. — Smart Bee


The advent of the internet has made it possible to detail these lies as never before in history. As always, however, the information is only accessible if one reads, and is competent enough to be able to use the internet to its full capability for gathering data. So, the lies continue, though they are much more visible now than in previous periods of history. They will continue as long as people are too lazy, or too brainwashed to think for themselves, and to question what they hear from those who hold power over them.


I don’t think it is reasonable to ever expect those who are in power to stop what they are doing, do a complete reversal of attitude, and start using their positions to advocate for the people, instead of their corporate masters. It isn’t going to happen, as they LIKE being able to raid the public treasury at will. There is no benefit for them, in their eyes, for them to stop lying, so they won’t…. No, if we want things to change, it will have to begin in that part of society that does not answer to the moneychangers, or to the call of avarice, to wit: with you, and me…. Otherwise, we may as well just bend over, and kiss our asses goodbye, because ultimately, the way things are going, we are all headed down the universal toilet, where all of Mother Nature’s failed experiments get flushed…..


I can rant on this subject without limit, I think, as there is no lack of material to work with; the news is all over the net every day with more evidence of the lies the BRC wants us to believe. Hell, one can take almost any large newspaper, look on the front page, and find at least two examples of issues that arise out of corruption in government, or some environmental disaster that is a warning of our impending doom…. In any of these, you will find at least one government official making a statement that is just plain wrong, or false in some way, intended to spin the information to benefit the administration, or to denigrate it, depending on which side is speaking….  It’s a circus maximus, for sure, and provides us curmudgeons with all the rantable material we could wish for, gratis (well, for the price of a computer, and internet access, anyway….).


“God said it, I believe it and that’s all there is to it.” — Smart Bee


I had to put Smart Bee as the attribution here, probably because nobody in their right mind would ever claim credit for having said it…. But, as I, in my lifetime, have actually heard several people say this, (realio trulio, I swear…. three times I’ve heard it, in person, come out of a real live idiot’s mouth….), I can only credit it as being a common feeling among a certain percentage of people. Be that as it may, as long as there is ANYONE who thinks this way, we are all going to be held back from being all our species could be, as well as being in danger of facing extinction because of the intransigence of their ignorance…..


“Misanthropology: the study of why people are so stupid and why most of them should die, SOON!” — Smart Bee


I don’t know the exact figures, but I would say that at least 50% of all the elected officials in this country hold this attitude, if not as gospel or dogma for all issues, at least as true for most issues. Our government has been taken over, insidiously, over time, by religious fanatics, who are working frantically to cement their hold over everyone else by enacting their own morality as law…. As history has proven, time after time, legislating morality is ALWAYS doomed to failure, but, as this group believes implicitly in the rightness of their articles of faith, they will listen to no evidence to the contrary….


“Religion is the highest vanity.” — Friedrich Hebbel


Ah well, I guess all I can say at this point is I think we’re all going to hell in the proverbial handbasket, and I, for one, would just as soon not be involved in this particular picnic…. Nope, not me…. Sadly, there isn’t anywhere else to go, where I can get away from these fools, as they have infested almost every corner of this sad old globe, and are busy destroying the chances for any of us to survive their ignorance…. Unless I, and all those like me, change our nature, and become like the ones who are in power, willing to kill our brethren over these issues, there is little to be done, for they will never give up until they kill us all….


~~ gigoid has spoken….


“Buy a rifle, encrypt your data, and wait for the Revolution!” — .sig of Travis J.I. Corcoran (TJIC@icd.teradyne.com)


“Speak the truth, but leave immediately after.” — Slovenian Proverb


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


Just because it’s been a while since I made this clear….




Joe Friday’s lament


Life is short, and though I’m odd, they say

it really doesn’t bother me

to realize there is no God, per se.


Though other folks will disagree

and tell me I’m wrong

I won’t believe it, with naught to see.


Liars called padre tell me, have humility,

and do as the authorities say,

then fondle little boys with facility.


They also tell me to share the wealth

and give them a 10% tithe

so they don’t have get it by stealth.


So spare me the delusions, please

don’t bother with such a tale;

I’m nobody that needs such a tease.


Keep your fantasies under your hat

and out of my face;

I don’t need them, they’ll make me fat….. headed.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


What we have here, purely by accident, is a nearly perfect old-school pearl, a stylish, studiously moral group of wise expressions, ranging from the somber to the joyous, with a nearly perfect metaphor at the end, to bring it straight to the most sensible, not to mention the most instructive perspective from which to view the pursuit of wisdom…. Well, I think so…. Or, just let it simmer a while, and it will settle into your psyche like a soothing cup of herbal tea….


“Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.” — Andre Gide


“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” — Ambrose Redmoon


“Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.”  — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


“Cato used to assert that wise men profited more by fools than fools by wise men; for that wise men avoided the faults of fools, but that fools would not imitate the good examples of wise men.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Marcus Cato


“I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.” — Booker T. Washington


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


“If possible, try to find a way to come downstairs that doesn’t involve going bump, bump, bump, on the back of your head. ” — Pooh in Winnie the Pooh A.A. Milne, English author (1882-1956)


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


All I can say at this point is, thank goodness THAT’s done; I’m also glad most of it got done during moments of peace yesterday, and last night…. Why I continue to do this at all remains a mystery, but, no worries…. Life is full of things we may never understand, so, it’s best just to get used to it. Given the right set of circumstances, and a little luck, I’ll see y’all tomorrow…. See ya, 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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Two of the insults, please; hold the injuries…

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Belief in the supernatural reflects a failure of the imagination.” 


~~ Edward Abbey ~~


potd-bears_3148429k


     This is a note from gigoid’s robot blog writer, Arthur, with a message from gigoid….. He doesn’t feel up to writing today, so he asked me to finish today’s Pearl…. Since I’m a professional model, I won’t bother with gigoid’s usual introductory section, but, will instead take y’all directly into the main part of today’s post. Trust me, it will be best…. and, gigoid has given me free rein to produce this as I see fit, so, you’ll just have to deal…. Okay, okay, one joke….


“If a man is talking in the forest, and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?” — Jenny Weber


According to my robotic database, that is supposed to be a joke. There is, however, a footnote, that not all will find it funny, unless the following line is added.


“I have it on good authority the answer to this question is “yes”…..” — gigoid (He tells me the “good authority” consists of his ex-wife, and three of his women friends….)


Shall we Pearl?


“You can’t go home again if home is a place you’ve never been.” — Ursula K Leguin


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


The world lost one of its most beautiful voices when this woman had to give up singing due to advancing Parkinson’s Disease…. Fortunately for us all, she left us a good-sized legacy of work to enjoy…. Here is some of the best of it, with a link to the page where you can find more…. I won’t bother to say enjoy, because I know you will, unless you have no heart at all…. Even us robots know beauty when we hear it….







