Love In the Inner Sunset- Addendum

Just thought this was interesting.

Remember those 'i love you' flyers I mentioned recently?
 

I assumed it had to do with this website. I WAS WRONG! I wasn't exactly sure what was up with this site. It appears to still be under construction. They've recently added some more info- and I think Jesus Christ is involved.

Not directly, obviously. He's not writing code and doing layouts. At least I don't think He is. And if He is? Good on Him. A celebrity of His status doesn't have to work. So, He must be pretty passionate about the project. And He's assembled a web team....

Actually, what I wanted to tell you was that if you tear off the little tag-things at the bottom of the flyer and go to the link- loveyou2.org/ ....

WARNING: THIS SET OFF THE 'THIS IS NOT ALLOWED' FILTER AT WORK!!

(Why? Beats me. That stupid filter let's me see Tumblr accounts that are waaay filthier than...uh... never mind).

... it takes you to a website where you can download a pdf of the flyer, click on a link to their Google blog (we're internet neighbors!) and a link to their Twitter. Of course. Everybody's got a Twitter account. Jesus probably has a Twitter account. I need to step up my game, man.

Anyway, I'm guessing i love you, too, (aka loveyou2.org/ ) has nothing to do with Jesus' website. Sorry for the confusion.

So, what have we learned? There's a lot of love out there on the internet; both religious and secular. And kinky; when you include Tumblr. It's very confusing.

As Shakespeare might have said: 'Click not wisely but too well'.

Happy Year of the Dragon

To all my fellow dragons (I'm of the Yang Wood variety) and to all our friends & loved ones: here's wishing you a safe, healthy & prosperous 4710!


Check out Donna's Lunar New Year post over at duckndam

The Gospel According to IN-N-OUT Burger

It's no secret that IN-N-OUT Burger references Christian Bible quotes on their wrappers & cups (but, not on the French fry containers for some reason).

Donna and I stopped at the IN-N-OUT in Placerville, CA recently and I thought I'd snap a few pics for those folks who may not have an IN-N-OUT near them...

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (KJV)

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (KJV)

"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." (KJV)

Speaking of secrets, this is from Badmouth.net. Click the pic for a better view...

Wishing For Peace On Earth...

Don't let the temptations of fear, greed or self-righteousness (vanity) bring you down.

Beej Weir's Guide to Graceland: Chapter 4: Working On The Building

Hey, folks! Welcome to the fourth and final chapter of my Guide To Graceland! In this installment, we'll examine the spiritual side of Elvis.

But, before we do that- I'd like to welcome George Clooney to my army of anonymous readers! How do I know he's reading my blog? Well, a week or so after I posted the previous chapter about Elvis' fixation on guns and badges, George announces he's producing a cable TV show about an Elvis impersonator cop in Memphis!

Coincidence? Maybe. But, ah- maybe NOT!

So, welcome, George! It's cool if you don't leave a comment or become a "follower". Sure, I've only got 2 followers (and one of them is my wife- and she's probably only doing it to be nice)- but I don't let it bother me. I'm like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard: "You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!..."

I'm just glad I can help. And please note all similarities to me and Norma Desmond end there. It's not like I've got dead screenwriters floating in my swimming pool.

Let's get back to Elvis.

As many of you already know, Elvis recorded a lot of gospel music. In fact, all 3 of the Grammys he won were for gospel music. But, Elvis' quest for spiritual enlightenment wasn't limited to Christian beliefs. Elvis was "working on the building" of his soul- and using lots of different tools to do it.

("Working On The Building" was also a gospel tune Elvis recorded, by the way- I didn't just pull that out of my butt)

On the Graceland tour, we saw all kinds of stuff Elvis had around the house- including books (please click the pic for a better view)...


As you can see, there's Herman Hesse's Siddhartha and Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, which indicates his reading material extended beyond Captain Marvel Jr comic books- or The Bible, for that matter. But, what really caught my eye was this (click for the full view)...


This is a book called Cheiro's (Book of) World Predictions by, well, a guy named Cheiro (aka William John Warner).

More interesting than the book itself is what Elvis wrote in the margins. I'm not sure what the "7, 8 & 9" means. The "wo-man" & "man" stuff makes sense given the subject matter of the chapter. I can't quite make out what's on the bottom of page 164. He's obviously written "Enlightenment" on the top of the next page. It's also interesting to see what he's underlined as well.

But, what intrigues me the most is the "Karate" he wrote next to "... great changes have already taken place in the mental outlook of humanity at large, and more particularly so in the position of women."

Why karate? I mean, I know Elvis studied karate...

but what does that have to do with the "emancipation of women"? Did Elvis think karate would free women from male oppression? Forget the ERA- just kick & chop your way to equality? I guess we'll never know for sure.

Another bit of Elvis marginalia was on display in the 'Elvis After Dark' museum (click for full view)...


This is Nicholas Roerich's Leaves of Morya's Garden Book Two: Illumination 1925

As you can see- there's a lot going on here. Everything from Bible passages ("lion shall lie down with the lamb") to modern technology ("computers").

Speaking of the 'Elvis After Dark' museum, this quote greets you when you first walk in to that section of the Graceland tour...


If you want to read more about the spiritual side of Elvis, check out this list of books on Amazon that someone put together on the subject.

And that's it for my Guide To Graceland, my friends. Future posts won't be Elvis-centric. But, I'm glad I had a chance to share these photos and my thoughts with you. If you want to see more photos, please check out my flickr page.

I'll never forget my visit to Graceland- just as the whole world will never forget Elvis. He was a true American original. He had charisma and talent to spare. But, he also had his faults. He had a big heart and big appetites. He was only human. But, I think that's what makes him so likable. At least it does for me. Also, he could sing like a motherfucker.

Thanks for reading!

Previously:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3