The King’s horses are fond of egg salad….

Posted on August 15, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

You only live twice:
Once when you’re born,
Once when you look death in the face.

~~ Ian Fleming ~~

Quiet Day on the Delta

Good morning…. I had originally intended to compose a witty, scathingly funny opening this morning, but, then I thought to myself, “Nah! Fuck that!”, with my usual erudition. This, of course, is quite impossible, given the tools at hand. (Not to mention the rather disgusting images it generates…) Thus frustrated in my first thought, I decided, instead, to compose a silly, nonsensical paragraph or two, to lighten the weight of the day; too bad I don’t feel at all funny. Then I thought, “No, I’ll go with the most efficient, most honest opening, which reflects the general state of coherence available here in the morning, to wit:

[dignified silence]

But, that seemed too cheap, and we do like to give our readers a bit of a bang for their buck, even if they’re not spending any. I had also thought of a fictional opening, a fantasy piece, with fairies, and leprechauns, and happy cows. That went by the wayside when I realized my brain isn’t up to creativity, and probably won’t be for at least an hour, and three cups of coffee. So much for any of the normal (hah!) openings….

That does it, then. We’ll have to forgo any sort of opening at all. I don’t know how that will affect the overall quality of the process, or the resulting mess, but, it’s all we’ve got now. Oh, well, I suppose they can’t ALL be exciting and wonderful. It might be nice to come close to it just once, though. You’d think the universe would at least respect the effort we expend to get it done, but, NOOOO….

Okay, we’d best get on with this, before it turns ugly. I’m resorting to an old technique; it’s rather ruthless, so, please, don’t hold it against me. I’m only thinking of you…. Well, saving my own ass enters into it, but, hey, that’s what multi-tasking is all about, init?

Shall we Pearl?….

“Dying is a wild night and a new road.”

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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Ella and Louis

Image from indianapublicmedia.com via Google Images

I feel like something a little different today, so, here is one of my favorite albums, with two of the finest musical artists to ever play together. It may pull my covers a bit, but, I don’t care. Anyone who can’t appreciate music like this needs to find a new soul…. If you don’t like this, the one you now have is broken…. Enjoy!….

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Ella and Louis

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https://youtu.be/4VHWw9G6_UU

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Since I’m so late getting up today, I’m going to cheat, and, yes, I know the mere fact of admitting my vice does not turn it into a virtue. I don’t care…. The day before this piece was posted, I’d written a religirant; this is, apparently, a follow up pearl on that piece. It’s good enough for our purpose here today…. Hell, I think it’s a good one, but, at this point, it matters little if it fills in the space…. Enjoy!….

From 9/8/2012:

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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I’m up late. Y’all know what that means…. Enjoy!….

Vague Glimpses of a Rainbow

All the sad notions of propriety had fled,
Screaming their anger for pausing in song,
Until late came the rabid fog, colored in red,
As serenity cried, unafraid to live so strong.

Fallow fields in faithful patience set free,
Dragged from birth, by their own nature cast
Saving each moment against fear yet to be,
Carved into silence, by ignorance held fast.

Historical forces plod slowly ’tis often said
Anxieties streaming stiffly, one epoch to the next.
Cultural mania stands nonchalant in its stead
No sadder epitaph has such bittersweet context.

Patterned bags of forgotten virtue lie in wait
Blessed by reminders whose souls value affinity
Frozen webs surround the fields in gravid state
Grasping passionately within obvious opportunity.

Passage to future realities isn’t guaranteed
Small favors for deities was left off the menu
No roses, nor manna, nor gallant aerial steed
Left traces of fatal, yet originally gracious venue.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/6/2012.

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This is a tricky pearl; it sort of constructed itself. I began with a clear set of parameters, just collecting what sounded complete (don’t worry, it’s a gigoid thing; you wouldn’t get it…). After the first five, it began to look coherent, if a bit clumpy. (Again, don’t fret; it’s how it feels to me…) But, by the time the ninth pearl was in hand, it became clear we had something special. What it might be has yet to be determined, but, it’s definitely special…. Enjoy, but, don’t hurt yourself; there are some sharp turns, and, the ending is rather abrupt.

“Everything is simpler than you think and at the same time more complex than you imagine.” — Goethe

“It is hard to let old beliefs go. They are familiar. We are comfortable with them and have spent years building systems and developing habits that depend on them. Like a man who has worn eyeglasses so long that he forgets he has them on, we forget that the world looks to us the way it does because we have become used to seeing it that way through a particular set of lenses. Today, however, we need new lenses. And we need to throw the old ones away.” — Kenich Ohmae, The Borderless World

“If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there.” — The Cowboy’s Guide to Life

“Hurting yourself is not sinful — just stupid.” — Robert Heinlein

“Hope cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not to exist. It is just like the roads across the earth. For actually there were no roads to begin with, but when many people pass one way a road is made.” — Lu Hsun

“Depend not on fortune, but on conduct.” — Publius Syrus

“A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” — Jack London

“It is good for a man to eat thistles and to remember that he is an ass.” — E. S. Dallas

“If you can’t say something nice, say something surrealistic.” — Zippy the Pinhead

There you go; what did I tell you? Someday, I’ll write a manual for people to create their own pearls, but, I don’t know if it will sell. You see, the entire process hinges on learning one simple thing; if you get that, it’s easy…. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it now, it’s all in the wrist….

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I can’t explain why I slept for almost eight hours, unless it was the past few weeks catching up to me. Whatever. It’s done, and, for a throw-together-quickly piece, it ain’t bad. Hopefully, y’all will feel the same; if not, well, there’s always tomorrow. See y’all then, if I’m still capable of coherent thought…. (No snickering….)….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

In the absence of Time, use this Space….

Posted on August 3, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Friends are the flowers in the garden of life.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the Lagoon Nebula, an object with a deceptively tranquil name. The region is filled with intense winds from hot stars, churning funnels of gas, and energetic star formation, all embedded within an intricate haze of gas and pitch-dark dust.

The Lagoon Nebula

Image by the ESA/NASA Hubble Deep Space Telescope

Good morning…. Thanks to the machinations I’m compelled to use in order to get any sleep at all, I was up for almost three hours last night, (in the middle of the damn thing, at that!), then fell out so hard I overslept my usual time for posting…. SIGH…. So much for the best laid plans, eh? Ah well, it’s a good thing I had some time yesterday, & got the rant done then…. That saves almost half the available time, right there….

So, I’ll use my newest grand technique to explain myself, thus,

[dignified silence]

There, we have now regained at least a modicum of our dignity, while simultaneously saving a bunch of time…. It also, to my intense relief, reestablished to some degree my aplomb, without which I feel naked in public…. Ah, that’s better…. Okay, Luigi, hit it!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Education is the best provision for old age.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

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babies-photos-wallpapers-free-download-25

Image from melauspartners.com via Google Images

To find a different mix for y’all, I went back several pages in the You Tube search, and found a perfect batch…. It’s advertised as over 3 hours of classical music for babies…. Probably better for them than anything but mother’s milk…. If the expression on that babies face is any indication, it’s pretty damn good, for sure….That would be my guess, anyway…. Enjoy!…

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Classical Music for Babies

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https://youtu.be/I6Y33MaTGsk

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Morning Muse

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”

~~ Genesis 1:1 ~~

See, now, THERE! Right there! The very first time I heard that, as a child, I remember thinking to myself, “The beginning of what?” My second thought was, “Did anybody SEE that? Must’ve been cool.” Well, okay, the second one I just made up. But, the first one is still clear in my mind, and, still pretty thoroughly unanswered in any meaningful way, by anybody I know, or have heard about. Since then, of course, a number of other thoughts and comments have occurred to me at various moments, but, they’re mostly sarcastic, sardonic, or downright cruel, so, we’ll just go on…

The absolute uncertainty I perceived as inherent in the statement, clearly obvious to me even at that age, at that precise moment, was thus established in my mind as the prevailing tenor of all such proclamations, before those telling it to me could reinforce it as something I was supposed to accept as true…. I believe this revelation, which occurred at the age of about 4 or 5, if I recall correctly, is primarily responsible for having saved me from so much of the anguish and trouble I observe in so many of my peers…. In short, it set off my crap detector, and, I listened…

In the intervening 60 years, I’ve made a fairly wide, thorough study of religion(s), as much as possible for an overly literate layman. Whether my conclusions based on my studies are correct, or not, is for me to decide; y’all can make up your own, if you’ve a mind to (Little joke there….) I guess it’s obvious by now, I’m going to tell you some of those conclusions…. See how sharp y’all are?….