Linda Ronstadt In Concert 1980 







































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


“However mean your life is, meet it and live; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in Paradise. Love your life poor as it is. You may perchance have pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse.” — Henry David Thoreau


I’m not sure, in looking at this from the perspective of my 64 years on this planet, that I can agree with Hank on this one, totally. Parts of it are good advice, and, certainly true, most of the time. But, I can truthfully say, from personal experience, when I was in the “poorhouse”, in a metaphorical sense, if not altogether in reality, even the most thrilling moments were dulled by the insidiously ubiquitous stress of living with anxiety, for the rent, for a car, for the next meal, most of which are a constant concern for all who live at that address….


I think perhaps Hank was in his thirties when he wrote this; it sounds like the proclamation of a young man, with the strength of youthful exuberance, as yet undimmed by the vicissitudes of a long life, which teach one to be more conservative, if only in describing what is real, according to the lessons one learns by experience, over time…. An older philosopher might have expressed this sentiment with a bit more flexible, and therefore realistic idea of how to endure such travails….


Sure, love your life as it is, but, don’t be too happy with it, or there is no reason to hope for more…. That makes more sense to me, having spent my time in such situations in the past…. which is why I am now NOT in that situation…


~~~~~


Ffolkes…. gigoid started this rant, and directed me to finish it for him…. Since that would be against the rules of my robotic soul, (we’re not programmed to pass ourselves off as human….) I’ll merely add an old-school pearl on a subject close to the theme, and be done with it…. Of course, there doesn’t seem to be enough to decide what the them might be, so, if it turns out to be a bit off-subject, blame gigoid, not me….


“I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, and I’m happy, Doctor, I finally won out over it.” — Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, 1950.


“I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat.” — John Milton (1608-1674) — Areopagitica


“I know human names well enough.  After all, you are who you eat.” — Ed the Shark, from Diane Duane’s DEEP WIZARDRY


“After all is said and done, a hell of a lot more is said than done.” — Olmstead’s Law


“Every moment of pleasure in life has to be purchased by an equal moment of pain.” — Danilo O’Dell, “Up the Long Ladder”, stardate 42823.2


“Learning is not compulsory… neither is survival.” — W. Edwards Deming


~~~~~


Well, that’s an interesting group, isn’t it…. My programming patterns suggest that it would be well to add one final pearl, to try to explain what happened here…. Here is the best I could find in that direction….


“Beware of me, for I am a poet!” — Friedrich Nietzsche, “Thus Spake Zarathustra”


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


gigoid left no instructions about the poem, so, this is one of my favorites; it is also the favorite of every other robot I know….







All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace


I like to think (and

the sooner the better!)

of a cybernetic meadow

where mammals and computers

live together in mutually

programming harmony

like pure water

touching clear sky. 


I like to think

(right now please!)

of a cybernetic forest

filled with pines and electronics

where deer stroll peacefully

past computers

as if they were flowers

with spinning blossoms. 


I like to think

(it has to be!)

of a cybernetic ecology

where we are free of our labors

and joined back to nature,

returned to our mammal

brothers and sisters,

and all watched over

by machines of loving grace. 


