One Cʘsmos: ... the endless thread...

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

... the endless thread...

(∞ ↓ 10.10.05 → 10.23.09 ↑ ∞)

100 comments:

hoarhey said...: Thanks Bob, for all you've done.; 10/27/2009 09:42:00 AM
Stephen Macdonald said...: I trust that open-ended infinity means something that will make all coons and kits sigh with relief...; 10/27/2009 10:48:00 AM
jp said...: Does this mean that old posts aren't going to be deleted?; 10/27/2009 11:24:00 AM
jp said...: Good think I got what I came here for while the getting was good.; 10/27/2009 11:33:00 AM
Gagdad Bob said...: Re old posts -- I've eliminated fat, not muscle, bone, or blood, so there are still nearly 1,300. I've only deleted posts that have been edited and rewritten, and then only if the comments were either few or insignificant. (I also deleted a few that were just plain inferior or unnecessary.); 10/27/2009 11:39:00 AM
robinstarfish said...: a labor of love
to render the fatted beast
delicious jerky; 10/27/2009 12:26:00 PM
Van Harvey said...: "... the endless thread..."

Ah... much better!

What Hoarhey said.; 10/27/2009 12:30:00 PM
Petey said...: Just remember, when one or more are gathered in my name, it is always Be'er O'clock.; 10/27/2009 01:34:00 PM
maineman said...: But what about the Burningcoon festival? I was outfitting my bus and everything. Does this mean it's off?; 10/27/2009 02:07:00 PM
Joan of Argghh! said...: Be'er O'clock is a high calling.; 10/27/2009 02:28:00 PM
walt said...: In an old post from a couple of years ago, Bob was discussing human intelligence and he made the observation that (paraphrasing), "A person must work with the bandwidth he's born with."

And therein lies my conundrum.

For, just yesterday, I noticed on his sidebar that he is reading The One and the Many, by Robert Bolton. I clicked through to Amazon and read the book description ... uh-huh ... yes ... yes, this book discusses issues that concern (and disturb) me. Or, to express my reaction in the immortal style of Gunther Toody in Car 54 Where Are You?, I thought, "Ooh! Ooh!"

But then I began to remember. I remembered that Bob had described Bolton's writing as "dense." I remembered that I had once bought one of his books, and had not gotten through the first chapter; that it still sits in my office, unread. I noted that the book is published by the Perennial Wisdom folks, and remembered from experience the intellect necessary to digest their selections.

This is where the "bandwidth" thingy comes in, which is my conundrum.

For without Bob ingesting stout coffee in the early hours, and feeling compelled to explicate Bolton's latest writings in a post (or ten), I suspect I will never, ever (even in infinity) "get the gist" of what is in that book. Dang! Like some sort of nous-junkie, I'm thinkin' "Just one more time...."

On the other hand, of course: or not. It is, as it always has been, his blog.; 10/27/2009 02:39:00 PM
Gagdad Bob said...: Great book, BTW. Many subtle and important points that no one else is saying. He really decimates non-dualism...; 10/27/2009 03:55:00 PM
Godfrey said...: Bob, you're closing up shop? I hope not!; 10/27/2009 04:15:00 PM
Rick said...: Ok.
A Petey walks in a Bob.
And the Bobtender says, "Hey, why the short post?"

Happy Anniversary!; 10/27/2009 05:00:00 PM
JWM said...: Oh.

just oh.
(O)

JWM; 10/27/2009 07:57:00 PM
NoMo said...: And with a hearty SBVD salute, "Forward, into the past!"

BTW, y'all be sure to pick up Bob Dylan's new "Christmas in the Heart" album...its weird with a beard.

See ya on the funway!

(oh yeah - AMEN!; 10/27/2009 09:24:00 PM
Stephen Macdonald said...: The thing about the political posts -- and I do believe engaging in politics is important for coons -- is that much of it is actually available elsewhere. There are plenty of sites which chronicle the misadventures of the bumbling Obama Gang.

