Freshly original excuses for sale or rent….

Posted on May 2, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Over the earth, the lake:
The image of Gathering Together.
Thus the superior man renews his weapons
In order to meet the unforeseen.

~~ I Ching ~~

Greenock, Scotland, seaport near Glasgow

Okay, so, here’s the deal. In the usual way, I’d blather, or tell a tale, or, perhaps, hold a chatty gossip session, in order to get this intro section done. Occasionally, when my level of angst is high, I’d rant…. None of them seems to work on a consistent basis, not to my satisfaction…. So, I was thinking, how ’bout we just skip it altogether…. In this section I’ll simply say “Hello, and good morning. Shall we Pearl?”, and that will be the end of it… What do you think? Will it work…. Just for fun, let’s try it today, alright? Here we go….

Good morning, ffolkes….

Shall we Pearl?

“I am ignorant and impotent and yet, somehow or other, here I am unhappy, no doubt, profoundly dissatisfied… In spite of everything I survive.” — Aldous Huxley

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Image from imgbuddy.com via Google images

Though never a huge jazz fan, I don’t believe there’s ANYONE who can listen to these two artists playing together without having a smile come to their face, or tapping their toes in time…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. We’ll never see their like again….

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Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Ella & Louis (Full Album)

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https://youtu.be/uEb4HzgILUU

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I’ve decided to be nice…. Below you’ll find today’s rant, such as it is….

“Strange, because they are so frankly and hysterically insane — like all dreams: a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave his angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice and invented hell — mouths mercy and invented hell — mouths Golden Rules, and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man’s acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites this poor, abused slave to worship him!” — Mark Twain, _The Mysterious Stranger_

Really. ‘Nuff said, I should say. In fact, I don’t think I can improve much on that, so, I’m not going to try…. Let’s pearl, instead…. You will find, I’m sure, that each of the following seven pearls can be applied to either politics, OR religion, with equal facility…. Enjoy…..

“The avaricious man is like the barren sandy ground of the desert which sucks in all the rain and dew with greediness, but yields no fruitful herbs or plants for the benefit of others.” — Zeno

“Familiarity breeds contempt.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 640

“We are what we repeatedly do.” — Aristotle

(What’s this doing here? Easy…. We keep voting, don’t we?…. Or, in the case of religion, we keep believing it, don’t we? Well, some of us do… others, not so much….)

“And out of mind as soon as out of sight.” — Lord Brooke (1554-1628) — Sonnet lvi

(They count on this, a LOT….)

“Any excuse will serve a tyrant.” — Aesop (620-560 B.C.)

“Remember, to them it is us who are the enemy” — N.F.Simpson

“All governments need enemies. How else to justify their existence?” — Edward Abbey

There! Now, wasn’t that better than one of my rants? I though so, and, that’s all that really counts, so, deal with it….

Ooh! Ooh! I found another one, and it’s the perfect closer….

1. No matter what they’re telling you, it’s not the truth.

2. No matter what they’re talking about, they’re talking about money.

~~ Todd’s Political Principles ~~

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A dream, weeping….

“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said
with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.
“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….
what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”

So, we plucked up our dreams of old,
to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,
stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,
for luck, and perfect proof against charms.

Storms follow the sun, but, never stay;
lessons round every corner, all free.
Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,
the journey becomes the reason to be.

Simple kindness manifests untold riches,
in defiance of common cause’s demise.
Bold courage, hanging in stitches,
mends wounds that come as no surprise.

Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.
Too much pain cannot apprehend
the salient, sharp points of epiphany,
nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.

Folly dogs even the simplest truth,
fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,
alienated as a loose rotten tooth;
it often hides itself, for a long while.

Sought after eons ago, we cried out,
to believe, to suffer no more doubt.
But found instead good reason,
for love, and truth, from season, to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 8/30/2014.

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Today’s final pearl is somewhat esoteric; it’s what happens when SB is on a tear. I have to take what I can get…. This one seems to be comments on living as a human in this Universe, such as it is, and, such as we are, in it…. I think…. You tell me, if you think it’s something different…. Well, I KNOW it’s different…. I mean, just…. never mind. Enjoy. Please?…. It IS pretty cool….

“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

“Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man,–yesterday in embryo, to-morrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hair’s-breadth of time assigned to thee live rationally, and part with life cheerfully, as drops the ripe olive, extolling the season that bore it and the tree that matured it.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 48

“I have everything, yet have nothing; and although I possess nothing, still of nothing am I in want.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Act ii, Sc. 2, 12, (243.)

“Than catch and hold while I may, fast binde, fast finde.” — John Heywood (c. 1565) — Proverbes, Part i, Chap. iii

“The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it, therefore, while it lasts, and not spend it to no purpose.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of the Training of Children

“Hence these tears.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Act i, Sc. 1, 99, (126.)

“Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.” — W. Somerset Maugham

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This may be the freshest Pearl in some time. That’s accurate, because it’s just as vague as it can be; look close, & you can see the time period described could be anything from 10 minutes to 10 years…. Gad! I love obscurity!…. Or, it might just be the word “obfuscation” which is one of my all-time favorites, and perfectly applicable in today’s situation. Nonetheless, we’re done here, so, I’ll leave this nonsense where it belongs, here at the very end, and take my leave, post haste, before it catches on…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Layer upon layer of dense frog….

Posted on April 30, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Skepticism, like chastity, should not be relinquished too readily.”

~~ George Santayana ~~

Invergordon, Scotland, seaport near Inverness/Loch Ness

Yesterday was a bust. A massive attack of vertigo kept me from doing much at all, including a Pearl. It’s the first actual miss in over a year, I think, but, this time, it wasn’t my fault…. (Yes it was….) (NO, it wasn’t….) (Yes, it was….) (Ah, go f__ yourself!…)….

Ah well, regardless of who wins the argument, I’m getting one done today, no matter what it looks like, or how smooth it isn’t; I don’t like to miss a day. Since the primary focus of doing this is NOT the message, or even the fame (well, in this case, the lack of fame….), but, rather, the process as therapy for my own inner demons, it’s more important than mere celebrity…. to me, anyway….

Hmm… a bit somber for an opening, but, I’m too much in the groove to do it over. Besides, I know this Pearl will be choppy. Oh, you won’t be able to tell from where you’re sitting, but, believe me, getting this done at all was a challenge, one answered very well in the affirmative. Of course, it took three dead bodies and two false fire alarms, but, who’s counting? The bodies weren’t even from my staff, so, that’s good. My budget wouldn’t stretch to training new staff right now….

I’m pretty sure I don’t have much of a clue today; I’m writing pretty much by instinct right now. I am hoping it will get better by the time we get to the rant, but, hey, we take it the way it comes, because we’re legally required to do so, AND, it keeps Momma happy. With Mother’s Day coming up, we all know how important it is to keep Momma happy….. Of course, she ain’t MY momma, but, she thinks she is, and it doesn’t hurt business to let her think so…. I just wish she wouldn’t sit out front & flirt with every guy over 12 who walks in the door….

Okay, I’ve blathered sufficiently, both for the legal requirements, and the personal. Of course, those latter regulations are perfectly non-existent, but, shhh….. the authorities don’t know that part….. Y’know, I think I’d best take us outta here, before this gets any more complicated…. Luigi, hit it!…..

Shall we Pearl?

“Don’t ever become a pessimist, Ira; a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun — and neither can stop the march of events.” — Lazarus Long, in Robert Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

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Image from billboard.com via Google images

I was first introduced to Jimmy Buffett’s music in 1978 or 79, not long after the release of his first album, which, if memory serves, was titled, “Livin’ and Dyin’ in Three-Quarter Time”…. His version of southern fried island rock burst upon the music scene with gusto, and he’s never looked back. I’ve seen him in concert many times, for each of his concerts is the world’s biggest party, for five or six hours, depending on how they get rockin’…. Infectiously joyous, funny, and down-to-earth, Jimmy and the Coral Reefers continue to fill up concert venues wherever they play….. Enjoy, ffolkes,. this is good time music….

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Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band

Jones Beach ~~ August 21, 2014

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https://youtu.be/_4nba6YneJY

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I had hoped to complete a fresh rant, but, time constraints preclude such an event today, so, here is a somewhat lengthy, but, appropriate rant, on the very same issues the originally scheduled piece was to address…. Go figure….

From 2/16/2013:

“Laws are only words words written on paper, words that change on society’s whim and are interpreted differently daily by politicians, lawyers, judges, and policemen. Anyone who believes that all laws should always be obeyed would have made a fine slave catcher. Anyone who believes that all laws are applied equally, despite race, religion, or economic status, is a fool.” — John J. Miller, And Hope to Die (in _Jokertown Shuffle – Wild Cards IX_)

Fiction is the repository and temple of the Metaphorse…. which explains this passage from a novel I haven’t read, but obviously need to get around to finding, so I can. This is such a perfect statement of Reality in society today, it could only be said in a work of fiction, because anyone stating this in the public venue would be shouted down by the aforementioned politicians, lawyers judges, policemen, and may I add, preachers/priests and the rest of the priestly hierarchies…. none of whom would wish for the truth of the idea become commonly held knowledge, or even a point of discussion…. They have too much invested in keeping things just as they are to allow any such utterance, without the protection of metaphor….

