From austin@bucsf.bu.edu Wed Dec 6 20:05:03 1989 From: austin@bucsf.bu.edu (Austin Ziegler) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Jilara Speaks (Relationships II) Date: 5 Dec 89 22:03:56 GMT Distribution: alt Organization: Boston University College of Engineering Status: O Jilara sighs. "Can I put in my two bits on relationships, love, friendship, all that? You see, I've got a couple problems. One of them is I want intimate FRIENDS, not this superficial stuff that passes for being "in love." The other is that my world is not the same as most. I've been through a LOT of really nasty stuff, stuff that makes even my therapist wince, sometimes. I need some degree of empathy, people who understand my world. Most folks live in pastel worlds, while mine is sharp edges and primary colors. And they like them soft-focus and pastel. I can't live like that. People think that if you're in that soft-focus world, you're safe, protected. That's supposed to make you happy. But I need the unmuted experience to feel alive. "Met a guy this spring...a real kindred spirit and a true friend. We lived together over the summer. Problem was, he was like me---a great strength and great weakness to our relationship. We couldn't talk about problems, because we're both so afraid of violence, both physical and emotional. Talking about problems means people fly into rages and vent it on those around them. I know, intellectually it's not like that, but the body is on a different frequency. Your emotions know different things from your mind, your heartbeat escalates, you get tense and dizzy, and the blood hums in your ears... And then one day, he just left. Half an hour notice. Why? Because I was a friend, he said. And he'd spent his entire life trying not to care about anything or anyone, because then it hurt too much when you lose them. If I'd been just a lover, he could have dealt with it---but he was caring too much about me. Which meant he had to leave, before it got to a point where he would be devastated to lose me. Please understand, he said. No, we couldn't talk. I could, but he wouldn't. Said it would only make things worse." She sighs. "Not like it hasn't happened to me a couple times before. Friends who get too close, then panic and run, afraid of loss. Somehow, it's easier when you're in control of it, right?" she laughs cynically. "And they justify it, saying it's for the best. Whose best? Mine, yours, anyone's? They're so afraid they can't even live. Maybe that's what's behind people being afraid of the loss in my eyes..." She fishes in the pocket of her leather jacket, pulls out a twenty, walks to the bar and tosses it down. "Hey, Callahan, I'm setting up a round. Whatever these good folks like! If you need more, call me. I'm not sure who's smashing glassware." Her scotch in hand, she wanders back to the fireplace. "Funny thing about this stuff," she murmurs. "I don't really like the alcohol in it because it takes away those sharp edges. But I love the taste of it, that tang of peatbogs and rain. Some people drink alcohol for the haze, others because that's the only time they allow themselves to feel anything. I should warn you that toasting is dangerous. All that glass flying around, you know. You might get cut, bleed a little. But anyway," she raises her glass to the room, and her voice raises to a force that echos, "To Cowardice, the courage of fools! And to all of us who dare to live, despite everything! Slante!" CRASH! A lot of glasses follow hers. ---Jilara, who may be at jane@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM, or might be at motcsd!fsdcupt!jane@apple.com (our system is functioning oddly) From austin@bucsf.bu.edu Wed Dec 6 20:05:04 1989 From: austin@bucsf.bu.edu (Austin Ziegler) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Jilara and Who she is... Date: 5 Dec 89 22:06:47 GMT Distribution: alt Organization: Boston University College of Engineering Status: O Okay, who are we REALLY? Gee, is this like when everyone saw Green Arrow (gasp!) without his mask, and he found out he'd been fooling no one? Name: Jane G. Beckman/Jilara the Exile and numerous aliases Hobbies: Time Travel (SCA, Civil War, Historic Reinactment, Rendezvous, etc.) Writing--letters, books, stories, articles, graffiti... (this is more than a hobby: this is my job. I also write about computers.) Textile arts. Costuming. Historic cooking. Martial arts. Ridiculous outdoorsy stuff. Step-dancing to bluegrass in saloons. Saving the World. Age: 35 Appearance: pretty much as you see me. Waist-length blond hair, grey eyes, large glasses, athletic body (5'7" and 150 lbs of solid muscle). I also look a lot younger than my physical age. And yes, I wear a black leather jacket and earcuffs. My style is