From a comment by kathya in the Groucho thread...
so -- my friend is having a small party tonight to honor a wonderful colleague, who has quietly, elegantly, and brilliantly contributed huge amounts to many over 30 years. the honoree doesn't know the party is about her! a plaque is nice, but it isn't our kind of thing. the group gift is a "desk-sized" pair of red cowboy boots -- because when things got especially tough, the brilliant colleague used to come to work wearing red boots and saying she was in a "shit-kicking mood." there will be other important gifts, as well. this might keep me going a while.
I got a lot of Jerry Jeff stories. Jerry was brilliant, mercurical, and difficult, thing was night after night he would manage to do something so magical and beautiful that by the end of the set all was forgiven.
Of course, as soon as he had been forgiven he'd get busy racking up more things to forgive him for.