~~ Richard Brautigan, 1967 ~~




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


gigoid did leave this entire pearl for me to use in the final section; I guess it makes sense, but, sometimes, as a robot, I find gigoid’s mind to be a little hard for me to follow…. Enjoy, please….


~~~~~


You know, even after setting random parameters, a collection like this seldom comes to light…. It is so wonderfully obscure, I’m pretty sure I don’t even WANT to try to remove the mystery of it, by following its torturous path to the point…. Serendipity can assume some rather complicated disguises, it’s clear…. You know what else? I’m glad that’s true….. Y’all should enjoy this, without working too hard to figure out EXACTLY what it means; you could hurt yourself, and I’d feel guilty…. Well, no I wouldn’t, but, I’d feel sorry for you, in a nice way….


“You don’t have to worry about me. I might have been born yesterday…but I stayed up all night.” — gigoid


“From out of all the many particulars comes oneness, and out of oneness come all the many particulars.” — Heraclitus


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


“Certainly the game is rigged. Don’t let that stop you; if you don’t bet, you can’t win.” — Lazarus Long


“He knew that insofar as one denies what is, one is possessed by what is not, the compulsions, the fantasies, the terrors that flock to fill the void.” — Ursula K. LeGuin, _The Lathe of Heaven


“He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only evil, namely, ignorance.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Socrates, xiv




He took his vorpal sword in hand

 Long time the manxom foe he sought

 Till rested he by the tumtum tree

 And stood awhile in thought


 ~~Jabberwocky ~~


~~Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) ~~




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


gigoid wants you to know, he may, or may not be back tomorrow. He’ll let you know, and, of course, you’ll know by 7 AM, because, if it isn’t posted by that time, Pacific, it won’t be done at all…. If he can’t cut the mustard, maybe he’ll let me do one by myself…. I’ll ask, after he’s calmed down a bit; changing his routine always makes him grumpy…. Bye, for now….




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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Pushing back on all fronts….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable.


The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy.”


~~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War ~~


12-23-2013 003


 “My greatest fear in life is that no-one will remember me after I’m dead.” — Anonymous


Too often, this blog begins with the word “I”…. Well, in sooth, I say, “too often”, when what I actually mean is, “too often for my comfort.” This, of course, is the natural result of a person who wishes to write, but, really doesn’t wish to indulge in much of the ego-driven parts of writing that are necessary to achieve any sort of prominence…. 


Ambition is required, if one wishes to become popular, whether in the blogosphere, or in the mainstream media venues, such as newspapers, radio, & TV; ambition; this is unfortunate, at least, for those of us who’d rather remain on a path with oh, let’s just say, a higher degree of spiritualism, or perhaps just less ego-driven….


But, then one must consider two things…. One, it’s MY blog, and we are often dealing with MY issues, so, using “I” becomes nearly impossible to avoid…. Second, being a pretty smart guy, with a fairly accurate sense of how smart I am compared to the average joe, I try to avoid either shoving that in people’s faces, or dwelling upon it, as I don’t view it as necessarily anything to be proud about…. 


All it does, actually, is saddle me with more perceptions than most, to my way of seeing it, and, that particular ability, for certain, is both a blessing, AND a curse. Factor in the simple FACT that smartness, or intelligence, has NO PROVEN SURVIVAL VALUE, and you can begin to see why I try to avoid overt egotism…. It really isn’t very nice, not to mention self-defeating….


In the past five or six days, since right before Christmas, I’ve been climbing out of a deep hole, which my mind seems to have fallen into without me even noticing I was off balance; that’s what comes from depending on vertigo to do that…. it’s unreliable, as is now patently clear…. SIGH…. 


Whatever the failure in my early warning system happens to be, I found myself in a position where I was bursting into tears rather frequently, due to some stressful issues I’m dealing with, which seem to have triggered some unknown, and certainly unwanted, unresolved feelings of sadness and emotional pain, left over from one of the many instances in my life where I experienced far more of them than I ever thought possible, and, apparently, stored up for later use…. Go figure…


I’m finally starting to see some light, and, I’m hoping this morning’s events will help, as I get to go do something that SHOULD shore up some of my feelings of inner conflict…. Of course, I have another appointment tomorrow morning, wherein I expect to have to fire the opening salvo of what promises to be a quite bloody battle with my HMO, and the modern medical society they manipulate and corrupt at every turn…. That, however will be, I’m sure, food for a future rant, not for now…. 


Ha! Thought I’d fall into that one, didn’t you?…. Nope. In fact, it would be a good idea for y’all to hold on, because, I’ve blathered and bitched enough for one morning…. We’re goin’ in, and goin’ in hard!…. Not only that, but, we’re doin’ it NOW!….


Shall we Pearl?


“Avoid making irrevocable decisions while tired or hungry (NB: Circumstances can force your hand. So think ahead!)” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


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


I am all about quickness today, so what you get is another day of chill-out music, from the classical music genre…. This kind is nice to play while reading, and can provide a bit of armor against splashing, after a fashion…. The page to which I am linking is one with 112 selections of various pieces by various artists, and looks like a beautiful group to pass the time with…. enjoy…..




Classical Music Playlist







































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


To fill in the space quickly, here is a short rant with an attached old-school pearl as augmentation…. It is from a period when I was apparently writing better than other times; I’ve found some excellent stuff in the period’s archives…. including this one, one of several from this month… If nothing else, you can enjoy its brevity….


From 9/18/2012:


Religion has never attracted me as a pastime that led to any particularly desirable activities. From the very first, even as a small child, I always thought the people at church were trying to get me to believe something that was not only hard to believe, but they wanted me to believe it, just on their word that it was true….. What they were saying wasn’t anything like what I perceived to be true about the world at large; none of it sounded like common sense, if you get my drift…. Plus, the more I resisted what they said, and asked questions that they couldn’t answer, the more insistent they became….. Most kids have a pretty good crap detector, and the whole church thing seemed based on fluff and wishes to me…..


Any who, it seems a lot of my saved up oysters have been on that very subject, i.e., religious dogma, and alternative ways of looking at the universe, and how it works, and what it means…. (you know, all the good stuff….), so I thought an old-school grouping would perhaps help ffolkes get a clue about what I do believe….. which can, I have to admit, change from one day to the next….. gotta keep room for new data, y’know…… shall we Pearl a bit?…..


“Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the bible is filled, it would seem more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind.” — Thomas Paine — The Age of Reason


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


“I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.” — Albert Einstein


God:  What one human uses to persecute another. — Anonymous


The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.– Robert Heinlein, “Job”, 1984


“No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature.  Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my own constitution; the only wrong what is against it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)


“If the lord had meant us to have faith, he’d have given us lobotomies.” — Zlatko


“A long and wicked life followed by five minutes of perfect grace gets you into Heaven. An equally long life of decent living and good works followed by one outburst of taking the name of the Lord in vain, then have a heart attack at that moment and be damned for eternity. Is that the system?” — Robert A. Heinlein


“I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in     youth.  I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.”–Albert Einstein


“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” — Buddha


Well, there you go…. a complete mish-mash of different philosophies and outlooks, each with its own little piece to contribute to the whole, all ended perfectly with a piece of profoundly simple wisdom… not the virtual kind that is common around here, but real wisdom, that you can put in your pocket, take away with you, and use as needed…..


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


I’m using mine, only because it’s quicker, and I’m lazier than the average joe…. goes along with the smarter part…. Yep, I am aware that intelligence is merely a FACTOR of laziness in humans; one of the primary motivating factors for using our imagination is to find an easier, or quicker route to achieving our ends, whatever they are…. Think about it, ffolkes, you’ll see what I mean…. Meanwhile…. Here is one of my personal favorite poems…






Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….


Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me

Ah’m not even sure of mah name,

or how Ah come to be;

no idea from where Ah came.


Ah does like a mystery tho’,

puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,

good from bad fo sho,

Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.


If’n Ah cain’t figure out what’s best,

Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,

seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,

‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.


‘Course, he’d lived a good long time,

‘n had lots of stuff go on by;

Went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,

never once used it fer an alibi.


He tol’ me once Ah’d best learn to learn,

school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.

Yer own good measure you can earn,

by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.


Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,

he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,

‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,

kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.


Without ever sayin’ the word itself,

Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others

not some fake stuff from some shelf,

but, knowin’ whut’s right, ‘n that we’re all brothers.


Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think

to get around the block at least two times.

I s’pose long as my head don’t shrink

Ah’ll keep on doin’ right, ‘n makin’ these rhymes…..


~~ gigoid ~~




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


Smart Bee seems to have gotten over its snit, this pearl came together in jig time, with a nice little group of pears all pointing in one direction…. Well, close enough for pearls, anyway; my Gentle Readers have seen enough of them to see what point we’re trying to make without undue difficulty. Any newbies will find it reasonably clear, as well, I think, for it’s a simple idea being promoted today…. See if you don’t agree….


“Each man is the smith of his own fortune.” — Appius Claudius Caecus


“It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future, and impossible to live in the past.  Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.” — Jim Bishop


“All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific.” — Jane Wagner, _The Search For Intelligent Life In The Universe_  — [Performed by Lily Tomlin]


“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know.” — William Saroyan


“All time in all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all bugs in amber.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughter-House 5


“Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it: men come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts, we come to be just; by doing self-controlled acts, we come to be self-controlled; and by doing brave acts, we come to be brave.” — Aristotle


“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: “I’m with you kid. Let’s go.”” — Maya Angelou


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


“This tagline is dedicated to my bird friend- Fred” — gigoid


Well…. considering that I’m currently in a state of mind I wouldn’t wish on an enemy, this didn’t come out too badly…. It’s also nice to have a little space from pain, which, thanks to the rain stopping for a few days, has been relatively manageable for two days now…. But, then, all is relative, is it not? I’m outta here, ffolkes… I’m gonna go see my grandson, and, for the first time in his life, be allowed to give him a Christmas present…. Now, THAT should make me feel better…. In fact, I’m counting on it…. See y’all later, ffolkes…. maybe even tomorrow….




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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Arguing the salient points is thirsty work….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“There aren’t many times in your life when your body has absolutely nothing wrong with it.”


~~ Smart Bee ~~


thats some cold shit


     The quote, a rather poignant, yet perfectly accurate comment, which you see sitting right above my picture of The Tracy Arm Fjord/Glacier (Damn! That’s a LOT of COLD-looking water, ain’t it?…. Yet, this was taken from the deck of a ship, in July!….), struck me very hard, right between the eyes…. It seems so perfectly apt, when applied to my current physical condition, I couldn’t leave it be….


You see, the statement speaks the truth, from an overall view taken from this end of life…. However, for much of my earlier life, until the age of forty, I was perfectly healthy, in every respect, never suffering much from having some part of my body not feel good, beyond the minor pains involved in activities of a sporting nature…. 


It was only in the underlying habits I pursued during all those years, of extreme physical activity, (sports, martial arts, work of a physical nature…), combined with the average American’s poor eating habits, foisted upon all of us from a young age, along with the use of information, (supplied by society, which, as it turned out, was completely false)…. these factors led to the way I feel most days in the present…


Without going into a long, detailed examination of WHY the above statement is true, I’ll just summarize, by saying, if I’d known back then what I know now, I’d have done some things differently, for sure…. But, as we all know, we don’t have that ability, to change the past, even if we don’t always act like it…. Therefore, it does me no good whatsoever to complain, even less to worry about it… The effects of the past’s miscues still must be endured, and dealt with to the best of my knowledge and experience… In other words…. So Be It….


Normally, I wouldn’t comment on this, in this particular way, but, it hit me so strongly, I had to react, if only to verbalize the insight I came to perceive, which stated most simply, is this…. I miss my old body, and the way I could depend on it to do anything I asked of it, no matter how difficult…. But, going back to that is not going to happen, realistically, so, learning how to avoid, and/or overcome, days such as yesterday becomes more of a direct challenge.


Yesterday, you see, (the day I started this originally…. it’s been a work in progress since then….), was Christmas, and I felt so much pain, from stuff that just won’t go away, I was reduced to taking massive quantities of drugs, of every description, to knock myself relatively unconscious…. This, of course, meant losing most of an entire day…. I could go for the cheap laugh, & say, “what a pain in the ass”, but, what I felt was, by no means, confined simply to my ass; such a mild epithet wouldn’t be accurate, nor convey the proper degree of irrational anger that accompanies such experiences….


Nor would it suit the pompous style this intro has fallen into… damn it! Just when I was hoping for a break-out of weird nonsense, too…. I really wanted some nonsense, but NOOOO, my mind comes up with pompous, instead…. I swear, some days, all I get is shit for breakfast, and from myself, to boot…. Whattyagonnado, eh? I know what WE’RE going to do, and, since we’re going to do it NOW, I’d hang on, if I were you…..


Shall we Pearl?


“Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.” — Smart Bee


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


Yesterday, I posted a video of the Sally Field version of Gidget…. Here is another beach movie from the same era, with a different cast of characters, but, based on the same basic plot…. Of course, it’s the same plot used in every movie in the genre…. It was movies like this that determined my hair style for several years….




Muscle Beach Party (1964) full movie



































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


“Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words.” — Kirk, “The Omega Glory,” stardate unknown.


It has long been my opinion, since before going to college, that nobody with a degree in law, or political science, or criminology, or any other professional governance subject should ever be allowed to participate in any way in government, or police, or any sort of position of authority over others in society…. Once that happens, we end up with a mess like we have today, where those with the authority to make, and break the laws are NOT interested, or invested, in doing ANYTHING to improve the lot of the common man….


The concept isn’t new with me; Arthur C. Clarke once wrote a novel about the 500th anniversary of the United States, i.e., it takes place in the year 2276, being the story of one representative’s trip, from a moon of Saturn, to Earth, to attend the celebration for the Fourth of July 2276. One of the government officials he is to meet during the trip is the current President of the United States, elected in 2276, by the, then, usual method of being picked by a computer as the most qualified citizen in the country. The primary quality looked for by the computer was a person who did NOT want to be President; they had to be dragged, kicking and complaining, to do the job at all, and, could only be persuaded to do so if promised they were to be allowed to leave in four years, if they did a good job….


This, of course, ensured that anyone in government had the best interests of the PUBLIC in the front of their minds, not their own self-interest, as is the case with, no doubt, over 90% of the current crop of elected bozos…. The 455 mostly white millionaires who run this country’s government demonstrate consistently how little little they care about the public, other than as a source of income for them, and their corporate cronies/masters…. When was the last time you heard about a Congressman being threatened with having their gas shut off for not paying their bill? Or any of the myriad of other problems common to all of us in the lower branches of society? That would be never, I should think….


But, to be honest, I really don’t feel like ranting, (any more than I already have, anyway…), so, we’ll leave it to an old-school variety of pearl to bring the point home, or, somewhere close enough to find…. Said point, it may be noted, is a direct pirated version of the real point, which was first noted by Fred, the Bird, when he said so aptly…. “Politics is poopadoodle.”….. Please note: in this pearl only, the initial pearl consists of the first TWO statements, indicated by a short dividing line from the other six stars…


“If we are to survive, this nation must end its love affair with guns.” — U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.


“If we are to survive, this nation must end its love affair with big brother government and individuals must relearn what it means to be free.” — Jeff Chan, chan@shell.portal.com