It seems to me, from all my studies, the only reasonable conclusion I can make, basing my reason on my extensive reading, is this: all the major religions were created…. They are all just fabulous stories, thought up by unscrupulous sociopaths, more interested in other people’s morals than their own (or, possessing an even greater measure of fear of Life than the average insane person…), who wished to manipulate the others of our species, who were also too afraid of life to face it directly.

All they saw around them, this large, terrifying, UNKNOWN universe, full of strange noises and powerful elements they did not comprehend, caused them to retreat in fear into their own minds, rather than screwing up their courage to go out into the world, to try to find out what it all meant, or how it worked, and, most importantly, to understand, and to see what else there was to see…. It’s easy to give in to fear like that; I know it, you know it. We’ve all felt fear at the unknown… But, one has to make a choice, to face it like a human, with curiosity, and courage, or, like a sub-human, running for his mama back in the cave….

Rather than THINK about what they heard, and about what they saw, these unfortunates, many of whom were brainwashed before they had a real chance to learn how to reason, accepted the first thing they heard to explain what they feared, the first one to offer surcease, most often hearing this from a person who had been brainwashed the same way at the same age, never questioning what they were told, thus removing from them any responsibility to ever make up their own minds about anything.

It’s a harsh reality about Reality; once one gives away their right, or willingness to make their own personal decisions about what to believe, one may as well fasten a slave’s collar around their own neck, willingly…. Better yet, through the nose, for that is how they’ll be led around for the rest of their lives. The saddest part of this is that such people will never break free, for, to do so, they would have to give up believing what they’ve always held to be true…. and, we already know how they feel about facing their fears. They’d have to first admit they were wrong, then decide to do what they’ve NEVER done…. which is to have the courage to take responsibility for their own actions….

It’s a tough world out there; I think it’s really too bad so many ffolkes have such a hard time with a) understanding what they perceive, and b) understanding themselves…. I find it sad, that so many people miss out on most of the real beauty in life, which comes from connecting with that understanding, and making it connect yet again to the real world…. Believe me, the rewards are much greater, and much more tangible than promises of immortality one cannot help but disdain; immortality is not just an Illusion, it is also Reality…. Two sides, one coin, ffolkes…. No God needed…. Actually, I just thought of a way you can see God, right now…. Go into the bathroom, turn on the light, and, look in the mirror…. There you go….

Hah! Gotcha! The funny thing is… you think it was a joke, when, in fact, it’s the absolute gospel truth…. Dig it.

Gosh, look, ffolkes! It’s a pearl, without any pearls…. I guess we’ll have to fix that before we get to today’s poetry section, which I think you’ll find says much the same as I just spouted off, but, in a slightly different scansion….

First, let’s see what SB has to say about this subject…. Usually, when I ask for this, I have to be picky…. we’ll see….

“Let’s leave religion to the televangelists. After all, they’re the professionals.” — Smart Bee

“John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he temporarily died to save it from himself. But none of that really matters because most people will be tortured for eternity anyways.” — Matt Miller

“If you follow the flock, you step in shit!” — Darkwisdom

“Anyone who can’t laugh at himself is taking life too seriously for my taste.” — Smart Bee

“Things don’t bug you if you don’t think about them.” — Calvin

(Think about it….)

“The common dogma [of fundamentalists] is fear of modern knowledge, inability to cope with the fast change in a scientific-technological society, and the real breakdown in apparent moral order in recent years That is why hate is the major fuel, fear is the cement of the movement, and superstitious ignorance is the best defence against the dangerous new knowledge. When you bring up arguments that cast serious doubts on their cherished beliefs you are not simply making a rhetorical point, you are threatening their whole Universe and their immortality. That provokes anger and quite frequently violence.” — G. Gaia

“It is amusing that a virtue is made of the vice of chastity; and it’s a pretty odd sort of chastity at that, which leads men straight into the sin of Onan, and girls to the waning of their color.” — Voltaire

“The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.” — Stanley Milgram

“Maybe Jesus was right when he said that the meek shall inherit the earth — but they inherit very small plots, about six feet by three.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

Okay, nine is probably enough…. However, I couldn’t resist two last thoughts provided by SB’s largess in this subject; one is a question I’m fond of asking priests/preachers, the other is my usual response to those twenty-two year old ‘elders’ the LDS bozos send around to my door…. I promise, then, I’m done with this…. for today.

For the priests, when they ask me if I believe in God….

“Is being an idiot like being high all the time?”

~~ Janeane Garofolo ~~

And, for the traveling side-show carnies, when they ask me, “Have you been saved?”….

“Bite off, dirtball.”

~~ Richard Sexton, richard@gryphon.COM ~~

Naturally, as soon as I considered this done, Smart Bee presents me with the absolutely perfect pearl to finish off this religirant….

Calvin: “Do you believe our destinies are determined by the stars?”
Hobbes: “Nah.”
Calvin: “Oh, I do.”
Hobbes: “Really? How come?”
Calvin: “Life’s a lot more fun when you’re not responsible for your actions.”

— “Calvin and Hobbes,” Bill Watterson

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Rejection

“Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so…”
I’d be crying a river, I thought
if ever such crap I bought.

Sorry if it hurts your sense of style,
but, hypocrisy always gives me bile.
Being lied to accidentally is okay,
but, deliberate lies make me angry, and fey.

Oh, God, hear what I pray!
Keep me from your followers today.
Having to listen to so much that is wrong
makes me puke, before it makes me strong.

I don’t know why it isn’t clear to other folks,
which is alright, you know, different strokes.
But, why should that mean that they must
force me to believe, or fail in trust?

Spare me the lies, and the make-believe,
fairy tales are easier to hear, and to weave.
They give us a lesson which we can feel
but don’t pretend at all to be real.

Reality can scare us, that’s a given fact,
still, met with care it will leave us mostly intact.
Met without fear, standing tall and alone
Life will allow us to make it our own.

Folly beckons, and so many follow
mass delusions seem to me most hollow.
I’ll have to stick to my own chosen way
while so many go so sadly astray.

It’s lonely at times, it may seem sad,
but really isn’t, and I’m quite glad,
that knowledge is always stronger than fear,
year after year, tear after tear…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 3/18/2013.

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Today’s final old-school pearl is a true nine-star gem, with some really good ideas of how to live Life, not just in a way that brings honor, and peace of mind, but, with also with Love, and respect for Life’s other side…. Death…. Enjoy!….

“When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.” — Chinese Proverb

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.” — Buddha

“After the verb “to love,” “to help” is the most beautiful verb in the world.” — Baroness Bertha von Suttner

“One kind word can warm three winter months.” — Japanese proverb

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.” — Lao-Tzu

“Don’t SAY things. What you ARE stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
— Social Aims

“After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” — Albus Dumbledore, in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“There’s this to say for blood and breath,
They give a man a taste for death.”

~~ Housman ~~

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Not too shabby for panic mode… I hate being late, as I’ve related previously, so, I’m happy to have (apparently) saved this Pearl from the shit pile… Oh, sorry, too gross for this early…. Ah well, chalk it up to a bit of left-over curmudgeonry, from arising late…. Hey, nobody’s bleeding, or missing any major body parts, right? All is well, then. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as I continue to elude the authorities….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

“Daft!”, he cried. “They’ve all gone daft!”

Posted on June 3, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Sic Biscuitus Disintegrat.”

~~ Adrian Ogden ~~

Spring in England

Image from UK Guardian Animal Pictures of the Week (See the cows on the farm?)

Good morning…. Let’s have a small Quiz, shall we? No worries, there won’t be a grade, or a prize, just self-satisfaction, or, stimulation, to take the opportunity to learn…. even if it is only something about yourself, and how you react to quizzes…

If you understand the opening quote today, above the picture, and wish to participate, say so in the comment section… Caution! Don’t give your translation, if you know, so others have the same opportunity, without being tempted to, well, cheat. If you do cheat, just say so; for example, if you used your handy-dandy translation software (What? You don’t have any? Well, go get some; it’s invaluable if you wish to see what folks in other countries have to say, without sounding dumb by asking…), say so. It’s not a shameful act; at least you were curious enough to look….