With metaphor, in both prose and poetic form, the truth can be intimated, and made clear for those who otherwise would never even consider the concepts involved, without being connected directly to Reality itself. Most of society has been brainwashed since birth, and are trained to accept as true anything told to them in a newspaper, on a TV by a person in a suit, or by someone holding a Bible, no matter how disconnected from Reality that may be. Reading things in a book, a piece of fiction, they are taught, is suspect, and not to be believed without corroboration from someone in authority….

“God said it, the Bible told me, and I believe it, so that’s the end of it!” How many people do you know who would say that? It saddens me no end to know that even I, who tend to drive that sort of person crazy in no time at all, know several folks who feel this way. I have to say, if nothing else, these folks are stubborn, but, stubbornness is not always a survival technique… it can also serve as a death warrant. One has to learn to give up knowledge that is shown indisputably to be false, or face consequences not to their liking.

As I’ve stated before, I have no issue with ffolkes who are sincerely devout in their beliefs…. I’ve found that people who do try to live by the rules that Jesus put forth are generally good people, with good instincts, and have a lot of compassion and kindness in their nature. I have at least two people in my own family who fit that description, and at least three of the people with whom I grew up are what I would call true Christians, because they use their faith as a supportive tool to enhance their lives, not as a crutch, or a reason to feel entitled…..

In other words, they don’t use their faith as a mask, to hide from the world what they really are like inside…. or, as tool of manipulation, to further their own agenda, which generally involves theft from everyone else, in one form or another….. I have found, by experience with real people in the real world, that a good 95% of those who claim to be Christians are NOT true believers…. Only about 5% of those who call themselves Christians make any attempt to live up to that social reformer’s rigorous standards….

Of that figure, 95% of all self-identified Christians, the great majority can be considered, and are generally labeled, as the ignorant masses, whose minds have been under the control of someone else their entire lives. The smaller percentage of that number, probably only about 1 or 2% of the 95%, are those who either don’t believe in the dogma at all, but use it as the modus operandi for their sociopathy, or those who at least believe it on the surface, but only because it is to their advantage to do so… They would believe anything at all, if it kept them in power….

“Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the Forest that was left out by mistake.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

I’m not sure whether those who stubbornly cling to their faith (i.e., they walk through the Forest with eyes closed….) are like that because of their nature, or their nurture, and in the final analysis, it doesn’t matter. But, it sure would be nice, for those of us who ARE aware of the truth behind the lies we’ve been told all our lives, to have a few more of us out there, working against the small percentage of people who are taking advantage of the massive ignorance and apathy of the great masses of people, who don’t have the time or mental energy to care about anything but what is happening right in front of them.

Those who control society for their own personal benefit, without any regard for the rest of humanity’s suffering at their hands, aren’t going to change, and they aren’t ever going to give up what they’ve got without a struggle…. I can only wish for enough ffolkes like myself, who can see the truth, to find a way to save at least a few of our species, if only for some galactic zoo of extinct species…… If enough of us get together, there is still a small chance, though the odds of success are diminishing, second by second….

“I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.” — John Wayne

(Did your jaw drop as far as mine when you read that?)

Bah! Enough pessimism for one day…. let’s go find something a bit more uplifting, shall we?….. As a parting thought, please note the following, which serves to illustrate and define the general feeling in modern society, in terms of ethics and morality…. Consider, if you will, the cultural paradigms that are needed to make this statement a joke, one that no one at all would think was out of place…. In other words, by its calm acceptance of the implied lack of ethics, it shows how deeply ingrained is the attitude (made crystal clear by Mr. Wayne…), in the members that make up that society….

“I think our No.1 problem is that nobody wants to take responsibility for anything, but don’t quote me.” — Randy Glasbergen, “The Saturday Evening Post

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Relative Cynicism, with Caramel Sauce

Absolute stillness follows violent movement,
it can happen during a downhill race,
as an immovable piece of asphalt pavement
meets the once handsome racer’s face.

Yuk, yuk, yuk said that asshole Moe,
after poking both of Larry’s eyes,
bashing face, head, & crotch of Curly Joe
and only ever got hit with pies.

Lonely moments never really come along
when Murphy’s got us in his sights.
Not for money, love, or siren’s song
will he abrogate his natural rights.

All we can do is sigh, or laugh in pain,
as Life portions out our ration of shit.
Silver linings melt in the slightest rain,
so we may as well learn to live with it.

~~ gigoid ~~

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I find it mildly curious to note, both Socrates, (470-399 B.C), and Laozi, known commonly as Lao Tzu, (604-531 B.C. ), each died more than 2400 years ago in human history; yet, today, they are still known as, perhaps, humanity’s most revered scholars, one the most influential in Western thought, the other in the East. Each one left a legacy of wisdom, of simple ideas to last a lifetime, giving us the benefit of the workings of their innermost minds, powerful enough to have lasted through the centuries.

In my experience, using a thought from either of them as the basis for a pearl is guaranteed to make it more relevant to reality, not to mention more perceptive and intelligent, in re: the conclusions/lessons/concepts being presented…. It doesn’t seem to matter which comes first, or last, or if only one is included; the pearl comes out better. Using them both, especially as bookmarks around the wisdom of five other historical sages, though rare, seems to make the best old-school pearls….

I’m sad to have to report, this pearl, as with each of the individual pearls, was pulled out of Smart Bee using, well, not to put a false face to it, torture; it seems to be the only method working just now. I can’t say I didn’t warn it; it’s been balky for days, & we’ve been through this before…. So, enjoy, please; it cost the poor little database a lot of pain and anguish….

“Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.”

~~Socrates ~~

“And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

“They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.” — Confucius

“Aristotle was once asked what those who tell lies gain by it. Said he, “That when they speak truth they are not believed.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200AD) — Aristotle, xi

“A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser to-day than he was yesterday.” — Alexander Pope

“Remember this,–that very little is needed to make a happy life.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vii, 67

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don’t try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.

~~ Tao Te Ching ~~

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That will have to do. I’m not sure exactly how it got done, or how it came out, but, I’m trusting to the process to carry the day…. Foolish hope, I know, but, hey, remember the second quote today, about optimism? I take that to heart…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if you’re lucky….

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….

Paradigms, pundits, and puffy plebes….

Posted on April 25, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“All men are born naked.”

~~ Carlos Eduardo Novaes ~~

The International Space Station

After performing the morning ritual sacrifice, which involves no loss of life for any creature larger than a microbe, I sat to begin composing today’s Pearl. At that point, I realized the futility of my task, and wept….

Of course, then I awoke, got out of bed, having again dreamed away most of the angst needed to rant, & began the routine which would take me to this juncture with a bright, inquisitive mind, and a healthy body…. That, of course, also failed in its ultimate task, as it was bound to do, having been a complete lie to begin with…. To be honest, it’s been a long time since I worried about a healthy body (another little white lie, but, bear with me… this isn’t easy, you know….), or, for that matter, a healthy mind. I do what I can, with this blog, to maintain at least an outward aspect of sanity, but, in sooth, who gives a shit?….

That having been made crystal clear, at last, I could easily go on to bigger and better things. However, I believe I’ll finish this blog instead…. On that oddly comforting note, I will use my executive authority to get us where we need to be…. Luigi, fire up the engines; we’re going in…. Y’all should probably put on the body armor today; it’s a new area of the oyster beds, and it hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned of all threats yet. Don’t worry, it’s safe especially if compared to any major city streets…. Besides, the only predators allowed walk on two legs, so, they’re easy to spot….

Shall we Pearl?

“All the secrets we may be able to keep from any and every god and human being do not in the least absolve us from the obligation to refrain from whatever actions are greedy, unjust, sensual, or otherwise immoderate.” — Cicero, On Duties

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I’ve always enjoyed a capella music; it always impresses me to hear the sounds the human voice can make…. It seems this artist, Peter Hollens, has made himself a nice little career out of producing excellent covers of good music, using his voice as the sole instrument to create ALL the sounds of the various instruments needed to produce the sound he wants, and achieves, very well…. Excellent artistry, to be sure, and well worth a listen… Enjoy!….

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Lord of the Rings ~~ In Dreams

Peter Hollens

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http://youtu.be/gyY3Op47Uto

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Today’s rant(ish) section is another blast from the past, since my angst seems to have decided to hide. This one is an odd little pearl, but, pretty good, all in all…. Enjoy!….

From 9/0/2013:

“An Irishman is not drunk as long as he can hang onto a single blade of grass and not fall off the face of the earth.” — Smart Bee

Okay, so this really isn’t a pearl…. but, it IS about the funniest mental image I can imagine; I literally burst out with a guffaw when I first read this, and almost lived up to the text meme, ROFLMAO…. Since I am taking off in just a couple of hours, this has to be a relatively quick creative process, so, for this first section, I’ll go with an old school pearl, a harlequin random variety, which is the quickest to come together, even though it is also generally the most obscure type…. go figure, eh?…. Let’s see what SB has for us today…..

