Kris Kristofferson / The Pilgrim: Chapter 33 Started writing this song about Chris Gantry, end of writing about Dennis Hopper, Johnny Cash, Norman Norbert, Funky Donnie Fritts, Billy Swan, Bobbie Neuwirth, Jerry Jeff Walker, Paul Siebel, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott had a lot to do with it.’
Time Shares
I was chatting with Unindicted Co-conspirator #1 this morning. He was telling me about an unscrupulous time share that he was stuck with. I shared with him the documentary Queen of Versailles, which features the wife of a man who made his fortune selling time shares.
It seemed like perfect BLOTT material – grotesque excesses, odd twists and turns, a fair amount of Schadenfreude. But it went in an entirely different direction.
Here’s what I started with….
The word “Schadenfreude” is strategically used twice in the article.
But this is a cheap shot. It’s easy to parody, to reduce her life to a caricature. This is not fair. Like all of us, she has struggled and suffered and has known loss and great sadness.
There are so many forces directing us towards hate now. We must recognize this and embrace love.
To quote Riders In The Sky, “It might be the easy way, but it’s not the Cowboy Way.”
A Short Aside – Riders in the Sky
If you are not familiar with Riders In The Sky – firstly – I’m aghast. Secondly, here’s a good summary: “On Nov. 11, 1977… three western music fans performed for the first time as Riders in the Sky. Much hilarity, hijinks and yodeling has since ensued.” – Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Suffering
Fr. Stan Fortuna has an insightful take on suffering. Suffering is part of life. Suffering happens to all of us.
[excerpt from Fr. Stan Fortuna’s Everybody Got 2 Suffer]
You think that you the only one that got to suffer??
You think that you the only one with pain to suffer???
Everybody got a thing they gotta suffer.
Rich or poor don’t matter gotta suffer….
Pray to abstain from the lie / sustain the truth…
Pain is a part of life / its somethin we all feel
Give your time and your money to the needy / keep it real
Sufferin is like a good thief / it gives no warnin
The full lyrics to Fr. Stan’s Everybody Got 2 Suffer can be found here.
Conversations at the Pearly Gate
We’re all gonna have that chat sooner or later.
The CBC (almost certainly the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and not Complete Blood Count), has an interesting imaginary conversation between the gate keeper and Christopher Hitchens:
Quora Weights In
Interesting question, and a few humorous responses, but it gets really dark really quickly.