If you don’t know, well, that’s okay, too. Unless taken in school, there aren’t a lot of places these days where one can pick it up….

I was lucky to be able to figure it out; the Latin phrase you see is close enough to Spanish, (which I’ve spoken since my youth…), and Italian, (which is quite similar to Spanish), to figure it out by context and deduction… It’s a great little aphorism, chock full of traditional homespun wisdom….

But, then, maybe it’s just me who gets excited over stuff like that…. Oh ,well, it filled up the intro section, didn’t it? Yep….

Shall we Pearl?

“Frivolity is important. Frivolity is the species refusal to suffer.” — John Lahr

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Today, we’ll just take it easy, a bit of a break with some classical music…. Enjoy!

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Classical Break

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https://youtu.be/jgpJVI3tDbY

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I’m in a place today where ranting would be impossible…. So, here’s an old one…

First posted in the first half of 2102:

“I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” — Sir Winston Churchill

“….for DEATH awaits you all, with nasty sharp pointy teeth!” — Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Death. The great equalizer. Nobody gets away from it. As a matter of fact, it has been proven, beyond a shadow of doubt, that everyone who breathes air, dies. So, air must not be good for us, right? That’s logic…. Of course it’s logical. It is also, however, not true, and serves as an example of the fact that logic doesn’t always lead to the correct answer to any particular question…. sometimes you gotta just go by what is real….

I like the first quote, by Winnie C., the PM…. When my turn to find out what happens after we die comes around, should the Christian viewpoint turn out to have been true, I would prefer to meet my maker with this same attitude. To my way of thinking, if it (Christianity) IS true, then God has a lot to answer for…… Seriously…. I’m sorry, but I just can’t believe in any deity who would allow his creation to show such perversions as this species has shown. Whenever I bring this point up to a priest, or theologian of any sort, all I get is “God works in mysterious ways….”

Yeah? Is that right? You say there is some hidden purpose to those actions we don’t understand? Well, fuck God then, because he’s acting like an asshole. I don’t care a whit if there is some hidden purpose; there is NO ACCEPTABLE REASON to suppose that a merciful God would condone child molesters, or rapists, or torture, (even during war). I don’t believe it; it is neither logical, nor rational…. Most importantly, it isn’t reasonable….

Claiming that God is beyond our understanding, and therefore we cannot understand his reasons for allowing such actions, is pure bullshit. If he is that far above us, why are his morals so perverted? I don’t care what you say, I won’t accept the rape of a child as being justifiable from ANY standpoint. None. And if God does have some justification, well, I ain’t buying it. No matter what it is, it isn’t right…. And going along with it, believing the lie, is just another cowardly way of avoiding responsibility….

Men are responsible for these actions, not God. Men kill, and rape, and pillage, and manipulate and coerce their fellows into performing acts of heinous nature. Numerous times in our bloody past, this killing has taken place in the name of God, as the fanatical zealots so common to Christianity, throughout its vicious history, carried their own particular brand of oppression to new lands, forcing the natives to swallow their version of reality, regardless of how they felt about it.

This blind, unreasoning zealotry continues today, with the current Republican candidate all set to bring the US right back into the Stone Age, should he. through some cruel quirk of fate, be elected as POTUS. If that happens, I’m pretty sure Armageddon will be close behind, as I don’t think the rest of the world is going to sit still long enough for him to cram his own faith down their throats. Hell, right here at home, should he be elected, I’d be surprised if there isn’t a revolutionary upheaval within a few months of the election. I know I would certainly be considering assassination as a viable political tool…. It is now legal for us to use torture as a resource, why should we balk at assassination?

Ah me…. I guess I got too much sleep. It seems to have awakened my old hippie instincts; I haven’t talked revolution in oh, six or eight months now…. I suppose I’ll just have to wait until November, to see which way to jump…. Let’s hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. That’s always the best policy…. for survival, anyway…. and that may become our primary goal, if things keep on keepin’ on….

“It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.” — Voltaire

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Random Exposure

If I only knew what I was doing here,
I could give others a clue.
Reality gets stranger every year,
and I’m not sure what I should do.

Singing happy old tunes, in an old, gravely voice,
gives me a lot of pleasure.
I’m only glad I can still make a choice,
to look at life, to take its measure.

Memorable moments keep passing by
gilded, framed in precious emotion.
I never have to ask anyone why,
no need for a stronger potion.

Everything in life is clear, to me
there is no doubt, no misunderstanding.
We’re all good, as you can see,
members of Life, in good standing.

Life can be hard, or it can be great fun;
the right path is there for each of us to take.
That choice is often a difficult one;
pay close attention to the choice you make.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/22/2013

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We begin today’s final old-school pearl with Socrates; hence, the picture. The point of the pearl is also one Socrates might have explored in his school, back in the day, in ancient Macedonia…. We finish with a very cogent, powerful statement from one of our greatest artists, who has obviously not limited herself to understanding just music in her life, but, has used her connection to increase her knowledge of Life at Large…. This is all stuff that will definitely be on the Final Quiz…..

“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” — Socrates

“It takes a wise man to recognize a wise man.” — Xenophanes

“Before honour is humility.” — Smart Bee

“It is better to be defeated on principle than to win on lies.” — Arthur Calwell

“As great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

“To a reasonable creature, that alone is insupportable which is unreasonable; but everything reasonable may be supported.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. ii

“Age ain’t nothin’ but a number. But age is other things too. It is wisdom, if one has lived one’s life properly. It is experience and knowledge. And it is getting to know all the ways the world turns, so that if you cannot turn the world the way you want, you can at least get out of the way so you won’t get run over.” — Miriam Makeba

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Hmm…. Today’s was the first Pearl put together on the road, a day late & probably more than a dollar short…. But, here ’tis, so, we’ll all deal, eventually…. For now, this is what you get, and I will be back tomorrow, at a reasonable (for me) hour…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Vilification process begun, sir. Add fries to that?….

Posted on May 24, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If you make a mess, clean it up.”

~~ Mom ~~

Stolen from ThumbUp and Buddha9

@ Live, Laugh, Love ~~ http://livelovelaughdotme2.com/

Good morning. These are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise, whose mission, should she condescend to accept it, is to seek out new worlds, and new civilizations, whether they want us or not….

Actually, this is gigoid, fooling about with the intro again…. I think I’ll cut myself short, with good reason, too… Let’s do this, instead, eh? (Feeling a bit of a Canuck this morning… don’t fret, it’ll pass…)….

Shall we Pearl?

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

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I’ve been an unabashed Dead Head for more than 47 years now. Each year, the Dead Net, a loose conglomeration of all Dead Heads who are online, holds an informal event called the Dead Covers Project. Fans who are also musicians make videos of themselves covering Grateful Dead tunes, from across the entire spectrum of music the Dead played, and still play, 50 years on, though their creative icon, Jerry Garcia, passed a few years ago….

Here is a concert by a band that specializes in covering Dead songs. The two lead guitarists are masters, and I would LOVE to have heard them play a set or two with Jerry, or the rest of the band…. The lead female singer is a real, honest to goodness torch singer, and does great justice to the spirit of the band’s music…. This is one I’ve downloaded, so I can play it whenever I please…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Cubensis

Playin’ In The Band

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https://youtu.be/LDPJcTThiWw

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“It takes all kinds of people to make a world, but did you ever think the percentages were wrong?” — Smart Bee

To answer the question posed, certainly I have; there are far too few of the people who make up today’s world who have any concept of the words Honor, Duty, Loyalty, or for that matter, THINKING…. 97% of the people alive today are bloody frigging slaves, and don’t even know it. Of the other 3%, 2.9% are wandering around going “What the fuck is going on here? How did all these stupid people get born. And why are those little assholes over there laughing?” That last 0.1% are the assholes who have enslaved the rest, and are laughing at all the mundanes who believe whatever bullshit they are told, as long as it’s on TV….

As you may be able to tell by now, I’m not feeling particularly friendly towards the rest of my species…. I find the few people in the world with whom I actually communicate limited to about 25-30 people TOTAL; the rest are either too stupid to bother conversing with, too busy carrying out their slave duties, or, are Asininnies, or simple assholes…. Seriously, that is a fairly accurate breakdown, if a bit, oh, say, PISSY! I feel pissy, whenever I think of the stupidity it took to allow those assholes to gain their foothold of control over society, and how most people don’t even know they are slaves….