“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.” — Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm (1844-1900)

“I know not any thing more pleasant, or more instructive, than to compare experience with expectation, or to register from time to time the difference between idea and reality. It is by this kind of observation that we grow daily less liable to be disappointed.” — Samuel Johnson (Boswell: Life of Johnson)

“Regrets and complaints about relations are to be attributed to the same cause, which is not old age, but men’s characters and tempers; for he who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but for someone with the opposite deposition, youth and old age are equally a burden.” — Plato,_The Republic_, Book 1

“Just as there are laws of Conservation of Matter and Energy, so there are in fact Laws of Conservation of Pain and Joy. Neither can ever be created or destroyed. But one can be converted into the other.” — Spider Robinson

“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” — Albert Einstein

“If you want to know all about the sea, you go and ask a sailor, or a marine biologist, or an oceanographer, and they can tell you a lot about the sea. But if you go and ask the sea itself, what does it say? Grumble, grumble, swish swish. It is too busy being itself to know anything about itself.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

“Hello. Just walk along and try NOT to think about your INTESTINES being almost FORTY YARDS LONG!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Brilliant…. just brilliant….. I am humbled in the face of greatness…. Okay, I’ll explain this one, because it’s turned itself into an important pearl…. First, look at all of the first six, one after another, then consider them together. Try to imagine living your life according to the precepts implied in the statements….. Then, add in the last one, but, don’t allow it to color any of the others, merely append it as an example of what the first one is gives us, if we only let it….

Don’t fret if it doesn’t gel for you…. it’s all good, and tomorrow’s another day…..

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There is a new poem circling around in my head; I can feel it percolating. Since I couldn’t persuade it to come out yet, here is one from the archives, to tickle your fancy…. or not…. I like it….

Penance, Made Simple

After all the dross is sent away
a celebration can begin,
time will face up to space, to stay
willing, to shine from within.

Anger and confusion come in to share
brushing reason aside,
eager to welcome all that is fair,
alert to danger, eyes wide.

Re-gift the wicked with their own pain
stand with the just;
fail to partake of the ill-gotten gain,
living in honor, the only must.

Standing fast in the face of wrong
is its own prize and reward.
Holding on to truth makes us strong,
well worth working toward.

Little is left to chance by fate
our lessons are never free of cost.
Seldom does reality make us wait
only when alone, are we lost.

~~ gigoid ~~

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Socrates

This is rather a unique pearl…. It started out as a typical old-school pearl, with loose parameters, when I had a few free moments yesterday; within one minute, ALL of the following 13 pearls came up, with only a few in between them. When it was clear Smart Bee was done, I arranged them slightly differently than they came up, to fit the obvious conclusion…. All of these are me….

All are quotes I’ve tried to make part of my world-view, in one way, or one meaning, or another, at one time or another, for most of my life… I can’t say I’ve always been successful, except at the bozoid parts, but, I’ve worked hard at most of it…. Enjoy this little slice of gigoidness, ffolkes, if you wish…. Or, just, take ’em as they are, all good pieces of advice on how to get through life with more than the minimum required…. Naturally, 13 has always been my lucky number….

“He declared that he knew nothing, except the fact of his ignorance.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Socrates, xvi ~~

“Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus (Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon)” — Hogwarts School Motto — J. K. Rowling

“Good generally conquers evil. Unless, of course, good is stupid.” — Smart Bee, echoing gigoid’s experience closely

“Hear twice before you speak once.” — The Ancient Genius, aka, anonymous

“I didn’t yield to temptation. I came to a complete stop.” — Smart Bee, approved by gigoid as perfectly self-descriptive

“Success has ruined many a good man.” — Smart Bee, and many ancient and modern sages

“Success is women you don’t even know walking around your house.” — Saturday Night Live

“Learning is the best of all wealth; it is easy to carry, thieves cannot steal it, the tyrants cannot seize it; neither water nor fire can destroy it; and far from decreasing, it increases by giving.” — Naladiyar (c.5th-6th century) Tamil ethical literature

“The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with the qualifications for adaptation, the ability to accept the inevitable and conform to the unavoidable, to harmonize with existing or changing conditions.” — Dave E. Smalley

“A tautologically redundant plethora of surplusage.” — Smart Bee, s/a

“When washing your face, can you see your true self? When walking, can you feel the rotation of heaven? When speaking are your words without guile?
When you shop are you aware of your needs? When you meet the suffering, do you help? When you meet conflict, do you work toward harmony?” — Deng Ming-Dao

“Life is silly but should be taken seriously.” — Smart Bee, approved by gigoid, again

Don’t ask me where I’m going,
Just listen when I’m gone
And far away you’ll hear me singing
softly to the dawn

~~ Pippin ~~

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I can’t say this Pearl came together perfectly, but, it was close. Given the handicaps under which I’m operating, I’m content with it. Since that is the ONLY requirement necessary, we’re done here…. So be it; gigoid has spoken. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Laughing echoes of forever….

Posted on April 24, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

The Old Swan

Kensington, London, UK

Time shattered. Lost…. Somewhere in space, he sits, mind blank as the edge of night, seemingly caught in a web of immense danger, yet, hopeful of coffee soon…. Oh, wait. Did I say all that out loud? Oh, gosh, I’d better start over….

I’m very late, again, since the return of insomnia and angst to my life recently. I’d thought to not see them again for a time, but, I guess the retreat only went two weeks, so, they’re back, filled with enthusiasm, and ready to make my life a living hell, again… Whoopee….

Fuck it. I don’t care. I’ve got a Pearl to write, so, let’s just go do it, okay? Okay…. Luigi, get us outta here…. Hang on ffolkes….

Shall we Pearl?

“To tell a falsehood is like the cut of a saber;

for though the wound may heal, the scar of it will remain.”

~~ Saadi (1184-1291) ~~

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

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

If you have never heard of Doc Watson, you’re in for a treat…. that is, if you like guitar pickers…. Doc was one of those artists who EVERYONE else who plays looks up to, only wishing they knew what he had already forgotten…. Truly, a master of the instrument he plays….

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

Doc Watson ~ Live

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

https://youtu.be/iGReRGvU4GE

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

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

From the introduction of the Pearl posted on 9/17/2014:

Ffolkes,

“A bird can fly, but a fly can’t bird.” — Tao of Pooh.

It occurred to me, yesterday, as I sat in my chair, looking at this picture (which I’ll explain below, momentarily…), most people don’t really believe that horses, or other “lower” animals, feel the emotions with which we humans are so familiar, which cause us so much grief, due to the failure of most people to understand their place in our existence, other than as a stimulus to either act, or not act… In short, they don’t believe that animals are smart enough, or complex enough to feel love, or affection, or grief, or loyalty, or any of those higher emotions they prize, yet do not comprehend at all…. and, they couldn’t be more mistaken, at all….

Pictures such as this one are but a small, yet consistently convincing piece of the evidence available to the contrary of most people’s opinion of animals, evidence which inarguably proves, not only do animals experience emotions; moreover, they also think, with a variable degree of imagination, at a level consonant with the needs of the evolutionary niche they inhabit. They also, as we do, have feelings about those thoughts, and show those feelings just as we do, but, with way less less drama, and, no apparent need to be cruel….. Well, maybe a little, in cats, when they play with captured prey…. Mostly, though, animals express only harmonious emotions, in support of each other, and, even tolerance, for other species…. far more than we show them, or each other…

Additionally, by my assertion of their emotional and cognitive functionality, I am implying, no, claiming, they are only as smart as they need to be, without being so smart, it becomes a barrier to the actual development of their nature, to reach the potential that is there, and almost never reached in the members of our own species…. In other words, people are too damn smart for their own good; rather than being an aid to survival, and advancement as a species, their vaunted intelligence often gets in the way of their ultimate success in life, in ways the greatest majority of them do not even understand, and which, from what I observe, very likely will prove their undoing, thus, ultimately preventing them from accomplishing their most critical life task, to wit: survival of the species….

The picture of the affectionate goats is one of many I’ve saved from Facebook; this particular photo was saved quite a while ago, long enough I don’t remember what week it was, but, it was earlier this year, for sure…. Any who, to finish my thought(s)… Most people think that humans are the apex of the evolutionary ladder, merely because we are self-aware, and have a sense of that self over time… but, this demonstrates that most people just don’t understand the full concept behind evolution…

Unlike how most people tend to view evolution, it isn’t a ladder, unless one thinks of each species having its own ladder, that each member must climb… If one MUST use the tired metaphor of a ladder, then, I assert each species has its own, and, no matter how high up our species has actually climbed our own ladder, it doesn’t mean we have climbed higher, than any other species on theirs….

In fact, when one considers how well other species have adapted to this planet, how effortlessly they hold their place in the WEB of life, it becomes clear those species….. dogs, cats, cattle, ants, cockroaches, (especially these amazing critters; after 50 million years of thriving, without having to mutate at all, or alter anything about their form or abilities, they should be considered the absolute Masters of survival as a species…. Yeah, I know, creepy little buggers, but, fast, fertile, and tough as hell….), spiders, insects, and birds and reptiles, all on their own branches of the web….. well, if one looks at the Big Picture, it is only honest to admit, all of them are, in truth, much more advanced, and more efficient at surviving, than is Homo Bozoidus, (a word I coined, to very accurately give a mental image of the real evolutionary status of humans, in relation to other forms of life on this planet, as well as, perhaps, explaining a part of why we fail, so well, and so often, at becoming ourselves….).

