Stories from the blank pages of history….

Ffolkes,

Damn! Damn, damn, damn!….. and, damn, again….

Nope, it didn’t help, though, it should have. Seldom has a series of epithets, so powerfully expressed, been found to be so useless. Today, such vituperation apparently offers nothing; nothing, at least, to relieve the frustration built up by thirty minutes of staring at the blankest damn page I’ve ever seen…. or, maybe it’s just my mind that is so blank….

Hmm….I see the vast, empty white space, filling my mind with terror, has spread all the way to the title today…. THAT’s when we know it’s too late…. when what is in my head leaks over into the title, it means we’re in big trouble, right here in little China…. or, was that River City? Good movie, either way…

Also either way, it’s another day in the canoe, riding familiar waters of a well-known creek, without the proverbial, or, even a literal paddle… Of course, many of us are becoming accustomed to such days; anyone can come to accept, if not exactly appreciate, even the foulest, most odoriferous of environments, if that is the only type gracing our nostrils…. (Wow, what an awkwardly phrased sentence!…. it’s amazing it got all the way to the end of the sentence….)  People are odd that way; we can get used to almost anything, if we must endure it for long…. There are far too many examples in history to think otherwise; such stories are plentiful, though, not on the blank pages….

Hmph…. Imagine that. A small spark of inspiration just struck me; no worries, there’s no blood. But, it did remind me I DO have things I could relate in this section, as I had a visit yesterday with the grandkids…. I’m not so cruel, however, as to subject y’all to hearing how big they’ve gotten, or the latest cute stuff they’re learning to say, to my son’s total embarrassment…. You see, the little spark also lit up a small additional piece of information, regarding intros, and the ever-popular emergency exit method #4, which we’ve been forced to apply two or three times of late….

How does that work? Easy, just like this…..

Shall we Pearl?

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Today’s video choice has three superstars of the classical world playing together…. If this doesn’t fill you up, you need to learn to relax a bit more…. Exquisite!…..

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I got nothin’…. nada, zip, zilch, not a damn thing wandering around in there…. Y’all know what THAT means…. a trip to the archives… Today, we’ll go for something a bit lighter than the usual faire…. Ah, just right…..

From 9/7/2011:

Sometimes, when I’m alone for a long while (it happens pretty often these days), I admit that I talk to myself. I’ve heard all the cliché responses to that remark, having worked in the mental health industry for many years, so let’s just sail right on past those and consider what I actually mean by that. I think all of us do it, though many would say they probably would enjoy it more if they didn’t answer back. However, giving that the attention it’s due, what I’m talking about are, more or less, complete conversations, with all three of the sides part of any argument being expounded by yours truly, unashamedly, often with elaborate accents and voices.

It’s really okay. I’m not crazy; who would know better than me, right? One day, I just realized, only when I talked to myself could I really relax, and be myself. I mean, who understands me better than me? Who can better formulate rational and reasoned theories to explain even the most outrageous questions I can ask myself? Who won’t be offended by even my most base and bestial impulses? Who won’t be mean if I ask a dumb question, or make an obvious mistake out of ignorance, or, advancing senility? And, who will ever make me laugh at myself, if I don’t? Of course, the only question that ever really gets answered is, “If I don’t talk to myself, who else is likely to do so today?” And I know the answer to that one already.

Now maybe this is all illusory; in reality, I’m not really having those self-induced delusions of adequacy. Maybe I’m channeling for some ancient Egyptian priestess and her demon lover, who are trying to steal my body, sending my soul to hell for all eternity. No, wait, that was an episode of Charmed.

Well, see? There you have it, first hand. The boy has finally and truly slipped around the bend. I HATED that show; after three minutes, the plot was apparent, with only special camera effects of which to take note thereafter, in between the 4-5 minutes of commercials between vignettes (well, and, who doesn’t take note of the witches’ wardrobes, or lack thereof?….). The very idea that I’ve been hiding that little  time-bomb in some dark corner of my mind makes me shudder to think what else might be in there somewhere.

Then of course, as we all might guess, Reality always asserts its’ presence. When we start to wander too far afield, it gleefully steps up next to our shoulder to administer a sharp slap to that really delicate spot right behind the ear. You know that one, right? The spot that just explodes pain into the side of your head, to remind us forcefully of what actually is something we must  not only believe in, but deal with, no matter our pitiable opinions of fair and unfair. Therein lies my challenge every day, when I ask myself when I wake up each day if I really want to get out of bed at all…..or will the demon lover take over my body, casting my soul into hell for all eternity, laughing, laughing at the poor, pathetic human? I suppose I’ll have to get up to find out….

Note from 2015: Naturally, Zippy has provided us with the perfect closing pearl for such an astute discussion, to wit:

“Will this never-ending series of PLEASURABLE EVENTS never cease?” — Zippy the Pinhead

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One of my own poems will do today; this one was written during the 2013 NaPoWriMo challenge, to write a poem a day for the month of April, 2013…. I made it through the challenge, with only minor cheating…. I like this one, though I don’t really know why…. I hope you like it as well….

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Smart Bee is on strike today, apparently; nothing at all came out when I asked for an old-school pearl…. Rather than fight with it, here is a pearl from the archives, to save the day, and a bunch of time we can find a use for later….

From April of 2013:

Having ranted today once, I’ll not subject y’all to another…. though there’s more in there to rant about, for sure…. I just don’t want to make y’all think I’m insensitive, or have become overly personal, or judgmental (read: boring….). So, we’ll fall back into default position, and put together a fresh pearl, with some kind of point, yet to be determined by my subconscious mind…. I just let that happen as it happens, as you know…. If you get the point today, be aware it’s worth extra points, and this one WILL be on the Quiz…..

“The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination — but the combination is locked up in the safe.” — Peter DeVries

“One day with life and heart is more than time enough to find a world.” — James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) — Columbus

” Never eat anything bigger than your head.” — Kliban’s First Law of Dining

“I may not understand what you say, but I’ll defend to your death my right to deny it.” — Albert Alligator, in Pogo, 26 September 1951

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” — Bhagavad-Gita (and Robert Oppenheimer)

Well, there you go…. If that isn’t obvious, I’m doing something wrong…. it’s not your fault, so don’t hurt your brain trying to figure it out. My insurance company refuses to cover self-inflicted mis-comprehension…. I do have some nice tea, though, if that will help…..

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As I sat today to begin, I was not at all sure how it would go; happily, with a bit of struggle, it went reasonably well, all things considered. To show my appreciation for such politeness from the Universe, I’ll not torment y’all any further today, but, will take my leave in a dignified, timely fashion… In fact, I’ll do that right now…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..

À bientôt, mon cherí….