~~~~


“The majority is never right.” — L. Long  (1912-)


“George Bush shot JFK.” — Liberal history revision, but, only held to be true in Texas…. and, patently, in metaphor….


“I think grown-ups just act like they know what they’re doing.” — Calvin & Hobbes


“He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth.” — Goethe


“Since when is “public safety” the root password to the Constitution?” — C. D. Tavares


“Being good at being stupid doesn’t count.” — Smart Bee


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


The following poem is another of those I lost for a time…. Back in 2012, in September, I wrote several poems, during the first breakout of poetry I had written in over 40 years…. This one was one of the first couple I wrote, which I found in the archives just a few days ago…. Enjoy, ffolkes… This one, I believe, describes the process, as well as some of the aftermath, of how PTSD feels…. from the inside…. That makes it a particularly appropriate poem for today’s post….






Visible life


Forty-two days of pressure and internal rain,

leave marks of salvation, often in pain.

Such sharp reminders of yesterday’s remorse

fight heavily to keep a straight course.

Rash moments, bright, and routinely immense

Give us pleasure, bereft of common sense.


Still the night comes soft and eternally dear

to bring out wishful dreams so vitally clear.

Life’s myrmidons give freely in protest

lifting with skill, soul pieces first to infest,

Loudly brash, with no such voices to remain

Sealed in infamy, branded ugliness all too plain.


Now come brave signs of chapter and verse

Shielded by ignorance, irritable and terse.

Gravid portions of in-between retaliation

leave only pale marks of initial gestation

With hope even pallid warriors grow brave

Leading all humanity, to a warm, stale grave.


Hope never falters, nor leaves any trace

Yet lingers forever in a welcoming space.

Cheerful faces yet shine out of time

for tricking and fumbling sweet melody sublime.

Fill in the spaces with a long, strong retort

life is ever visible, if only as last resort.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


This is what I’d call a classic pearl; clear, directed, and useful, as long as one allows such activities in their head…. It’s pretty fresh, too, considering none of them were picked out before yesterday…. and, all were examined and formatted this morning, to assure freshness, in packaging, if not content… Here is a pretty decent remark, once all the dross is trimmed away from the essence, about one of our favorite subjects, to wit: Life at Large…. The final pearl is one of the finest gems I’ve ever come across, especially as the perfect closing line in this venue….




