Tag Archives: Smart Bee

Insanity runs in our pod-group this cycle….

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Ffolkes,
Hmm….. The demise of Smart Bee as a resource for this blog is confirmed; there is something magical going on (translation: I don’t understand why it’s happening….) that is preventing SB from operating correctly, and I’m out of ideas of how to fix it. I’m going to have to think about this, seriously, and without delay; no other choice, if not the chicken-with-the-head-cut-off option. With no internet access on demand, quotes and poetry are limited to my library (non-digital), and a lot of old Pearls…. I may have to authorize some selective mining from that last source…. I do have a lot of stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day for a long time, and may just work again for inspiration….. Hmm….

Okay, I know I’m desperate when I start and finish a paragraph with the same word, especially one that isn’t even considered standard English. Of course, my English is anything but standard, I should hope…. Any who, I’m going to think about this now, and come back to it when I’ve developed a strategy…..

Okay, I’ve figured out the right approach….. I’m going to pretend it never happened….. Hey, if the GOP can base their entire platform on denial of reality, why can’t I base my blog on the same blissful ignorance? There’s obviously millions of people out there who will buy into that kind of rhetoric; witness the money collected by the GOP from people from whom they will proceed to destroy if allowed into office, to wit, lower middle class folks who are scared of the black man in the Oval Office, and will throw their support blindly to anyone who promises to get him out of there….. Denial is big-time politics, ffolkes, for sure…. and if it works for them, I’ll give it a try….

No, I won’t, don’t worry….. I couldn’t….. I don’t know yet what I WILL do, but, it will all happen as it is meant to do, so I’ll just write around the edges…… Shall we Pearl?…..
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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…..
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November Dreams of Spring

Crass and cold, the beggar finds me swollen, so frail and fat
with painful stepping motions, running, like a Republicrat.
Building with straw and spittle, should artists come aground,
we all pay heavily, a billion for a bloody pound.

Too desperate, too ashamed to play such a part
We ask for belief, and sweet liberty, dressing up so smart.
It falls between the simple cracks, always in a hurry
To find a shrunken ego, ashen, swift, and full of worry.

Never there was a more penitent group, such a sterling way
To fast in luxury, making sure the guilty enter, but do not stay.
Forgotten gods can find their diffident suitors tonight
With dream-fitted convention, and a natural sense of delight.

For all the silken babies cried, to see the broken dreams of power
forgiven moments of certitude serve, filling up the maiden’s bower.
All the patient, loving veterans of ancient foreign time,
give up their first impressions, dying, dying for a rhyme.

~~ gigoid

Odd, isn’t it, how we sometimes fall into a trance to write…. or, maybe that’s just me…. ah well, regardless, enjoy!….
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Often of late, I find myself staring at the screen with a vacant expression, listening to the patter that passes for thoughts in my head. I can sit like this for a long time, just meandering here and there in my memory, re-living good and bad moments from what has turned out to be a lot more years than I ever thought about, really. Until I became 60, I had never thought about how it would feel to be that age, a discovery that surprised me to a certain degree. But, as I thought about it just now, I realized that I really had not considered what I might be doing in my 60’s, either as a career, or as a person. Part of the surprise, I know, is connected to the fact that I am currently without a life-partner, as the ones I chose as my supposed mate seem to have chosen to be elsewhere. This, being alone, was not part of my plan……

I had thought to be sharing all the joy, and all the pain that my life has brought me, with a person who I thought was as committed to that as I. Instead, I am left wondering, as Tom Robbins put it in “Skinny Legs and All”,  “How do you make Love stay?” His premise is is based on the idea that love is easy to find, but impossible to keep, given the craziness of the modern world, and the state of confusion and angst that seems to be the legacy of everyone these days. I’m not sure I completely agree with his final assessment, but I can see how it came to him, having had many similar experiences in my years. I hope he is wrong, and there are still people out there who can actually give their word to someone else, and mean to keep it….. If not, then the world is beyond hope, to my way of thinking, and we may as well just give up….

Of course, there is still that small part of me that won’t do that; I’m not sure if I should call it being stubborn, or stupid. Maybe it is what Emily calls Hope, that will not die easily. Whatever it is, it keeps me getting out of bed every day, with the view in mind to see what the world has to offer, whether it is more BS like I’ve been putting up with now for a few years, or whether there is some sort of justice to the world, and I’ll soon meet, or get together with, a person with whom I can share all of what I have inside me to give, and who will live up to whatever promises we can make to each other. And if not, well, I guess I’ll just keep flirting with the young lady at the coffee shop, and listen to her talk about her boyfriends, smiling to myself, grieving for might have been, and hoping for what might yet be…..

Leave the past behind;
leave the future behind;
leave the present behind.
Thou are then ready to go to the other shore.
Never more shalt thou return to a life that ends in death.
— The Dhammapada (c. B.C. 300)
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Whew! That last section turned on me…. it became quite a self-confession, didn’t it? Well, it’s a bit revealing, but it’s too well written to get rid of, so I’ll just have to suffer the embarrassment of hanging my laundry out for all to see…. and what the hell, it’s all true, so the chips can just fly where they may….. in the meantime, y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

A surfeit of hand-blown candlesticks…..

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Ffolkes,
What is the world coming to? Smart Bee has crashed on me. I am bereft of my dB, and woe is me! What, oh what shall I do now? If I could run around in a circle and scream without hurting myself, I would do. Since I don’t want to spend the next two days recovering from such an ill-conceived idea, were I to carry it out, I’ll not do that. Instead, until I can find or obtain another zipped install file for it on the ‘net, or find one on my computer somewhere, I’ll have to make do with what is in my head, and what is in my old pearl files, which are chock full of oysters with pearls that never made the grade….

This whole process is becoming somewhat problematic; between the loss of Smart Bee, and no ISP at home, getting the Pearl sent out is turning into an ordeal of no small proportion. Not to mention, of course, my new physical challenge, which is a bit scary, so I’ll leave it out for now…. Nevertheless, it’s getting tough to do this, from a tactical standpoint. So far, major strategic alterations have sufficed to solve the tactical difficulties, but those tactical challenges seem to be still growing, and my strategy once again needs to be re-examined and adjusted to deal with the issues. Always a pain in the proverbial ass….

So be it, he said, with grim determination. If that’s the way it is, so be it. And…. deal….. Okay, so I will. Deal, that is…. for now. Any who, it’s another good reason to get on with the show, so….. shall we Pearl?…..
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An undertaker calls a son-in-law: “About your mother-in-law, should we  embalm her, cremate her, or bury her?” He says, “Do all three. Don’t take chances.” — Myron Cohen

I’m not sure why, but I find the above joke to be extremely funny. It may be because of the relationship I had with my ex’s father. I often had the same thoughts about him, though he is still alive, last I heard. He is one of those ignorant, bare-faced hypocrites who got into a line of work that fed right into his own sense of entitlement and bigotry, i.e., a county sheriff.

As a member of the San Bernardino County cadre of paramilitary wannabes, his racism and natural belligerence found a supportive home; his favorite jokes were about the “beaners”, and he was proud to have thought up a line for when he had to confront any Hispanics when on duty, to wit: “Comprende pistola?….. When he would laugh after delivering that line, it made my skin crawl….

He was psychologically, and probably physically abusive to his children, and probably to his wife as well, though she escaped him by dying at age 51, so it’s hard to tell…. Any who, when he does pass, I’d prefer they use the above method for parking his remains….. call me Ishmael, if you must…. or call me harsh….. I don’t care either way, he’s an Asshole, with a capital A, and to my mind, the world will be a better place without his particular brand of narcissistic, ignorant selfishness……

I’m not sure where this mini-rant has been hiding, but I’m glad it got out of my head, so I can replace those memories with some more amenable to my persona……

In contrast to my former father-in-law’s somewhat skewed and colored view of life, here are some more positive thoughts on how to achieve longevity, along with some pretty good karma….

Eat less and chew well.
Ride less and walk often.
Have fewer clothes and launder often.
Worry less and work harder.
Waste less time, and continue to learn.
Talk less and listen more.
Frown less and laugh often.
Speak less and act more.
Blame less and praise others.
Take less and give a hundred times over.

— Kenzo Futagil, describing the secrets of life. — He lived well over a hundred years.

Since we managed to discuss two completely opposite poles of human nature in one pearl, does that make this educational, or just moderately interesting? Or was it a complete waste of time and energy? That last one is my call, I think, for this side of the coin, and I say that no, it is not a waste, because, if nothing else, one can take away Mr. Futagil’s advice, which is purely good……
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Painful candor

I sit, and ponder, then try to write…
seeking always to avoid sounding trite.
My record so far is less than grand;
we’ll not be striking up the hometown band.