swashbuckling. (I'm known to wear suits to work---with earcuffs!) Favorite music: C.W. McCall, anything Celtic, Chris de Burgh, Steeleye Span, anything by Lief Sorbye and/or Tempest (who's he/they? Ask me!) Favorite movies: Bladerunner, Flesh and Blood, LadyHawke, Clint Eastwood westerns, and most stuff with Harrison Ford. Philosophical base: Closet utopianist. Zen/shinto/pagan/christian mystic. No kidding. I promised Magyk a tale of my friend Mike. Mike is merchandising a new self-improvement course: "Change your future through phrenology!" You see, a phrenologist can tell your future through the bumps on your head. You shave your head, make a plaster cast, and he'll tell you how to change your future. You have your choice of two kits: the delux kit with clamps and vices, or the basic kit with a mallet. Pound on your head, and change your future! That simple. Watch for new products dealing with this exciting new concept! jane@fsdcupt.csd.cot.COM motcsd!fsdcupt!jane@apple.com From austin@bucsf.bu.edu Wed Dec 6 20:05:05 1989 From: austin@bucsf.bu.edu (Austin Ziegler) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Fantasy <> Date: 5 Dec 89 22:14:40 GMT Distribution: alt Organization: Boston University College of Engineering Status: O Durin the writing of a paper talking about computers and socialization (another tale, that), I came up with the idea of Fantasy Puns. So many of us have Fafhrd quite well with fantasy personas, so I decided that I Shannara let this one go by, no matter how much it Kurtz. This one could be a Stormbringer, but I Deryni know... Brought to you from the fantastic mind of.... (-8 Magyk (austin@bucsf.bu.edu,@bucsb.bu.edu,engc8vc@buacca.bu.edu) 700 Commonwealth Box 2094, Boston, MA 02215 "Your mother was a hampster and your father smelt of elderberries!" --Monty Python and the Holy Grail From austin@bucsf.bu.edu Wed Dec 6 20:05:06 1989 From: austin@bucsf.bu.edu (Austin Ziegler) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Magyk's Real Identity Date: 5 Dec 89 22:33:06 GMT Distribution: alt Organization: Boston University College of Engineering Status: O Name: Austin Herbert Ziegler, III (Magyk/Wyzard) Hobbies: Computers, Role-Playing Games, Reading (Fantasy/SF--I've bought and read 23 books since I've been at BU), Singing, Piano. Job: Work Study in the Enrollment Services Administration--I'm in the group that takes care of (what else...) the computers!!! Age: 18 Sex: Male Height: 5'9" Weight: 220-230 lbs (so? I'm overweight. I feel good about myself anyway) Hair: Blond, above the ears. Eyes: Blue. *Very near sighted* (For those of you who know what the prescriptions mean, I have about a -9.0 in *both* eyes...for those of you who don't, I am about 3x legally blind... (-8 ) Favorite Food: Pizza! Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! Diet Coke! (I like the flavor better (-8 ) Favorite Color: Blue Favorite TV Shows: What's TV? Is that the box that has pictures in it that I've not really been able to look at for several months? Favorite Movies: Princess Bride, BatMan, GhostBusters, GhostBusters II, The Story of Women, Star Wars (et al.), ET, ... College: Boston University College of Engineering Major: Computer Engineering Location: Boston, Massachusetts Home: San Antonio, Texas Other Information: My dad is military, and a Chaplain (Presbyterian). Magyk (austin@bucsf.bu.edu,@bucsb.bu.edu,engc8vc@buacca.bu.edu) 700 Commonwealth Box 2094, Boston, MA 02215 "The Lord bless you and keep you/and lift His countenace upon you/ and give you peace/and be gracious unto you./Amen." --The Lord Bless You and Keep You, a traditional benediction From cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU Wed Dec 6 20:05:07 1989 From: cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU (Chris Phoenix) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Another Toast (won't I ever get change?) Date: 6 Dec 89 00:18:03 GMT Reply-To: cphoenix@csli.stanford.edu (Chris Phoenix) Organization: Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford U. Status: O In article <0ZStmYa00V4C05h0o8@andrew.cmu.edu> gh1g+@andrew.cmu.edu (Gregg Fielding Hinderstein) writes: >I have a problem I've never heard of anyone else having, and it's >affecting my whole life. The problem is that I intimidate people. ... Wow! It's great to know I'm not alone! Gregg, I intimidate people too. Mainly girls. (No, I'm not being sexist. Most females aren't girls, but the ones I'm talking about are...) Once, some frosh literally ran out of the room (not even my room) when I asked them "Could I have a really honest answer to a question?" I suppose asking someone for honesty is Not a Good Thing socially, but still... My solution was to hang out with women instead of girls. Many of my female friends are