Tag Archives: The White Rabbit

Four is a very friendly number….

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Ffolkes,

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

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

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


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

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

Shall we Pearl?

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Won’t THAT be fun! You betcha!….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Because I could not stop for Death–
He kindly stopped for me–
The Carriage held but just Ourselves–
And Immortality.

We slowly drove–He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility–

We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess–in the Ring–
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain–
We passed the Setting Sun–

Or rather–He passed us–
The Dews drew quivering and chill–
For only Gossamer, my Gown–
My Tippet–only Tulle–

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground–
The Roof was scarcely visible–
The Cornice–in the Ground–

Since then–’tis Centuries–and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses’ Heads
Were toward Eternity–

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~


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

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

Remembrance and reflection how allied!

What thin partitions sense from thought divide!

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

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


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

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

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

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

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

Though man a thinking being is defined,

Few use the grand prerogative of mind.

How few think justly of the thinking few!

How many never think, who think they do!

~~ Jane Taylor (1783-1824) ~~

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


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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

Kowabunga!


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
We’ve got two words for you, mister…. Puff Paste….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


I find myself immediately in White Rabbit mode this morning, having slept over eight hours again, not arising until AFTER the coffee machine had gone off at its pre-set time, a time I generally beat by a good hour each day. This morning, I find myself just beginning this process after 5 AM, which is VERY late, for me…. 


Ah well, such is life, at least, as we know it…. consistency is only present in Nature in predictable ways. The sun comes up pretty consistently, and there are a few other universal factors of existence, (Death, taxes, etc.), we can count on to happen on a regular basis like that. Otherwise, it’s a crap shoot, ffolkes, so most of us get used to not finding things exactly as we left them the last time we dealt with them….


We humans even have a word for that, to wit: entropy, which, loosely defined tells us, “Things fall apart”…. which phrase, by the way, is the title of a very good little book, by a young African author, named Chinua Achebe…. It is considered one of the best English language books about Africa, used in many colleges to exemplify the genre… 


The story, about an Igbo tribesman in central Africa, is one that gives us a very good understanding of this principle, (entropy), and how it affects our lives, and our relationships with others in society, as we all try to cope with this basic flaw in the design of our universe…


Of course, it is only a flaw to our way of thinking…. None of the other inhabitants of this plane of existence seem to have a lot of trouble dealing with this particular aspect of reality; they just shrug their equivalent of shoulders, and soldier on, going on to whatever the next thing the universe presents to them for their perception, and their experience…. 


Not that the universe cares or anything, but, it does make it pretty well impossible to avoid dealing with the iconic forces of chaos, with glaring examples at every turn to remind us of how fragile is our perceptive model, and how often it must be amended with codicils or changes to our attitudes.


All of which, of course, has nothing at all to do with this Pearl…. it’s simply another attempt to draw your attention away from what we are doing here behind the curtain, and to give y’all good reason to come on in, settle down in one of our comfortable seats, order up an adult beverage, and say goodbye to irrationality, as we take off on another exploration of this planet and all its wonders…. I don’t think it would be wise to tell you how the plane runs, or where, exactly, it will take us…. all of that is subject to change at an instant’s notice, anyway…. This is CONSENSUAL REALITY, you know, not some cheap imitation…


That having been said, for what is is worth, (and no snickering from the back rows….), we’ll get on with this, to settle down the nerves of our White Rabbit, so he, too, may enjoy the ride….


Shall we Pearl?…..


“Assess the advantages of taking advice, then structure your forces accordingly, to supplement extraordinary tactics. Forces are to be structured strategically, based on what is advantageous.” — Sun Tzu


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


Following this instructive, ethically stimulating quote by Lazarus, which immediately follows this paragraph, you will find a discussion of ethics and/or morality, with a short little foray into religious philosophy, from the standpoint of my own personal philosophy, much of which is based on the concept(s) involved in understanding, and, equally importantly, accepting the principle whereof Lazarus speaks, to wit: “duty”.  


Making one’s chosen “duty” a part of one’s life demands a certain degree of honesty, as well as the courage to apply that honesty to one’s own actions, thereby accepting responsibility for them; this attitude is not one I have found to be common to the philosophies of any the religions I have studied….. When the discussion was first posted, no pearls were associated, until the end, but, this one is the perfect lead to what follows….