Poems come to me, with cadence and rhyme,
that’s the easy part, every time.
Finding words of wisdom herein to include,
makes short shrift, however, of my attitude.

Still the words keep floating up in my head,
harbingers of danger, of wisdom, of dread.
Challenge is issued. in the weight of persuasion
Fey shadows of intent for any bright occasion.

Following along becomes habit and routine,
which naturally tells us where we have been.
New vistas beckon just out of sight
Pulling me forward, from day into night……

~~ gigoid
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Old-school professor speaking here…. just follow the dancing idea to the ending, where you’ll find the perfect finishing pearl, to tie it all up in a bow…. and if not, well, okay…. I tried….

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country…. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” — Former US President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 — letter to Col. William F. Elkins — printed in “The Lincoln Encyclopedia”, — ed. Archer H. Shaw, Macmillan, 1950, NY

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

“A reverence for life does not require one to respect nature’s obvious mistakes.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop.” — P. J. O’Rourke, Parliament of Whores

“Insanity in individuals is something rare – but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.” — Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

“Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how passionately I hate them!” — Albert Einstein

Okay, so it meandered a bit further afield than I intended…. a direct result of not having my normal resources at hand…. but, it still manages to make a pretty coherent statement….. and if it isn’t clear, well, that never hurt anybody, did it?…… Confusion is good for the soul, they tell me…..   🙂
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They were bigger than me, Ma, but I didn’t give up!….. And, you should see the other guy…..

Due to circumstances well beyond my control, and even further beyond my desire for control, this Pearl is complete. It’s not “Gone With The Wind”, but it’s probably better than “Debbie Does Dallas”, at least from a morality standpoint….. I’ll see what I can do about providing some video…. in the meantime, y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

This absinthe is perfectly unacceptable….

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Ffolkes,
First, the strings….. violins, violas, cellos, basses, all start to softly play a slow melody, gently persuading the ear and mind to follow. For a moment the soft sound is all you hear, then, very insidiously, the woodwinds begin to softly play the counterpoint melody with the strings, so that together they are slowly and gently playing a mellow, but happy tune….. After a couple of bars of this, the horns start to add in their pointed notes to the rhythmic tune of the other instruments….

Now we have a lively tune, starting to fill up the area with sound.  As the woodwinds gather speed and urgency, the percussion section begins to keep the beat, with deep bass notes filling the bottom bass line, and the snare drums, and the tom toms adding their syncopation and fast, randomly spaced riffs to the spaces between the notes of the rest of the orchestra.  More and more instruments join in, guitars, mandolins, piano, harps, until the entire thrilling sound of an orchestra in full flight grabs hold of the soul, and lifts the listener up to the heights of feeling, into higher realms of thought, into pure feeling….. until, with unbound joy, the author quietly begins to weep…..

Wow…. I had no idea that was in there. I started to write the above paragraph, with the intent of trying to emulate the feeling one gets listening to a live orchestra as it begins to wind its way through a symphony….. and had no idea that it would be so real that I would burst into tears at the climax….. I don’t know if it is just me, or if what I wrote is that powerful….. Perhaps you could let me know if it has the same effect on y’all?….. Every time I go back to read it, so far, it gets me, and I start to leak….. It’s probably just me, with my softened emotional status, and feelings that are always close to the surface….. but, it could be the paragraph, too, so if it has that effect on anyone else, I’ll know I’m on the right track with what is written there….. thanks in advance to anyone who comments….

Well, that was an unusual start to a day…… it’s been a long while since I burst into tears of joy like that…. The last time I can remember that happening was about 5 years ago, during a morning commute…. I was driving, and came up over a hill between Sonoma and Napa, where I worked…. as I broke over the hill, and came from behind the hill that was blocking the morning sun, I burst into a scene of such imposing dramatic beauty that I literally burst into tears of joy at the sight.

The sun was just rising across the lower end of the Napa Valley, and as it broke over the opposite hills to the east, it lit up the sky and clouds with an unearthly bright light, with the clouds assuming a golden, shining hue, outlining each cloud, making the grey appear like noble pewter and silver, surrounded by gold, patterned across the electric blue of the sky.  The incredible beauty of the scene just tore through all my thoughts and  emotional callouses, and brought up a burst of joyful tears…. It was an incredible sight, and an incredible feeling, one I’ll never forget….

I don’t think I’ll be able to top that feeling this morning, but we may as well give it a try. Tears of joy, here we come……. Shall we Pearl?…..
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Okay, so here’s the deal…. I started this Pearl, and this pearl, some time ago this morning, and everything since the beginning has undergone some sort of morphology, or sinuous, serious lack of stability, and everything changes….. again. This started out as a rant, morphed into a ramble, then changed again…. now, it is an old school pearl, with several quotes all pointing at the same idea, though some are pointing with a finger, and some with a sausage… but, I like sausage, so that works for me…. in any case, the idea being pointed out can take the heat…. enjoy!

“As I was walking among the fires of Hell, delighted with the enjoyments of Genius; which to Angels look like torment and insanity.  I collected some of their Proverbs.” — William Blake (1757-1827), The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-1793)

“Governments which suppress freedom of speech… act like children who shut their eyes in order not to be seen.” — Ludwig Boerne, _Die Freiheit der Presse in Baiern_, 1818

“Bigotry dwarfs the soul by shutting out the truth.” — Edwin Hubbel Chapin

“What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite.” — Bertrand Russell (1872-1967), “Sceptical Essays”, 1928

“Consequences, Schmonsequences, as long as I’m rich.” — Daffy Duck, from Looney Tunes Ali Baba Bunny (1957, Chuck Jones) (Also stated by Mitt Romney, 1997)

“We start this life alone and we end this life alone, it is what we do in between with the people and the world around us that matters.” — Larry G. Smith

“Oh dear, now I’ve made a terrible mess of things.  And all I wanted to do was rule the universe.” — Dr. Zachary Smith
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We may not know much, but one thing’s fo’ sho’:
There’s things in the cosmos that we cannot know.
Shine light on electrons — you’ll cause them to swerve.
The act of observing disturbs the observed.

Which ruins your test.     But then if there’s no testing
To see if a particle’s moving or resting
Why try to conjecture?        Pure useless endeavor!
We know probability — certainty never.

— Smart Bee

That’s right, Smart Bee…. there was no attribution with this delightful little poem, so it must have been some random hacker who donated it to the database I use ( to wit: Smart Bee….) It is a perfectly logical presentation of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, one of the touchstones of modern physics, and one with which all hackers are familiar, since they need the math that is involved in expressing Heisenberg’s principle to write their programs, to create their “hacks”, as it were….. I love it! Perfectly cadenced and rhymed, it says what is true, and does it in an entertaining way…. I’m jealous…..   🙂   Hmm…. I’m jealous, but I feel a poem coming on……

Parenthood

Alternative questions always get in the way,
figuratively speaking, rudely barging around.
Still, no question is stupid, no matter what they say
An answer shall be given, a penny for a pound.

How else can our little ones learn to think,
than by asking direction, to show them the way?
They ask us to answer, with a smile and a wink,
To give them our wisdom, with all that we say.

No question too little, nor too large for them to ask,
and no given answer ever thought out of line.
Knowledge is their legacy, and their given task,
to pull wisdom’s nuggets from that eternal mine.

~~ gigoid

Okay, not the best, but not bad…. I think there is more of it still in my head, percolating, so it might reappear some day, in a slightly expanded form….. meanwhile, I hope you enjoy my little rhymes….

“If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger?” — Thomas Henry Huxley

Wouldn’t you know it? Just when I finish a pearl, more appropriate quotes keep popping up on the same subject I thought I was done with….. here’s a bit more basic wisdom on poetry, and knowledge, and education….

“No one can go very far in the discerning enjoyment of poetry who is incapable of enjoying any poetry other than that of his own time and place. It is in fact a part of the function of education to help us to escape – not from our own time, for we are bound by that – but from the intellectual and emotional limitations of our own time. ” — T.S. Eliot
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In life’s small things be resolute and great
To keep thy muscle trained: know’st thou when Fate
Thy measure takes, or when she ‘ll say to thee,
“I find thee worthy; do this deed for me”?