grad students, as is my girlfriend. Do you intimidate everyone you meet, or is it generally the younger or less mature ones who are more intimidated? -- Chris Phoenix | A harp is a nude piano. cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU | "More input! More input!" Life is the only game in which the object of the game is to learn the rules. Disclaimer: I want a kinder, gentler net with a thousand pints of lite. From abl@dart.ece.cmu.edu Wed Dec 6 20:05:08 1989 From: abl@dart.ece.cmu.edu (Antonio Leal) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Shaggy dog on punday night Date: 6 Dec 89 13:24:15 GMT Distribution: alt Organization: Carnegie Mellon University Status: O Coming out of Callahan's, I paused a moment to turn up the collar of my leather jacket, and tuck my hat down firmly against the brisk wind. I saw a guy coming down the street, with a pooch on a leash; the man was pretty unsteady, weaving his way down the sidewalk like he were on a ship's deck. I considered going back in and asking for Pyotr's assistance, but by then he had come up to me, and noticed my inquisitive look. "I'm not drunk", he said. They all say that. But he didn't sound drunk. "You don't sound drunk", I said, penetratingly. "How ... ?" "It's Ralph Vaughan", he explained, waving at the animal. "He makes me liszt like szell, because it's the tail that wagners the dog. Haydn't you noticed ?" -- Antonio B. Leal Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Bell: [412] 268-2937 Carnegie Mellon University Net: abl@maxwell.ece.cmu.edu Pittsburgh, PA. 15213 U.S.A. From hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM Wed Dec 6 20:05:08 1989 From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Soulmates, exiles, life, the Universe, everything... Date: 6 Dec 89 02:15:45 GMT Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.tti.com (The Polymath) Organization: The Cat Factory Keywords: Life sucks Status: O D*mn! There's something about this place that triggers all my old helping instincts. I thought I'd lost them long ago. Maybe it's the safety of the net. (Ouch! Keep your peanuts to yourselves! (-: (-: ). In article <9319@microsoft.UUCP> t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) writes: }... I've spent basically all my life alone. .... What a familiar line. Have you been reading my mind? I say that all the time, though less often of late. }... I'm sick and tired of being alone, but I can't do anything }about it ... I suspect you can, but you may not be comfortable with doing what needs to be done. It's scary, going out among strangers to seek friends. There's always that nagging fear of rejection. It's worth doing though, and you've picked a good place to start. I don't think anyone here's going to reject you. One technique I've used over the years is just to become a "regular" at some venue. It doesn't much matter where (pick a place you'd like to be anyway, of course). Just keep showing up. Pretty soon you get to know the other regulars. Familiarity kills fear. Eventually you look up and realize they're all your friends. It takes some time and patience, but it works. No toast this time. Hang in there. P.S.: I finally got through to Jilara using the following paths: ttidca!pyramid!apple!motcsd!fsdcupt!jane ttidca!csun!hplabs!rutgers!apple!motcsd!fsdcupt!jane The motcsd mailer doesn't seem to like the '@' and '%' notations, but hard-coded paths work ok. Check the header of your bounced messages to see the path they followed to motcsd and construct the address from that. -- The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@ttidca.tti.com) Illegitimis non Citicorp(+)TTI Carborundum 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. (213) 452-9191, x2483 Santa Monica, CA 90405 {csun|philabs|psivax}!ttidca!hollombe From hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM Wed Dec 6 20:05:10 1989 From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Who/what I am, and a story ... Date: 6 Dec 89 03:53:22 GMT Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.tti.com (The Polymath) Organization: The Cat Factory Keywords: Status: O I don't feel comfortable with the detailed statistics form others have been using. It feels too ... clinical, I guess. So, let me try a different tack. What you see of me here isn't a persona, or, at least, it's pretty much the persona you'd see if we met in person. Maybe I'm a little more thoughtful here because I don't have to think and speak in real time. Maybe a little kinder and gentler, too, but those are the only differences and I like to think they're minor. Otherwise, what I say, and have said, about myself is pretty much what I am. I expect you'll get to know more about me as I ramble on from time to time. (I do have some