However I've been reading OC since some time in early 2007 and have yet to come across anything on the web which is even comparable. The special blend of humility, humor, deep wisdom and accessibility simply doesn't exist elsewhere.

The loss of a really great political blog (say, Richard's Belmont Club) would be painful but in the end we'd adjust and move to one of many alternatives. If OC closed up we would literally have no where else to go. Raccoons are intensely territorial, and we can't survive without tasty nuggets dredged from the trash-heap of pomo culture.

That's why I hope OC continues indefinitely. Being unique and valuable means being indispensable.; 10/28/2009 06:22:00 AM
mary said...: Amen to that, Northern Bandit!; 10/28/2009 06:35:00 AM
Johan said...: Endlessness is bliss.

Guess then only right thing to do now is to start reading from the first post.

Thanks for everything!; 10/28/2009 08:50:00 AM
jp said...: Here's a random question for this thread.

How exactly is writing down your dreams helpful in any way?; 10/28/2009 11:08:00 AM
Mind Parasites said...: Whew, thank you from the depths of the horizontal/vertical axis!Like cockroaches and sunlight you've had us running for cover for years.

In the beginning we didn't mind surrendering a few of our more obvious brothers and sisters but lately you've been getting dangerously close to the queen mother.

Now that we have the government of the most powerful nation on earth run entirely by the Elders of The Parasitical Society we are quite content with your decision to take a long vacation.
Pretty soon, after the international meeting of the Global Elders of The Parasitical society, or what you know as the United Nations, our country will embrace Sharia law and you/we won't have to worry about your silly blog.

And to the blasphemer Petey and the notsofunny Dupree...we have a special place waiting for you!
Hey Van, jp,Will et. al.... we know where you pray.

Happily and sincerely,
The Local So-Cal Chapter of
MPCA
Mind Parasites Craving Anonymity; 10/28/2009 11:39:00 AM
Joan of Argghh! said...: Queen mother? I know Obambi is a bit light in his loafers, but I wouldn't call him a queen exactly.

Oh-h-h. You mean Rahm Emanuel. . .

wv:allyf; go get one of your own; 10/28/2009 11:48:00 AM
Rahm E. said...: Careful Joan......my mother, when I was growing up, assured me that ballet would give me a leg up in the Ivy League.
It's the bending over and touching my toes that takes a little getting used to; 10/28/2009 12:12:00 PM
Joan of Argghh! said...: It's the bending over and touching my toes that takes a little getting used to

You only say that because you've never paid any taxes.; 10/28/2009 12:19:00 PM
T.Geitner said...: Only the little people pay taxes, not the supersmartwellconnectedindispensable
people. Duh!; 10/28/2009 12:24:00 PM
Van Harvey said...: Dear mindless parasigh,

I wouldn't look at it so much as One Cosmos coming to an end, as a fuse having burnt it's length and seems to go out... for a moment... but of course it hasn't actually so much as gone out, but gone In.

Of course, silly children that you are, you're the type to walk up to the firecracker thinking it has gone out... and will shortly be taken by surprise by a very large,

B'Ohm!!!

"Hey Van, jp,Will et. al.... we know where you pray."

No, no I don't think you do... but you soon shall!

;-)

Still laughing, Ta.; 10/28/2009 12:32:00 PM
Joan of Argghh! said...: Ah, but Timmah! Timmah-timmah!

Did you never read French history? The hoi polloi eventually get the supersmartwellconnectedelite to pay taxes at Madame Guillotine's parlour. egalite and all that, y'know.; 10/28/2009 12:35:00 PM
BOTUS said...: Present.; 10/28/2009 12:36:00 PM
Present of The Unites States said...: I don't know what this blog is about, but, y'all acted stupidly.; 10/28/2009 12:39:00 PM
Groucho said...: You're no Present, you're a booby-prize.; 10/28/2009 12:51:00 PM
feet firmly planted in mid-air said...: Everything is relative.; 10/28/2009 01:39:00 PM
Magnus Itland said...: It won't be easy coming back after all these eulogies, I reckon.; 10/28/2009 02:08:00 PM
Mind Parasites said...: We don't need no stinkin firecrackers!