So pissy, in fact, I’m really not up for ranting; I find myself merely wishing to spout vilification and bile all over those who would be kings, and those who would allow them that privilege…. Though it’s somewhat cathartic, I prefer to take REAL shots, with arrows, or knives, or at minimum, rocks. Yeah, rocks; that’s the ticket….

SIGH….. Sorry, got distracted by my anger…. Instead, I’ll go fire up Smart Bee, and, then, I’ll do my best to find an old-school pearl, a collection of individual pearls taking good, solid shots at those aforementioned Asininnies, who deserve every ounce of shit we can pile on them…. (Asininnies, as most of you know, include the Corporate Snakeheads, Polly pundits, Religicos, Myrmidons, Pimps, and other assholes of their ilk… You know…. the Predator Class….) Then, all I have to say to them, is a big, loud, meaningful FUCK YOU All, YOU ASSHOLES!

Let’s pearl, shall we?…..

GOD is applied POWER
which is applied GOVERNMENT
which is applied POLITICS
which is applied ADVERTISING
which is applied SOCIOLOGY
which is applied PSYCHOLOGY
which is applied BIOLOGY
which is applied CHEMISTRY
which is applied PHYSICS
which is applied MATH
which is applied PHILOSOPHY
which is applied BULLSHIT

~~ Smart Bee ~~

“Governing a large country is like frying a small fish. You spoil it with too much poking.” — Lao-Tzu

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” — Voltaire

“A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.” — Thomas Paine [Author of the Declaration of Independence and even more, but no politician.]

“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.” — Edward Abbey

“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” — Napoleon Bonaparte

“One of the chief problems a modern society has to face is how to provide an outlet for the intellectual’s restless energies and yet deny him power. How to make and keep him a paper tiger.” — Eric Hoffer

“A politician has to be able to see both sides of an issue, so he can get around it.”– Smart Bee

But the sunshine aye shall light the sky,
As round and round we run;
And the truth shall ever come uppermost,
And justice shall be done.

~~ Charles Mackay ~~

~~ Eternal Justice, Stanza 4 ~~

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I’m feeling a bit lazy today…. What, you couldn’t tell? S’alright; I hide it pretty well…. To fulfill the purpose of both the blog, and my laziness, here is a poem of mine, strangely enough, having to do with the same folks of whom we were speaking in the last section…. Well, one part of that group of nasty, ignorant, self-absorbed folks, anyway…..

Geezer to Congress, with Love

Politicos don’t care much ’bout seniors and their ilk,
except for their money, I thinks;
Though they talk as if they’d cozen them in silk,
what they actually do, it stinks.

“The banks are failing, we can’t allow that!”,
steal from the aged, that’s their plan.
“Their life’s ending, that’s plainly where they’re at,”
lie shamelessly, because they can.

Maybe just once, if we all act together,
it couldn’t miss.
Right on their shoes, no matter the weather,
take careful aim, and piss.

Why the hell not?
It’s worth a shot!

~~ gigoid ~~

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Ankh ~~ Symbol of Life

Here is an off-the-usual-track pearl about Life at Large, hence the new icon, for pearls of this nature…. Not a bad little packet of good advice from a few of humanity’s most familiar sages, with a few less well-known sources, as well… You may wish to take notes; I have a feeling you will, eventually, be tested on this material, in one of the Quizzes Life presents to all of us in times of ‘interest’….

“Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Officiis

“…all life is only a set of pictures in the brain, among which there is no difference betwixt those born of real things and those born of inward dreamings, and no cause to value the one above the other.” — HPL, from The Silver Key

“Anger blows out the lamp of the mind.” — Robert Green Ingersoll

“There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity.” — Tom Peters

“What is to give light must endure burning.” — Viktor Frankl

“Education is the best provision for old age.” — Aristotle

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

“Use a mirror in difficult times: You will see both cause and resolution.” — Deng Ming-Dao

“You are only what you are when no one is looking.” — Robert C. Edwards

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Considering my ongoing/upcoming plans, and, hopefully, their fruition, here is a small bit of irony to finish off the day’s effort; though one must consider the source, viewing this with a bit of tongue-in-cheek dubiousity, the message remains valid, and true, being merely a paraphrase of the very old piece of wisdom from the East, to wit:

“The Journey is the lesson, and the value of travel; the Destination is the reward….” — gigoid’s interpretation of one chapter of the Tao Teh Ching

Or, more aptly re-gifted, in more contemporary language….

“One of the joys of travel is visiting new towns and meeting new people.” — Genghis Khan

There you go…. I think, all things considered, that’s enough out of me for one day…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. That’s the plan, anyway. We’ll see what Reality has to say about it, en la mañana…. Ta then, luvs….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Boiled mutton in a plastic bag….

Posted on May 16, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Ask of friends only what is honorable.”

~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) ~~

Spazosaurus

Image stolen from The Onion

http://www.theonion.com/article/fossilized-evidence-reveals-spazosaurus-was-larges-33020

Good morning…. The recent use of silence as an intro has worked quite well; let’s continue with the efficiency we’re coming to enjoy….

Shall we Pearl?

“Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate, or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” — Henry Miller

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The Persuasions

Image from thebluegrassspecial.com via Google Images

A capella music, to me, is the epitome of performance art by humans, in the respect that nothing else but the human voice is required to produce the effects of almost any instrument, or sound produced by nature…. Mimicry in is most essential form…. Simplicity is beauty, I think, and it doesn’t get any simpler, or more beautiful than five vocal artists, harmonizing…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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The Persuasions

***********************

https://youtu.be/tCREnT3KabQ

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

Okay, so, it’s clear (to me) I don’t have the angst, the anger, or, the wherewithal, at all, to rant. I don’t like to go so long without taking a shot or two at our Beloved Ruling Class or any of the other Asininnies, but, hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right? Right…. Here is a discussion, of sorts, from a couple years back, to pass the time…. Enjoy!….

From 2/23/2013:

“I represent a sardine!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

At this point, after reading that line, you might just be wondering if I’ve slipped my leash again…. and, you’d be justified in that thought. However, rest assured, I’m perfectly sane, if somewhat metaphorically, so it’s all good, right? Right…..

Now, such a bald statement from our old pal is liable to make one think at first that he is either kidding (not bloody likely….), or he is currently having hallucinatory delusions of being a seafood lawyer, or fish solicitor, as my British friends would say. While both of those are possible scenarios, similar in nature to Zippy’s previous episodes of verbal gymnastics, neither is correct in this instance, as I happen to know that he is teaching a lesson in metaphorical manipulation, or, as it is commonly known, lying his ass off, to keep you preoccupied while he is doing something else he doesn’t want you to see, or know about…. He’s tricky that way….

I suppose he might be trying to tell us he is a theatrical/literary agent of some sort, and has a sardine who a) has written the next best seller, entitled “The Truth About Tuna”, an exposé of the fishing industry, b) has a voice like Pavarotti, c) juggles three seahorses while riding a motorized wheelchair, or d) paints incredibly lifelike pictures of cruise ships, from an underwater view…. He might, if that is what he meant, but, it isn’t…. It is all just a distraction, a hullabaloo to draw your attention away from his real purpose, which has to do with several cases of motor oil, a rag-time band, two Senators, and a motel out on Route 666….. You really don’t want to know, now, do you?

No, really, ffolkes, I had a reason to show Zippy’s little gem off today, and it was really a good one…. So, it’s really too bad that, by the time I finished with the second paragraph above, I completely lost track of whatever it was I had to say about it….. That, of course, is embarrassing, but not as much as having to turn tail, right in the middle of a pearl, or what SHOULD have been a pearl, and go old school, just to save my ass from complete well, asininity (what else?….)….

So, here is what Smart Bee came up with, and taken together, the pearls all DO have a point…. just don’t ask me what it is, because even if I knew, I don’t think I can be trusted today to say it correctly, or even interpret it accurately…. So, you’re kind of on your own…. Don’t worry, they’re all safe, just pointed a little….Enjoy!….

“Look under enough rocks and you’ll find _something_ slimy” — Smart Bee

“And gentle Dulness ever loves a joke.” — Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Dunciad, Book ii, Line 34

“Don’t edit reality for the sake of simplicity.” — Smart Bee

“No people do so much harm as those who go about doing good.” — Mandell Creighton (1843-1901)

“A thief believes everybody steals.” — E.W. Howe

“I have a feeling that at any time about three million Americans can be had for any militant reaction against law, decency, the Constitution, the Supreme Court, compassion and the rule of reason.” — John Kenneth Galbraith

“My way of joking is to tell the truth. It’s the funniest joke in the world.” — George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Well, there you have it, such as it is…. Ta then, luvs…..

