karma payment plan

A system by which seemingly magical improvements in one's life are given by mysterious forces in exchange for a sense of unease not unlike that given from selling one's soul, often actually (but not always) resulting in misfortune.

Taken from the Modest Mouse song "Karma's Payment" and the unfailingly portentious cynicism of Isaac Brock.

"Remember that huge freaking electrical storm we had a couple weeks back? I stood out in the middle of it on the roof of like this chicken coop and held a metal guitar above my head. I didn't get struck by lightning, but I suppose that's just because God has something special, something much, much worse that he's saving for me."