— James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) — Epigram

Yes, yes, this pleases cute owl!….. *see photo, below…. It pleases me, also, dear Readers. This is old fashioned wisdom, but only to those to whom Duty remains a primary motivating factor in all their actions; or, if naught else, serves as a touchstone for determining the relative importance of differing choices of action. I especially like the metaphor of the muscle for the power of reason and will, and how it must be used, and used thoroughly, in order to remain in prime condition for action when needed. Which is to say, hopefully, always….
Aye, this pleases cute owl, completely…. remember axiom # 7 of Peruaosophy, which says, “Do your Duty.  Respect Life.  Share Your Love.  Honor the Truth.”   That’s all you really need……
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“Surely there is something in the unruffled calm of nature that overawes our little anxieties and doubts: The sight of the deep-blue sky, and the clustering stars above, seems to impart a quiet to the mind.” — Edwards

Well…. I have no idea what to say….. It is my custom, and habit, to go back over each day’s pearls/Pearl and read it straight through once, to get the overall effect that a reader would/will get by doing so. Today, I can report that I have done so, and I remain speechless, hard as that is to believe. I have no idea how this all came about. I don’t even remember half of it, and I wrote it….. But, speechless or not, it is done, and all I can say is, “So be it”……  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Simply, frugally, and arguably fecund…..

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Ffolkes,
Yesterday, for the first time in almost 400 days, I did not publish my blog on WordPress. Not only did I not post, I didn’t write a thing. Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch….. All in all, it feels strange, like all those 400 days were a dream, even though I have over 900 pages of material to show for it. Getting back into writing mode now feels pretty good….. I guess I got used to being able to get all the stuff in my head out onto the screen…..

This Pearl will be…… well, I don’t know what it will be, I guess. I want it to be perfect, though….. for some reason, that seems important. I confess to a bit of confusion, which is not altogether unknown to me, and will have to be used as a tool, rather than as an obstruction, if I can figure out how to do that. I’m also a bit behind the times, in terms of the news, having had no exposure to any news outlets online, on TV, or on the radio. All I know is the Giants are still in first, and won last night over Arizona; I haven’t seen or heard a thing about the elections, or anything else, so finding rantable material may be problematic. No way to tell, until I jump in…..

With all that said, I hope there is someone out there to read this…. fame can be fickle, and who knows? One day of no post, and I might have lost a bunch of readers…. again, no way to tell until it is posted. So, it must mean it’s time to go diving…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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Here is an old-school pearl, using quotes from some fairly famous people….. and some not so famous outside SF fandom. All of the quotes, when co-mingled and mixed up like a smoothie, will give you a really good philosophy of life, and lots of good advice for living with a serene mind….. good luck!….

“He who knows does not speak, He who speaks does not know.” — Lao Tzu

Water wears the rock — Smart Bee

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” — Buddha

“Human beings do not survive on bread alone … but on the nourishments of liberty.  For what indeed is a man without freedom … naught but a mechanism, trapped in the cogwheels of eternity.” — Harry Mudd, “I, Mudd,” stardate 4513.3.

“Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.” — Aristotle (B.C. 384-322)

“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.” — Joseph Conrad

“Yeah, but you’re taking the universe out of context.” — Smart Bee

There, see how painless that was? You’ll never even know you’ve been enlightened, until you wake up in the middle of the night, mumbling something about “he who speaks….”….. Onward into the fray!….
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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
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“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

See? There, now, I’ve been saying this for years, and here’s old Marcus Aurelius, that Roman cogitator extraordinaire, putting it straight out there way back around the time of J.C.’s failed attempt at societal reform. A very cogent, yet poignant description of human nature and the preponderance of Ego that drives most of humanity to act out of their own ignorance, rather than consider the veracity or usefulness of someone else’s ideas. This format for stating this answer to one of the great questions is one that all the best philosophers choose when creating aphorisms; clear, simple language and brutally honest self-examination, which provides us with true wisdom, like it or not……

What particularly gets me about people at large is the high percentage of folks who fall into the trap that Ego sets; for some reason, people seem to prefer the cozy blindness with which ignorance can cover them to the cold, harsh light of self-knowledge. The very ego that sets them apart from the rest of the animals who inhabit this planet becomes also the greatest threat to survival, when it is allowed to dictate how one views reality.

The state of society in today’s world rests on the brink of total collapse; any number of issues currently in play in the world can lead us to upheaval unseen since the last Ice Age. Pollution, created by mankind, is pumping tons of carbon monoxide into the air every minute, and all those precipitates are eventually bound to cause changes to climate that we will have no power to stop, or reverse.

The economy of the world is constantly on the verge of collapse in these times, due mostly to the unacknowledged crimes of the 1% of mankind who controls 99% of the money and resources. These crimes arise, again, out of Ego, as the elite of the world believe that they are “different” from the rest of humanity, and deserve to make all the decisions, which oddly enough, are only beneficial to themselves….. again, the power of Ego trumps virtue…..

I’m a smart guy, pretty much, but this is a problem for which even I cannot find a solution, other than the age-old, time-worn, and always ineffective war between the classes. That solution has been tried innumerable times throughout history, and each time the same structure of society re-settles into the same old shape, with a few people at the top, making all the important decisions for the rest of humanity. All because we, as individuals, and as a species, cannot learn to control our ego, to persuade it to act for the benefit of all, rather than just looking out for itself….. I figure that whatever happens will be what we deserve, and I can’t say that I think it will be very pretty, for the species….. or for a lot of individuals…..

Maybe there is a solution…. as a matter of fact, there is one that has been around for as long as mankind has been writing stuff down…. and it’s always the same little piece of advice, a little idea that can change one’s entire life and world-view….. but only if it is accepted, and believed, and applied to reality…… Everybody knows this, but, how many actually live it?…..

“Do unto all as you would wish to have done unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourself.” — Mohammed

That’s right, the Golden Rule…. a basic tenet of EVERY philosophy that Mankind has ever formulated; even most religions will acknowledge the wisdom of this, though it doesn’t serve their interests as well as they would wish. But, throughout history, we have always known what is the right way to act…. we’ve just always chosen not to apply the principle in interacting with others…. Instead, we allow our ego to dictate how we behave, thus bringing us to the current world, with all of its problems and dangers…..

SIGH….. It’s really quite easy, and it’s the only answer that will work, in the long run. It really is too bad that most of humanity isn’t buying into it, isn’t it?……
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Well, that wasn’t so bad…. only about a two hour Pearl to get it right…… Felt pretty good, too….. But, reality bites, and I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to get posted in the next two or three weeks…. I’m shooting for every day, but that will depend on how well my back holds up to going somewhere each day to get it posted…. Eventually, I’ll get an ISP at home, but meanwhile, I’m mobile….. and I’d best be off to get that done…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Food just isn’t for eating…..

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Ffolkes,
Farnsworthy, my valet, my gentleman’s gentleman, has neglected to show up this morning, so I’m once again up late, and have no one to press my clothes, or fix breakfast, or tidy the room after me. Oh, right…. oops, sorry, this is Farnsworthy’s year off……I forgot I gave him this year off to go visit his guru in India. I was sure I could get along without him, but, now, I’m not so sure. My clothing is looking a bit tattered and worn, and my shoes could use a good polishing. And I keep running out of brandy…… Ah well, he’s expected back before the monsoon season, which corresponds to our winter time, so that’s not far off…..

It is always a good thing to start out the day with a pleasantly harmless delusion. Whether or not it is true is immaterial, though a good delusion could hardly consider itself properly composed if it could be held as true. The trick is to have it there just to make you feel good about yourself, which is a positive way to start the day, even if a bit damaging to certain parts of the psyche. Delusions are pretty harmless, for the most part; their danger lies in holding on to them too tightly, and not being able to let go of them when life makes it necessary to face reality. If you can’t let go then, you may have a problem….. but, if you can hold onto them for a time, then put them away neatly, they can be very helpful, just like those little umbrella thingies you get in those tropical drinks…..

As might be obvious by now, I’m again short of material for the intro, and have retreated into my fantasy world, where I keep all the stuff to build fables and/or stories of valor and glory. It’s always holiday time there, and everyone eats well; the girls are pretty, and friendly, and the guys are honest and brave. Nobody hates anybody else (excepting, of course, Barney, the creepy dinosaur…. everybody hates him… even his creator….) and injuries never need stitches or a doctor’s care; Nurse Lovely is capable of fixing anything we come up with in that area, and she is always happy to do so….. no cranky nurses here! Come to think of it, while I’m waiting for my SS to get approved, I should spend more time here; time passes quickly when you’re having a good time, and that’s the only kind of time there is in my fantasy world….

Ah well, such is life….. one can’t spend all one’s time in fantasy; people will talk, and nothing gets done. Of course, there is little to do, other than write, or read, or listen to music, or watch a vid, and boy, I’m sick of doing all of those, for sure…. but, life goes on, regardless of how we feel about it, so I may as well enjoy it….. in the meantime, shall we Pearl?…..