First, we came for Scipio....
then One Cosmos bailed out on the Love boat and now Obi-Wan has felt another disturbance in the Force...
Dr. Sanity is on hiatus!

Oh yeah, we don't read or need no stinkin history neither~only fools rely on history, facts and the Higher powers other than us.

Carry on my wayward children...
Sincerely,
The Local So-Cal Chapter of
MPCA
Mind Parasites Craving Anonymity; 10/28/2009 02:37:00 PM
JWM said...: Mind Parasite:
Dude, you are on notice. This ain't no convention of little green lizards. This is Coonsville, daddy-o. Don't worry about the heat, here. It's the light that'll zap your ass.

JWM; 10/28/2009 04:32:00 PM
Magnus Itland said...: Perhaps some day someone will make money off a book named:
Conversations with mind parasites.

Actually, I believe this is called "Big Mind", but you may want to look it up for yourself. I like my title better though.; 10/28/2009 06:01:00 PM
Mind Parasites said...: Magnus saya
"Perhaps some day someone will make money off a book named:
Conversations with mind parasites."

Once you're engaged in conversation-you lose!Losers debate, evil prevails! Us parasites loves intellectuals.Jus ax Obama.

jwm: LGF is still posting our tune!
Who's cryin now, dude?

Sincerely,
The Local So-Cal Chapter of
MPCA
Mind Parasites Craving Anonymity; 10/28/2009 07:59:00 PM
Van Harvey said...: mindless parasigh said "Once you're engaged in conversation-you lose!Losers debate, evil prevails!"

Somehow, after all these years, you still presume that you are the purpose of the 'conversation' or 'debate' - not true. You've proved over and again your inability to engage in either. It is those Raccoons, and Raccoons in the making, reading our comments, that we are engaging with, whether they participate or not - you are just a useful demo tool; plus, you forget the grade "A" guffaw value we receive from seeing your responses.

Each time you string words together as if they mean something and, even funnier, as if you have something to say with them (!), Raccoons around the world are laughing their tails off at your expense, and just knowing how evil feels about being laughed at... well, you fund your own ruin and ridicule.

Priceless.

Thanks for all the laughs over the years!

;-); 10/28/2009 09:07:00 PM
the end said...: ?; 10/28/2009 09:18:00 PM
spankey said...: How bout' them Phils?; 10/28/2009 11:02:00 PM
Joan of Argghh! said...: Well. Good morning, brethren under the pelt!

I'm off to work, and then to play some bluegrass tonight. I'm pretty sure that play follows work like day follows night.

I just need to get work and play to be the same thing. . .; 10/29/2009 05:07:00 AM
jp said...: I doubt that this blog is starting up again anytime soon.

I thought that when it shut down last week.; 10/29/2009 07:45:00 AM
maineman said...: The thing about even the politics was that I always learned something. Bob has never failed to astound me with the depth of awareness and understanding that he's brought to the table.

When I go back and read old posts, I sometimes find that material that was exciting, even mind-blowing at the time is now kind of old hat. I'm pretty sure that's because I've internalized so much of it over the course of the past 2 to 3 years.

And the ways in which my world has changed, with OC a major contributor, are too vast for words.

I think we've been in the presence of a real master.; 10/29/2009 12:19:00 PM
bob f. said...: I will second what maineman wrote about B'ob. In addition to the B'ob's own contributions, which have been pretty overwhelming, the vein of solid gold books that we have been pointed toward by B'ob have been worth every penny I've since spent on Amazon.com.
I am also about to join an Orthodox church (after reconciling with the Catholic Church last summer, but having become unreconciled after reading Leon Podles' "Sacrilege", about sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.)
Anyway, thank you, Bob.; 10/29/2009 12:38:00 PM
Stephen Macdonald said...: Time to dust off the blogger site downloader again. Something tells me the arkive will still be read and studied 50 or 100 years from now...; 10/29/2009 02:14:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Go ahead and quit, Bob, said the beautiful troll. I don't mind. (But her heaving bosom and moist eyes bely that).

