The taste of ambition is bitter and cold….

Ffolkes,
Morgan Templeton watched with interest as the sun rose majestically above the western hills, ablaze with the promise of the new day. As the light spread, he pushed away from the tree against which he leaned, and strode purposefully down to his waiting horse. Swinging lightly into the saddle, he urged the horse into a canter, away from the rising sun, toward the towering trees of the forest that lay across the horizon to the west. Slowing the horse to a walk as he entered the trees, Morgan passed within the vale, following a slight path that wound through the trees, leading ever further into the woods. His eyes never stopped moving, side to side, up and down, back again. He knew it was relatively safe in this part of the forest, but long years of living in danger had taught him never to lose track of his surroundings, lest death become too familiar. Safety lay in remaining alert, and Morgan had good reason to want to remain alive, good reason indeed.


So, I was talking to a friend yesterday, and he says to me, “I just got a new computer for my wife.” I told him, “good trade, dude.” A little humor is always a good way to start the day, don’t you think? I know it always helps me to approach the day with a lighter heart. What’s that? What happened to Morgan in the forest? Hell, your guess is as good as mine; I just write the damn stuff, I don’t pay any attention to it beyond the spell check. It got me this far, didn’t it? Some days that kind of drivel just leaps onto the screen; some days it leads somewhere, some days not so much. So today was a not so much. Remember what you are paying for this, and be content….it’s worth every penny…..

“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.” — Yun-Men

‘You govern a kingdom by normal rules;
You fight a war by exceptional moves;
But you win the world by letting alone,
How do I know that this is so?
By what is within me!
The more taboo and inhibitions there are in the world,
The poorer the people become.
The sharper the weapons the people posses,
The greater confusion reigns in the realm.
The more clever and crafty the men,
The oftener strange things happen.
The more articulate the laws and ordinances,
The more robbers and thieves arise.’
— Tao Teh Ching #57, Lao Tzu

Be the master of your will and the slave of your conscience. — Hasidic saying

In bed we laugh, in bed we cry;
And, born in bed, in bed we die.
The near approach a bed may show
Of human bliss to human woe.
— Isaac de Benserade (1612-1691)

“I can remember the first time I had to go to sleep.  Mom said, “Steven, time to  go to sleep.”  I said, “But I don’t know how.”  She said, “It’s real easy.  Just go down to the end of tired and hang a left.”  So I went down to the end of tired, and just out of curiosity I hung a right.  My mother was there, and she said “I thought I told you to go to sleep.” — Steven Wright

I love this one…”above all, don’t wobble.” Priceless! Perfect advice for leading the good life; don’t wobble. Good stuff…..y’all take care out there…..


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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Bumping along the path to glory….

Ffolkes,
As a day of reckoning, today leaves a bit to be desired. More than just a bit actually. It seems that the universe could go along with the program here, but NOOOO, today’s got to be all big & bad, with overcast. If I’m going to go and humiliate myself before my creditors, the least I think I should be able to expect is a nice day, weather-wise. And though it will most likely clear up in a few hours, by then I’ll not be in a place where I can enjoy it. Sometimes I believe Murphy has taken a strong dislike to me; no other explanation fits all the evidence. Oh well, we plod onward, as there is no other choice….no viable choices, that is. There is always one or more pathways that will lead to a final solution, but we are not quite ready to throw in the towel. What’s a few more mental bruises to someone who lives in pain? Not much…..today’s group is again somewhat eclectic. Gonna have to go find me some new waters to dive in soon….these oyster beds are getting a bit thin…..enjoy!

“I can handle reality in small doses, but as a lifestyle it’s much too confining.” — Lily Tomlin

“…Another writer again agreed with all my generalities, but said that as an inveterate skeptic I have closed my mind to the truth.  Most notably I have ignored the evidence for an Earth that is six thousand years old.  Well, I haven’t ignored it; I considered the purported evidence and *then* rejected it. There is a difference, and this is a difference, we might say, between prejudice and postjudice.  Prejudice is making a judgment before you have looked at the facts.  Postjudice is making a judgment afterwards.  Prejudice is terrible, in the sense that you commit injustices and you make serious mistakes.  Postjudice is not terrible.  You can’t be perfect of course; you may make mistakes also.  But it is permissible to make a judgment after you have examined the evidence.  In some circles it is even encouraged.” — Carl Sagan, The Burden of Skepticism, Skeptical Enquirer, Vol. 12, pg. 46

“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” — D.H. Lawrence

Below the thunders of the upper deep,
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides…
— Tennyson “The Kraken”

Better stop short than fill to the brim. Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.  Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.  Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.  Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven.” — Tao Te Ching

“I’ll tell you what kind of guy I was.   If you ordered a boxcar full of sons-of-bitches and opened the door and only found me inside, you could
consider the order filled.” — Robert Mitchum

Now THAT’s a curmudgeon! One can only gape in awe, and hope that one day, I too will achieve such an exalted state of grouchiness. Getting plenty of reasons to be that way building up lately, so we can always hope….y’all take care out there…..


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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!