“Do not confuse ‘duty’ with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.” — Lazarus Long


From 2/12/13:


I am an asshole. A jerk. A prick. A foul-mouthed, misbegotten excuse for a human being…. I, as is true of virtually all seven billion of my peers on this planet, am nothing more than a hypocrite, deserving of eternal residence in the lowest pits of hell for my perfidy….. What, you might ask, prompted this viciously personal outburst of self-denigration? Well, let me tell you….


Most of us, at some point or another, sit down from time to time to think about our actions, those we are considering, and those we have acted out in the past, to get some perspective on how those actions have conformed to our ethical and moral beliefs. In other words, we sit in self-judgment; whether we do so to praise or to chastise doesn’t matter, ultimately, as long as it is an honest appraisal, and we do not flinch from owning up to our baseness where it is found…..


This is why I am forced to curse myself…. Because I’m not a Catholic,  or any other faith that espouses such mummery, (I don’t mean to pick on Catholics…. some of my best friends, etc…..  😆  ….. They’re just an example everyone recognizes, and can relate to as similar to their own….)….  Any who, because I’m not of that Tribe, I don’t have the luxury of confessing to a priest, who would then reassure me that I am still one of the Chosen Ones, and send me on my way having learned nothing but a false sense of entitlement.


I can’t just pass off what I may have done in my life to some faceless butthead in a dress, who, no doubt, has a great laugh at the expense of the penitent, when he and the other priests get together in the rectory for a few drinks, passing around all the latest tall tales and outtakes from the confessional booth…..


I consider myself to be a morally upright person, and hope that my actions reflect that. But, I know for certain that, like every other human being who ever lived, I don’t always live up to those moral beliefs, and fall from grace on occasion…. If I were a less honest man, I’d say that there were mitigating, or at least explanatory reasons for my failures to hold to my own standards, but, if I tried that, my Dad would kick my ass from now until Thursday the next time I see him, so I’m not going to take that chance…. I take full responsibility for my actions, base and cruel as they were, and no one can hold me in lower regard than I do….


I had considered using this venue as a confessional, to air out my transgressions on the stage of reality, but, I don’t think that would be any more ethical than confessing to a priest…. Confession may make a difference to the penitent, by absolving him/her from any lingering guilt that could adversely affect them (i.e., they feel better about themselves after receiving absolution…), but, in truth, it doesn’t mean a damn thing, as nothing is done to balance the scale, in a karmic sense, especially for whatever creature or person that was the victim of the cruelty. The only act that would mean anything would be for the perpetrator to use the experience to motivate them to two things….


One, to try to repair whatever hurt or pain they have caused another creature…. man, animal, doesn’t matter…. They don’t deserve to be victimized, no matter their form, and ALL one can do, to fix any harm they have caused, is the least they should do…. 


Second, use the experience as motivation to make a change in themselves, to act with greater understanding, greater compassion, and greater control over themselves and their feelings…. which is what guilt is all about, right?…. 


The difference is that, when one confesses to a priest, and receives absolution, there is no motivation to make any changes in their actions…. They know none is necessary, since they can relieve themselves of any guilt they may feel by confessing…. so, why bother?


On the other hand, when one assumes the responsibility for their own actions, the guilt doesn’t go away…. I will never forgive myself for some of the things that I’ve done in my life (nor will I share them in any attempt to gain forgiveness from anyone else…. it’s none of their fucking business….)


(Besides, that whole confessional thing just sounds too much like a blackmail scheme…. the people who confess are sure putting their fate trustingly into the hands of those priests, aren’t they?). That simple fact is what keeps me from falling into the same ethical trap I did when I lost my cool, and acted without thinking,  or took my feelings out on innocent bystanders….. Not going to happen again, a sentiment which, I’m sure, is NOT what you can expect from any religicos after confession….


You will note that there are no pearls associated with this discussion…. That’s because I am such an asshole, none were needed to stimulate me into spilling my guts, so to speak…. Besides, I couldn’t find a proper pearl for the beginning of such a somber subject by the time I was ready to write about it…. But, Murphy must have liked the way I dissed myself, because, hunting for an appropriate closer, afterward, I found these two, which, together, make a grand finishing touch for this subject…. Think of them as bookends….