(1) Everything depends.
(2) Nothing is always.
(3) Everything is sometimes.

I find that 3 implies 2, therefore 2 is not necessary. Further, it is interesting to note that 2 does not imply 3 because: Always U Sometimes !=  Universe of all possibilities (e.g. Never) Therefore the choice between 2 and 3 is not arbitrary, you really must keep 3 and drop 2.  I find 1 is unrelated.  — John Colosi

I want it clearly understood that I’m totally confused. —  Smart Bee, reading my mind…..
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“Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.  Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise.” — Tom Paine

Here are two quotes from famous American patriots, of proven nature; one lived at the beginning of our nation’s creation, and the other more recently, right up to the latter half of the 20th century. Both seemed to have had a less than sterling opinion of government, no doubt from long experience of dealing with its denizens. I can’t add much to either one, except to say that both continue to be true, and both are good to remember as we go into this year’s election. It’s important this time to pay attention, and make sure that we vote the lesser of the two evils into the hot seat for the next four years….

“Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear — kept us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor — with the cry of grave national emergency… Always there has been some terrible evil to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it   by furnishing the exorbitant sums demanded.  Yet, in retrospect, these disasters seem never to have happened, seem never to have been quite real.” — General Douglas MacArthur, 1957

This policy is obviously still in place; witness the paroxysms of fear mongering that took place a couple days ago, on the anniversary of the attacks on 9/11/01. Eleven years now, and the government is still using those events as a reason for abridging the rights that Mr. Paine and his cohorts secured for us so many years ago….. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m not willing to give up my liberties for ANY reason, much less because some political pundit, who has never worked a damn day in his life, tells me I should be afraid of some group of insane fundamentalists from another country. As far as I’m concerned, OUR OWN GOVERNMENT is what we need to be afraid of now, for they are trying to turn us all into slaves to our own fears…..

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

I can rant on this subject for a very long time, without repeating myself much, as there are so many examples in daily life that point out how far the degradation of our liberties has progressed. For now, I need to go take care of some business, so I’ll leave this one right here. But, don’t let that keep you from staying alert, and guarding against any further take-aways of the Bill of Rights…. it’s been pirated enough…..

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

i{My Soul} I summon to the winding ancient stair;
Set all your mind upon the steep ascent,
Upon the broken, crumbling battlement,
Upon the breathless starlit air,
‘Upon the star that marks the hidden pole;
Fix every wandering thought upon
That quarter where all thought is done:
Who can distinguish darkness from the soul
i{My Self}. The consecrated blade upon my knees
Is Sato’s ancient blade, still as it was,
Still razor-keen, still like a looking-glass
Unspotted by the centuries;
That flowering, silken, old embroidery, torn
From some court-lady’s dress and round
The wooden scabbard bound and wound
Can, tattered, still protect, faded adorn
i{My Soul.} Why should the imagination of a man
Long past his prime remember things that are
Emblematical of love and war?
Think of ancestral night that can,
If but imagination scorn the earth
And intellect is wandering
To this and that and t’other thing,
Deliver from the crime of death and birth.
i{My self.} Montashigi, third of his family, fashioned it
Five hundred years ago, about it lie
Flowers from I know not what embroidery —
Heart’s purple — and all these I set
For emblems of the day against the tower
Emblematical of the night,
And claim as by a soldier’s right
A charter to commit the crime once more.
i{My Soul.} Such fullness in that quarter overflows
And falls into the basin of the mind
That man is stricken deaf and dumb and blind,
For intellect no longer knows
i{Is} from the i{Ought,} or i{knower} from the i{Known — }
That is to say, ascends to Heaven;
Only the dead can be forgiven;
But when I think of that my tongue’s a stone.
i{My Self.} A living man is blind and drinks his drop.
What matter if the ditches are impure?
What matter if I live it all once more?
Endure that toil of growing up;
The ignominy of boyhood; the distress
Of boyhood changing into man;
The unfinished man and his pain
Brought face to face with his own clumsiness;
The finished man among his enemies? —
How in the name of Heaven can he escape
That defiling and disfigured shape
The mirror of malicious eyes
Casts upon his eyes until at last
He thinks that shape must be his shape?
And what’s the good of an escape
If honour find him in the wintry blast?
I am content to live it all again
And yet again, if it be life to pitch
Into the frog-spawn of a blind man’s ditch,
A blind man battering blind men;
Or into that most fecund ditch of all,
The folly that man does
Or must suffer, if he woos
A proud woman not kindred of his soul.
I am content to follow to its source
Every event in action or in thought;
Measure the lot; forgive myself the lot!
When such as I cast out remorse
So great a sweetness flows into the breast
We must laugh and we must sing,
We are blest by everything,
Everything we look upon is blest.

William Butler Yeats

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

Albert Einstein was a true genius, unique in many ways. One of those is how well he was able to share the wisdom he possessed with other people. He had a very simple style of speaking, and a very clear way of expressing what he thought in words that anyone could comprehend. I particularly like the above quote, as it is something I believe implicitly as well. One of the things I’ve noticed about people my age is a certain loss of curiosity, and a resultant loss of interest in living.

A time to mourn, and a time to dance. — Ecclesiastes 3:4

The physical challenges that come with the aging process seems to have a mental side effect of dulling that particular sense in many of us, and I believe that is why so many folks have a hard time as they get older. They make it harder on themselves by losing that interest in life, that enthusiasm to learn new things, to try new foods, to see new places, and meet new people. I think keeping that enthusiasm is what extends our lives beyond the normal; avoiding the mundane is stimulating, and that vitality spreads to the rest of our lives, making them fun, no matter how hard it is physically to get on.

Life goes on, whether we can run alongside, or trail behind, and we need to remember that there is still beauty and wonder out there to be had, if we only leave ourselves open to perceive it, and have the courage to grab hold, and make it our own…..

Non carborundum illegitimi.  (Don’t let the bastards wear you down.) —  Smart Bee
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Today’s effort seems a bit fragmented, which perhaps is to be expected, as my writing routine is severely disrupted…. and my email readers are probably in a panic, or semblance of such, since I can’t seem to even get logged into gmail.  Ah well, it will have to do for the nonce…. things will be better, some day…. which I hope comes sooner than later……  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

How about them platypae?….

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Ffolkes,
Since this may or may not get published at a reasonable time today, I’ll make this a relatively short intro…. I can no longer afford to go to get coffee at the Wi-fi node down the hill; I’m totally out of moola for the month, unless I can sell something. I’ve enough food to get through, so there’s no need to panic; it will just complicate the process of posting the Pearls as I complete them…. I’ll need to figure out the process at the library, so it may take some time…. Fortunately, time is one thing I’ve got plenty of; retirement does have SOME advantages….

I suppose this means I’ll have to settle down and actually get to some of the writing I’ve promised myself to do…. I need to finish the story about Natomas and Findarel, the talking tiger, and a story about a little girl and a magic sunflower that I said I’d write, too. Who knew that time would contract to be filled by such a short list of to-do’s?….. Okay, okay, I’ll get to it, eventually….

Since I do have stuff to do, and will need to organize my head to do them, I’d best get this process completed as far as I can….. which is a long-winded way of saying…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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Be not a baker if your head be of butter. — Timeless English Proverb

It used to be that in this country, the men who became involved in politics were not politicians. Most of them were farmers, or more accurately, rich farmers, who had the time and money to take off to debate how the country should be run. For the most part, they were righteous, honest men who were sincerely concerned with injustice and throwing off the yoke of tyranny as practiced by the English throne. What these men were NOT was politicians, i.e., men who made their living by seeking power over their fellow men, which is the case in today’s world, with just about every elected official from the local level up to the national and international being what I’d call professional thieves, or politicians ….. All of the men, and now some women, involved in government today, believe themselves to be qualified to do their job, just because they wanted it, and were eloquent enough to get  elected to do it…. in short, they had a better line to sell than their opponents, who are often incumbents who have already proven their lack of honesty and level of corruption.