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Thanks to the intransigence of modern HMO’s, my life of late has been filled with new levels of pain…. Here’s a poem I wrote back in 2012, during a time much like now…. It’s not, perhaps, my best, but, it’s honest…

Denial of Comfort

Baleful chairs become the enemy, heralded in red
seemingly welcome softness beckons with a smile,
waiting, content with slaughter, they are finally led
screaming in agony, deluged in venom all the while.

Desperate distraction becomes such a friendless fire
for all the patterns of autumn’s pale dismay,
leaving sincerely latent trails in spirals of twisted wire,
while memory insists, again, upon failure, palpably evil, and fey.

Fat, jaded tears would have fallen in good time,
if only the suitable suitor had scaled the garden’s wall.
Credence for discounted prices luckily in their prime
bring only fascinated eyes into such a hallowed hall.

Searching for answers is ever a clever portrayal
with studious accouterments to fulfill each common rule.
Arguably patient pictures of science and honest betrayal
shall evermore languish, in light of passion so elegantly cruel.

~~ gigoid ~~

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An odd little pearl, but, with some valuable ideas, about life, to share with our Gentle Readers….

“The mind has exactly the same power as the hands: not merely to grasp the world, but to change it.” — Colin Wilson

“Belief gets in the way of learning.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

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

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)

“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire

“The stupid are deaf to the truth; they hear, but think that the wisdom applies to someone else.” — Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.)

“In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain.” — Pliny the Elder

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Okay, that’s enough; I’ll cease the torture, of both of us…. It’s done, and that’s the best I can say today…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; after this one, it’s good to know I get another chance….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Filled with inordinately good cheer….

Posted on May 14, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do.”

~~ Voltaire ~~

Super Black Hole eating stars….

Hubble Deep Space Telescope Image

Good morning…. I’m beginning to enjoy the intro section, now I have the option to make it as short or long as I choose…. Today, we’re going with short…. I suppose you could call this minimalist, something you don’t often see around these parts….

Shall we Pearl?

“To a reasonable creature, that alone is insupportable which is unreasonable; but everything reasonable may be supported.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. ii

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Image from heyreverb.com via Google Images

Continuing our theme of bands from the early days of rock and roll, here is an American band, whose music is familiar to probably about a third of the world’s population, having heard it played ubiquitously, in numerous incarnations, (live, radio, TV, Muzak in elevators, commercials, etc.) over the past fifty years…. Yep, I know, long time to rock, eh? But, I got proof…. Here is their 50th Anniversary Concert for you to enjoy today…. So…. Enjoy!!…

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The Beach Boys

***********************

https://youtu.be/1ldm-_jKKes

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Aristotle

I’m feeling a bit lazy today, so here’s a short discussion from three or so years ago, about a very fine pearl…. Give your brains a rest today, ffolkes… All the nasty stuff happening out in the BBR can be wearing, I know….

From 10/7/2012:

“Two-thirds of help is to give courage.” — Irish proverb

To me, this is the very best kind of pearl of virtual wisdom. Nine words, if you count all the short ones, telling a story that is also a lesson, an insight, a truth, and, in the best sense, an admonition, all packaged in a short phrase that burns itself into memory. This can also act as help itself, as just the statement itself gives the courage of which it speaks, to any who doubt of whether or not help is to be found.

Often, merely the offer of help is enough to aid the one who asks to reach a point where the help is no longer needed; just the knowledge that it is available can give one the strength needed to finish the task alone. We humans are very social creatures, whether we admit it or not; we are all aware when two or more people get together to perform any task, the work is lessened thereby, by more than the mere factor of how many are involved in helping. I am constantly amazed at what people can do when they act in concert; often, the very people who join together for a task are surprised by how much they can accomplish together……

I’m not going to say much more about this one; it is what I like to call a stand-alone pearl, needing no adornment beyond its own well-contained self. But, I will add one more idea to our understanding of this concept; I say it is an admonition, because not only does it speak to the effect on the person who has requested the help, it also supplies good reason to offer help to others, by acknowledging the importance of the support, rather than the actual help. Just the fact that the help is forthcoming supplies most of the emotional strength to the act, thus acting as a spur to those who might hesitate to jump in otherwise…..

I love it, and hereby name it a classic pearl of virtual wisdom…..

So be it….

gigoid has spoken.

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“Spot”

Poetry comes in all shapes, sizes, and attitudes, all of which reflects its human origins…. Assuming this was written by an android, it would be a reflection merely one degree removed from human, which is really all an android is; a human, one degree from being fully flesh and blood… If it was written by a scriptwriter, well, it’s still pretty good…. Enjoy!….

Ode to Spot

“Felis catus” is your taxonomic nomenclature:
an endothermic quadroped, carnivorous by nature.
Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.
I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations —
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.
A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents.
You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance,
and when not being utilized to aid in locomotion
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.
O, Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

— Lt. Cmdr. Data, “Schisms”, Stardate 46

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Y’all are probably aware of my fondness for Zippy; if not, you’re not paying attention, as he shows up here a lot…. I decided to let him put together a pearl of his own thoughts, on life, the world, and living large, Zippy-style….. Enjoy, ffolkes, there’s more to find in this one than you may think at first….. And, for goodness sake, enjoy yourselves…..

“All of life is a blur of Republicans and meat!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“.. bleakness…. desolation…. plastic forks…” — Zippy the Pinhead

“A wide-eyed, innocent UNICORN, poised delicately in a MEADOW filled with LILACS, LOLLIPOPS & small CHILDREN at the HUSH of twilight??” — Zippy the Pinhead

“Did YOU find a DIGITAL WATCH in YOUR box of VELVEETA?” — Zippy the Pinhead

“Everywhere I look I see NEGATIVITY and ASPHALT…” — Zippy the Pinhead

“How do I get HOME?” — Zippy the Pinhead

“Are we THERE yet? My MIND is a SUBMARINE!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“Civilization is fun! Anyway, it keeps me busy!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“You were s’posed to laugh!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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I think, today, I’ll let all this go by without any further comment. I’m not sure what took place above; it seems to have gotten away from me there n the final section. That happens a lot with Zippy. Ah well, I get another chance tomorrow, right? Right. See y’all then, ffolkes, should I, against the dictates of all logic AND common sense, find a good reason to continue this charade….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Astrogation isn’t for amateurs….

Posted on May 7, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Aw, gee, Wally . . .”

~~ Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver ~~

Sunrise on the Road

Warning/Disclaimer: Any mental functions attempted in this area must be re-evaluated during a subsequent period. It has been discovered that standard logic works sideways in this area, if it works at all, due to the influence of the occupant.

Good morning, ffolkes….

Today’s opening picture is one of my own, and, it’s got a cute little story to it…. If you look closely at the left side of the picture, you’ll note the ray of light that comes directly at the area where the picture was taken. In the normal way, one might guess it was a trick of refraction, due to the shape of the camera lens, and the passage of the light through the atmosphere; in the normal way, you’d be right, too. But, this was NOT a ray of light from the sun, which traveled 92 million miles through space to reach me; it was actually a laser guide sight, from a ship hiding behind the clouds on the horizon….

You might think I’ve slipped over the edge, but, if you go to that spot (I can tell you where), you’ll see the big hole in the ground where the laser hit the telephone pole, just out of sight on the left, causing it to explode, nearly sending me into orbit…. Fortunately for me, just as I took this shot, a tractor beam, from another ship out of camera to the right, grabbed me, yanked me away, & deposited me in a safe spot some ways away before I could even blink. (The aliens who saved me told me this right afterward, after they’d destroyed the evil alien ship, then covered the whole area with a field of mental energy which cleared the events from everyone’s memory…. Kind of the techno equivalent of the Memory Spell in the Harry Potter world, eh?….) Lucky, wasn’t I?….

You may ask, first, if I’m getting any treatment for this…. No, silly, why would I? Most people suffer from being insane; I revel in it.

Secondly, you’ll no doubt ask how I can expect anyone to believe it’s true; the truth is, I don’t much care, because I expect that. The aliens told me I could talk about it if I wanted; nobody would believe me…. They were right, weren’t they?

Hah!