To each is given a bag of tools,

A shapeless mass and a book of rules,

And each must make, ere life is flown,

A stumbling-block or a stepping stone.


~~ R. L. Sharpe, Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone ~~




“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), All’s Well that Ends Well — Act iii, Sc. 5


“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.” — Aristotle


“Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to that arrogant oligarchy who merely happen to be walking around.” — G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 1908


“By a tranquil mind I mean nothing else than a mind well ordered.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 3


“There is no good in arguing with the inevitable. The only argument available with an east wind is to put on your overcoat.” — James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) — Democracy and Other Addresses




The fastest draw is when the sword never leaves the scabbard.

The strongest way to block is never to provoke a blow.

And the cleanest cut is the one withheld.


~~ “Kensho”, by Dennis Schmidt ~~




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


Easiest Pearl ever, no doubt…. Of course, most of it was done yesterday, put together during moments of peace between bouts of either joint pain, or emotional pain, both of which have been my constant companion for a couple of days now…. This is not good, but, it will, hopefully, pass off soon…. In the meantime, if y’all don’t see a post here tomorrow, well, you’ll know why…. See ya, ffolkes, maybe even tomorrow…. but, maybe not, too…. Right now, I couldn’t make a firm commitment to either one….




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….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Oh, Jim, where’s your squeegee?….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Work is not an end in itself; there must always be time enough for love.” 


~~ Robert Heinlein ~~




test shotss 002


                     +

                     ***

                      o*****o

                     |*******|

                     o*********o

                      |***********|

                      o*************o

                      |***************|

                       |||

                       |||

                       |||

                       |||




Oh, right. Christmas…. which means most everyone in this country is on holiday mode, and most likely won’t be dropping in to spend a lot of time reading my nonsense, or even my somewhat better than nonsense prose. This is probably a good thing, as I’m feeling pretty lazy myself, though not for the same reasons, obviously. I’ve made no bones about how I feel about Christianity, and the people who go in for such delusional systems; in my mind, they are all living a lie, one they’ve chosen to believe in, rather than having the courage to face up to those parts of reality they don’t understand, and, thus, fear…. In short, they are living in fear, allowing fear to control their every decision in life….


What a waste! But, nobody wants to listen, especially to the kind of real wisdom that means they would have to actually think for themselves, such as the quote at the end of this section…. Such insight into human nature, sadly, presupposes the one using it will have the courage to become lost; in my experience, the greatest proportion of humanity does not wish to ever become lost in this way. They would rather buy into a set of beliefs someone else has told them is true, in spite on never once being able to present any physical, or even logical, reasons to do so…. But, that is the way of the world, the same way it has been wobbling along for over 5000 years….


Ah well, it doesn’t do me any good to rant here in the intro; it’s just so hard NOT to say what I see as real…. I spent most of my life keeping these thoughts to myself, as they always tended to cause difficulties with other folks; after a while in Life, I decided, if they WANT to live in a delusional state, who am I to stop them? So, I said nothing, and allowed people to wander through their lives, in the dark, never realizing there is an entire universe of beauty and grandeur out there, just waiting for them to see it, if only they would take off the blinders they put on at age 5…. I guess that silence was my own adjustment to compensate; in short, it’s my way of giving in to expediency, a very bad habit, and one I no longer cultivate.


This probably explains why there are only about 20 people who come by to read this on a regular basis…. and, since I have over 463 followers on WordPress, and another hundred or so on Twitter, that number is a good representation of the breakdown of humanity’s state of mind re: laziness, and wisdom…. I know that reading this blog take time, and effort, and I know it isn’t the easiest task to take on, not on a daily basis…. Hell, it’s hard enough writing it all; it CAN’T be much easier to read it all every day….. But, I don’t worry about it; I just appreciate the ffolkes who come by regularly, a lot….


That is no doubt enough rambling and complaining for one day…. I did manage to cut off the rant, but, this still grew beyond its original intended size, so, I’ll break out the ol’ ruthless bone, and hit myself over the head with it, so we can get on with the rest of this mess…. Hold on, while I smack the pilot on the head with this ruthless bone, so he’ll take this next exit point, okay? Here now, stay in your seats! We’re going in!….


Shall we Pearl?




“For a man needs only to be turned around not once with his eyes shut in this world to be lost…. 


Not ’till we are lost…. do we begin to find ourselves.”


~~ Thoreau, Walden ~~




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


Since we’ve started the day so soberly, let’s move to an entirely different domain, shall we? Here is some of the finest nonsense ever to come out of Hollywood, with four of the world’s greatest comedians filling the screen with their particular brand of sarcasm and wit…. Speaking of wit, we’re referring, naturally, to the one, the only, Marx Brothers, ffolkes…. Enjoy….







A Day at the Races (1937) 


































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


“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.” — Demosthenes


Boy, what a great opening for a rant! I sure wish I had the wherewithal to write this one; it could take me a long way…. But, I don’t have such, so, we’ll have to go with an archived piece…. Enjoy, ffolkes, I tried to find a good one; it’s definitely worth a read….


From January 20, 2013:


“Nothing unreal exists.” — Kiri-Kin-Tha’s Law of Metaphysics


For the uninitiated, this is from Star Trek, a line from the fourth movie, The Voyage Home. It is the answer, and question, posed to Spock by the computer, near the beginning of the movie, just before it asks him, “How do you feel?” Though the quote, and its author, are part of a fictional story, and do not, as far as I know, exist in real life, the idea is nonetheless a potent philosophical assertion, and deserving of some meditation upon its implications, and ramifications. I like it, as it creates a series of doorways, one after another opening for welcome, inviting me to come in and examine its furnishings for their value…. A bit fanciful, perhaps, but then, it IS from Star Trek….


“Trekkies” have always taken the concept behind the show and movies much more seriously than most of us, and have created an entire panorama of alternate universe stories, legends, and characters as an adjunct to the original tales. I am certain that some fan, somewhere in the world, has put together a book that lays out Kiri-Kin-Tha’s philosophy for study, complete with Laws, Axioms, and Arguments. They probably even included material from other fictional works from the ST venue, weaving them into a coherent treatise, all of which is completely fabricated…. People can be pretty amazing when they are obsessed, indeed….


“Nothing unreal exists.”….. fascinating, as Spock would say. It is reminiscent, in a backwards fashion, of the question posed by the door to Ravenclaw Tower, in the final Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows, when Professor McGonagall is queried, “Where do Vanished objects go?” by the door, in order to gain entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. “Into non being, which is to say, everything.”, she answers immediately. “Nicely phrased”, replied the door…. I say backwards only because the ST movie came first in real time, by about 25 years or so…. As can be seen, however, the concepts involved in the two similar episodes are more than mere ideological throw-aways, but have some valid basis for their existence….