She asks--

What about those of your faithful left behind?

Your mission to the Scattered Brothergood of the Vertical Diaspora was improperly prosecuted, Mr. Robert Godwin. Hear her out.

The spiritual sustanance they recieved from you was good, and it was rich. But, you had more, much more. You held out. You demurred. You turned away the hungry.

The key was Petey. Petey was Source. Petey was the inner sanctum, the veil over the statue, the Oracle of Calidelphia.

Petey holds the answers, and you know it, because you quote it: Where the raccoon wants to go, what she wants to know, what she wants to be. Petey was the mystical muscle of the Bob Godwin phenomenon, the Speaker of the House of Heaven, the engine driving the whole enterprise of the Blog.

Politics and literature, comparative philosophy, symbology, flights of imagination, yes, all good. They lapped it up.

Petey was quoted, and often. But somehow she could not get a firm grasp on the door, the gates of heaven could not be opened, the golden lid could not be quite fully lifted.

But you. You had Petey.

So she beseeches:

Don't tell me what Petey said, what Petey thought, what Petey suggested, etc. Tell me how to meet Petey or one of his kind, how to acquire the same guidance, how to access the same knowledge, how to contact the Beyond Land, as you did?

That was the one thing needed. You didn't put out.

You came and went with your Petey and left her without the one peice of knowledge that mattered-- how to get closer to Source. You bogarted the Petey.

There is still a chance to make this right. Tell her. Everything.

Who IS Petey, exactly? Is he a representative of God? How did you find him? What does he look like? Are there more like him? What does one have to be or do to meet one?

Or perhaps you don't know. Perhaps you only get bits and pieces from Petey, not full divulgence.

If that being the case, you can be exonerated but for know this court of one, this crying troll, finds you grossly guilty of a spiritual crime-- a bait and switch, a tease and hide.

Don't run away after flashing your goodby infinity symbols as a mystic smokescreen.

Be a man and own up to what you've done here.; 10/29/2009 02:56:00 PM
Gagdad Bob said...: Petey is what we call a "joke."; 10/29/2009 03:07:00 PM
walt said...: Some things change.

Other things (see troll above) not so much.; 10/29/2009 03:12:00 PM
Petey said...: Bob has gone mad.; 10/29/2009 03:15:00 PM
Mind Parasites said...: Don't bogart that Petey, my friend...
pass him over to meeeeee......; 10/29/2009 03:36:00 PM
Austracoon said...: 2Thess 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Gen 33:15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And Jacob said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.; 10/29/2009 04:36:00 PM
jp said...: I like the book club aspect of this blog as well.; 10/29/2009 06:54:00 PM
Van Harvey said...: Aside from all the good stuff, I'm really gonna miss laughing at the trolls. I mean... no one can write comedy like a troll trying to pretend to think.

If Johnny Carson were still doing the Tonight Show, instead of reading headlines, he'd read troll's comments. Can't you just picture that patented silent Carson 'wtf?' stare after reading a line or two from our trolls?

Of course... if Carson was still doing the Tonight Show... being as he's dead... he'd probably have Petey on as a guest... or maybe a stand in for Doc... the possibilities....

wv:unroopip
I've no idea, but it's classic too; 10/29/2009 07:22:00 PM
trying not to punch above my weight said...: if you're human there is always a deeper parasite to dislodge.good hunting bOb and the CooNage will be here whence you return.; 10/29/2009 07:40:00 PM
Yolk's on you said...: Re: The MPCA –

I guess if your spiritual nose is in the air you can't spot a tongue in a cheek.