“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.” — J. C. Watts


Boy, that hits the nail on the head, doesn’t it?…..    I’ve got these two quotes reversed in the order in which they make the most sense, but, given the state of things here, that isn’t surprising, is it?…. This is the one that probably should go at the front of this piece, so, just put it there in your mind, okay? Thanks….. (Note from 2014: Actually, you may, or even should, ignore all of these final comments on the care and placement of pearls, as they are currently out of context, all because the pearl that now graces the front of this discussion is so perfectly suitable….)


“We tell lies when we are afraid, . . . afraid of what we don’t know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger.” — Tad Williams, Spoken by Dr. Morgenes, To Green Angel Tower (part of — Memory, Sorrow and Thorn)


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


Again, to save others from embarrassment or guilt by association, here is another of my old poems, which, sort of, fits in with today’s elusive theme….




Fine and Good, Good and Fine


A pig in a poke’s got nothing on me,

cuz I’m as confused as a man can be.

This ol’ world’s got me spinnin’ around

cussin’ and spittin’, a penny for a pound.


Forty ‘leven times since I was a kid, well,

I’ve fallen in love, ‘least too close to tell.

Every damn time, it all went to crap,

Forty ‘leven times I’ve felt like a sap.


‘Course, each time it happens, I forget the last;

why not? I’m havin’ such a blast….

Livin’ in each moment, filled with joie de vivre,

’til it’s all gone away again, nothin’ left up my sleeve.


Don’t want y’all to think I’m sad or blue,

life’s full of sorrow, lots for me, and/or you..

T’other side of that coin, we can be glad,

is joyful love, and that ain’t at all bad.


My road’s been littered with parts o’my heart,

each one colored with trust, which ain’t always smart.

Yet, long as I don’t lose my connection to joy,

I’ll find my own true love, and be a happy boy.


It’s been some kinda fun, even when I’d take a fall,

and doin’ it over makes no sense at all, at all

Day after day, I keep on keepin’ on, as it’s said;

Guess I’ll keep on doin’ that ’til I’m dead.


‘Nuff said….


~~ gigoid ~~


….with tongue lodged firmly in cheek….




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


Most days, even if running this late, I would put an old-school pearl here, just to maintain the structure for these Pearls that I think works the best…. Today, though, I just happen to have an archived pearl, somewhat old school, lifted from a Pearl posted back in ‘Aught Twelve’…. I think it’s pretty good, and so do you….


From 10/21/12:


I keep six honest serving-men

(They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who.


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


I first read the phrase “feeding the Elephant’s Child” in a Robert Heinlein novel, many years ago, and enjoyed it as a metaphor for reading/learning, before I knew from whence it originally came. Once I did know (a moment of illumination whose exact placement in time is hazy….), I liked it even more, from an aesthetic standpoint. 


The above little ditty, from our old friend Rudyard, is brilliant doggerel, astute observation, and deep insight, all presented in a simple, straightforward style, with a powerful, basic lesson for any would-be philosopher, or any one who wishes to encompass reason as their modus operandi, so to speak. Besides which, I find that another piece of Bob’s advice fits well with this one, to wit: “Life tastes better in big bites….”


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


I like this, a lot. It summarizes perhaps one of the most elemental rules of getting along in the Universe, in essence saying, “You can learn a lot by watching what happens around you…” It is the perfect companion to the concept of learning as presented above, as it contrives to speak to both sides of Reality, i.e., how you approach reality (the clothing you choose to show to the cat….) and how reality will change to react to your approach (the cat’s opinion of your clothing….) 


It also gives one a subtle warning about how the wrong clothing can produce unwanted consequences, and we all know how an offended cat is likely to respond…. as Mark Twain once remarked…. “A man who carries a cat by the tail is learning valuable things. He will never again be dim or doubtful. Chances are he’ll not carry the cat that way again, but, I say, if he wants to, let him!”  You can’t say fairer than that….


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


One can always trust the Buddha to state the most profound thoughts in the simplest way…. I often wonder how he came to such a complete understanding of Murphy, whose presence is acknowledged in all of what the Buddha stated, but whose ministrations seem to have passed by the Buddha’s existence…. either that, or Murphy shows him a lot more respect than he does anyone else alive. 