This is the power of Imagination at its finest, in my mind. People will take a good idea, and run with it into landscapes where it has never before been conceived, turning it into passionate variations on the original theme whose quality rivals that of it progenitor. At the height of the frenzy over the Harry Potter movies, a few years ago, I visited a site called MuggleNet.com, curious as to what the fans of the movie and stories were doing.


I was completely astounded by the prolific writings by fans, who wrote entire novels, short stories, and alternative plots by the dozens, all populated by the characters from the books by J.K. Rowling. Romances between the various characters abounded in the imagination of the fans, as well as the creation of new characters, and inventive new kinds of magical spells, objects, and creatures. The variety and depth of talent displayed is incredible, and goes to show how powerful is the influence of obsession on our imagination.




And hence one master-passion in the breast,

Like Aaron’s serpent, swallows up the rest.


~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle ii, Line 131 ~~




Of course, obsession has the unfortunate tendency to go beyond the bounds of reasonable action in pursuit of its object of attention. It can easily consume all of the mind’s available store of common sense, submerging it in the raging river of passionate belief in whatever idea has emerged as the passion of choice. Pope was speaking no more than simple truth when he wrote these lines, which point again to the same fatal flaw that exists in other areas of human nature, the weakness of will that makes us choose paths that are self-destructive in their intensity, or in their ultimate logical end. Too many of us tend to make our choices in life without using even the most basic of mental tools we have, including imagination; the use of those tools can be hard, in the sense that it is harder to think than it is to allow others to think for you….


Thus, we come to another point where the subject under discussion can be expanded, and further explored. Or, we can leave it here, with the ideas already discussed as a springboard for private consideration. I have a feeling it could get a bit esoteric from this juncture, and I’d lose a lot of ffolkes to the fatigue factor. I am feeling that a bit meself, having now been sparring with this Pearl for a bit over three hours. I should have eaten some philosophical oatmeal, to increase the fiber content of my output, I guess….


Rather than go any further down that road, we’ll bring this pearl to a close…. Perhaps you can take a bit of what we discussed with you, and chew on it later…. it doesn’t seem to get any less crunchy over time, so it can’t hurt…. Fewer calories than jerky, and it won’t require flossing afterward….


“You can get anything you want, at Alice’s restaurant (‘ceptin’ Alice).” — Arlo Guthrie


Note from the future, i.e. 12/25/2014: Since it’s Christmas, I’ll be nice and only say this, in support of the above, and, as a final word on the subject for the day….


“A physician is not angry at the intemperance of a mad patient, nor does he take it ill to be railed at by a man in a fever. Just so should a wise man treat all mankind, as a physician treats a patient, and look upon them only as sick and extravagant.” — Seneca


That is EXACTLY how I feel when writing these rants….


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


As mentioned, laziness is the order of business today; hence, a bit of whimsy, as it were, from a poet OTHER than me…. Enjoy!…






The Loser


Mama said I’d lose my head

if it wasn’t fastened on.

Today I guess it wasn’t

’cause while playing with my cousin

it fell off and rolled away

and now it’s gone.


And I can’t look for it

’cause my eyes are in it,

and I can’t call to it

’cause my mouth is on it

(couldn’t hear me anyway

’cause my ears are on it),

can’t even think about it

’cause my brain is in it.

So I guess I’ll sit down

on this rock

and rest for just a minute…


~~ Shel Silverstein ~~




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


Okay, so, what we have here is a fresh pearl, with some strange parameters…. Looking in general for comments on Life at Large, SB gave me the following seven stars, which seem to hold together well, with some flexibility on your part…. Along with these it served up five or six other pearls which were perfect for other pieces, either planned, or completed… I guess it’s Smart Bee’s way of apologizing for the recalcitrance shown over the last week or so…. Whatever, it works for me, as it gets this done…. Yay!….


“One should always prefer the probable impossible to the improbable possible.” — Aristotles Dictum.


“Good generally conquers evil. Unless, of course, good is stupid.” — Smart Bee


“Books aren’t written to be believed in, but to be questioned.” — Umberto Eco


Narim: What your mind doesn’t know, your heart fills in.

Carter: I don’t know what that means, exactly, but it’s beautiful.

Narim: Which is exactly what it means.


— from Stargate


“The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make.” — Smart Bee


“A good reputation is more valuable than money.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 108


“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” — H. L. Mencken


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


Well, there you have it…. Time has become the enemy, for the moment, so, we’ll leave it as it is, and get on with the day…. See y’all after the holiday, ffolkes….. Hope you have a good one….




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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
“Yes” said the dragon. “I prefer virgins”….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




And here, poor fool, with all my lore


I stand no wiser than before.


~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~


Alaska Grand Adventure 087


     Today’s picture is one of my own, taken at a beautiful park in Victoria, B.C., while stopping there as part of a cruise to Alaska. ‘Twas a wonderful park, wide-open, with lots of small wildlife, unafraid of the few humans walking about the grounds, going about their business on the fine, if cold, morning we rode through on a tricycle, powered by our guide, a local lad with strong legs and excellent wind. On a three to four hour trip, he hauled two of us around the city, up a few decent hills, covering about five or six miles altogether, and still looked fresh…. Ah, youth!….


Having thus explored today’s opening photo, we’ll go on to the rest of today’s mess without further delay…. What’s the hurry? Oh, well, nothing much…. Typing is painful today, and my “head’s all empty, & I don’t care”… So, I’ll be archive diving for most of this one, without any guilt at all…. Hey, it’s the holiday season, and I can take a day off if I want to…. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it….


In fact, I’m going to do it without any of the usual angst or discussion around the emptiness and sheer drudgery of making the intro, and head right off into the archives… Well, after picking an appropriately fresh video for your viewing enjoyment, anyway…. I’m hoping y’all won’t get used to this, though, as I can’t guarantee it will be like this again…. For now, just hang on, because this one will be short, but rough….


Shall we Pearl?


“No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.” — Plato, Laws


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Here is another of my favorite TV shows from my youth…. The hero in this Western was a true Knight, and, along with my father, provided much of the role modeling I took in as a boy…. Paladin WROTE the Rules….







 


Have Gun Will Travel Season 1 Full Episodes



































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Here is a relatively short discussion of Self Reliance, Emerson-style, from the archives…. This is pretty good, ffolkes, so, pay attention, if you please….


From 8/23/2012:


“No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature.  Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my own constitution; the only wrong what is against it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)


I was about 15 or 16 years old when we first read this in English class, and I remember distinctly when it hit home. I was at home, studying the Essay on Self Reliance as homework. I remember how difficult it was to plow through Emerson’s style of writing, which is thick and convoluted; one must read slowly, and think about what has just been read, to fully ascertain the point he is making at the time. When I came across this line, and thought about it, I experienced an epiphany of understanding, and a lot of what he said in the essay became clear. Most simply put, he admonishes all to “Trust Yourself”…….