But that doesn't make the actual humor any less funny, nor the sad attempts to cajole a laugh out of ridicule any less pathetic. HEEEEE HAAAWWWW! HEEEEEEEEE HAAWWWWWWWWW! LOOKIT ME COONS! I'M STILL LAFFFING SO I MUST BE SMART, RIGHT? RIGHT? HUH? ANYONE?

Thanks Bob, from a troll who knows the difference. My hope is you aren't gone for that long. Here's wishing you happy surprises wherever you dig.; 10/29/2009 10:03:00 PM
spanky said...: ?; 10/29/2009 11:37:00 PM
Stephen Macdonald said...: I wonder how many OC trolls have been at least nudged toward sanity through this blog. Truth rubs off, after all. I was already travelling in the general direction when I found OC, but daily exposure has bolstered the intellectual component of my spiritual/religious life considerably. Probably the greatest insight for me (and I'm sure each coon will differ somewhat) has been the limits of garden-variety rational discourse and deductive logic. I've learned to trust intellection and revelation as modes of interaction with the Cosmos and ultimately with God.

Yes, I could read and absorb the posts for years to come. Much in the arkive is timeless. However without the "live performances" it wouldn't be the same.; 10/30/2009 04:45:00 AM
Rick said...: NB,
A couple of Jesus’ parables come to mind. (Will need NoMo's help.)

There is the one about the rich having the most difficulty giving it all away and following Him. I wonder less everyday if He really just means cash-money, but extends, if not especially, all the way through and down the entire specie of troll who, as we are reminded daily, can be “just as filled” with any variety of monopoly-money-knowledge or defunct currency, but neither of these are more nor less redeemable in the Kingdom.

And then the gag about the variety of people He asks (was it to a wedding?) who make various kinds of excuses such as; I have to bring in the crops first, or bury my father, etc. No dime like the Present, and so forth, and so on.; 10/30/2009 05:10:00 AM
Brazentide said...: The Bobservation lounge is open, but where is our tour guide?

orz

Time to start digging in the Arkhives, I think I missed a few...; 10/30/2009 07:13:00 AM
Anonymous said...: Bob: This stoppage of the blog posts is a travesty.

Tell us your reasons for the stoppage without being evasive. What is it you need or want that is not being met?

Maybe we can work something out.; 10/30/2009 08:21:00 AM
Gagdad Bob said...: It seems that there simply aren't enough potential readers to justify the investment of time and creativity. The religious right is suspicious of our approach to religion, while the people who might be interested in our approach are psychotically hostile to classical liberalism.; 10/30/2009 09:15:00 AM
Van Harvey said...: I said "... anyone taking care of feeding the trolls?"

Certainly one of the silliest things I've ever said, I'd completely overlooked the likelihood that they'd just feed on themselves.; 10/30/2009 09:54:00 AM
Van Harvey said...: Gagdad Bob said "It seems that there simply aren't enough potential readers to justify the investment of time and creativity."

Maybe not enough to justify continuing your investment of time and creativity, but what you have invested, has been Justified over and again for those of us readers who were lucky enough to... consume... and metabolize it.

I do believe that that investment, certainly in this Raccoon's B'ankh account, is going to grow and continue to grow and return ever greater dividends on its initial investment... beyond imagining.

Thanks again.; 10/30/2009 10:06:00 AM
jp said...: "It seems that there simply aren't enough potential readers to justify the investment of time and creativity. The religious right is suspicious of our approach to religion, while the people who might be interested in our approach are psychotically hostile to classical liberalism."

Mabye you have to have followed a particular life path to get anything out of this blog.

I'm pretty sure I landed here accidentally on purpose because I was trying to get somewhere.

Any interest in writing another book?

How many readers are/were there? 50? 100? 1000?; 10/30/2009 10:31:00 AM
swiftone said...: homina homina. I 'oped I was misreading this when I saw it the first day it was posted.