At times, it seems that what the Buddha states, such as in this statement, is, in at least one respect, an answer to a question that is raised when Murphy intervenes in our lives…. in simpler words, he explains why Murphy is able to affect us as he does, by cutting through the bullshite we perceive, to the truth of what is real….. SIGH…. one of these days, enlightenment will slap me upside the head, and I’ll be able to see Murphy coming…. I hope…


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


Often I feel as if not only is life a joke, but it is our duty and purpose on this plane of existence to codify that joke, to put it down on paper, or on screen/disc, to free ourselves from the prison of sobriety, achieving an understanding that everything in this silly universe is here for our amusement, and we have been taking it, and ourselves, seriously for entirely too long….. 


So seriously, we have begun to offend those parts of the universe that just want us to relax and enjoy ourselves, and the time is growing nearer when we will have to admit that the joke is on us, for not being able to change our inner selves enough to be able to handle the humor of our situation…. See, the universe thinks death is funny…. not because it is cruel, but because death is just another part of life, and it doesn’t care about one more than the other…. See, now, isn’t it funny how you never noticed that?…..


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


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


In a pearl such as this one has grown to be, there comes a time when I have to decide whether to continue on, to try to reach the conclusion that was nebulously hovering somewhere in my mind as I began, or to admit that I have once again wandered into uncharted territory, and might find it a bit tricky to find my way back to clarity. 


This is that time…. and I’m leaving it up to Smart Bee, as always…. If I don’t find a proper pearl to carry on the tenuous chain of thought I’ve created, then we’ll take the first one that will appropriately wrap it up as a lost cause….. all within a specified number of attempts…. so, here we go… You’ll know in a moment what will happen….


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


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


🙂


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


I have no excuses, nor apologies, at all…. I have succumbed to the dictates of chosen duty, and done the best I can do to make this an acceptable member of a long line of decently written outbursts of personal angst. 


Personally, I think it’s not bad, but, I’m probably not the most appropriate judge of that…. and since nobody has suggested I cease and desist, I’ll keep on keepin’ on, for as long as the impulse to write remains strong and fresh…. 


Y’all can take that any way you like, as either a promise, or a threat…. either way, it’s true, and I’m outta here for another day…. See ya, ffolkes….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….




— 

Sometimes I sits and thinks, 

   and sometimes, 

I just sits. 



gigoid the dubious


dozer3







		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Fighting dogma is EVERYBODY’S responsibility…. Only YOU can fight the forest fires of ignorance, with the cool water of Reason!….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


Hidden from sight by a looming, ominous hedge, mellifluous sounds of Mozart, played expertly on a well-tuned piano, escaped into the quickening night air, tossed away in the gentle breeze blowing from the woods beyond the hedge. Soft sounds of talk and laughter joined the music, filling in the picture of genteel life in the country. 


As the silent man, dressed all in black, turned around the hedge, the party came into view; women in floating, soft-colored dresses and large floppy hats, men in leisure suits, with pale pink shirts, and the occasional short sleeve. White jacketed servers, unobtrusive, wound their way  between the formally clad attendees, offering hors d’oeuvre, or champagne in elegant flutes…. 


The sound of the Uzi’s safety release, followed instantly by the unmistakeable sound of the weapon being cocked, cut sharply across the conversation and music, stunning all into silence, until the man’s voice rang out, clear as a bell, ” Okay, everyone, strip!”…..


Damn! I am SO GLAD that is over! I started to write it, and it started to change on me, turning into the most boring piece of crap I’ve ever had the temerity to put on paper (metaphorically, of course….) I suppose it’s alright, from a technical standpoint…. that was the problem….. I wrote it, then went through it, cleaning it up, polishing it, making it flow….. until I realized what a pile of shit it really was…. 


By then, of course, my anal-obsessive nature had hold of me, and I had to finish it…. But, it’s over now, and I can go on to something perhaps less classy, but way more comfortable…. What a cock-up! And I hope I’m getting the meaning right there…. it SOUNDS right for the occasion, but, if any of my British or Euro friends have any idea of correct usage, I’d appreciate a head’s-up on that…. Thanks in advance for that….


This is, so far, a unique Pearl…. in one way only, so far, but, it remains to be seen as to whether that changes, or not. It’s unique because of the time it’s being created, which is well past any stretch of normalcy for me; it’s after 8 AM, almost 8:30, and I slept until 0749, meaning I got another nine hours of sleep last night, again….. This is such a new event, I’m not even going to try to analyze it at all, I’m just going with the flow, even if it is a very strange flow thus far…. I have lots of energy, in a relative sense, but, still little to do with it other than put it into this…. a good thing, for the most part, but, a bit limiting in other ways. I like to be active, and this getting old, in the sense of it limiting my ability to get around easily, is keeping me down more often than I’d like. I’m dithering aren’t I?