Okay, let’s get on with the REAL nonsense we have planned for today…. Who knows? Maybe some of it will be less illusory…. I wouldn’t put too much money on it, though, without some decent odds…. Who’s gonna give those around here?….

Shall we Pearl?

An older student came to Otis and said, “I have been to see a great number of teachers and I have given up a great number of pleasures. I have fasted, been celibate and stayed awake nights seeking enlightenment. I have given up everything I was asked to give up and I have suffered, but I have not been enlightened. What should I do?” Otis replied, “Give up suffering.” — Camden Benares, “Zen Without Zen Masters”

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I’m in the mood for some mild fantasy, and a little fun…. How about an old favorite movie? This one may pull my covers a bit, threatening my status as a curmudgeon, but, what the hell…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is a better story and movie than it seems… It also has one of the first movie attempts at combining animation and live actors in the same film sequence; the only flaw in I see is its Disney-esque blandness to the dialogue; a lot of the jokes could have used a bit of innuendo, or some spicy language…..

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Bedknobs and Broomsticks

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https://youtu.be/hDTga2nThwE

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

Once you read the pearl(s), you’ll understand the picture…. Well, I’d hope you will….

“…to emphasize the afterlife is to deny life. To concentrate on Heaven is to create hell. In their desperate longing to transcend the disorderliness, friction, and unpredictability that pesters life; in their desire for a fresh start in a tidy habitat, germ-free and secured by angels, religious multitudes are gambling the only life they may ever have on a dark horse in a race that has no finish line.” — Tom Robbins, — Skinny Legs and All, p. 305.

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

“Belief gets in the way of learning.” — Lazarus Long, “Time Enough for Love” by Robert Heinlein

“In the beginning was nonsense, and the nonsense was with God, and the nonsense was God.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.” — Charles Darwin

“History is little else than a picture of human crimes and misfortunes.” — Voltaire — L’Ingenu, Chap. x

“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.” — Lazarus Long, Time Enough for Love (1972) by Robert Heinlein

I was going to leave it at that, figuring it would do the trick…. But, I see it needs to move further along the train of thought, so, we’ll keep at it, until we find the right pearls to complete the necklace, er, composite of ideas as metaphor….

“If we let people see that kind of thing, there would never again be any war.” — Pentagon official, on why US military censored graphic footage from the Gulf War

“A “peace-loving nation” is one which bans fireworks and manufactures hydrogen bombs.” — Smart Bee

“Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness “positively”, by uniting our affections, the latter “negatively”, by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last is a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one…. — Thomas Paine, opening lines of “Common Sense” — 1776

Men of ill judgment oft ignore the good

That lies within their hands, till they have lost it.

~~ Sophocles ~~

Well, there you go…. It’s a bit murky, but, hey, it’s better than a rant, and, you still get to see who is responsible, and how it happened…. It’s a start….

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

Here’s another one from the archives, since the one percolating seems to have filed itself in an unknown folder…. SIGH…. If only it was a conscious process for me….

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 ~~

Written 9/19/2012.

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

Today’s final old-school pearl will finish off our discussion of the power of dubiousity…. Enjoy, ffolkes; you may not realize it, but, this is a fairly good look into my soul….

“I love to doubt as well as know.”

~~ Dante ~~

“The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” — Bertrand Russell

“The majority of mankind is lazy-minded, incurious, absorbed in vanities and tepid in emotion, and is therefore incapable of either much doubt or much
faith.” — TS Eliot

“If a person offend you and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures. Simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick.” — Mark Twain, Advice to Youth Speech, 1882

“Faith which does not doubt is dead faith.” — Miguel de Unamuno

“Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right.” — Laurens Van der Post, The Lost World of the Kalahari (1958)

” There lives more faith in honest doubt,

Believe me, than in half the creeds.”

~~ Alfred Tennyson — In Memoriam, xcvi, Stanza 3 ~~

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

Most of today’s effort was done ahead of time, so, I’m not sure how seamless it may all be; as is our habit, we can only say, “Oh, well!”. We’ll have to work on that. But, that’s a task for another day; this one is already shot to hell…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided Reality cooperates…..

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Neutral feedback? Good idea; try it….

Posted on May 5, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I understand life and the universe. Cats are beyond me.”

~~ Smart Bee, echoing gigoid ~~

Ollie Owl

Good morning, ffolkes…..

Shall we Pearl?

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” — Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love, by Robert A. Heinlein

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

Image from rocktownhall.com via Google free images

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t heard of this artist? If so, you’re in for a treat…. ear candy, as it were. Enjoy, ffolkes…. this is another one of humanity’s cultural heritage treasures….

***********************

Ray Charles

***********************

https://youtu.be/Ip8h24Ggk0g

***********************

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

Apparently, on one of the Friday the 13th days during 2012, I had a good day in my head…. Here are some thoughts from that day, that still have relevance in today’s world…..

From 1/13/2012:

“It has been said that there are two theories of history: conspiracy and blunder. If there is some truth to that, it is surely equally true that blunder seldom receives all the credit due it as an explanation of complex events.” — Michael Scully

I would say that this is probably pretty accurate; after all, it is the winners who get to tell the story, and why would they make themselves look any worse than they already are? I believe that much of mankind’s progress up to now is, in fact, a result of blundering about, breaking the china and scaring the horses, until something serendipitous falls into someone’s lap.

The example most often given regarding inspiration that brings progress is that of Isaac Newton and the apple, which, according to history, fell upon his head unexpectedly, causing him to fall down and begin writing the 3 Laws of Motion. I think it more likely that he was trying to climb up to get the apple, and took a good fall onto his head; he just blamed it on the apple, and since he was the only witness, who can gainsay him?

This points out one of the less attractive, and most problematic of the characteristics of humans, and that is our inability to get beyond our childish feelings of insecurity. The older we get, the less able we become to handle the embarrassment or ridicule that follows a mistake, and the more contortions we will assume to keep others from seeing our Bozoid Tendencies. You see, like the Firesign Theater said, “I think we’re all Bozo’s on this bus!”; we all have the unfortunate ability to perform ridiculously stupid acts at times.

Most folks, though, don’t like to be thought of this way, and will go through almost anything to prevent themselves from looking inept in front of other folks. Me, I wish they’d just learn to laugh at themselves, and everyone else; maybe then they could grow up enough to be able to look directly at the things in society that we need to change, instead of childishly refusing to even look at the situation. Emotional maturity means dealing with whatever happens, without letting emotions control one’s actions, or reactions, and most of mankind doesn’t exhibit anything close to that sort of maturity……

Also from 1/13/2012:

“Thinking, understanding, reasoning, willing, call not these Soul! They are its actions, but they are not its essence.” — Akhenaton? (c. B.C. 1375)

When? Oh, four thousand four hundred eighty-seven years ago…..is that all? I’ve got acne scars older than that! Well, perhaps not. But I am continually amazed at some of the things I find that were written this long ago. It gives credence to the idea that mankind’s first steps toward modern culture were the result of how our minds work, and our penchant for using our imagination to understand the universe around us. It has been said that the first science was Astronomy, which makes a lot of sense. But, simultaneously, we used Philosophy, and the principles of logic and reason, to apply meaning to what we observed.

Forty-four hundred years is a long time to be working on the same issues, and it seems to me we should be getting somewhere a bit faster than we are. But then I realize that there is another side to human nature, one that is not so moral and ethical as our scientific bent, a side of us in constant competition with our virtues, battling to assume control of society. (You know… that old good vs. evil deal….) That other side is winning, too, mostly because those who disavow virtue have no compunctions against cheating, or lying, or manipulating events to suit their own purposes. Moreover, they don’t hesitate to resort to violence to do so, when they cannot find any simpler method….

I think, as a species, we’ve been at this long enough; let’s make a concerted effort to nullify the negative effects of deliberate ignorance and fear. Perhaps we can even find a way to survive our own nature….. The Universe will get the impression we’re slow learners, if we don’t start to show a bit more progress toward growing out of infancy….

Note from 2015: I’m not sure why, but, the following five star pearl insisted on being included at the end of this section…. I am pretty sure it’s just my reaction to what I said above…..

“Is truth not truth for all?”

~~ Natira ~~

~~ “For the World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky” ~~

++++++++++++

“How do you make sense of such madness? The answer is, you can’t.”