alter-egos tucked away for special occasions -- you'll know if/when they show up. They aren't subtle (-: ). A couple of pointers, so you'll know something of where I'm coming from: I'm 41 years old. That probably gives me a somewhat different perspective on some things than many of the people here. It may also qualify me as resident old fart. (-: I make no claims to superior wisdom. Some of you may be wondering about my handle. I interpret "polymath" to be a $20 word for "jack of all trades." Hang around me long enough and you'll see it wasn't chosen at random. And now ... Mike? Give me a brew, for I'm about to tell a tale and need to lubricate the works. Ahhh ... thanks. That's good stuff. A toast: To friends and families of all kinds. Ahem ... I'm afraid I'm not much of a punster and I'm saving my riddles for my FRP world, when I get it built. Neither am I a spinner of tall tales and I can't get my guitar playing over the net, so I'm going to try something a little different. I'd like to tell you about one of my former extended families. There've been a few and I may get to all of them eventually, but one per posting is certainly enough. And so, in the spirit of "Joy shared is doubled": Once upon a time, many years ago, a friend of mine named Sandy decided to run away and join the circus. She answered an ad in a local paper offering training on the flying trapeze and similar acts. I was doing some free-lance photography at the time and she invited me up to meet the rest of the act. That's how I met *Del Graham and The Flying Viennas -- The World's Only All-Girl Trapeze Act*. I kid you not. (N.B.: I mean no disrespect by the use of "girl" in this story. That was the name of the act and Del was old enough to call just about anyone a girl. He called me a boy, for that matter. Besides, some of the members of the act were physically girls -- as in pre-teens). Del was a lovable old curmudgeon and a circus person of the old school. He'd spent most of his life traveling with one circus or another, except for his work as a Hollywood stunt man and a few years as a prize fighter. He could tell stories ... Anyway, Del wanted someone to do publicity shots for the act and some training photos as well, so I started to hang around with my camera and sort of became part of things. I helped with the rigging, even went on a brief tour with them, once. (That's when I learned that pulling stakes out of the ground is every bit as hard as pounding them in (-: ). We had some good times. Del could cook, and eat, just about anything and he liked to sneak odd stuff into the pot. One day he took me aside and told me not to tell the girls, but we were having bull penis stew for dinner. He told them _after_ dinner. (-: Evenings were spent sitting around the fire, listening to stories. Other circus folks and stunt people would often come to visit, as well as Del's assorted former wives. Did I mention he'd been married 8 times? Del kept a bottle of Dant's Ye Olde Bourbon Whiskey in the freezer at all times. One of the greatest honors ever accorded me was when he took it out one day, drank a few gulps from the bottle, then offered it to me. That's when I knew I was family. (Kids, don't try this at home. Dant's is truly cheap, foul stuff and only palatable when thoroughly chilled). Of course, Del wasn't the only person there. There were also Sandy and the other girls in the act. Some of them came and went and their memories fade, but I'll never forget Patty, the catcher. She was what really made the act unique. Very few women have the upper body strength to be a trapeze catcher. Patty's the only one I ever heard of. After watching her work, I was _very_ careful _never_ to get her seriously mad at me. (-: Then there was Linda, who kept popping out of the top of her costume, much to her annoyance and the amusement of her boyfriend. And Connie, my other friend, who one day made the mistake of sticking her tongue out at my camera. She nearly broke my shin when I hung the poster on the wall ... (-: And don't forget the animals: A yard full of chickens, roosters and one guinea hen that kept them all in line. A big, shaggy dog the young chicks loved to roost on (you wouldn't believe the picture) and an aging australian terrier -- Del's special pet. The act moved to a ranch in Oregon a few months after I came back from Europe. Then Del's heart gave out on tour and he retired to Florida. If the booze and cigarettes haven't caught up with him, I expect he's there still. (Doctor: "Del, if you keep on like this you're going to die." Del: "I know, doc, but when?"). D*mn! I'm over 100 lines and I've barely given you the cast of characters. There's so many stories to tell ... I guess I'll just have to work them into other postings from