I can feel it…. I’m starting to dither, flipping from one subject to another, in my head, so fast that I can’t keep up, and neither can reality…. It gets a little confusing at times, but, sometimes, some of my best stuff gets done when this happens…. It’s a matter of balancing the creative flow of ideas that are thundering down, like a waterfall over the edge of my mind, with some intense, yet subtle, mind-control techniques, hidden, but effective,  that allow me to surf along the edge of the water, letting it take me wherever it wishes to go…. Since I’ve blathered again for long enough to suit the authorities who give a shit about that sort of thing, we can get on with today’s dive, late as it may be in getting started…..


Shall we Pearl?…..


“Love is a place

& through this place of

love move

(with brightness of peace)

all places


yes is a world

& in this world of yes live

(skillfully curled)

all worlds”


— e.e. cummings

_____________________________


“Late, I’m late, for a very important date…” — The White Rabbit


This could very well become the iconic statement for today’s post, were we at all interested in appointing one…. Since we are not, I’ll just explain that starting this now has given me the heebie jeebies, and it could affect what comes after…. just so’s you know, okay?…. I’m going to go right into another pearl now, as I think it would be in all of our best interests to keep moving, and hope we can get out of here without any serious injury…. This way, ffolkes, and for heaven’s sake, stay together!…. Whatever you do, stay on the path!….


“Vivid words hook misquotes in the mind.” — Keyes’ Rules of Misquotation, Axiom 1, Corollary 1A


Lord of himself, though not of lands;

And having nothing, yet hath all.


— Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) — The Character of a Happy Life


“Time and trouble will contain an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.” — Dorothy Sayers


“Gentleman: A man who knows how to play bagpipes — and refrains.” — Fred Tart


“Perfection of means and confusion of ends seem to characterize our age.” — Albert Einstein


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


“How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life wouldn’t you say?” — James T. Kirk, “The Wrath of Khan,”  stardate 8130.3.


Sorry about using J.T. in the ending…. if you wish, attribute the line to the screenwriter who wrote it for the movie, which, as we all know, is a cult classic for the competition between Kirk and Khan to see which could sustain the stiffest acting pose throughout the movie…. “Khan! Khan!….” It’s really kind of cool, with both of them vying to be the more convincing Macbeth, while playing characters in a science fiction space opera…. 


The line, nonetheless, is the perfect ending to what turned into a fairly decent pearl…. What, you weren’t paying attention? Ah…. Well, your loss…. though there is no charge for going back to read them again, should you so choose… Just don’t let the one by Ms. Sayers throw you off…. it fits, if you’re flexible enough…. If not, well, just try to keep up, we’re running late, as might be expected today….

_____________________________


Yep….. ’tis, indeed….




Shoes


when you’re young

a pair of 

female

high-heeled shoes

just sitting

alone

in the closet

can fire your

bones;

when you’re old

it’s just

a pair of shoes

without

anybody

in them

and 

just as 

well.


~~ Charles Bukowski ~~


_____________________________


I don’t care what the contract says, it’s my blog, and I can change things around if I want….. Anyone who doesn’t like that, well, they can walk back to the main office, and welcome… I’m going old-school again for this section, for two reasons…. One, I want to….. any questions, or problems with that? Good…. Second, it will end the agony sooner…. 


Whoa, wait a minute, no need to knock me over in your enthusiasm…. I get the picture now…. the sooner, the better, eh? Well, if that’s the way you feel about it, I guess I have no alternative but to carry on with what consensual reality demands, which is a speedy end to this, yes?….. Besides, I don’t feel up to ranting, and the BRC has been suspiciously quiet in the last few days…. I guess the cold weather is slowing everyone down right now…. but, not Smart Bee, thankfully…..


“Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything.” — Robert A. Heinlein


On a huge hill,

Cragged & steep, Truth stands,

and hee that will Reach her,

about must, and about must goe;

And what the hill’s suddenness resists, winne so.