Now we have two men running for the highest political office in the country, Romney and Ryan, both of whom have spent their entire lives as political pundits, and have been busily looting the public treasury while they were at it. Both of them could be considered as having heads made of butter, if their performance so far is any indication of their intelligence, and now, they are trying to bake a cake…… A cake they can sell to the public as being the only cake that will make everything taste the way it should, according to their narrow, selfish view of how the world should be. These are men who have never, in their entire lives, held what could be called a “job”; since graduating from college (paid for by their daddies….); both of them have sought public office, each time rising higher in the governmental hierarchy, and gaining the keys to more rooms in the treasury……

They’ve been so successful at lying and cheating the public as they’ve advanced through the ranks, that they believe they can now lie with total impunity…. They both seem to believe that if they say something enough times, people will believe it, even though others are shouting them down with the actual truth. It’s as if they have no idea at all how their lack of honesty is coming across on the national stage; they can’t believe they are being challenged at all, and assume an air of injured dignity, or else retreat into calling names, or making such inane, insane statements as “we aren’t going to let facts dictate our campaign….”

“The truth is incontrovertible.  Malice may attack it.  Ignorance may deride it.  But in the end, there it is.” — Winston Churchill

In the end, there is the truth, still staring them in the face. No matter how many contortions they go through, or how much they refuse to actually talk to reporters, there are a lot of folks out there who keep pointing out all the lies they are spreading, and they keep losing more and more of their supporters in the process. And yet, some polls show them as almost even with the President and Vice President, who have been picked by the incumbent party as their opponents in the big race for the gold….. Of course, those polls are taken by people who are interested in the outcome, so they’re a bit hard to believe…. polls from independent researchers show the incumbents solidly in the lead, IF the same voters come out in 2012 who voted in 2008…. But, that still means there are literally millions of people who are supporting these two elitists, believing they will save them from the big, bad, black man who is now President….

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

Any fool can know, that all the candidates, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, and Odd Men Out, are liars, and who, by their very desire to be in the offices they seek, show themselves to be insane power mongers, who I wouldn’t trust to shine my shoes, unless I was watching to make sure they didn’t steal them…. And, that is the point that I understand, to go by Albert’s advice…… We are making a choice to put into office whomever we believe to be the lesser of two evils, and it is wise to remember that though we may end up with just that, the lesser of the two, whichever we choose is still evil, and not to be trusted any further than they can be thrown….. And, that’s the Truth!…..
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Keats
or Yeats,
or Emily D.,
or Pablo Neruda,
or Maya Angelou,
or Frost…..

Who wins? Today, it is…..

A little road not made of man,
Enabled of the eye,
Accessible to thill of bee,
Or cart of butterfly.

If town it have, beyond itself,
‘T is that I cannot say;
I only sigh,–no vehicle
Bears me along that way.

Emily Dickinson
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This is an old school pearl for your reading pleasure, or nearest approximation of same…. a bit different, with some internal comments from yours truly (in parentheses for your convenience….), to give directional hints that may or may not lead you to the point being developed…. but, funny, at least, as much as I can make them….

“… But when he [the people’s champion] has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.), “The Republic”

(When I read this, or sentiments like it, I always get a picture in my head of the two Bushes…. GW and GHW, otherwise known as the Senior Shrub and the Junior Shrub, or vice versa…. The national mourning that took place yesterday is the best example of their work in this arena….)

“My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian-an early Indian.  Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.  All those Salem witches were ancestors of mine.  Your people made it tropical for them…. The first slave brought into New England out of Africa was an ancestor of mine-for I am a mixed breed, an infinitely shaded and exquisite Mongrel.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)

(Me too! I loved this when I first saw it, back in High School, a VERY LONG time ago… so long ago, it was hot off the press…… The best part is, every one of those folks who believe themselves to be blue-blooded Americans are exactly the same make-up… There are very few real pure-bloods left anywhere in the world, and certainly not in a country with the diverse population we have….. we’re all, technically speaking, close to being “mutts”, every one of us…..)

“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.” — Galbraith’s Law

(I am reminded of those folks who are busy trying to convince everyone that they aren’t against Obama because he’s black, and then turn around and support R&R, who have all but guaranteed to return racism and bigotry to government….. Hell, just look at one of their primary talking point slogans, the key part of which is, and I quote, “…we’ll take America back….” Take it back? From whom? From other Americans? Does this mean the current government aren’t real Americans? That sounds suspiciously of both racism, AND treason, to me…..)

“The clinching proof of my reasoning is that I will cut anyone who argues further into dog meat.” — Sir Geoffery de Tourneville (ca. 1350)

(Ah, the good old days…. sometimes, I wish we would see someone in the House, or the Senate, say this at the end of a speech, just to see if anyone is paying attention…)

“Somewhere in suburban Honolulu, an unemployed bellhop is whipping up a batch of illegal psilocybin chop suey!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

(Okay, I admit it… this one isn’t part of the message inherent in the other quotes…. I just like it….. Though, now that I think about it, the fact that it is entirely possible this is true, does say something about the subject at hand, to wit: society and government thereof…. What it says could be paraphrased as “If God is in charge here, I am angry; if He is not, I am frightened….” — Smart Bee)

No one ever made laws keeping people from making fools of themselves. — Smart Bee

(This is a wonderful end point for this discussion, or at least, it is such  an ending for the discussion going on in my head….. I think this is very, very true, sadly…. Moreover, I believe that the laws we do pass actually are the proof of the pudding, in terms of people making fools of themselves…. especially when we try to legislate morality…..)

That’s enough mental torture for one day….. I hope the conclusion these quotes led to is clear…. if not, well, that’s okay, because I never hold quizzes…. and hopefully, you got a chuckle or two from reading it…. and if not, well, console yourself with the fact that it is done…..
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Not too bad for a fractured process, hampered by stiffness, and made problematic by domestic near-disaster (coffee spilled near the computer…..Phew! Dodged a bullet there… none touched the laptop…); It’s fairy coherent, given all that…. Now all I need to do is figure out where to go to hook up to a network with www access, and post it….. I think the library gets the nod today…. in the meantime….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Just sittin’ around….

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Ffolkes,
“Living here in limbo”….. I know just how that feels, even if I can’t remember the song that line came from; I’ve only heard it in snatches on the radio, and may never have known…. but, I still know how it feels. It feels cruddy…. Now, there’s a word you don’t see too often. Short, precise, and descriptive, a perfect little adjective; gotta love that. Where would we be without our adjectives, eh?  Instead of knowing exactly, we’d only be able to tell in a general way… e.g. “up a creek without a paddle” instead of “up s___t creek without a paddle”.  The second just tells you more, doesn’t it? This works especially well to describe our emotional states, and “cruddy” is a scientifically acceptable term for such expressions…. I know, I’m a scientist…. really, I am…. No, really…..

Is this schizoid paranoia or just existential blues? — Smart Bee

I’m going to make a command decision here; this is existential blues, not schizoid paranoia. Though outwardly the difference may be difficult to ascertain, I’m convinced it’s the blues, if only because I don’t feel persecuted, just bluesy….. which may or may not be a word….. spell checker likes it, which makes me think I’ve used it before….. Any who, yesterday was a tough day, (which you will be able to see clearly in the second, poetry section below…), and I’m glad it’s a new day.

I can forget all about the massive pity party given in my head for me to wallow in, as well as the breakthrough pain I felt for much of the day. The pain is better this morning, and the rest of whatever it was my subconscious was chewing on is now just a memory. I don’t know if my subconscious resolved anything, but at least it’s not forefront in my brain, and I feel as if I can get through the day without bursting into tears periodically, as happened yesterday, for no apparent reason…. Damn this PTSD!….

Ah well, as I said, it seems to have passed on for now, so we’ll take small favors, and run with them…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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When I consider life, ‘t is all a cheat.
Yet fool’d with hope, men favour the deceit;
Trust on, and think to-morrow will repay.
To-morrow ‘s falser than the former day;
Lies worse, and while it says we shall be blest
With some new joys, cuts off what we possest.
Strange cozenage! none would live past years again,
Yet all hope pleasure in what yet remain;
And from the dregs of life think to receive
What the first sprightly running could not give.

— John Dryden (1631-1700) — Aurengzebe, Act iv, Sc. 1

Strangely, as I read this, my immediate reaction was to comment to myself how much the first half of it reminded me of the political scene here in America, 59 or so days ahead of the Presidential election in November…. probably has to do with all the talk about lies, and men favoring deceit…. It fits right in with the Republican approach, which seems to center around picking something the President has done, or not done, and then making up a lie about it (like the whole “716 billion dollars” supposedly taken from Medicare by President Obama; this was pointed out as a lie the first time it was proposed….). It amazes me that even after being told that they are lying, they continue to repeat it, as if repetition will make it change from false to true. It’s almost shark-like in the lack of learning ability it displays…..

This isn’t to say the Democrats are totally absolved from the truth stretching behaviors; they just don’t need to do so right now, since the other party seems to be shooting itself in the foot with every statement either of the candidates releases. It’s almost as if both Romney and Ryan have this picture in their heads of how they’d like to run things, and assume that constant repetition of false information will make that vision come true.