time to time. (And this is one of my smaller families. Oy! (-: ). Anyway, enough from me for now. Anyone else have some good times to share? -- The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@ttidca.tti.com) Illegitimis non Citicorp(+)TTI Carborundum 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. (213) 452-9191, x2483 Santa Monica, CA 90405 {csun|philabs|psivax}!ttidca!hollombe From jefyoung@pawl.rpi.edu Wed Dec 6 20:05:11 1989 From: jefyoung@pawl.rpi.edu (Jeffrey Young) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Taldin's Real Identity (*PERSONAL DESC*) Date: 6 Dec 89 18:49:14 GMT Distribution: alt Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY Summary: (shrug) "Might as well.." Status: O Name: Jeffrey Young (a.k.a. Taldin The Blue Unicorn) Hobbies: Computers, Role-Playing Games, Reading (Fantasy/SF) Singing, Acting, Writing Poems/Stories,Playing my recorder and Juggling,Star-Gazing... Favorite Books:The Apprentice Adept Series,Xanth,DragonRiders Of Pern, to name a few. Sophomore CSCI major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY Age: 18 (apparent age:14) Sex: Male Height: 5'5"-5'6" Weight: 110-115 lbs Hair: Black. Eyes: Brown. Vision slightly better than Magyk's. Favorite Food: (no, not grass..) Shrimp Lo Mein, Fried Chicken, Spaghetti,Spiked Apple Juice, Manhattan Clam Chowder, Chips Ahoy Cookies -89, and Sour Cream And Onion Potato Chips. Favorite Color: Blue, then Grey Favorite TV Shows: Good question. I haven't watched any TV since last September, really. Favorite Movies: Princess Bride,Star Wars,Back To The Future, Holy Grail,Bill n' Ted's Excellent Adv.,Roger Rabbit Musical Tastes:Just about anything, though straying toward Jazz and Classical, and anything I can tune with on my recorder. Home: New York City, NY Other Information: Empath, sometime psychic,adept video game player, and Wiccan-in-training. (If you don't know what this last -Taldin -Unicorn Defender Of Light "HARM NONE!" P.S. Thanks to Magyk, whose post I used as the tempplate for mine. And also for the archived file.. -- "You are blue, Unicorn.. the Blue of clear, cloudless days where everything seems like it's going right and nothing could go wrong.. and the Blue of despair and lonliness." jefyoung@pawl.rpi.edu From t-phils@microsoft.UUCP Wed Dec 6 20:05:15 1989 From: t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Thanks! Date: 6 Dec 89 18:53:18 GMT Reply-To: t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) Distribution: alt Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Summary: You're welcome... Status: O Gilly Rosenthol writes: | "Drinks for everyone, on me!" she | cries. "It's certainly not enough to pay you all back for what you | did for me, but it's a start." "You're welcome, Gilly, any time," says Alaric with a wistful smile. "Where would any of us be if we didn't at least try to help our friends?" | When everyone has a glass in his or | her hand (or paw, or whatever) they turn to Gilly and wait expectantly | for her toast. "To the first law of Callahan's - Shared joy is | increased; shared pain, diminished. It's so very true." And with a | last loving look at the people around her, she drains the glass and | hurls it into the fireplace. A cry of "Amen!" fills the air, and a | barrage of glasses fills the fireplace. Alaric's glass is perhaps a second or so behind the others. He looks unconvinced. He seems about to say something, then thinks better of it. | When the room settles down again, Gilly finds herself at a table with | the group of people describing themselves. "I like that - it would be | nice to have a better mental image of what the people here are like. "Well..." Alaric looks thoughtful. "I suppose Phil spent a lot of time in that back corner, I doubt that anyone really got a good look at him, so maybe I should fill in for him." He shrugs. "He looks a lot like me - or I look a lot like him, depending how you look at it. He's not quite as tall, about 5'10" or so, and he's a lot lighter built. I'd guess he weighs about, oh, 130, maybe 135. He's stronger than he looks, though; good hands to hold a sword." He smiles slightly, almost apologetically. "Of course, that doesn't have much relevance in this day and age, when swords are pretty much obsolete except as museum pieces. Which is a shame, because he's not a bad swordsman. Needs to be more aggressive, though... - oh, sorry - I'm getting off the subject, aren't I? Let me see, where was I... He's kind of quiet, like me, only more so. Keeps pretty much to himself most of the time. He told me once it was because no-one paid attention to him anyway. Matter of fact, one reason I'm describing him now is because he probably wouldn't do so himself, not in detail. He'd tell you something vague about