— John Donne


“We judge individual man and women as we do nations and races–by the character of their achievement and by their achievement of character.” — Edward Abbey


Too long a sacrifice

Can make a stone of the heart.


— William Butler Yeats


“It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Just how normal are we? Just who are the people we nod our hellos to as we pass on the street?  A rather good question to ask–particularly in the Twilight Zone.” — Rod Serling


“Always store beer in a dark place.” — Lazarus Long


“The way to keep you from becoming foolish is to never think you are clever.” — Smart Bee


Well, I tried, and that’s the important thing, isn’t it? I keep hoping so…. Besides, no animals were hurt, or used for testing without their permission, during the filming of this commercial…. unless, of course, Eddie’s been losing at the track again…. but, that hasn’t happened for a long time, and he’s on vacation, anyway….

_____________________________


It’s probably best if, at this point, I DON’T make any moral or ethical judgments; I’ll just read it, and weep….. I think I’m going to pass on the weeping, because, it ain’t too bad…. It’s good enough to suit MY standards, for sure and for certain, so, we all know what that means…. Which also means, bye bye, then…. until tomorrow….


Y’all take care out there,

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….




—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.


gigoid


dozer3



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Tasteful displays of chain mail crafts….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				Reply			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,

Calamitous noise greeted me today, as what sounded suspiciously like Irish bagpipes assaulted my ears from outside the window, so sharp and  harsh, it seemed as if all the banshees of ancient legend were holding congress in the yard….. Plaintive, chilling notes tried to tear out my heart with penetrating cries of anguish, inexorably pulling me to the window to see what was causing the hullabaloo. I shall never forget the sight that met my gaze, now etched in my memory forever….


There, in the narrow space between buildings, stood a……   Okay, here’s the deal….. This started leaking out as I sat down to begin today, and seemed pretty cool at first. As I continued to put down the path to the strange vision in my mind’s eye, it began to fade away. like fog in a strong breeze, leaving me right where you see, lost, and red of face… For the life of me, I can’t think of anything strange enough to keep it going, so, I’m leaving it to y’all to do that…..


Feel free to leave a comment, if you have something that might work, and don’t mind sharing the idea….. Conversely, you can do what I plan to do, which is to put it out of my mind, forever, and get on with the rest of today’s effort….. I have the advantage of knowing that whatever comes next couldn’t possibly be as lame as this…. Well, I suppose I can’t say that, either, but, I can definitely guarantee it will….. well, shoot…. Now that I think about it, I can’t guarantee anything but correct spelling, so, we’ll just leave it all right there, and get on with the rest of today’s business, ‘kay?  ‘Kay!….


I promised not to whine any more, and I won’t…. but, I will say this…. This daily posting stuff isn’t as easy as it looks from the outside…. The Big Blue Room has once again laid demands upon a portion of my time today, so I’d best get on with this, or it won’t get done…. I don’t know what might happen if I let it go; I’m having a hard time envisioning a day without being able to experience this relief at the outset. I do know that it would jam up my feelings, a state of emotional constipation, as it were, and would probably send me right into total curmudgeon mode.


While that’s a comfortable skin for me to wear, it does tend to alienate others, which tends to complicate life rather than simplify it….. So, I’ll just put it on for long enough to rant, or find an appropriate old Pearl, thereby assuaging any potential build-up of undue angst or anxiety…. Showing one’s asshole face to the world can be fun, but only if let out on deserving recipients, and I don’t plan on hanging out with any of those today, thankfully….


Okay, enough rambling for one morning…. it’s almost 6:30 and I have yet to create a single pearl. Dithering won’t get it done, so….. Shall we Pearl?…..


“You come from far away, with pictures in your eyes.

Of coffee shoppes and morning streets and the blue and silent sunrise.


But night is the cathedral where we recognize the sign.

We strangers know each other now as part of a whole design.”


— Suzanne Vega, Gypsy

__________________________________


“A little sunlight is the best disinfectant.” — Justice Louis Brandeis


In the past few days, I have been ranting, albeit mildly, and without specific target, beyond some telling shots at a large group of humanity, and the moral flaws displayed thereby…. My intent in producing such rants is very aptly stated above by the good judge, showing again that someone can always say better what we try to say ourselves.  But, that doesn’t detract at all from the veracity of what I’ve written, or the need for the light to be shined on those parts of society that most need it…. to wit: the actions of our Beloved Ruling Class, and their owners, the Corporate Masters…. with the complicit support of the Priestly Hierarchies, and, the blindly obedient horde of myrmidons dedicated to following the dictates of the ruling classes, the Police and Paramilitary Wannabes….