Been a good run, a mainstay of some of us. Godspeed Bob; 10/30/2009 10:35:00 AM
Mike M. said...: GB: You are wild. You are so far out you're normal. Where did people like you get lost to, and why aren't more of you coming back? We need tons more of you.

Have you ever read Walker Percy? Are you on the Road to Rome?; 10/30/2009 11:27:00 AM
Gecko said...: Gulp. Sniff. Sigh. Weep. Laugh.

I am taking refuge in my gratitude for the Head Raccoon's offering for so long this daily bread that continues
to inspire one to be worthy of such gifts, and that of all those who comment.; 10/30/2009 12:01:00 PM
Ephrem Antony Gray said...: On this side, all good things must come to an end.

I am quite sad to see this gem go, but then, I sensed a slackening of the pace recently. I had not been regularly reading as much (work has been a little weird) and going back and reading late.

I think perhaps we could say that for my part, I have fallen out of the realm of conservative politics. Let it be understood that this does not mean I have somehow become progressive, or whatever nonsense. God forbid! It is also possible that there's a general deflation caused by the temporary eclipse of American conservatism (note: there are no permenant eclipses of political persuasions, as Krauthammer has noted) combined with the accompanying economic slump.

For my part, I can't declare, for instance, unwaivering support for Israel, mostly because I have become exposed to the story of what has become of the Christians there, who are caught between Israel and the Palestinian Muslims. This stage in life has certainly led me away from neoconservative leanings and towards a more localistic conservatism. I've mostly retired myself from all political discussion and even by and large from religious or metaphysical discussion - which in some ways makes One Cosmos (for the time being) off limits for me.

Indeed, I have Bob to thank for my becoming Orthodox, but as to what that has done RE: western Christian thinking, or moreover, general metaphysics, natural law, etc,. is somewhat unknown...

Though I would not cease to label myself as Raccoon, a crowd of things in life prevents me from spending more time here... and alas! It seems as though it will be gone now.

Be'er O'clock, of course, will continue to be celebrated... many libations for my brothers & sisters under the pelt..!; 10/30/2009 12:05:00 PM
mgh said...: Thanks Bob. I have never posted but I have read nearly every post. I will always remember how I was blown away when I found your blog about a year after you started it. Your explanations of the cosmos removed from me those nagging scientistic doubts. In a few months you accelerated my acceptance and understanding of God by a decade or two over what would have been possible from merely attending church once a week. My intellection ability usually went unused or was used only unconciously, now it is a tool I use daily and continue to try to sharpen. I hope you post occasionally in the future, but if not, now I'll have time to read the Polanyi book I started a year ago, and then move on to some of your other recommendations.; 10/30/2009 12:22:00 PM
Stephen Macdonald said...: I'll wager every OC reader ripples the effect across dozens of family and friends. I know I have.

Ironically the lack of readers points to the dire need for a source like OC. The default position today of many who once would have become religious classical liberals is scientistic spiritual blindness.

I remember while reading Explaining Postmodernism by Hicks being taken aback by the sheer scale of the impact of ideas which virtually nobody in the general public knew well, then or now. How many people have actually read Kant? How many have even heard of him? Yet Kant directly affected their lives in profound (and often not so good) ways.

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that a seeming lack of readers is a bad thing. The Huffington Post has hundreds of thousands of readers. Youporn.com has millions.

Maybe a break is in order. We hope that like the musician the urge to "play" will eventually get the better of you. At least don't pull a Steve den Beste and start a blog devoted to anime ;-); 10/30/2009 12:54:00 PM
Rick said...: I would like to say…

Within the great blink that is The Cosmos, is another blink called Man. Within that one was a blink called One Cosmos. And I get to tell my grandkids, someday, hopefully, “I saw it happen with my own eyes.”

…but that sounds too “over”, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, it’s still true.; 10/30/2009 01:47:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Bob:

Your rationale for quitting the blog doesn't ring true with what you have stated before--namely, you write at least in some measure for your own benefaction.