a hard-to-notice guy in dark clothing and leave it pretty much at that. He isn't just being a potato when he sits in the background listening, though; he's thinking, often pretty hard. All too frequently, though, he won't volunteer what he's thinking because he doesn't think it's worth much. When he does, though, it usually makes pretty good sense. To me, at least." He pauses, taking a swallow of his drink. "He likes music, and his musical tastes are pretty broad, though I've heard him say several times that `country music is a contradiction in terms.' You figure that one out for yourselves, because I don't know what he's talking about. He reads a lot, mostly what he calls `science fiction', `fantasy', and `cyberpunk' (whatever in Chaos that is). I've never seen anyone devour a book as fast as he does. He tells me that it isn't speed-reading; he says he lets his mind translate the book into a play or `film' for him, and then watches the play inside his head. I guess that's something like looking at a map and visualizing the terrain it represents." He pauses again. "Let me see - what else is there? I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to describe him properly - can't seem to find much to say about him." He laughs briefly, a short, almost embarrassed laugh. "Never really got done describing him physically, did I? I got side- tracked and never got back on track again. He has kind of greenish, kind of grayish, kind of bluish eyes - you can't really say they're any one color. He says people have told him they change color according to the light and his moods, but I've never seen it... to tell the truth, though, I've never looked. He's taken to wearing his hair a little below shoulder-length the last year or two; he has dark brown, almost black hair, fairly wavy. He says he can't do a thing with it, and I believe him. He's kind of narrow in the face, high cheekbones, deep set eyes (or maybe it's just the shadows under them make them look deep set). Wears a short beard and mustache which makes his face a little less angular." Another swallow of the drink. "He works with computers, so he tells me; sometimes I think he gets on better with computers than with people. He told me the other day he'd never been lied to or ignored by a computer yet; I think he was joking, but I'm not sure. I don't think he was sure either. A lot of times when he says things like that, I don't think he's really sure whether he's joking or not. Personally, I think that if he's joking at all, he's only joking on the surface. It's been a long time since I've heard him laugh." He pauses, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I think that's about all I can tell you about him that's worth telling. I know it isn't any too clear, but I haven't tried to really describe him before; and I know that despite all my rambling, there's a lot less information there that a lot of other people here have told about themselves, but I really don't know what to tell you about him. If there's anything specific I missed that you want to know about him, then my honest suggestion is go ahead and ask him. From what I know of him, he won't mind you asking; and my guess is he'd answer just about any reasonable question you ask him. He's like that. If he considers you're prying, he'll tell you. He won't lie to you, either; honesty is a big thing with him - he has a strong sense of honor. I consider it one of his best qualities." The last mouthful of the drink disappears, and he regards the empty (goblet? glass?) with an approving eye. "He's a good man, although life's treated him a little rough and he's maybe feeling a little fragile lately. And since I have this glass conveniently at hand, I don't think he'd be offended if I make a toast for him." He steps over to the line, and raises the now-empty vessel. "To true friends, the most precious thing you can possibly have - and sometimes, the hardest to find." "Now, Mike, if you'd be so kind as to sell me another... and if you'll permit me, friends," with a nod towards the table where he had been sitting, "a round for those friends whose table I've been sharing... Jilara, and Magyk, and the flying kitten - Melissa, did you say? In fact... if someone will trade me a handful of silver for this gold piece - unless you'd take gold, Mike? - let me buy one all around. It pays to appreciate your friends." -- _________________________________________________________ | Phil Stracchino t-phils@microsoft.UUCP | | "What about me, it isn't fair | | I've had enough, now I want my share | | Can't you see, I want to live..." | | - Moving Pictures | | "If life was simple, everyone would be good at it." | | - The Eternal Stranger | \_________________________________________________________/