It is true that they have fooled a lot of ignorant folks into believing that what they say has better chances than a snowball in Hell, but no matter how many times they repeat their nonsense, reality continues to refuse to change for them…. In a way, it is rather pathetic, as they try and try to convince enough people they are viable candidates, and fail miserably at every turn….

Ah well, it should be an interesting two months, to be sure…… Just be sure to pick a side and vote, ffolkes…. otherwise, you have no right to complain….  and, please, vote from your reasoning center, not your prejudice center…. if you know the difference….
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Gauges of Pain

Consciousness devolves in pools of gripping fears
holding hostage any hope of serenity,
sharp stabbing motions and greedy tears,
nary a moment passes without common calamity.

Always a surprise, nothing soothing ever found,
leaving only breathless clinging pain,
salvation seemingly absent, muffling all sound,
bringing ever more sadness and rain.

Solitude is ever present to claim my time,
lonely hours and relentlessly long days,
no radio plays such music in secular rhyme
happy, vibrant voices belong to elder ways.

Life can be justified it seems to say,
by hopeful favored moments of pleasure,
seemingly friendly, pointing out the only way,
to bring back happiness in minimal measure.

Days of horror and embarrassing tears
serve ever to drive wretched hours to withhold
promising naught but sorrow in coming years,
black, bitter memories that never grow old.

Cold, cold, the days fly by,
can it really be our only token?
Never to say, or know just why
the pain never stops, even when spoken…

~~ gigoid

(No, yesterday was NOT a good day…. why do you ask? Does it show?…..)
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“The superior man is the providence of the inferior. He is eyes for the blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless. He stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises by lifting others.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)

I like this statement…. Even though I might use another descriptive adjective than the word “superior”, this gives one the correct idea about what I would term a righteous man, or a gentleman, or, most correctly, an ethical man. “He rises by lifting others”  What a beautiful sentiment, and one that has its roots firmly embedded in truth. Every philosophy and religious system of morals I’ve seen agrees with this; men are made better by giving of themselves to those less fortunate. Giving one’s own time and resources over to helping others is an action that not only improves our standing in the eyes of men and gods, but allows us to have a good enough opinion of ourselves to be able to sleep well at night, untroubled by regrets or fears.

Unfortunately, there are many men, and women, who only give lip service to this concept. Though they will parrot the words, they really have no intention of giving anything away without a price; not help, nor food, nor money, nor any other resource, and certainly not on their own time. In fact, these kinds of folks are part of the reason that so many people need help; the actions of selfish people against their peers becomes one of life’s worst dangers, as it mimics and mirrors all the harm that the indifferent universe gives everyone who lives. These people make it harder for others to deal with those moments in life, as everything they do sucks positive energy from the weak and helpless; enough bad things happen naturally, but these people make those events even worse, because they have the ability to help, and do not…..

One might ask why I bother to rant about these folks, as they are merely expressing one side of human nature, and one cannot change that nature from the outside. In that sense, I cannot really say why I continue to do so; I know there is little chance of what I’m saying will have a tangible positive effect on reality. I suppose it is my way of trying to counteract the negative impact of those people. They aren’t going to be reading this stuff anyway; most folks who act that way are NOT big readers, if you catch my drift.

But, I look at it like this…. other than verbally, there isn’t much I can do to help a lot of people having trouble. My current level of resources is severely limited…. but, I can write about it, and try to make other people aware, and maybe, just maybe, they will take a moment to help someone, or they will goad someone else into helping…. Anything positive helps the universe, if in no other way than acting as a counter-balance to the negativity of those who go through life taking from others, rather than giving of themselves…. All you can do is all you can do, so get going and do it!…..  🙂
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I just realized that today is supposed to be a big day in this country, as the anniversary of the terrorist attacks back in ’01… However, I don’t believe in giving any of my terror to terrorists, and only view that day as another example of the power of human cupidity, one more in a long series of such egregiously ignorant and selfish human acts of violence upon their fellow man. Paying it special attention is, to me, giving them more importance than they are due, so, I don’t….

Today’s effort isn’t one of my best, perhaps…. maybe it WAS schizoid paranoia, and not just the blues? Ah well, too late now; I’m not doing it over…. It will have to fly, ready or not…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Eradicating past indiscretions….

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8

Ffolkes,
Ah, yes, apartment living…. I had forgotten just what it was like. Come to think of it, this is the very first apartment I’ve lived in since college, 43 years ago. It should prove to be interesting…. we’ll see how long it takes for my true curmudgeon to come out…. probably not long, especially if I’m forced to observe cases of deliberate ignorance, or urban attitude (ie, gang attitude…).

I’m afraid I won’t show enough patience if that happens, because I have little toleration for either one, arising as they do from the same lack of will, a characteristic all too common in modern life. Ah, well, probably best not to look for such conflict before it happens; I just prefer to have a plan already in place when it does…. cuts down on reaction time, which can be critical in crisis situations….

I sure miss having internet service at home. This hooking up publicly is getting to be a hassle…. plus, I’ve found there are at least 40 or 50 times per day that I would have normally been online, as I’ll think of a question, and start to Google it, only to be frustrated by the lack of connection. I also miss reading the blogs I’m accustomed to reading. I’ve been able to keep up a little bit on my Reader page, as one can now hit Like for blogs listed there, without reading the entire blog…. it’s handy for those picture blogs I go to, as the main picture is on the reader page, so I know if I like it or not…. Gotta, gotta get ahold of Comcast today, for sure….

Since I’m up so early, 0730, I may as well go diving. Want to come along? Let’s go Pearl, shall we?…..
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“The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.” — Confucius (B.C. 551-479)

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether a quote attributed to Confucius was actually uttered by him; there are a lot of people out there who consider themselves funny, and they use his name without any by-your-leave. This one, though, has the “look and feel” of his philosophy, as he was often concerned with virtue, and the effect of that virtue on society….. Around here, we always go by the theory that, “if it waddles like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”

This idea, regardless of its accuracy, (and it is very accurate…. trust me….) is one that many people would never consider, since those same many people never use introspection or self-inquiry to judge their own actions. Mostly they don’t think at all, of course, as is the habit of the major percentage of humans, but in this especially, the greater portion of mankind never even thinks about whether their actions are virtuous or not. They simply don’t care what their own motivation consists of, preferring to treat the universe as their own little plaything, insisting that reality bend itself to their viewpoint.

“If we are not stupid or insincere when we say that the good or ill of man lies within his own will, and that all beside is nothing to us, why are we still troubled?” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxv

Reality, naturally, takes umbrage at such behavior, and will generally furnish such fools sufficient trouble to keep them busy, if not actually awake and aware. In that sense, reality is self-adjusting. But no matter how many times some folks get stepped on, they never can figure out that their own actions are what brought them to the point they currently inhabit.

I often wonder how some folks reach the age of consent, much less the age of reason; their lack of ability to reason would seem to me to be terminal in the short run. But, our society, in the process of advancing beyond the cave dweller stage, protects such fools, and their stupidity is rewarded, rather than punished. In such cases, my wonder at how they reached the age they inhabit  turns to regret, that they reached the age of reproduction….

“Since everything in life is but an experience perfect in being what it is, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.” — Long Chen Pa

Using this principle, I laugh all the damn time, it seems.  But, sadly, the world does not laugh with me…. That’s okay, though, for I have hope that things will eventually shake down into some sort of intelligent order. Call me crazy, but that hope does exist…. even though I know it is a relatively futile hope…. Is there any other kind?…..
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When life calls, ready or not….

Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.

Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.

Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.

Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.

Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.

~~ gigoid

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Everyone knows Winnie the Pooh…. Even if, like me, you’ve never read the actual book, all are familiar with his antics in the 100 acre Wood with Eeyore, Roo, Piglet, Owl, and the others, and everyone knows how much he likes his honey. But, most folks don’t know that Pooh, besides being an Uncarved Block, with Zen master knowledge, is also possessed of somewhat of an unknown dark side. This side of Pooh doesn’t always get the acknowledgment that it should, so I have collected some of his lesser known statements, as recorded in Smart Bee, my quote database, and compiled by the hacker culture…. Pay attention, ffolkes, it could save one of your nieces or nephews some skin…. Here, then, are several statements made by Pooh as he engaged in his OTHER natural activities….

— Bother! said Pooh, as he blew away half of the 100 Acre Woods.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he rolled another joint for the President.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he drew the Glock.