Something has happened. I intuit it concerns the state of your personal inner life. What is going on? Did have an argument with someone?

Your writing has been primarily intellectual up to this point, which has served the readership and yourself well.

But, why not take it to the next level? Write about what hurts you, what scares you, what makes you feel small and weak and humiliated. Write about your shadow side...

Give your parasites their day in court. It will hurt so good and be cleansing for you.

Your posture of being poised and in control has got to drop away so your humanity can be revealed to the readers. They will respond.

This is what we need now. Brutal self disclosure is your new mission. Take it to the limit one more time. Throw yourself on the mercy of your readership, and worry not about how many read.

Even one reader who recieves an ounce of truth is of incalcuable value to the universe, more than a CEO who sells a billion units of his flashy company product.

Or, if you just prefer to rest for awhile, that is permissible too. I'm just throwing this out there in case you're not feeling well.; 10/30/2009 03:58:00 PM
Sal said...: Many, many thanks, Bob.
God bless you, Leslie and FL.; 10/30/2009 04:34:00 PM
Gagdad Bob said...: I find it remarkable that this anonymous person always betrays exactly who he is within a few words. Amazing that language can so instantaneously conform itself to the personality in that manner.; 10/30/2009 04:50:00 PM
Gagdad Bob said...: One of the reasons, by the way, we know that Obama couldn't have possibly written Dreams...; 10/30/2009 04:52:00 PM
Stephen Macdonald said...: But... but I thought Obama was the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar?; 10/30/2009 07:15:00 PM
Jim said...: Anon at 3:58, an old USN sayin' seems to apply to you "You are to stupid to pour piss out of a boot with directions on the heel"
Get a life, what you got ain't workin.; 10/30/2009 07:17:00 PM
Unknown said...: It seems that most of what I could say has been said. I just want to say thank you Bob. Thank you for giving me a place to read and process and even if I did not consider myself a Raccoon thank you for allowing me to comment and answering my questions with respect and honesty. I confess that often the level of writing was, despite my philosophy degree, above me and of such depth that it took several readings to even begin to understand them. I hope you return. I consider myself lucky to have found the One COsmos.; 10/30/2009 07:35:00 PM
hoarhey said...: >flicks lighter< / >holds over head<

GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, GAG-DAD, gag-dad............. ;^); 10/30/2009 08:00:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Why the pennies on the eyes folks? Bob says he's giving his readers a blogging vacation. All else is conjecture.expinga; 10/30/2009 11:52:00 PM
USS Ben USN (Ret) said...: Thanks Bob for helpin' me more than I can possibly convey with any high degree of accuracy!!! :^)

And that's jest the beginnin'!; 10/31/2009 12:09:00 AM
Skully said...: Wherever there is in-justice...Bob will be there...

We'll keep the ship of One Cosmos Under God in top tipsy shape 'til Cap'n B'ob is ready to sail agin.

Thar be plenty of show waters and deep blue see's yet to explore.
Jest give the Word, Cap'n B'ob and yer crew of salty Raccoons will man our bottle stations.; 10/31/2009 12:18:00 AM
looptloop said...: I too have been a late night reading regular well back to early '06...as somebody once said somewhere, somehow...it's the space between the notes that relates the color to the scene.

Wv: tranes
Chew - chew; 10/31/2009 01:20:00 AM
Gagdad Bob said...: I notice that since I now sleep in instead of rolling out of the rack early, I've been having the most surreal dreams during the time I'd usually be blogging. I find that interesting. It's like being just over the horizon that separates O and (n), the unglishable side instead of the bloggable side. Either way, "dawn is the friend of the muses."