~~ Pablo Guzman ~~

++++++++++++

“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving till the right actions arises by itself?”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

++++++++++++

An ancient buddha said, Mountains are mountains; waters are waters.
These words do not mean mountains are mountains;
they mean mountains are mountains.

~~ Dogen ~~

++++++++++++

“How can I lose faith in the justice of life,
when the dreams of those
who sleep upon feathers
are not more beautiful
than the dreams of those
who sleep upon the earth?”

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

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

Accentuated Lessons

Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.

Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.

Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.

Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Dubiousity, Redux

In the virtual world, I call myself gigoid, the dubious, for specific reasons…. Rather than use my own words to delineate/describe those reasons, here are some of them, in the form of pearls, (naturally….), as collected by Smart Bee, just as an exercise…. It turned out to be a nice, eleven-star pearl, all centered around the concept of doubt as a function of wisdom…. It seems I’m not the only person in history to put my faith in doubt, rather than the other way around, so to speak…. There are a lot of big names here, and, I only went through the first half of the collection….

Pay particular heed today, ffolkes; these little bits of shiny stuff are more subtly important, to you, than you may realize…. Oh, and, ALL of this will be on your final Quiz…. Don’t blame me, I didn’t make it up….

Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished gods to me appear;
And one to me are shame and fame.
They reckon ill who leave me out;
When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt,
And I the hymn the Brahmin sings.

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Brahma ~~

“Philosophy, means, first, doubt; and afterwards the consciousness of what knowledge means, the consciousness of uncertainty and of ignorance, the consciousness of limit, shade, degree, possibility. The ordinary man doubts nothing and suspects nothing.” — Henri Frederick Amiel

“A lizard ran out on a rock and looked up, listening no doubt to the sounding of the spheres. And what a dandy fellow! the right toss of a chin for you and swirl of a tail! If men were as much men as lizards are lizards they’d be worth looking at.” — D. H. Lawrence (1928)

“Authority has every reason to fear the skeptic, for authority can rarely survive in the face of doubt.” — Robert Lindner

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition but certainty is an absurd one.” — Voltaire

Modest doubt is call’d
The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches
To the bottom of the worst.

~~ William Shakespeare ~~

~~ Troilus and Cressida — Act ii, Sc. 2 ~~

Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom. — Smart Bee

“Freedom of speech and freedom of action are meaningless without freedom to think. And there is no freedom of thought without doubt.” — Bergen Evans, The Natural History of Nonsense (1946)

“If you understand, or if you don’t. If you believe, or if you doubt. There is a universal justice and the eyes of truth are always watching.” — Enigma

“Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in their readiness to doubt.” — H. L. Mencken

My guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
deceived me into thinking I had something to protect.
Good and bad I defined these terms, quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then;
I’m younger than that now.

~~ Bob Dylan ~~

Ah, yes, indeed…. I AM younger than that now….. so, there will be more on this subject later…. Ta, then….

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

Y’all, just like me, are going to say goodbye now…( Goodbye!…), until tomorrow; we will do so with no further inquiry into how this got done…. In fact, y’all may as well just go into complete denial now; it will help later in the day….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided nobody says the wrong thing….If only we knew what that was….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Three portions of the marinated calamari tubes, please….

Posted on April 23, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A man reveals his character even in the simplest things he does.”

~~ Jean de La Bruyere ~~

The Shelbourne Public House

Cork, Ireland

A close look at today’s picture, (click to enlarge), will reveal a perfect pint of Guinness, sitting under the tap on the the right of the bar; it was built, at my request, in the traditional manner, filling the glass straight down from the tap, until foam reaches the top. At that point, the glass is allowed to rest, until the foam retreats down a sufficient amount, at which time the glass is again filled. If necessary, this will go on until it is just right, with about 1/2″ to 3/4″ of foam at the rim…. I asked the bartender to demonstrate the procedure, then gave them the pint to drink, as it was only 11 AM, and I just wanted the technique, and pictures of the process…. She, (the blond at the back of the bar), thought the grey old American hippie was a bit strange, but, took the money, and kept the pint….

Good morrow, y’all…. Thanks to Kaiser, I spent about 3 hours last night with tardive dyskinesia, which gave me the gift of insomnia from midnight to 3 am; such a joy. Needless to say, this made me late to arise, and, consequently late starting today’s mess…. I’ve attempted above to mitigate any angst, with a bit nostalgia from my trip to Europe, in the hopes of eradicating any excess. It seems to have worked, sufficiently well to be able to remember our main goal, to introduce today’s Pearl…. I’m thinking two paragraphs is probably enough, especially since I have nothing more to say on any of this….

Let’s do this…. I’ll tell Luigi to take us in gently, and y’all can actually finish your drinks. We’ll unload at the oyster beds, and immediately break for lunch, okay? Then, we’ll be back on schedule, even if it’s a recycled program from last year…. At this point, obviously, it isn’t going to matter at all; we seem to have lost our way without even moving…. Funny how that works sometimes, eh? Watch your heads as you disembark, ffolkes, it appears our landing disturbed the local fauna, which is making a concerted effort to push the vehicle into the water…. No worries, we’ll just use the electric zapper, and….. There! All fried…. Now we won’t even have to order breakfast…. C’mon, time’s a’wastin’….

Shall we Pearl?

“Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.”

~~ Plutarch ~~

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

royalty-free-clip-art-vector-logos-of-black-and-orange-floral-acoustic-guitars-by-seamartini-graphics-6573

Jerry Jeff & I go way back; we spent many a moon-lit night partying back in the 70’s…. I guess I’m getting sentimental in my old age, returning to my roots to spend time visiting old memories of good times…. Well, that, or I’m just getting obsessed…. Hmm…. I suppose I could obsess over worse stuff, eh?…. It’ll do for now, so, enjoy!….

***********************

Jerry Jeff Walker & Loudon Wainwright III ~ Live concert

***********************

https://youtu.be/bvvFOSgPZLI

***********************

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

Today, I intended to try to create a fresh “meander”, of a rantish nature, but, that plan went down the tubes with my late arrival…. Here, then, to sublimate, an old-school meander, aimed at the pundits who engage in the nasty habit of politics…. (Definition: Politics: from the Greek, “poly”, meaning “many”, and “ticks”, meaning “blood-sucking vermin”…. — Jay Leno)

“…when all government… in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1821

“If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.” — Lin-Chi

“It is said that God is always on the side of the heaviest battalions.” — Voltaire (1694-1778) — Letter to M. le Riche, Feb. 6, 1770

“Democracy is based on the assumption that a million men are wiser than one man. How’s that again? I missed something.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“Liberty don’t work as good in practice as it does in speeches.” — Will Rogers

“Deep in the nature of all these noble races there lurks unmistakably the beast of prey, the blond beast, lustfully roving in search of booty and victory.” — Nietzsche

“A violent man will die a violent death.” — Lao Tzu

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.” — Voltaire

— Bother! said Pooh, as the Borg assimilated him.

To bring this old-school meander to a proper close, a metaphor is, patently, essential…. Here is a perfect closing thought from our old pal, Bill Watterson….

“Today for show and tell I’ve brought a tiny marvel of nature: a single snowflake. I think we might all learn a lesson from how this utterly unique and exquisite crystal turns into an ordinary, boring molecule of water, just like every other one, when you bring it in the classroom. And now, while the
analogy sinks in, I’ll be leaving you drips and going outside.” — Calvin, “Calvin and Hobbes”

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

Sharing the Wealth

Lucky are we who live with some adversity,
Such strife to bear leaves us strong and free.
Time is no better spent at a fine university
Teaching us the kind of person we wish to be.

We humans are such contrary creatures
Life lived in ease is our fondest intent.
New perceptions are our strongest features
Learning to cope with troubles we cannot prevent.

Lessons we learn at Trouble’s bent knee
Stay on top in the bag of tools we carry.
Knowledge so earned can keep us free
On our long, strange trip to Charon’s ferry.

Pain is the least favorite of our teachers
Yet such powerful lessons stay forever and a day.
No matter how life presents its features
Strength of will equals what life sends our way.

T’is well to consider such time-tested tools,
To carry them with us as we travel through Life.
Events are less likely to show us as fools,
as we deal with Reality, where peril is rife.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/6/2012.