“Give them an opposable thumb, and they think they’re special.” — Smart Bee

You see, the structure of Life more accurately resembles Reality when described by envisioning, not a hierarchy of species, arranged in a pyramid, with humans at the apex, as many people choose to see it…. but, rather, as a complex, beautiful spider’s web, (with no gravity, meaning there is no up and down, no one higher, or lower…. we’re all just in our own space…. with the choice as to whether or not to stay connected to the rest of the web…), a web shaped the same as any web on Earth, but, rotated through three dimensions, to form a sphere as big as the Universe, with each species of life inhabiting its own particular branch or segment (their strand, if you will….) of that web.

Each species has the same task as all the rest, the same inherent purpose, which is create and add our own part of the whole, one that will help to make the entire web stronger, melding the beauty of their weaving with the overall pattern of the entire sphere of life, working in harmony with all the other web dwellers…. Our purpose can not logically be found to be a matter of wasting our time and effort in life, by trying to take over the center, or steal another’s strand, or to indiscriminately kill the other inhabitants, who are peacefully living alongside us, going about their business in harmony with each other…..

Now, I’m not a religious man, as you know; I do, however, realize, as any educated man, that religions, of all types, use at least a small part of the truth to augment, and help justify the more delusional aspects of their beliefs… Jesus Christ was, in the most basic sense, a compassionate and brilliant socialist reformer, who used the methods he did to try to get the most important messages of his understanding established as part of the culture of his time… and part of his message was indeed, a large piece of the truth…

The idea that we, and all other forms of life, are one, and can only be successful if we act in harmony with the forces of nature, was not new, but, after he was killed to shut him up, this one concept was one of the first ideas to be buried; it wasn’t convenient for the Catholic Church’s founder’s plan, so, as with much of what Jesus actually taught, the final version of his churches in no way resembles what he probably, logically said… For our purpose, it is enough to know that the concept of living in harmony with the other creatures on the planet was an integral part of his teaching…. NOT the concept of being the superior, entitled master of all creatures, but, in the truest sense of the words, their cohort, their compadre, one who cherishes and husbands life, not one who uses and destroys it….

In today’s world, very, very few people actually LIVE according to the precepts of behavior and understanding that Jesus laid down for his disciples and adherents to follow; of those who are high in the hierarchy of priesthood on this planet, or ever have been, in my experience, it is rare to see one come close to living as Jesus instructed….. One exception to this experience was/is Martin Luther King, Jr….

All in all, I thought he was a pretty wise man, very much like the current Dalai Lama, (and, possibly, the new Pope; don’t really know enough about him, but, he seems sincere thus far, in his intent to live a Christian life…); Reverend King, Jr., though, seems to have a bit of Bible Belt Revival Rapture type of preaching as part of his persona, just for balance to his sobriety…. Any who, Martin Luther made a very cogent, deeply insightful statement that I’ve always liked, because it isn’t particularly locked into a purely Christian view of the universe, but, is pertinent to all of mankind’s diverse cultures… to wit:

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”” — Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In a way, this is almost identical to a thought I’ve seen many times, uttered by the leader of a much different religion/philosophy than Christianity, to wit:

Since I have spoken so long on this subject in the introduction, I’ll try to count it as today’s rant, so I don’t go overboard, again… though, to be honest, I can see how I might already have done so…. I have been KNOWN to rant here in the intro before, but, not generally to the extent of today’s outburst, (which, I have to say, came to me pretty much out of nowhere, yesterday, when the picture of the horses flashed on my screen, as part of my ever-changing desktop background….). I will honestly give it the old college try, but, as you know, it’s hard for me to promise, or give any guarantees, because, I have trained myself, in the last three years, to NOT keep my self from speaking(writing) whatever comes into my head, even when I’m not pearling….

Now, let’s see if I can come close to meeting my commitment, by heading out to dive for pearls of virtual wisdom, just as if I hadn’t spent the last hour and a half, yesterday, spewing out my usual dross about human nature, and its so obviously flawed beauty….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Animals can be driven crazy by putting too many in too small a pen. Homo sapiens is the only animal that voluntarily does this to himself.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s — “Time Enough For Love”

Note from 2015:

I’d love to continue writing, but… the monsters haven’t turned blue yet, and I have to eat more dots. Onward….

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

Pensive early and late…

Endings aren’t always a new beginning
I’m sad to say.
Sometimes it’s just an ending
there’s always a price to pay.

Still, it’s only money, he said
watching it piss away.
Did everything ‘cept meet Fred
‘n had a good time the whole way.

Even the bad stuff turned out well,
life lessons are just that way.
Knowing what’s right, you can’t always tell,
we don’t always know the right things to say.

I’ll take all the hard times, without complaint,
learning isn’t always easy to take.
Kindness, patience, and compassion without restraint,
are still the best decisions we can make.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/26/2013.

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

Today’s final old-school pearl was constructed as a lesson… Oh, not that I’ve got all that much to teach; I just enjoy the process, for what I learn from completing it…. It’s one of the few kinds of pearls created in a conscious fashion; most of them I pick by feel, so to speak, with just a vague idea of what will work, or happen… This one, since it was devised as a lesson, naturally, has a Zen koan, of sorts, as a closing pearl…. Enjoy!…. Oh, and, those who aren’t used to this, try not to hurt yourselves; you aren’t getting paid….

“Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” — Francis Bacon

“It was a saying of Demetrius Phalereus, that “Men having often abandoned what was visible for the sake of what was uncertain, have not got what they expected, and have lost what they had,–being unfortunate by an enigmatical sort of calamity.” — Athenaeus (c. 200 AD) — The Deipnosophists, vi, 23

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

Dum vivimus, vivamus. “While we live, let us live.” — Epicurean axiom

“Only the educated are free.” — Epictetus

“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

One day it was announced by master Joshu that the young monk Kyogen had reached an enlightened state. Much impressed by this news, several of his
peers went to speak with him. “We have heard that you are enlightened. Is this true?” his fellow students inquired. “It is”, Kyogen answered. “Tell us”, said a friend, “how do you feel?” “As miserable as ever”, replied the enlightened Kyogen. — Smart Zen Bee

Well…. There you go. I think, this is one of those times for which the following phrase makes the most sense, to wit: further, deponent sayeth not….

gigoid, the dubious deponent

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

It will have to do. I don’t have the time… oh, wait. Well, yes, I guess I do. But, I was about to add, nor the inclination (so there!) to work on it any further…. Hence, the “it will have to do…” part, because, hey, it will have to do…. The other part of that is, I’m outta here, so, see ya tomorrow, ffolkes, provided the new towels get delivered on time….

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 ~~

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

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….

Desperate times call for desperate measures….

Posted on April 22, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.”

~~ The Beatles ~~

White’s Tavern ~~ Belfast, Northern Ireland

~~ Est. 1630 A.D. ~~

Boy, it would sure be nice to be in White’s Tavern, sipping a pint of pilsner or ale, with perhaps some bangers & mash for lunch…. ‘Twould be much simpler, and more comfortably lucrative, than sitting here trying to plumb the empty depths of my mind for a new intro section technique, or method, or template, or ANYFUCKINGTHING that would help to get this done each morning, without my having to go through this bullshit…. Grrrr!

Oh, well, such is life in the blog world. Now I’ve vented, we can get on with this….. I’m not going to fuss around with it today; this paragraph is the last you’ll see in this section, guaranteed. I’ll make that so if I have to hijack the entire vehicle, to get it out of here before we turn to stone. In light of that goal, I see it’s time to get ruthless, a condition I’m beginning to enjoy…. Let’s cut this even shorter, okay? Luigi, number four, if you please…. Hang tight, ffolkes, it’s now, or never….

Shall we Pearl?

“At the back of our brains, so to speak, there was a forgotten blaze or burst of astonishment at our own existence. The object of the artistic and spiritual life was to dig for this submerged sunrise or wonder; so that a man sitting in a chair might suddenly understand that he was actually alive, and be happy.” — G.K. Chesterton

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

Yesterday, a name floated up out of the depths of memory; Norman Blake. I had not thought of him, or his music, for over 45 years., and have no idea why it surfaced now; I was trying to remember the name of another guitarist (which still escapes me at this moment…). Now I’ve refreshed my memory, I have to wonder why I forgot him, for I’ve missed out on a lot of good music over the years for having done so…. Enjoy, ffolkes… If all works the way it’s supposed to, the player should play for you 200 videos of his work, including some live cuts with other great bluegrass and folk guitarists, as well as all of the other instruments in a string band….