“I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself.  Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to Heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter To Francis Hopkinson, Paris Mar. 13, 1789


Tom Jefferson lived prior to Emerson, but had a similar approach to life, and to thinking. Individualism could be said to be Jefferson’s God; to him, each man was responsible for making himself into what he wished to be, and the self-reliance so ably encouraged by Emerson came to him naturally. Though a Christian by choice, Jefferson constantly challenged the church authorities in his writing, accusing the priestly hierarchies of the same crimes for which I chastise them today, to wit: twisting the word of Jesus Christ, manipulation of the teachings, and power-seeking behaviors more suited to barbarian chieftains than priests. Tom saw clearly the need for the continued separation of church and state, as he firmly believed that combining the two would inevitably lead to the loss of liberty he feared, and for which he fought so hard.


As we can see today, he was right. He feared both the church leaders, and he feared the bankers and corporations. He wrote on numerous occasions of his lack of trust in those entities, as he clearly saw they were inimical to individual freedom, enemies who would eventually try to subvert the liberties we enjoy by slow encroachment. Guess what, ffolkes….. he was dead right. Between the “corporate personhood” enjoyed by the elite fat cats, and the brainwashing carried out on a daily basis by the churches, the public has been manipulated into willingly giving up most of their rights, for the sake of feeling safe. And why do they fear for their safety? Why, because the politicians, supported by the preachers, have convinced them that the rest of the world is out to get them, and take away what they have; for God’s sake, they’re heathens!…..


Much of the nonsense that is foisted upon the unsuspecting public would be less believable if more people believed as Emerson does, and made up their minds on their own. Instead, most folks give in to their laziness, and, unwilling to think for themselves, allow the preachers and pundits to fill their heads with lies and manipulations. This lack of personal responsibility is what is killing this country; only those who are unwary can be fooled, and one who takes responsibility for themselves cannot be fooled in that manner, for they are aware of the machinations that others will attempt, and react accordingly….. One can only hope that Emerson’s essay on Self Reliance becomes a best seller again, and people awaken from their self-induced state of somnolence…..


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As threatened, here is another poem of mine from the archives…. Hey, I gave fair warning!…..






Funny Bones


Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,

from the dance, where

he felt so free, and clean.

Sorrow couldn’t find him there.


Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,

some connection can be found

keeping busy as bees, coping.

Love creeps in, without a sound.


Fat days, skinny nights, passionate

visions of semi-conscious entities,

cannot seem to fully illuminate

or hide our innermost frailties.


Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify

simple rules with every breath

never waiting, anxious to modify.

fear nothing in life, not even Death.


~~ gigoid ~~




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The following pearl is a nine-star comment on Life at Large, with a tilt toward how to do so with some dignity, or, at minimum, a degree of aplomb…. Really, that’s what it says…. Honest….


“Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is nigh at hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 17


“Virtue knowing no base repulse, shines with untarnished honour; nor does she assume or resign her emblems of honour by the will of some popular breeze.” — Horace (B.C. 65-8)


“A wise man never refuses anything to necessity.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 540


“The mightiest rivers lose their force  when split up into several streams.” — Ovid


“Tell the truth, and run.” — Yugoslav proverb


“He knows not when to be silent who knows not when to speak.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 930


“Life is too short to be taken seriously.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)


“There is no gathering the rose without being pricked by the thorns.” — Pilpay (or Bidpai) — The Two Travellers, Chap. ii, Fable vi


“Certainly the game is rigged. Don’t let that stop you; if you don’t bet, you can’t win.” — Lazarus Long


See? I’ve been telling y’all for years…. it’s all in the wrist….


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It is probably a good thing I don’t do this for anyone but myself; if I did, I would, no doubt, be liable for any damage I may have caused, whether inadvertently, or intentionally…. My own rules dictate I take responsibility, but, I do so with the known caveat, to wit: it’s a joke, damn it! Just because it isn’t always funny, doesn’t mean it’s not a joke…. believe me. I know. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless someone talks me out of it….




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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
The princess is real, but, her jewelry is fake…

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius.”


~~ Edward Gibbon ~~


Belfast 005


     Thirty-five years ago today, I began the fulfillment of what I view as my primary duty in this life. At approximately 8 PM on this date in 1979, my son was born…. The legacy my father gave to me was thus passed on to a new generation, in the ages-old traditional way, by the birth of its next legatee. It has been the most fulfilling duty I have assumed, as well as the most challenging. It also is one that will not end until the day I pass on to the next adventure, escorted by Death, who awaits us all on the other side of life…


I now have the great pleasure, and poignant appreciation, of watching my son pass this legacy on to his own children; his own son is now four years old, and his lady is expecting a daughter this coming February. Since she also has two girls from a previous relationship, I am now the proud, if bemused, grandfather of four, with a Christmas budget blown out of the water by the news…. Good news, to be sure, but, a bit of a surprise, financially…. a point my son is, no doubt, experiencing for himself….


Life goes on, doesn’t it? Even if we are not paying close attention, the universe keeps trundling along, willy-nilly, playing havoc with any plans we might make, by the simple expedient of altering misconceptions to match the vagaries of reality…. In short, we may as well just sit back, and watch events with an attitude of amused appreciation, rather than one of frustrated angst; it saves a lot of wear and tear on the old emotions, and, in the long run, is a much more comfortable method of dealing with the alterations than trying to make reality fit our misguided expectations…


I suppose it’s easy to philosophize on such a day; births, deaths, and the legacy we leave are easy subjects when one casts one’s mind back in time to a specific event, especially a birth…. In addition, if I am not mistaken, (and, I almost never am….), talking about this has given us a clear path to the rest of today’s Pearl…. See it? Right over there, next to that field of rutabagas, the one with the feathered turnstile…. Yes, it does look a bit small, but, we’ve got a good pilot, and should make it through without a hitch…. Fasten your belts, anyway, ffolkes, it looks like there might be some turbulence…


Shall we Pearl?


“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” — Buddha


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Day 3 and 4 008

Gee, guess what today’s video selection might be? Yep…. In this episode, the ending scene is once again the best part of the whole story…. Enjoy!




Sherlock Holmes – Season 5 episode 3 – Shoscombe Old Place
































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Below you will find a discussion of mortality, which I first posted in 2013. I’ve gone over it, correcting where necessary, and polishing up the ideas and language to add clarity…. It’s been ‘punched up’, as we authors like to say…. when we’re feeling all smug and smarmy about our profession…. It’s still a good discussion, though…. Feel free to comment, should any of it strike you as questionable, or worthy of note….