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

“By an epiphany he meant a sudden spiritual manifestation, whether in the vulgarity of speech or of gesture or memorable phrase of the mind itself. He believed it was for the man of letters to record these epiphanies with extreme care (saving them for later use, that is), seeing that they themselves are the most delicate and evanescent of moments.” — James Joyce

In at least one real sense, this statement by James Joyce expresses a large part of why I “Pearl”…. The aphorisms, quotes, taglines, and/or statements you see here, by ancient sages, modern philosophers, comedians, warriors, scholars, hell, the entire pantheon of humanity’s most cogent, powerfully worded wisdom, has served me well, my entire life, helping me to figure out how to live with dignity, with compassion, and, with some degree of competence, if not excellence… learning to live with honor, with happiness, and, most importantly, with trouble… I am always searching for new ways to express what I’ve learned, for what good is wisdom unshared?

I’m not perfect, or wise, for that matter; I am, however, pretty damn happy, and content, though my life is often filled with what many would call severe trouble…. So, I share…. THAT is what Pearling is all about…. our common search for answers to the demands, and questions, with which Reality presents us each moment of each day…. What do you say we go look for some pearls, eh? Maybe one of them will give somebody an epiphany… If not, well, there’s always tomorrow….

“Are you out of my mind?”

— Smart Bee, being a wise acre….

We’ll start again; this one, patently, doesn’t count….

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

“Virtuous and vicious every man must be — Few in the extreme, but all in the degree.”

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

“Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.”

~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero ~~

“Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools.”

~~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~~

“I distrust all systematizers, and avoid them.
The will to a system shows a lack of honesty.”

~~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche ~~

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing it’s best,
night and day to make you everybody else,
means to fight the hardest battle which any human can fight
and never stop fighting.”

~~ e.e. cummings ~~

“Blot out vain pomp; check impulse; quench appetite;
keep reason under its own control.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ~~

“Courage without conscience is a wild beast.”

~~ Robert G. Ingersoll ~~

“Who can remain still until the moment of action?”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

“And unextinguish’d laughter shakes the skies.”

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

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

I won’t bore you with the old saw about, “Better late… etc.”, as it would merely serve to annoy y’all, and might be construed as pandering…. Far be it from me to ever commit such an antisocial act…. Instead, I’ll merely say, “See y’all tomorrow”, and let it go at that….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Piled Deeper and Higher, on toast….

Posted on February 25, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I’m not paranoid – just a student of history.”

~~ gigoid, the dubious, stealing from Smart Bee ~~

I could rant, right here. ‘Twould be a simple task, given the picture above, taken in mid-winter in Northern California. But, having already been up for an hour, I don’t think I want to start ranting yet, in spite of having good reason. Three a.m. is too early in the day to start that kind of build-up of angst; the process becomes polluted with too much extra emotional force, supplied by anger at myself, for bozoid tendencies allowed to go rogue… The resultant mess takes me hours to clean up, even if it’s only in my head….

This getting old stuff is, well, getting old. Rather than complain about it, which we’ve all heard before, let’s try this…. Wait. No, better not. I remember last time…. Okay, how about this…. Hmm…. looks a little bedraggled. Maybe we’d best let that one rest a bit longer…. Alright, this is absurd. Wait here a minute, I’m going to go get a box from the closet….

Well, that’s a bummer. The box is gone; it must have gotten moved into storage…. Damn. Okay, at this point, rather than continue to wander around, clueless, I’m going to make another executive type decision, and hope nobody gets injured in the process…. We are now going to evacuate this introduction, in good order, single-file, right through the doorway in the rear of the vehicle. Your money won’t be refunded, but, it will be tormented. You won’t require a refund, as we are going directly into the water; you’ll be busy trying to breathe, and won’t have time to worry about it….

Now, if you will please begin filing through the doorway, the proctors will break your fall at the bottom…. Have fun, and tell the chief I’ll be by tomorrow to deliver his cut of the profits for today, would you? Thanks…. Okay, Jim, they’re off-boarded! Let’s get home before they figure out the combination to the chains….

Shall we Pearl?

“I don’t want to panic, but my alphabet soup says, “Forget about me … just try to save yourself.” — Tom Wilson (“Ziggy”)

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

Today’s video again takes us on a trip into the past, when TV didn’t pretend so much to be what it was not, showing no particular connection to reality beyond the natural drama ensuing when fantasy meets the real world, such as in Episode One, below …. In my mind, nobody ever played Gomez Addams better than John Astin…. Perfectly insane!…. Well, okay, Raul Julia was pretty fantastic in the movie version, playing opposite the best ever Morticia, Anjelica Huston…. Together, she and Raul made sparks fly, darkly, with joy and hilarity…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this be some funny shit….

***********************

The Addams Family (60 s TV Series): Season 2, Episode 21

***********************

http://youtu.be/RhaOaxaDd1c

***********************

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

“Hairy fishnuts!?”

~~ Opus ~~

I’ve decided to be generous today, by NOT ranting at y’all…. This doesn’t mean we get the day off; there is still too much out there in the Big Blue Room, of an evil nature, to keep from saying ANYTHING…. But, I’ll let someone more polished, in a modern, television-oriented sort of manner, to bring us our daily dose of crap, served up by Reality, as is its habit, regardless of how any of us feels about it…. Here, then, is another diatribe from John Oliver, from his HBO show, Last Week with J.O….. Enjoy, ffolkes, if you can ignore the message prompting the rant….

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

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Elected Judges (HBO)

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

http://youtu.be/poL7l-Uk3I8

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

Just to keep the ball rolling, here is an excellent piece from our old friend Lou, at TalesFromTheConspriatum, with another fine article, if a bit snarky, by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger…. Included in Mike’s article is list with a large number of links, to alternative news sites, where you’ll find numerous proofs, with lots of evidence showing how often the mainstream media lies to all of us on TV, radio, the Internet, through every news outlet who will print their lies, just as if they were true….

https://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/35-things-the-media-reported-as-facts-that-were-later-found-to-be-total-lies/

http://www.naturalnews.com/048714_mainstream_media_propaganda_lies.html

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

“They [La Prensa] accused us of suppressing freedom of expression. This was a lie and we could not let them publish it.” — Nelba Blandon, Interior Ministry Director of Censorship, — quoted in The New York Times, 1984

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

“Poetry isn’t obscene, it’s per verse.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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

Dreaming, I wait….

In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.

Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.

Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.

Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.

Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.

When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.

Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Wowee zowee, ffolkes! Eleven pearls, all connected, collected in two minutes flat, with only five other quotes even offered for review, none of which took more than a nanosecond to dismiss…. I’ll take it, as a nearly perfect statement of how to live Life well, with dignity, honor, and truth as one’s foremost pillars of belief…. Okay, so, that’s a little grandiose… it’s still all good thinking on the part of the ffolkes being quoted; you could do worse than to make these part of your philosophy of life….

“Do not settle for less than the best your own excellence can command.’ — Anne McCaffrey

“It is not honorable to take mere legal advantage, when it happens to be contrary to justice.” — Thomas Jefferson [Third United State President]

“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.), The Republic

“Man is not disturbed about things, but by his opinion about things.” — Epictetus

“Goodness does not consist in greatness, but greatness in goodness.” — Athenaeus (c. 200 AD) — The Deipnosophists, xiv, 6

“Every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do.” — Voltaire

“Fear not, provided you fear; but if you fear not, then fear.” — Blaise Pascal

“The only lifelong, reliable motivations are those that come from within, and one of the strongest of those is the joy and pride that grow from knowing that you’ve just done something as well as you can do it.” — Lloyd Dobens and Clare Crawford-Mason, Thinking About Quality

“It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.” — Salvor Hardin, in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation

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

“Be honorable with yourself if you wish to associate with honorable people.” — Welsh Proverb

To the programmer/code author(s) of Smart Bee…. I salute you! Thanks, for the quickest, all-around finest-kind pearl ever…. This one is da kine, as they’d say on Molokai…. Probably not on Maui, though; too many McDonald’s….

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

Today’s Pearl is done. That seems to be all I can focus on just now. The mere fact of its completion is, perhaps, the only task I’ll accomplish today, given the condition in which I’m starting the day. It is now 4 a.m., just, & I’ve been up for almost three hours; not a good beginning, I think. But, we’ll play it as it lies, just like it says in the rule book. Of course, I haven’t been able to find the rule book for years, but, I like to pretend…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should the Fates decree a holiday….

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

À bientôt, mon cherí….

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Voltaire

Boiled mutton in a plastic bag….

Filled with inordinately good cheer….

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