— Bother! said Pooh, as he booby trapped the ambulance.

— Bother! said Pooh, Beavis and Butthead are barbecuing Barney!

As you can see, Pooh is not the shy little hunny bear he pretends to be for Christopher Robin, is he? I think I like him better this way…..
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There you have it…. another fine mess. Actually, I’m not altogether unhappy with it…. the poem was pretty quick, for once, and only took a couple pints of blood to color in the hard parts…. Plus, Pooh saved me the trouble of a rant by jumping up in my face and insisting to be included today…. So be it…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Rejecting all palliative measures…..

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3

Ffolkes,
Today’s post will be a strange one, for both sides of this coin. I’m very late getting to where I can hook up to the internet, so I’ll be rushing through the pearling process. That’s my strange… your strange is whatever comes out the other end, the finished product (if it can be so labeled….). And I don’t even have time to discuss it very much here in the intro, or I won’t get to the rest of the pearls…. SIGH… amazing how many things I can find to whine about, eh?

Sorry, got distracted… today I’m sitting in the room at the coffee place that looks outdoors, and a gorgeous young woman just walked by…. Being male, I couldn’t help but look…. sadly, that is all I’m capable of doing these days, especially when my back is so painful, like today. It took me 15 minutes to walk down the hill, a matter of four blocks…. pathetic…..

But, last night, I found the following, which just goes to show that the idea of pearling is not as new to Art as I had thought…. though I can’t say that I find Fellini to be anyone I would consider an expert on Art. The assertion he makes here, that art is autobiographical, is HIS OWN feeling about it; for him, I’m sure it is a personal process into which he pours himself. But, a lot of artists are not as egotistical as he… of course, as a director of movies, he would HAVE to show more ego than his actors, and that is going a ways, for sure….

“All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.” — Federico Fellini

Enough about me…. shall we Pearl?
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A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: “Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.” When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, “The one I feed the most.” — George Bernard Shaw

This is a wonderful anecdote, and one I feel very firmly about, as it is one of the clearest lessons in self-awareness I have ever seen. This one is so simple an idea, that even the ignorant asses who make up the political cadre in this country would be able to understand it. They probably couldn’t do it, as they never, ever think about themselves other than as an important person, who doesn’t need to make changes in himself. Anyone who does think of themselves would never, ever consent to be put into a public office…. the two things (introspection vs. public office) just don’t mix…. That is because of the following, from a pretty smart fella, who live quite some time ago, but seemed to have a good head on his shoulders….

“Neither do the ignorant seek after wisdom.  For herein is the evil of ignorance, that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself; he has no desire for that of which he feels no want.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)

“…he who is neither good nor wise” is a perfect description of anyone who wants to be President of this country. I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again, because it bears repetition, that anyone, anyone at all, who actually WANTS to be President can be classified as clinically insane, usually a paranoid schizophrenic, with grandiose delusions of adequacy…. NOBODY is adequate for that job… nobody. And anyone who thinks they are is simply not all there…..

And it’s just a box of rain
I don’t know who put it there
Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare
And it’s just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there

— Box of Rain by Phil Lesh & Robert Hunter

Ah me…. politics and politicians are such an easy target. If it wasn’t so much fun, I might call it a naughty habit, and leave them to their devices, which surely are many….. Since we’re pressed for time today, we’ll leave them be, and just caution y’all to watch out, because their antics can be dangerous, if they are left without supervision for long….
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Bankers Are Just Like Anybody Else, Except Richer

This is a song to celebrate banks,
Because they are full of money and you go into them and all
you hear is clinks and clanks,
Or maybe a sound like the wind in the trees on the hills,
Which is the rustling of the thousand dollar bills.
Most bankers dwell in marble halls,
Which they get to dwell in because they encourage deposits
and discourage withdrawals,
And particularly because they all observe one rule which woe
betides the banker who fails to heed it,
Which is you must never lend any money to anybody unless
they don’t need it.
I know you, you cautious conservative banks!
If people are worried about their rent it is your duty to deny
them the loan of one nickel, yes, even one copper engraving
of the martyred son of the late Nancy Hanks;
Yes, if they request fifty dollars to pay for a baby you must
look at them like Tarzan looking at an uppity ape in the
jungle,
And tell them what do they think a bank is, anyhow, they had
better go get the money from their wife’s aunt or uncle.
But suppose people come in and they have a million and they
want another million to pile on top of it,
Why, you brim with the milk of human kindness and you
urge them to accept every drop of it,
And you lend them the million so then they have two million
and this gives them the idea that they would be better off
with four,
So they already have two million as security so you have no
hesitation in lending them two more,
And all the vice-presidents nod their heads in rhythm,
And the only question asked is do the borrowers want the
money sent or do they want to take it withm.
Because I think they deserve our appreciation and thanks,
the jackasses who go around saying that health and happiness
are everything and money isn’t essential,
Because as soon as they have to borrow some unimportant
money to maintain their health and happiness they starve
to death so they can’t go around any more sneering at good
old money, which is nothing short of providential.

Ogden Nash

Serendipity strikes again, even twice… I’ve used this poem previously, but decided to go with it today, just because it fits the theme for today, by poking at the 1%, who can use all the pokes they can get…..  Enjoy!
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Thou shalt not kill?  What about Exodus 22:18-20? — Smart Bee

Sorcerers, sexual perverts with animals, and anyone who doesn’t follow the Bible’s laws, are apparently not subject to the same laws as the rest of the Church’s followers. According to the Bible, it is not only okay to kill them, but it is the law. Of course, no one could ever accuse Christianity of consistency of thought or action, could they?….. I”m not going to get into this heavily today, but couldn’t resist one shot at the Church, to go along with the short rant on politicians, and the poem taking shots at the bankers….. We have to think about this kind of stuff, because they never will…..
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Not bad for 45 minutes work, I’d say. I’d like to take a moment to thank my regular readers, and any new followers I haven’t acknowledged. I’ve not had time to get to all the comments, as the restaurant kicks me out after a couple hours (or my guilt at taking up their space for my access to the internet sends me packing….), and I’ve barely been able to keep up with posting these Pearls, and answering email.

Thank you, thank you, for stopping in to read my musings, and I hope they bring you a smile, or at least a random thought you can use in your own head….. I’ll be back online at home, hopefully in the coming week, but eventually for sure; I merely have to humble myself to deal with Comcast, the truly evil leader of the cable guy system. As soon as I can make kissy face with them, they’ll hook me up…. until then, I’m stuck eating croissants and bagels with my coffee…. I’ll be glad to stay home, as I’m starting to balloon up with all the extra carbs….

Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Moments of regrettable histrionics…..

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1

Ffolkes,
Morning again brings itself to the forefront of consciousness, as it tends to do about this time every day. Not that I have a problem with that, but I wasn’t quite done sawing logs when the phone rang, and reality came rushing back in…. Hence, I am now up, staring once again at the keyboard, with an empty head…. I should most likely sit and let the coffee work its magic for a bit……

“A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that balances are correct.” — from “Manual of Maud’Dib” by the Princess Irulan

I can testify that delicacy is hard when one’s blood sugar is out of balance; my own reaction to being bothered before having consumed sufficient quantities of caffeine and sugar is to bite, or at least bark loudly, at whomever has the audacity to approach before I’m fully charged. Even though I know it isn’t their fault, they pay the price, if only to allow them to learn the correct lesson. Survival of the fittest, right? Right…..

“I don’t think you’re ready for what I think.” — Fox Mulder

Maybe that’s why I live alone now…. though I try to make an effort to accommodate anyone I live with to a degree, it probably gets old after a while; I know I certainly did. Get old, that is…. I can feel it now, as I sit here, struggling to remain fairly straight upright, as typing is tough when one has to lean on one elbow. Someday, I’d really like to speak to the person responsible for printing and distributing the manual we are issued at birth. You know, our Life Manual, that tells us how to do stuff with our bodies, and gives maintenance directions for upkeep. Most folks lose theirs, before they ever get to an age where they would pay attention, but I can say for sure that there isn’t a word in it that gives any warning about how to deal with the aging process, and all of the challenges that getting old provides…. if it did, folks might even keep track of it better….

“Age does not make us childish, as some say; it finds us true children.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Ah well, pain is life, for some of us, and our days are measured by how much we can keep it from getting to the point of needing to whine about it. Suffering is supposed to teach character, and strength in the face of adversity; somehow, one who suffers is supposed to be noble…. but, I say, piss on it, I’m in pain, so stand back, while I try to drug myself insensible…. I take enough medication to knock most folks right out, and still manage to keep my head in the game, so, I figure I’m doing okay…. If nothing else, it keeps me off the streets….  after a fashion…..