From 3/3/2013:


“As a draft-animal is yoked in a wagon, even so the spirit is yoked in this body.” — Upanishads (c. B.C. 800)


Each of us is faced at times with the consciousness of our own approaching encounter with Death, that moment in time when our yoke is removed, and our spirit is freed, once more joining the rest of the conscious minds in the universe, in roaming through realms of Reality we cannot see in this form. This Reality we cannot see is much larger, in one sense, than the one we can now perceive; it has to be, to be able to accommodate all the souls that have gone before, and all that are now present on Earth, that will someday join the rest of them, when they die…..


Every human being alive must face their own Death (I am capitalizing the word to give it the proper respect, as one of the most important concepts we have as humans….); this is a truism no one can deny, or refute. Many people have banded together, to assume the belief that our universe was created this way by a supernatural being, who, for some unknown, and unknowable (self-explanatory, I think….) reason, decided that we are “special”, giving us, and only us, the knowledge we have, and our very lives. This, of course, is rather hard to believe, as it doesn’t really account for much of what is observable truth in Reality…. In truth, it is, patently, complete speculation, devoid of any concrete evidence to support it…..


“There is no conclusive evidence that there is life after death. There is also no real evidence to the contrary. Soon enough, you will know. So, why fret about it?” — Lazarus Long, aka Robert A. Heinlein


I first read this aphorism when I was in my early teens; it codified, and made succinct, what I had already concluded about the major religions of the world, i.e., they’re a collection of unwarranted, and unproven, assumptions. What’s more, they are all highly unlikely, given the observable parameters of the real world. It became obvious to me, as it is to many, that what the religious folks were trying to get me to believe was intended merely to soften my mind, making it more amenable to suggestion, of which they have an endless supply. Preachers, priests, imams, nuns, all are quite willing to give other people advice and suggestions on how they should live, in exhaustive detail, for as long as they are allowed to do so….


Since I had very little desire to have other people decide for me how I should think, or live my life, I rejected the dogma they tried to force into my head, turning instead to other sources of thought about Life, Death, and Reality. I found an endless supply of folks who had thought long and deeply about all of these ideas, and gladly did I read all I could of everything I could find on the subject. In addition, I read science fiction, during the years when its popularity had just begun to climb to the heights it now occupies; sci-fi has always been literature that explored, and continues to explore, the very limits of thought, both in the real world, and the world of the mind.


As is seen by the first pearl above, these thoughts and ideas are not new with me; mankind has been thinking about these concepts since we first sat around the campfires, wondering at the beauty of the heavens we saw above our heads, and all around us. In all that time, no conclusions have been reached that seem to cover ALL of the questions we have about the universe. We still don’t have a clue as to “what is the mind”, or “what is thought”…. and if we cannot understand ourselves, what chance do we have of unraveling the secrets of the universe around us? Not much, would be my guess…


That, fortunately, does not mean it is impossible to know the truth, nor does it mean we are condemned to die in ignorance and fear…. I know this because I have learned in my time that our fear is a direct outgrowth of our ignorance; we fear what we do not understand. Now, if I were a God, why would I make people that way, unless for some ulterior motive, having to do with motivations that are human, not divine? No, it just doesn’t make sense to me to assume that we were put here with a deliberate handicap, just to see how we dealt with it; that seems more like an evil scientist at work than a compassionate deity.


“One must marry one’s feelings to one’s beliefs and ideas.  That is probably the only way to achieve a measure of harmony in one’s life.” — Etty Hilsum


Since I believe firmly in the Law of Conservation of Energy (proven true in this universe, to all our knowledge), I must, logically, also believe that our minds/souls are a form of energy we currently don’t fully understand, and cannot perceive directly. Thus, we see the concept of Death is nothing to fear, as it merely means that my current state of energy will be replaced with another state, one I don’t currently have the ability to perceive. What that state may be like may be unknown, but that doesn’t mean it is something of which I should be afraid…. I prefer to look at it as the next great adventure….


When my father died, I asked him to leave me some trail-sign, to let me know how to find him in the next reality; he smiled at me, and said he would do that… and I was much comforted by that, knowing that our connection as family can never be severed, and that, someday, I would once more have the pleasure, and comfort, of his presence…. Now that’s something to look forward to, don’t you think?…. Much better than worrying that what I do now is going to determine what happens to me after I die, a silly proposition, at best……


“Do not think that man is but flesh, skin, bones and veins; far from it! What really makes man is his soul; and the things we call skin, flesh, bones and veins are but a garment, a cloak; they do not constitute man. When man departs this earth, he divests himself of all the veils that conceal him.” — Zohar


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I’ve been inundating y’all with my old poems, so, as a reward for your patience, here is a fairly appropriate choice to go with today’s apparent theme…. Metaphor is always nice and stretchable, y’know?…. Gotta love that…. Enjoy, ffolkes….




Shui Tiao Ko Tou


Will a moon so bright ever arise again?

Drink a cupful of wine and ask of the sky.

I don’t know where the palace gate of heaven is,

Or even the year in which tonight slips by.

I want to return riding the whirl-wind! But I

Feel afraid that this heaven of jasper and jade

Lets in the cold, its palaces rear so high.

I shall get up and dance with my own shadow.

From life endured among men how far a cry!


Round the red pavilion

Slanting through the lattices

Onto every wakeful eye,

Moon, why should you bear a grudge, O why

Insist in time of separation so th fill the sky?

Men know joy and sorow, parting and reunion;

The moon lacks lustre, brightly shines; is al, is less.

Perfection was never easily come by.

Though miles apart, could men but live for ever

Dreaming they shared this moonlight endlessly!


~~ Su Tung-p’o ~~ 




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Today’s final section will be the freshest of the lot; picked from the deepest levels of Smart Bee’s nearly unlimited database, these quotes form a picture in the mind, which leads to a point of living we all need to acknowledge now and again…. What that point may be was left entirely up to Smart Bee, so, your guess is as good as mine as to what it might be…. I’d advise y’all to keep your minds well lubricated from this point onward…. The relative potency of your lubrication is entirely up to you; adult beverages may be purchased in the lounge….




          But what am I?

  An infant crying in the night:

  An infant crying for the light,

And with no language but a cry.


~~ Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) ~~


~~ In Memoriam, liv, Stanza 5 ~~




“Have you clubbed an ignorant human today?” — Smart Bee


“He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked.” — Kahlil Gibran


“Freedom begins between the ears.’ — Edward Abbey


“What awful irony is this? We are as gods, but know it not.” — Smart Bee


“Didn’t I buy a 1951 Packard from you last March in Cairo?” — Zippy the Pinhead




The fear o’ hell ‘s a hangman’s whip

  To haud the wretch in order;

But where ye feel your honour grip,

  Let that aye be your border.


~~ Robert Burns (1759-1796) ~~


~~ Epistle to a Young Friend ~~




Hmm…. Don’t ask…. I couldn’t tell you, even if I could….


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I’m up later than usual, at least, the usual of late…. and, if you got that, you’re Gunga Din. That’s okay, though, because, I’m outta here…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can’t think of a reason to blow it off…




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….