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

Norman Blake ~ Flatpicker

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

https://youtu.be/UEkVkJax2Co?list=PLaaGQur9ZLg2pVWppPQQ0FI0txMkmaATX

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

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

“Why waste time learning when ignorance is instantaneous?” — Calvin and Hobbes

Why indeed? In today’s world, this question is one I believe 99% of the people alive would answer in the affirmative, agreeing it is too much trouble to expend effort, when lying, cheating, and denial are rewarded so frequently by the system in which we find ourselves living…. Our world, as it works today, rewards dishonesty far more than its opposite; that is the entire premise of the banking industry, upon which all the rules of accounting, and business theory, are predicated…. Hell, it doesn’t stop there; our entire culture is one in which all the worst facets of human nature are of more survival value than any virtue… Bigotry, racism, dishonesty, elitism, all have become the characteristics of those who would be considered the leaders of our society….

Why, you may ask, do I make such claims? Simple…. there’s too much supporting evidence to doubt it. Our culture has been usurped by those who live by the sword, and the staff. They do so because most people are too lazy, or too fearful, or too ignorant, or too weak-willed to take responsibility for their OWN actions and/or beliefs; moreover, they say NOTHING when they see injustice happening in front of their eyes, slipping quickly into denial, or, deliberate ignorance, in order to sustain their (mistaken) self-image, as promoted by the leaders, and their sycophants, the priestly hierarchies…. i.e. those religious dogmatists who train the minds of the weak to accept whatever they’re told, or suffer the agonies of Hell….

Thus, we now live in what is essentially the same type of society that has prevailed throughout all of history, to wit: an oligarchy, with the rich and powerful making the laws to suit themselves, as supported by the governments, and the religions, and the police and military, all of whom perform the bidding of their corporate masters, in order to maintain the illusions so successfully fed to the ignorant, unwashed masses, who do not, for the most part, ever realize they are slaves…

I began this rant(ish) piece yesterday; this morning, I find little to add, but for some advice on how to help change things… You see, none of this shit happening today is ever going to stop, unless the people in the world who understand the problem get off their asses, and do something about the assholes who are fucking it all up for the rest of us…. Unfortunately, the necessary actions to do so are of the type so often used by those self-same assholes, to wit, force, or violence, which is anathema to a nature that understands the Truth of Life. Yet, I can see no other way, unless, for some reason, all those people realize the assholes can only do what they do WITH OUR COMPLICIT, TACIT APPROVAL.

So, the answer, it seems lies in refusing to cooperate with them…. deny them, resist them, question them, and never ever do as they tell you to do, unless you do so to insinuate into a position of more influence, so as to better apply the tools of resistance, from within their own bureaucracy…. In short, guerrilla tactics, striking at the basis of their lies, to bring truth to the people…. Once the mass of humanity understands the problem, the elitists KNOW they will be overwhelmed, no matter how many guns they have. If ALL the people rose up, to deny, to laugh at them, to refuse to do their bidding, they would have no basis on which to rest their power, and it would all collapse around them….

It’s not the best, or fastest way, but, laughter, and civil disobedience are powerful weapons, in the hands of the PEOPLE. Act only from right thoughts, love your brothers and sisters, and refuse to comply with their insanity…. The whole house of cards upon which their rule is based will fall down, in the lightest of breezes, brought to life by the laughter of the people…. Then, perhaps, we can start to repair the damage to our home, and get on with our true destiny, to reach for the stars….

There, how was that? A rant that didn’t end badly, and even gives positive instructions on how to end the nonsensical world in which we are currently living…. A much brighter, happier world is within our grasp, and, I, for one, can’t wait to get started building it…. I think I’m going to build my new life on Mars, or perhaps, Titan, the moon of Saturn where Man may build a new home, provided we can survive long enough to get there…. I can’t wait….

Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 271 ~~

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

In 2013 I participated, minimally, in the National Poetry Writing Month challenge, to write a poem each day of the month. It’s going on this year, as well, but, I didn’t feel like getting into it, being preoccupied with events in the BBR as I am. The poem I’ve included today is apparently the first one I wrote for the challenge; after, I’ve composed a new haiku, just for fun…. Enjoy, if possible…. just a little humor in the poetry section, y’know?….

Serendipity Morning

My mind wants to fly,
my soul wants to hold close, the source,
strong, the moments of time;
each as precious as golden thread,
binding together such elements of longing desire.

Love hovers, always patient,
   seeking the open heart,
reaching for the promise of tomorrow…..
   only for one, only for now, only what is real….
Dreaming, the morning calls,
   heavy with mordant belief,
replete, and eternally alive…..

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

One Step

The road calls my feet;
anticipating freedom.
To walk in the world.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Just a bit of whimsy to end the day’s madness, eh? Well, maybe just a little more than a bit…. No worries, ffolkes, none of this will be on the test, though, I’m thinking it’d be a good one to bring with you on the day….

“A graceful taunt is worth a thousand insults.” — Louis Nizer

“A door is something you’re on the wrong side of when you’re too short to reach the knob. When you are tall enough to reach the knob, a door is something you have left open if it’s supposed to be closed, or closed if it’s supposed to be open. You can’t win. Whichever you do, you have done it wrong. So close all open doors and open all closed doors. You will still be wrong but you will be busy.” — Robert Paul Smith

“A cat’s worst enemy is a closed door.” — Smart Bee

“I guess we were all guilty, in a way. We all shot him, we all skinned him, and we all got a complimentary bumper sticker that said, “I helped skin Bob.” — Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

“Aha! Pronoun trouble!” — Daffy Duck

“God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent- it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash, and in small bills.” — Lazarus Long

“Bother!”, said Pooh, as Piglet covered both hands with Crisco & smiled….

“If I could believe that this was said sincerely, I could put up with anything.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Act i, Sc. 2, 96, (176.)

“If all is not lost, then where is it?” — Smart Bee

“I don’t see no p’ints about that frog that’s any better’n any other frog.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), The Celebrated Jumping Frog

“This was no bowling accident! Those are shark bites!” — Aquaman, 1957, vol 3, issue 24

“Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtaxed.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes

Oh.

Whoops…. I guess I’m done now…. Whew! Sometimes, I think it might be a good idea to put a bit of discipline into my life….

Nah! Okay, one final word, the perfect closing line for this one….

“Mister! Here’s your mule!” — Smart Bee

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

Since everything in this pearl, save the poem, is fresh, including the haiku, I’m going to declare it done, before even proofing. I can do that on the fly, and, I’m a bit late, so, it will have to do…. I’m not entirely certain as to the quality of what just transpired, but, I’m trusting to the flow to make it right…. Sure, that’ll work…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. I know, a bit optimistic, but, hey, it all adds to the illusion, right?….

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….

Turnips & aquavit; breakfast of champions….

Posted on April 21, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Nothing in human affairs is worth any great anxiety.”

~~ Plato ~~

Afternoon sun shines

brightly through the pepper tree.

Beauty strikes at will.

~~ gigoid ~~

Oh, no! Just when I thought I had this figured out, I get up to find myself again confronted by a vast white space, with nothing worth writing to be found anywhere in my mind…. Scary, and frustrating, since I had achieved a bit of success at getting them done in a timely fashion…. Y’know what, ffolkes? I’m not even going to fuss with it at all. The damn screen up here can remain blank, for all I care. I’m going to be as ruthless as I’ve ever been, even counting the time I…. no, I probably shouldn’t share that. The statute of limitations hasn’t passed yet. Ah well… Any who, I think we’ll just end this right here, before we get fully started, and before this gets any stranger than it already is…. Luigi, get us out of here!….

Shall we Pearl?

“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.” — Oscar Wilde, “Oscariana”

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

Image from elvinbishipmusic.com via Google Free Images

One of this artist’s peers once said of him, “He’s ain’t good lookin’, but he sure can play.” Elvin Bishop’s primary source of fun in life was playing music on stage; one could tell that by the constant grin on his face as he played. No other artist I ever saw in a live performance consistently gives his all for his fans onstage like Elvin; I’ve been to see him in a lot of different venues, and it is ALWAYS a great time…. In fact, I’m thinking of making his song, Travelin’ Shoes, my theme song…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it doesn’t get any better than this for live music….

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

Elvin Bishop ~~ Travelin’ Shoes 1975 BBC

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

https://youtu.be/nn43E7GXHwY

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

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

Le Penseur ~~ August Rodin

A short, but, potent rant from the intro section of the Pearl posted on 10/5/2013:

Unbeknownst to the remainder of the world, I struggle, here in the dark of the morning, waging war with the always-present, never-sleeping, force of evil, that the world calls Bob, or sometimes, Steve-a-rino….. No matter what name we use, by any other token, they are very, very bad evils, whether in their initial, merely bloody, sharp-sword incarnation, or if they’ve gone into complete chainsaw mode. Either way, somebody is in for a world of hurt….