Also, FYI, I'll open up new threads as they hit 100 or so comments.; 10/31/2009 07:22:00 AM
Anonymous said...: You'll never make it to 100.; 10/31/2009 09:29:00 AM
Rick said...: Yep. No matter how many comments you leave, anon, we're not any closer.; 10/31/2009 10:05:00 AM
Cousin Dupree said...: I think we're going backwards. According to Deepak's bizarre misreading of quantum physics, it's possible.; 10/31/2009 10:08:00 AM
Rick said...: I disagree. As usual a word has been redefined to mean something else. I would argue that the meaning of the word past must include the fact that it cannot be changed.
That, and I find offensive the rebeated use of "animal" observer. Only a human could not know that only a human can "know" something.; 10/31/2009 10:19:00 AM
walt said...: (Just trying to beef up your numbers here.)

Out of the Frying Pan:

Apparently the majority of Californians will be spared the services of Gavin Newsom, who withdrew his candidacy for Governor yesterday. He said he would return to SF and continue to work "for change."

Into the Fire:

That leaves you likely subject to Jerry Brown, who is older, surely wiser (?) than the last time, and you watch: when the campaign begins in earnest, will be described as an "elder statesman."; 10/31/2009 11:56:00 AM
Sean said...: I've been taking Bob's time off to start reading the OC regular's posts and comment sections. Something I didn't have the time to do while digesting my daily bread from one Cosmos.

The common threads of truth, goodness and beauty intertwine through all of them and while it may have been unintentional on Bob's part, his temporary respite has turned into an additional blessing for me.

Please don't miss Van's latest post. When he sugarcoats his opinions the sweet taste stays with you for a long time.; 10/31/2009 12:27:00 PM
Dougman said...: Just passing through and checking in on my way back to group.
Starts on Tuesday.
I'm looking forward to it.
Smiles everyone, smi-le :-); 10/31/2009 03:44:00 PM
Susannah said...: Just dropping by to wish all a Happy Reformation Day!; 10/31/2009 05:18:00 PM
Tanis said...: E PLURIBUS RACCOON; 10/31/2009 08:00:00 PM
Mizz E said...: 31 October 2009
ALL HALLOWS EVE
Evening Prayer; 10/31/2009 08:23:00 PM
Djadja said...: OC has done more to provide me with depth and understanding than all the reading and Bible studying I'd done before that. It's been a blessing. Now it's up to us to re-read old posts and check out Bob's vast reading list. Not that I ever wanted it to end, but what a great first step in a life of spiritual intellection.; 11/01/2009 04:30:00 AM
maineman said...: I want to add that the most impressive upshot of my OC involvement has been a dramatic quickening of my own religious life, and that of my wife, both of which had been dormant since the New Age pantheism ran dry two decades ago.

Perhaps this is a projection, but my sense is that we are undergoing, as a country, one of our awakenings, and that what's been done here is a part of that.

Back in horizontalland, however, there is a real fight on the ground against evil here in Maine. The same-sex marriage referendum is apparently neck-and-neck, and the vote is this coming Tuesday. This is the final showdown, it would seem, between traditionalists and the activists who targeted New England 2 to 3 decades ago.

Lest this seem far away, remember, as Maine goes so goes the nation. I have it on good authority that, if the dingbat legislature's law authorizing homosexual marriage is not rejected by the citizens in this referendum, the move on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act will be virtually immediate.

We need all the prayers we can get.; 11/01/2009 05:57:00 AM
Cousin Dupree said...: Damn, Deepak is right! I concentrated all night, and believe I altered the quantum landscape so as to successfully travel one hour into the past.; 11/01/2009 07:18:00 AM
Russell said...: Cousin Dupree: That's nothing. Next year, I plan on traveling one hour into the future!; 11/01/2009 07:41:00 AM
Joan of Argghh! said...: Pffttt! I regularly expand time. I know this because at the end of a day I've accomplished twice as much as most folks, and yet do not feel overextended or tired in the least. There's no other explanation for it.; 11/01/2009 07:46:00 AM
Cousin Dupree said...: I understand that the most conducive time to attempt to travel into the future is in the early spring, right around March.; 11/01/2009 07:47:00 AM
Dougman said...: 100!; 11/01/2009 11:03:00 AM