Ah, the hell with it…. let’s go dive in and look around a while, eh? Shall we Pearl?…..
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It is popularly supposed that between those who use the word “God” and those who do not there is some great gulf.  But the gulf lies elsewhere.  It lies between those who dogmatize, either positively or negatively, and those who recognize in great humility that something within them bears witness to realities which may be momentous in our lives, but which lie beyond the grasping net of our categories of thought. — Smart Bee

Yet more proof of Murphy’s presence in Life…. or, in my life, anyway….. Yesterday I wrote about this subject, expounding as I am wont to do, with no little enthusiasm, trying to bring some clarity to a naturally murky subject (it’s hard to pin down anything solidly when the subject under discussion is a matter of conjecture, not physically present to be examined….). Then, later in the day, I come across this one short paragraph, that summarizes my 3-400 words succinctly in three lines, and very clearly, for all its brevity. SIGH….. So much for originality, eh? Though I don’t know who said it, I salute them….

“In answer to the question of why it happened, I offer the modest proposal that our Universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time.” — Edward P. Tryon

Once more, I have to agree with the author, especially as it gives a sort of pat on the shoulder to the paragraph above, as if sharing an obvious point. Serendipity, I say, and well met….

“When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it.” — Bernard Bailey

This one, when viewed in light of the previous two quotes, made me smile, big….. now, why is that? Because when he says a lot, he means, A LOT OF PEOPLE!…..

“And don’t tell me God works in mysterious ways, Yossarian continued There’s nothing mysterious about it, He’s not working at all. He’s playing. Or else He’s forgotten all about us. That’s the kind of God you people talk about, a country bumpkin, a clumsy, bungling, brainless, conceited, uncouth hayseed. Good God, how much reverence can you have for a Supreme Being who finds it necessary to include such phenomena as phlegm and tooth decay in His divine system of Creation? What in the world was running through that warped, evil, scatological mind of His when He robbed old people of the power to control their bowel movements? Why in the world did He ever create pain?” — Joseph Heller, Catch 22

Funny how people under stress always get so close to the truth; it makes the one who hears it more nervous and upset than he who said it…. or it that just me? Of course it is…. Why shouldn’t it be me? What’s the matter with me? Don’t you like me?….. Sorry…. any who, let’s see what else the magic can find….

“Every sensible man, every honest man, must hold the Christian sect in horror. But what shall we substitute in its place? you say. What? A ferocious animal has sucked the blood of my relatives. I tell you to rid yourselves of this beast and you ask me what you shall put in its place?” — Voltaire

Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?…

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

— T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

I’m not sure why, but this excerpt from T.S. Eliot seems to be the perfect finishing line for the above meandering treatise…. and it is as close to a verifiable point as we’re going to get today, I can tell…. so, best leave it be for now, and go on to something else…. Or, in this case, to something the same….
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Portrait of a Lady

Among the smoke and fog of a December afternoon
You have the scene arrange itself–as it will seem to do–
With “I have saved this afternoon for you”;
And four wax candles in the darkened room,
Four rings of light upon the ceiling overhead,
An atmosphere of Juliet’s tomb
Prepared for all the things to be said, or left unsaid.
We have been, let us say, to hear the latest Pole
Transmit the Preludes, though his hair and fingertips.
“So intimate, this Chopin, that I think his soul
Should be resurrected only among friends
Some two or three, who will not touch the bloom
That is rubbed and questioned in the concert room.”
–And so the conversation slips
Among velleities and carefully caught regrets
Through attenuated tones of violins
Mingled with remote cornets
And begins.
“You do not know how much they mean to me, my friends,
And how, how rare and strange it is, to find
In a life composed so much, so much of odds and ends,
[For indeed I do not love it . . . you knew? you are not blind!
How keen you are!]
To find a friend who has these qualities,
Who has, and gives
Those qualities upon which friendship lives.
How much it means that I say this to you–
Without these friendships–life, what cauchemar!”

Among the windings of the violins
And the ariettes
Of cracked cornets
Inside my brain a dull tom-tom begins
Absurdly hammering a prelude of its own,
Capricious monotone
That is at least one definite “false note.”
–Let us take the air, in a tobacco trance,
Admire the monuments,
Discuss the late events,
Correct our watches by the public clocks.
Then sit for half and hour and drink our bocks.

T. S. Eliot

I don’t care what anyone says…. this is some good stuff….. a worthy goal to shoot for, wouldn’t you agree?…… Not in hope of exceeding, but merely to equal the power of this man’s work is worthy of any effort…..
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A candidate is a person who gets money from the rich and votes from the poor to protect them from each other. — Smart Bee

I guess the political scene is taking a short break, gathering its momentum for the big two-month push to the election… Both parties have officially branded their candidates, and the Party Platforms have been printed up and sent out…. It is significant to me that, of the two major parties, one’s platform talks of reform, and rebuilding, and celebrating diversity, whereas the other talks about defensiveness, and divisiveness, about negatives, and the return to old values that have already proven themselves as destructive. I don’t even have to say which is which, and you will know; that is how clearly divided the two are this time….

I don’t fully trust any of them, but at least the Dems are trying to help out the little man, rather than aggrandizing the rich. Every Republican platform plank serves to secure the strangle-hold the rich have over the poor; it amazes me how many poor folks are following him, just because he promises to bring Whiteness back to government, even though it means stepping all over the weak and vulnerable. As long as the scary Black man isn’t elected, they think they’ll be happy, not realizing that the scary Black man has already improved their lot, and will make it even better if allowed to actually pass some legislation designed to aid the middle class instead of the 1%.

These closet racists are so incensed that they have to listen to, and even admire, a black family in the Presidency, they are willing to cut off their own noses to get a white man back in the White House. They grab onto the most egregious lies, and repeat them endlessly, as if the repetition will make it true. When they are corrected, with irrefutable proof of the lies, they switch to attack mode, and call the fact-checkers communists, or socialists, or bring up the tired old “birther” conspiracy. One Republican actually said, after being corrected about a lie told during the Republican convention, “We aren’t going to let ‘fact checkers’ dictate our candidacy!” Honest, it’s on video….

“The fantasy which serves as a support for the figure of the Stalinist Communist (sub: Republican Party Platform for 2012….) is therefore exactly the same as the fantasy which is at work in the Tom and Jerry cartoons.” — Slavoj Zizek

At this point, I actually am feeling somewhat lucky not to have a TV, since that will prevent me from having to watch all the loaded political ads, from both sides of the election process. I won’t have to experience the repeated disgust at the nasty, underhanded tactics being used by the conservatives, or worry about over-dosing on sugar from the ads from the Dems. I still get to see the public’s reaction to the ads, by reading about them online; if I really WANT to see one (for some unknown, and unfathomable reason….) I can check it out on You Tube, where everything ends up anyway…. it’s the best way I’ve found yet to get through an election without all the emotional drama that plays out over the mainstream TV airways….

The internet is also playing a new part in this election, one that has so far been under-reported, or just ignored… The stories one reads on the Net are a good way to measure the reaction of the public to the various claims by both sides of the contest; in addition, it serves as a dispassionate fact-checking service, as many, many sites now publish the truth or lies that each side is stating, usually within minutes of the first report. This has turned out to be a thorn in the side of the Republicans, as they are relying almost totally on lies and made up statements for their rhetoric. They don’t really have anything they can show as being an improvement in the way things are going; only their wild claims of, ‘feed the rich’ and wait for the money and jobs to trickle down from heaven, like manna….

Very few folks are buying that, as the economic policies they espouse have been refuted repeatedly by independent researchers and experts, and the results of eight years of that sort of policy are painfully obvious. I imagine that by the time the election actually takes place, there will be very few actual voters left who haven’t been driven away by one of their lies and/or fables….. and a landslide election will be the result…. I certainly hope so, as then maybe we can actually make some headway at dealing with the issues that are important to people, instead of focusing on the conservative right’s need to soothe their racism…. instead of having to deal with their unfounded, and cowardly, fears…..

The sage manages affairs without action
And spreads doctrines without words.
All things arise, and he does not turn away from them.
He produces them, but does not take possession of them.
He acts, but does not rely on his own ability.
He accomplishes his task, but does not claim credit for it.
It is precisely because he does not claim credit, that his accomplishment remains with him.
— Lao-Tzu
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All things considered, this hasn’t gone too badly…. a bit of old/new school meandering, some mild ranting, and a good poem. What better way to start one’s day? I’ll take it…. please wrap it to go, and I’ll be on my way….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!