Of late, there has been a lot of talk bandied about the internet, regarding the personal data being stolen (no other word for it….) by the government, as authorized by Presidential Executive Order, (a concept I am not sure was ever mentioned in the Constitution…), in its insane, paranoid pursuit of terrorists, and terrorism…. In fact, by writing those words here, I am guaranteeing myself an audience, because they are two of the key words used by Prism, the data mining software in use by the NSA, FBI, and, no doubt many other less well publicized agencies, to mark any communication for further review, with the intent of examination for terrorist tendencies or sympathies…


So, just by mentioning the subject, I know I will have at least one NSA geek, or an FBI agent, who will be reading over whatever I write today…. Actually, the foregoing sentences contain at least eight words that are on the extensive list of such words that will gain their attention, so I guess I’d better make this good….   😆


I am proud of what the NSA contractor did; I agree with his own assessment of his action, as intended to be of benefit to the American people, not as an act of treason, and applaud his courage in the face of knowing he would be subjected to vilification by the ignorant, and prosecution by those in authority. It is very easy these days to label an act such as this as treasonous, given the recent (mostly successful) attempts by government agencies to justify their paranoia. Since 9/11/2001, (See? Another key item for them to target…. I don’t know if I’m brave, or stupid…. or just old enough not to care one way or the other….), it has become the fashion for politicians to wrap themselves up in the flag, and inflame the fears of the common man about terrorism. This includes the naming of anyone who protests the loss of their rights as ‘treasonous’, ostensibly for placing America in danger, by exposing the clandestine gathering of information by government agencies… or, in simpler terms, by shining a light on things that are going on in the dark….


“Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?” — George Carlin


No, they don’t ever mention that…. nor do they mention ANY of the stuff being done out of sight of the public eye. I hold it to be a very dangerous policy to allow government agencies to operate in the dark, to make legal a great number of actions which, if performed by any citizen, would cause intense public outrage, and which, in truth, are ethically, morally, and, most importantly, Constitutionally unlawful. Every one of the rights supposedly granted by the Bill of Rights has now been restricted, in favor of illegal searches and seizures, loss of privacy, rampant police intimidation, and a government that believes it can do whatever it wants, as long as it is in pursuit of “national security”….


Sorry, but, I’m not buying any of it…. But, then, I have suspected for many years that the government of this country has been hiding the biggest part of what they do from the public, for a very long time…. Remember Dwight Eisenhower? He was that President who, back in 1954, sent thousands of American troops to Vietnam, to act as “advisers” to the brave soldiers of South Vietnam, who were fighting their own “war of independence” against the ungodly Communists in the North (right next to Red China, don’t y’know?…)…. Of course, when good ol’ Dwight did this, he didn’t bother to inform anyone; he just sent them over, and ignored the whole issue in public….


Since that time, almost sixty years ago, the government of this country has pursued a policy of “what the public doesn’t know won’t hurt me” in almost every area of national and international involvement. Whenever there is too much clamor from that public about such clandestine activities, or too much light begins to shine on one or more of the shenanigans always taking place somewhere, there is, oops, some kind of terrorist attack, or another shooting at a school, or a plane crash, or an earthquake, or anything at all, some manufactured, others just serendipitous calamities that are part of our natural world…. Any of these will do to distract the public eye away from whatever it is that has been exposed….


I have always wondered a bit about the timing of the attacks on the WTC and Pentagon in 2001…. They seemed to happen right when there was a strong push in the news to investigate the election results of both 1996, and 2000, results that had the Junior Shrub in office, rather than the greener candidate, Gore. In both those elections, there were critical glitches in the vote counting process in key states, oddly enough, the two states that provided the key electoral votes to get Bush elected, despite having lost the national popular vote, twice (Florida in 1996, and Ohio in 2000….) Any who, all of that was very close to coming under intense scrutiny, when, all of a sudden, we are attacked, by an unknown terrorist group (strangely enough, a group whose leader was a member of the Saudi Royal family, who are close friends of the Bushes….)