“What the hell is he babbling about now?”, is probably the foremost question in your mind(s) right now…. (I know, assuming that more than one mind currently reading this is being, perhaps, too hopeful…. My readership has taken a severe dip lately….)…. I’m babbling because, hey, it’s what I’m best at, and nothing else seemed as if it was going to get me down the road toward a real Pearl, so, I just went with it…. It’s not as if y’all had gotten accustomed to a more elegant format around here, now, is it? No, we’ve been stuck in bourgeois mode for quite some time now, with no real change of venue in sight…

Not that there’s anything wrong with being bourgeois; it’s only when we start trying to break into proletariat mode trouble begins, as it always does in such cases….. The human animal, though it always seems to fall into some form of hierarchical society, seems to function most efficiently when categories such as bourgeois, proletarian, or any others based on financial worth, are NOT used to determine one’s relative place in society…. The only truly honorable form would be a society where one’s social standing was based solely on how much one gave back to that society…. This, however, is mere speculation, since no human society has ever been structured in such a manner that it could be considered as “honorable”…..

Society has always been structured to favor those with the most resources under their control, which is why we are seeing the issues we now have to deal with, as the effects of entropy over time wear away at the foundations upon which it is built. Money is an artificial concept, not really a part of reality, other than as we humans perceive it to be, and therefore, only has the importance that we place on it. Making it the primary social factor that determines how high up in society one rises in the estimation of peers is destined to become a problem, as human nature tends not to share very well…. in short, people get greedy, and hoard all the resources (money) to themselves, ensuring their own place, and keeping others in a place lesser than their own….

Politicians, bless their black, lying, little hearts, would have us believe we live in a classless society, that everyone is equal, and has equal rights…. Well, ffolkes, guess what?…. That’s just another of their ubiquitous lies, and society isn’t like that at all…. At every level, built in prejudices and misconceptions, guided and kept true by unseen, but iron-clad cliches, color people’s viewpoint with the brush of discrimination, based on how much money a person makes, or what color their skin may be, or where they were born, or whether or not they stand up to pee…

People use a myriad ways to decide that other people aren’t as good as they are, all of which are lies; all of those thousands of prejudices are taught by, enforced by, and continuously enabled by the BRC, our Beloved Ruling Class, who believes their place at the top of society is inherently theirs. Given this long-held delusion, and the fact that it has held sway over the rest of society for over ten thousand years, it seems clear they have no intention of ever relinquishing that place to anyone else….

Oops, it happened again, didn’t it? I fell right into another opening rant, never realizing what I was up to until I was a thousand words down the pike… I guess it’s okay; I don’t see any casualties, other than my own readership’s numbers, so, apparently nobody was standing close enough to get hit by the flying shrapnel….. The fact that there ARE no casualties is not necessarily a good thing, you know….. a couple of bodies would at least indicate that there is SOMEONE reading this stuff, but, I guess my ego doesn’t really need THAT kind of proof…. It’s all a wash anyhow, as I ran out of lime and sulfuric acid, and I’d have a hard time disposing of the corpses… so, it’s just as well….

On that note, I think I’d best get on with it…. Shall we Pearl?…..

“By space the universe encompasses and swallows me up like a dot; by thought I encompass the Universe.” — Pascal, Pensees, n. 265

“To sit silently, and look wise, is not to be compared to drinking sake and making a riotous shouting.” — Ono No Tabitu

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

I found this poem from e.e. cummings hiding in Smart Bee, whereupon it was instantly chosen for today’s poetry section, because, hey, good stuff. The Kokopelli adornment above just seems appropriate; if the reason for that is unclear, I suggest googling the name for some background….

Most simply put, according to the Navajo/Hopi beliefs about Reality, Kokopelli is a spirit form, which they see as a very basic part of everything, a representation of one of the eternal principles they saw in the world; in this case, of Entropy, in flesh form…. Coyote, the Trickster is one of the manifestations of his spirit; sometimes seen as his companion, other times he is a shape-shifter who assumes coyote form… One can never tell what the Trickster might be up to in Reality, so, it’s well to plan for his presence….

jake hates
   all the girls(the
shy ones, the bold paul scorns all
ones; the meek           the girls(the
proud sloppy sleek) bright ones, the dim
all except the cold ones; the slim
     ones plump tiny tall)
    all except the
           dull ones
gus loves all the
   girls(the
warped ones, the lamed mike likes all the girls
ones; the mad      (the
moronic maimed)   fat ones, the lean
all except   ones; the mean
   the dead ones kind dirty clean)
    all
       except the green ones

~~ e e cummings ~~

Hmm…. I may have chosen better than I knew… It occurs to me, perhaps Mr. Cummings wasn’t talking about girls, at all…. ya think? Bears thinking about, I’d say….

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

Today’s final pearl, in my mind, is pretty obviously a recipe…. Any ideas as to the dish it describes? Feel free to comment below….

“Each of us bears his own Hell.” — Publius Maro

“We are all captives of the pictures in our heads.” — Walter Lippmann

“I’m the one who’s got to die when its time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.” — Jimi Hendrix

“If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us.” — Hermann Hesse, _Demian_, 1919

“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.” — G.K. Chesterton

“There are two sentences inscribed upon the Delphic oracle, hugely accommodated to the usages of man’s life: “Know thyself”, and “Nothing too much”; and upon these all other precepts depend.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Consolation to Apollonius

“If a man remembers what is right at the sign of profit, is ready to lay down his life in the face of danger, and does not forget sentiments he has repeated all his life when he has been in straitened circumstances for a long time, he may be said to be a complete man.” — Confucius — Analects, XIV.12

When I ‘m not thank’d at all, I ‘m thank’d enough;
I ‘ve done my duty, and I ‘ve done no more.

~~ Henry Fielding (1707-1754) ~~

~~ Tom Thumb the Great, Act i, Sc. 3 ~~

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

Since I managed to begin with alacrity, I shall end the same way. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, with the usual caveat…. to wit: as long as I remain at liberty….

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….

Solid fuel burns longer, trust us….

Posted on April 18, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Hold the MAYO & pass the COSMIC AWARENESS…”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

Coastline south of La Bufadora, Ensenada, Baja Mexico

Those of y’all who have been here frequently, (a habit, anout which, I’m sure most of y’all are a bit ambivalent… of course…), know of my ongoing battle with the process of introducing these Pearls…. Having to come up with something new, and different each day, while still making it worthwhile reading, is rather a daunting challenge, about which I consistently whine in a piteous, pitiable fashion…. Well, I’ll tell ya, I’m as tired of it as you are….

So, I’m again going to exercise my powers as Administrator, and as a Time Lord (I’m late again..) to get us out of here. I think a judicious use of #4 will work nicely, and so do you…. Y’all know this routine by now; put down your cups, make sure you’ve swallowed, and hang on. Luigi, while a professional, isn’t the most comfortable pilot to ride with; something to do with his time in Vietnam, as a copter door-gunner…. He doesn’t much care about danger, you see, having burned out all his neuronic receptors for that in what is left of his mind…. But, no worries, he gets an odd look in his eyes, but, he hasn’t crashed yet….

Shall we Pearl?

“Do not speak of what men deserve. For we each of us deserve everything, every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead Kings, and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger. Have we not eaten while another starved? Will you punish us for that? Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate? No man earns punishment, no man earns reward. Free your mind of the idea of *deserving*, of *earning*, and you will begin to be able to think.” — Odo, The Prison Letters (Ursula LeGuin, _The Dispossessed_)

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

This movie selection may pull my covers as a closet romantic, but, I don’t care. It’s one of my favorite movies to watch, when I’m looking for some mindless, comfortable, funny relaxation…. Kevin Kline’s performance is brilliant, with Meg Ryan playing off him perfectly as the ditzy blond she probably is very much like in the real world…. but, who knows, and who cares? It’s fun, and that’s enough…. Enjoy, ffolkes…

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

French Kiss

Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline

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

https://youtu.be/_mNts8Qoms4

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

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

I’m still unable to bring myself to ranting state, so, here’s one from last year about this time….

From 4/4/2014:

The shadowy corporate snakeheads, (“snakeheads” is my newest shortcut name for the 1%,the rich and powerful who control the money and resources of this planet…. I use it because it is the English translation of the Chinese word for “slaver”, human traffickers who who dupe, or kidnap men, women, and children selling them into prostitution and/or slavery…. Thus, it becomes the perfect word to come after “corporate” when referring to one of those assholes….), who control the world, in their campaign to secure their position as the rulers of humanity, influenced the Shrubs enough during their terms in office that the Supreme Court justices they picked to replace dead judges were all their conservative buddies, all of whom are comfortably in the pockets of those self-same corporations. This, of course, has allowed the assholes who bought them to make even further inroads on our rights as individual citizens, by establishing the rights of corporations as superior to the rights of an individual….

A couple years ago, this led to the Citizens United decision, which gave the money-grubbers the opportunity to spend even more money on influencing politicians and elections, by forming giant Political Action Committees, where they could funnel millions of dollars into holding organizations, where it could be used for influencing elections, and to bribe congressional lawmakers…. That decision is a big part of how the Republican Party has managed to pass so many conservative laws in states around the nation, such as anti-abortion laws, and voting regulations which allow them to manipulate themselves into office, by providing obstacles which prevent the supporters of those who oppose them from voting….