After the attacks, there was a singularly lackadaisical attempt to ascertain the culprits; none of the information gathered on them ever examined where the money to finance the attacks came from, an omission that is contrary to ANY professional investigation…. On TV police dramas, in the news, and, in the minds of any intelligent person, it is always made clear that finding the guilty will include, if not exclusively use, “following the money”…. It is basic criminology to find out who paid for it when a crime of such a large scope is committed. The very lack of effort in that direction makes one wonder, just a bit….


Well, I’ve now discussed the issue long enough to have used just about every key word in the program that mines data for the National Security Agency, so, we’ll see whether or not any of what I’ve discussed is enough to get their attention…. I think I’ve also managed to mention just about every conspiracy theory out there for anyone to see, ….. If any official response is generated, we’ll know just how badly things have gotten, when a free citizen of this country can potentially become a target for police and security agencies of the government, merely for exercising the right of free speech…. In a way, I suppose you could say this is an experiment, designed to gauge the degree of paranoia that is so obvious in our BRC….


I’m letting it go now, both to get it done, and because it is such a depressing subject…. I think I need some poetry, to soothe my soul…..


Teacher:  “Bart, give us an example of a modern-day paradox.”

Bart:  “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”


— Bart the Genius   “The Simpsons”

__________________________________


“What a lumbering poor vehicle prose is for the conveying of a great thought! … Prose wanders around with a lantern & laboriously schedules & verifies the details & particulars of a valley & its frame of crags & peaks, then Poetry comes, & lays bare the whole landscape with a single splendid flash.” — Mark Twain






A Spirit Passed Before Me [From Job]


A spirit passed before me: I beheld

The face of immortality unveiled– 

Deep sleep came down on every eye save mine–

And there it stood,–all formless–but divine:

Along my bones the creeping flesh did quake;

And as my damp hair stiffened, thus it spake:


‘Is man more just than God? Is man more pure

Than He who deems even Seraphs insecure?

Creatures of clay–vain dwellers in the dust!

The moth survives you, and are ye more just?

Things of a day! you wither ere the night,

Heedless and blind to Wisdom’s wasted light!’


~~ George Gordon Lord Byron ~~


__________________________________


“I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date….” — The White Rabbit, in “Through the Looking Glass”


Well, I’m not, but I do sympathize, having once, like all of us, been subject to the whims and demands of others….. Now that I am not, I can pretty much do as I like, so, I do…. which means I get to make this an old-school pearl, just because I can…. Not only can you not stop me, I don’t think you would be that unkind, so, I’m going for it…. I’m not sure what form it will take, but I do know the initial find is a damn good one, so the rest should be fine…. Enjoy, and, if you find you cannot, well, just ignore it, or go back and read the poem again…. that’s the best I can do for you, without resorting to drugs….


“When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.” — Chinese Proverb


“The world is not to be put in order, the world is order incarnate. It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order.” — Henry Miller


“For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.”  — Rainer Maria Rilke


“People always get what they want. But there is a price for everything. Failures are either those who do not know what they want or are not prepared to pay the price asked them. The price varies from individual to individual. Some get things at bargain-sale prices, others only at famine prices. But it is no use grumbling. Whatever price you are asked, you must pay.” — W. H. Auden — Smith College Commencement, 1940


“Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves.” — Eric Hoffer


“I am quite sure that (bar one) I have no race prejudices, and I think I have no color prejudices or caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. Indeed I know it. I can stand any society. all that I care to know is that a man is a human being – that is enough for me; he can’t be any worse.” — Mark Twain  — Harper’s Magazine, September, 1899


“We have come to a place now where our search for Truth must no longer be for the rewards; it must no longer be our seeking a creed to follow, but it must be our living a life.” — H. Emilie Cady


Okay, well, that kind of turned on me, but, don’t worry, I’m not seriously injured, and the bleeding will stop soon, I’m sure….. Y’all be careful there near the end, it’s kind of a tricky little jog in the path….. And the point is kind of sharp, too….

__________________________________


There…. A generous portion of plain speaking, some fine poetry, and a bit of obscure mental gymnastics, all for the bargain price of… well, it’s free, so it’s even more of a bargain….. Now, all I have to do is see if it is palatable, too….  Well, it’s edible, if not palatable…. But, I’d suggest having some antacids on hand….  With no further ado, I bid thee adieu….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….




—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.


gigoid


dozer3