Yesterday that decision was reinforced by yet another decision eroding our protection against corruption, a decision which removed most of the limits on how much money an individual can contribute, thus giving rich, avaricious, corrupt billionaires more say in Congress than the average citizen can match, allowing even more money to find a direct route into the Congressional pockets…. Below are two articles, from two sources, to offer a slightly different viewpoint (insofar as the media CAN be even-handed in their reporting….), just so we’re not limiting ourselves to one view…. C’mon back when you’re done, for what discussion may follow….

http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Supreme-Court-strikes-down-overall-political-5371989.php

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/02/supreme-court-campaign-finance/4481675/

I’m pissed…. I’m so pissed, all I feel like doing is sitting here typing obscene names to call those assholes, in Texas (where Jr. lives….), Maryland (I think that’s where Shrub, Sr. lives…), and Washington D.C, at the courthouse, (where the Supremes hang out….)…. My next feeling, which somehow reminds me very much of sheer, unadulterated rage, is one that may just prompt me to go out, find a gun store, giving in to the urge buy the guns I’ve been considering…. Don’t worry, I won’t forget the ammunition…. I may have been a practicing pacifist for a long time, but, mostly, at least in terms of personal survival, that was just a pose to get the draft board off my back…. I have no issue with the use of force in support of what I believe is right…

For today, though, I’ll give myself some slack, which will give you some relief, from having to listen to my ranting over stuff we can’t change…. At least, nothing will change without resorting to drastic measures, in which most ffolkes are unwilling to engage, lest they risk increasing their karmic burden…. I figure it this way…. If we DON’T give up our insistence on non-violence, we are all going to die….. that is for sure and for certain, if things don’t change very soon….

That means there won’t be any next reincarnation, not on this planet, because it won’t have us; we are being evicted from this plane of existence… So, I don’t have to worry about coming back as in a form with less karmic status, as we won’t be coming back HERE at all…. Our energy configuration will just have to find some other reality to inhabit, because Mother Earth isn’t likely to rent to us again…. We’re too hard on the property….

Ah, the hell with it…. I’m pissed…. or did I say that already? Okay, I’m done…. Since I’m not organized or coherent enough to produce a true rant (I don’t consider this loud complaint a rant…. not enough reasoning, or quite enough structure….), I’ll fall back on another old-school pearl to close this out for the day….. I’ll bet you’re cheering inside, right?…. Okay, then, here, have it your way….

“Ignorance doesn’t kill you, but it makes you sweat a lot.” — Haitian proverb

“Faboo!, Would you like to see me make bubbles with my spit?” — Wakko Warner

OCCIDENT, n. The part of the world lying west (or east) of the Orient. It is largely inhabited by Christians, a powerful sub-tribe of the Hypocrites, whose principal industries are murder and cheating, which they are pleased to call “war” and “commerce.” These, also, are the principal industries of the Orient. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“There’s nothing wrong with you a shotgun blast to the face couldn’t fix.” — Smart Bee, from gigoid’s political fantasy files

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

“And took for truth the test of ridicule.” — George Crabbe (1754-1832) — Tales of the Hall, Book viii, The Sisters

“Every nation ridicules other nations, and all are right.” — Arthur Schopenhauer

Perfect…. I have only one thing left to say, to wit:

“There are two intelligent responses to contemporary Western civilization: laughter and despair. You’ll note I’m not laughing.” — gigoid

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

“But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having.” — EFF co-founder John Perry Barlow, “Cynthia Horner’s Eulogy”, Apr. 1994

Unsolicited Gratitude

Fear becomes familiar when reality bodes us ill
pain assumes first position, no matter our will.
Powerless, we founder, no strength to prevail
anguished and afraid, against unwanted Fate we rail.

Still, a grain of hope deep inside, hidden well against need
gives us reason to survive, our starving souls to feed.
Failure of courage burdens time, of being bested,
until our souls, in submission, become foully infested.

Bitter tears wash through us each day, with little care,
no thought, no feeling, no wish, or need to be fair.
Rendered clueless, confusion falls upon us, as prey,
we surrender a piece of our soul, little as we may.

Yet, always, a bright beam of hope is seen from afar,
no matter how dreary, or dark, it may seem where we are.
None knows, nor would consent to tell, it seems
from whence it hails, or why it so brightly gleams.

Saving our sanity, absolving our unwanted fears,
dispelling the myths and lies that come with the years.
Each man has known the precious gift that hope may give
And gives glad thanks, as long as he may live.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Smart Bee is cooperating, but, reluctantly; it took a LONG time to put this one together, and I’m still not sure what it means…. Good food for thought, though, all of it….

“The field of consciousness is tiny. It accepts only one problem at a time. Get into a fist fight, put your mind on the strategy of the fight, and you will not feel the other fellow’s punches.”– Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“I do not distinguish by the eye, but by the mind, which is the proper judge of the man.” — Seneca (8 BC) — On a Happy Life, 2, (L’Estrange’s Abstract, Chap, i.)

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

“Anyone who has had a bull by the tail knows five or six more things than someone who hasn’t.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)

“Nature forms us for ourselves, not for others; to be, not to seem.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xxxvii, — Of the Resemblance of Children to their Brothers

“In every affair consider what precedes and what follows, and then undertake it.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — That Everything is to be undertaken with Circumspection, — Discourses, Book iii, Chap. xv

“I grow old ever learning many things.” — Solon 630 – 555 BC

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

I have fulfilled my vow, and may now take my leave. I shall do so forthwith, as I can’t seem to break out of this formality, much as it chokes me to experience…. SIGH…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless I come to my senses….

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….

Lost in the Sea of Choices

Posted on April 17, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Life is not to be bought with heaps of gold:
Not all Apollo’s Pythian treasures hold,
Or Troy once held, in peace and pride of sway,
Can bribe the poor possession of a day.

~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) ~~

~~ The Iliad of Homer, Book ix, Line 524 ~~

Pearl House

Aye, lost indeed…. Not that it’s anything new, or unexpected; merely a new variety of our least favorite category of feelings, to wit: a pain in the proverbial, and actual, arse. Any routine I may have had is now kaput, and the effects are beginning to register on the process, in a fashion nobody can call any version of good. Even I, with my vast store of words from which to choose, can only come up with a batch of stilted, whiny complaints that nobody, least of all, me, wishes to hear first thing in the morning….

Fuck it. I’m not going to screw around with it today. This, you may have noted, is the intro. Pearl, meet your Gentle Reader…. Gentle Reader, this is your Pearl for today…. Get on with it, both of you, or, no snacks….. I am now in full curmudgeon mode, and there’s no turning back now…. Luigi, take us out of here, stat….

Shall we Pearl?

“History has the relation to truth that theology has to religion — i.e., none to speak of.” — Lazarus Long

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

Image from Disney Clip Art

Who doesn’t know and love these two little scamps? Only a few bitter people…. Enjoy, ffolkes; we can all use a break now and then….

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

Chip & Dale

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

https://youtu.be/KFkE14vwP8o

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

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

Written 12/22/2011:

Modern Times, Indeed

Less than Random thoughts on Modern Society

“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” — Confucius

“He who does neither is eligible to join the crowd as a Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2012.” — gigoid

Although there are moments, when I’m reading some new report on the latest verbal bomb from the Republican gallery of fools, that I despair for the race, I have to admit it’s really handy for us writers. Every day, sometimes several times, we are presented with a huge bounty of material by these folks, who seem to not only have the habit of shooting themselves in the foot, but seem to enjoy it, and, at best, are using it as a campaign tactic to draw attention. There isn’t even any need to go deep to look for stuff the politicos would rather we didn’t know, because they have taken it upon themselves to offer that information in their own statements, made obvious by their loquaciousness on certain subjects, and their reluctance to speak on others. It’s almost as if they are printing up pictures of themselves with arrows pointing to their most vulnerable points, and handing them out with their media packets.

I really don’t understand how so many obviously unqualified and deliberately ignorant group of people ever got the notion that they could possibly do this, when their primary distinguishing characteristics are blatant religious bigotry and racism (or in at least two cases, demonstrably sociopatchic tendencies). The only thing I can come up with is that they are completely out of touch with any sort of objective information about reality, and have determined that their own subjective judgments are sufficient reason to qualify them for the Presidency. In other words, they are delusional, as that word is defined as “continuing to hold as truth information that has been proven false.” Now, do we really want anyone who suffers from delusional thinking to be the one holding the button that launches the nuclear holocaust? I don’ know about you, but I would give that question a resounding “NO!”…..and not feel even a smidgeon of guilt…..

“[E]lections amount to little more than choosing between the scum that floats to the top of the barrel and the dregs that settle to the bottom.” — L. Neil Smith

There are at least two facets of this gem that disturb me, aside from its obvious veracity, and I can’t decide which is the more unsettling. First, the fact that it is funny is a sad commentary on our political scene; we always laugh at what hurts the most, and having to laugh about the choices we have in the political arena hurts a great deal. I’m not particularly happy about it when I have to make a choice between the lesser of two evils; no matter which is chosen, it’s still evil.

Even more disturbing to me, however, is the failure of courage this implies on the part of the general populace. Continually forced to make poor choices, the people have become resigned to low-quality leadership, and haven’t the heart to demand changes. The mere fact of existence for this ‘joke’ indicates that we, as a society, have given up, and are apathetic about which particular member of our beloved ruling class is currently stealing from us. We are so used to being bent over and violated, we walk around with no belt, and a jar of Vaseline, so it hurts less, and ends sooner….

Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp! cries she
With silent lips. Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me…

~~ Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus” ~~

In today’s tempest-in-a-teapot of political chicanery, and unbridled avarice, so-called “patriots” wander around spouting off about how proud they are to be an “Uhmurrikin”, (spelled phonetically to reflect the butchering of their native tongue), and shower us on a daily basis with their nonsensical claims and ignorant racism. How can one be proud to be American? Did you choose to be born here? No, it was an accident of birth. Your parents have the right to be proud, for having provided you with your citizenship, but you didn’t have any say in the matter, and have no reason to be proud. It’s just a false pride, stemming out of the Judeo-Christian concept of elitism so prevalent among the elitists.

I would wager a considerable sum, and give good odds, that none of the current political superstars knows where this poem is inscribed. Even if they do know, they would no doubt disagree with the idea, and will find some way to throw dirt on the sentiment displayed, because as we all know, we only want new immigrants who are white Christians with money. Persons of color, the poor, or heretics, aren’t wanted by a surprisingly large number of politicians who live on the Right side of our two point six party system.

The idea of sharing is foreign to them (pun intentional, naturally), and learning to embrace both compassion and diversity is well beyond their self-limited, and self-limiting, capabilities. Ignorance has won a lot of battles recently, in the eternal war it carries on with the forces of Reason and Knowledge. I’m thinking it’s time for the proponents of the latter to remove their gloves, and get down to the serious business of beating ignorance out of the human spirit…. We hold the keys to our final destiny in our own hands, and regardless of the outcome, we are responsible….though one would be hard-pressed to find a member of our beloved ruling class who would admit to it….

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

Written 2/19/2013:

Waiting to Find

Feeling and looking routinely fabulous,
seldom seems as hauntingly ridiculous,
scintillation is hardly more perilous,
or quite as fascinatingly anomalous.

Gaia pales in the face of redundancy,
yet welcomes elemental shades of necromancy,
never failing, episodic bouts of philanthropy,
can often be misconstrued as misanthropy.

It’s all much too fancy,
yet not sufficiently chancy,
to fulfill the promise made for pants.
It can’t be the thyme,
so it must be the rhyme.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

I’m going to be giving up on Smart Bee soon. It’s getting more difficult each day to get it to let loose of anything worthwhile… Ah well, it’s apparently got a few old-school pearls left in it, even if they’re a bit obscure in their conclusions, like this one…. Enjoy, but, don’t try too hard; I have a feeling it’s booby-trapped…. Hence the picture of Kokopelli, as a warning to examine your Reality closely when it is handed back to you….

“Imagination creates reality.” — (Wilhelm) Richard Wagner

“Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth. When perfect sincerity is expected, perfect freedom must be allowed; nor has anyone who is apt to be angry when he hears the truth, any cause to wonder that he does not hear it.” — Tacitus

“There are occasions when it is undoubtedly better to incur loss than to make gain.” — Plautus (254-184 BC) — Captivi, Act ii, Sc. 2, 77, (327.)

“A man cannot speak but he judges himself…no man thoroughly understands a truth until he has contended against it.” — Emerson

“A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty. There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self.” — Eric Hoffer

“Yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream.” — Kahlil Gibran

Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land?
All fear, none aid you, and few understand.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 261 ~~

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

Okay, I’m done, and glad to be so…. I enjoy this, even when it’s hard work, such as it was today…. Go figure. Any who, if nothing happens to convince me otherwise, I’ll see y’all tomorrow…. Stay alert, ffolkes, it’s getting a bit crazy out there….

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….

Borne to be filed….

Posted on April 16, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“You could not step twice into the same rivers;

for other waters are ever flowing on to you.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

January Spring in California

Pale, shaking, I sit to type, knowing full well I’ll never finish this one…. I’m not up to this, ffolkes, not today… I got most of it done yesterday, so, that’s what you’re getting, without any polish or stain…. In fact, this is it…. If it gets posted, I’ll consider it a victory over Reality….

I win…. which is good, if unrealistic….

Shall we Pearl?

“It is by not always thinking of yourself, if you can manage it, that you might somehow be happy. Until you make room in your life for someone as important to you as yourself, you will always be searching and lost …” — Richard Bach, Spoken by Leslie Parrish, The Bridge Across Forever

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

Image from http://www.notrecinema.net via Google images

I’m STILL in love…. SIGH…. fantasies are all we have some days….

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

Marianne Faithfull

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

https://youtu.be/j8JJ6du3Vio?list=RDj8JJ6du3Vio

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

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

First posted online, via Triond, in June of 2012:

Shouting into the Wind

Exploring extinction from a non-rhetorical view….

“We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism. Land can be healthy or sick, fertile or barren, rich or poor, lovingly nurtured or bled white. Our present attitudes and laws governing the ownership and use of land represent an abuse of the concept of private property…. Today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see and nobody calls the cops.” — Paul Brooks, The Pursuit of Wilderness (1971)

This statement is now over 50 years old, according to the attribution. From what I can see in the real world, it remains as true today as it was when uttered. We are killing our planet, or rather, we are killing ourselves, and making the planet suffer in the process. No matter how God-like we believe our powers to be, I don’t believe we can quite destroy a whole planet. But, we can sure make it a tough place to survive, and we are doing that rapidly….

Why are we doing this to ourselves? I’m not the only citizen who is asking this question; there are actually millions of people like me who are aware of how bad things have gotten, and I’ve seen a lot of printed material on the subject. The problem is that nobody with any power to make changes to society at large is at all concerned with the problem, because A) They tend to deny it, as it doesn’t match their delusional view of reality, and B) They don’t care…..

The first reason, denial, is rooted in the avarice and selfishness of those who seek political and/or religious power. Their purpose in life is to “get” as much as they can, gathering resources, money, and power over others to their bosoms like a mother cradles her babe. This purpose keeps them focused on their own goals, and denial is the simplest way to deal with any ideas that are contrary to those goals. There is a popular saying these days, that I’ve heard many, many times, most often with a smile and a wink, to show that the person wants us to believe they are kidding, when they really are not…. that saying goes, “He who dies with the most toys, wins….” That’s America, all over….

The second reason, indifference, was taught to these folks by the Christian religion. That’s right, religion is responsible, fully and completely, for most of what is wrong in today’s society. This statement will no doubt cause some consternation among those believers who are still buying into that shell game, but it is nonetheless true. It is difficult to build a rational institution when one’s beliefs are based on a basic untruth. More simply, false conclusions are the only possible result of beginning with a false assumption….

“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

What, you ask, is this false assumption? Well, I hate to be the one to break it to them, but hey, Mankind is NOT the top of the food chain. Mankind is NOT superior to the other animals, and plants, that live here with us. Mankind is NOT the “owner”, or the “steward”, or the “ruler” of this world. We are not the “Lords of Creation”, nor do we either deserve or actually possess the entitlement so many of our beloved ruling class feels, or claims. We are nothing more than a fortunate (for us) accident of Nature, no less than any other creature, but no more, for certain….

Here the free spirit of mankind, at length,
Throws its last fetters off; and who shall place
A limit to the giant’s unchained strength,
Or curb his swiftness in the forward race?

~~ William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) — The Ages, xxxiii ~~

It is unfortunate in the extreme that so many people believe this prideful boast! Being able to reason hasn’t improved our morality. Being able to imagine has not increased our empathy, or our compassion, though it should. As a species, looked at from an outside viewpoint, we are much less efficient as an animal than are almost any of the other animals we know of; dogs and cats are far superior morally, ethically, and operationally than are humans; I would add they are more intelligent as well, but the humans out there won’t believe that, even though it is obvious to me. I mean, who is feeding who here? Although still subject to the cruelty to which humans so often resort, dogs and cats control their humans pretty well, as a rule…..

“Dogs are animals that poop in public and you’re supposed to pick it up. After a week of doing this, you’ve got to ask yourself: Who’s the real master in this relationship?” — Anthony Griffin

All this goes back to the same old message that I’ve been sending out for years. If this species, Australopithecus modernus, does not make a change in it’s mental viewpoint, in our morality and how that makes us deal with the world, we’ll all be dead within 200 years. The planet will recover; all the poisons we’ve pumped into the environment will be neutralized, and the damage we’ve done will heal over time. But, we will be gone, if we don’t figure out how to change the whole way we deal with reality, from the top of society down…. I hate to be a cynic, but I don’t see it happening, and that is just sad…..

“Time destroys the speculations of man, but it confirms the judgment of nature.” — Cicero (B.C. 106-43)

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

Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

“Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity.” — Socrates

“Every one is bound to bear patiently the results of his own example.” — Phaedrus (c. 8 A.D.) — Book i, Fable 26, 12

“Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.” — Frank Herbert

“The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say.” — Kahlil Gibran

You know you’ve achieved perfection in design,
Not when you have nothing more to add,
But when you have nothing more to take away.

~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~~

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

As noted, that’s all you get…. See ya, ffolkes, should I recover in time…..

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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Exploring Consensual Reality

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