Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!usc!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!umich!mailrus!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnewsj!jwi From: jwi@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (Jim Winer @ AT&T, Middletown, NJ) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Armor Plating Keywords: Cynic Message-ID: <4228@cbnewsj.ATT.COM> Date: 16 Mar 90 21:09:54 GMT Distribution: na Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 79 In the rafters, near the sleeping Green Tiger, a Familiar spider plays. It is called Jung. It's true name is never spoken. It jumps at shadows. Elsewhere, with invisible hands, The Witch of the Logos shuffles the ROTA. The Witch of the Logos spins the Great Wheel. There is a momentary oppression of clockwork and a lingering scent of apples. An image of the Outer forms in the Wheel: Five Tears Falling Disappointment Apperceptions With invisible hands, The Witch of the Logos touches lips to Water and smashes a crystal cup. Again, an oppression of clockwork an image condenses: The Capricorn Key of the ROTA A rotting goat's head impaled on a block of stone. A candle Inverted pentagram An iron ring Chains held by willing hands The Devil Self Imposed Bondage With invisible hands, The Witch of the Logos shapes the Will of Fire into a clockwork oppression: Ten Doors Closed Obsession Isolation And a breath of Air excapes the clockwork oppression and lingers in the Mind: Two children playing on a hilltop in the Sunlight Rebirth And welling up in clockwork dust from the Earth: The Ace of Jewels a Body Armored in Crystal Finally, The Witch of the Logos Fades, yet an image of the Inner remains in the Mirror at the Crossroads of Infinity A Sea Princess The Lotus of the Palace of Water The Princess of Dreams And, in the rafters, near the sleeping Green Tiger, a Familiar spider plays. It is called Jung. It's true name is never spoken. It jumps at Shadows. Path: mit-eddie!mit-amt!snorkelwacker!usc!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnewsh!wcs From: wcs@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (Bill Stewart 201-949-0705 erebus.att.com!wcs) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Cynicism and other things Message-ID: <8971@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> Date: 16 Mar 90 17:17:51 GMT References: <9062@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> Reply-To: wcs@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (Bill Stewart 201-949-0705 erebus.att.com!wcs) Organization: It's the stuff that dreams are made of, and we're just thrilled to be a part of it all. Lines: 87 The Monk has been sitting in the corner near the fireplace, reflecting on the swirling passions and pains, joys shared with each other, and anger and pain directed toward others as well as shared with them. "That _is_ how it works, after all", he says to the Cynic. "If people were perfect, sharing their pain would be easier, and caring wouldn't be so tough, or so rare. But they aren't. Some people are closer to the dark side than others, but that just means they need love all the more. It's not as easy to give, especially over a long period, but there are a lot of people here to help. And we will, if that's what you want." > Have I grown so far from innocent happiness that I react to it with anger? "Probably have; those who are no longer innocent often find innocence hard to accept, and who among us is still innocent? Darkness is more than just a temporary absence of light - it leaves scars that stay around even after it's gone. The pain of those scars makes it easier for us to understand others' pain, but not as willing to care because it reminds us of our own pain and how little we can do." > I cannot even promise never to do it again. I am very > passionate and I tend to react to extremes and settle > down in the long run. Certainly I will try never to The monk reflects on the times he's done things, and regretted them, and known that regrets don't undo the damage or prevent them from happening again. And on the people who've been hurt and continued to care anyway, because while darkness is strong, love is also strong, and perseveres even when you'd expect it to give up. "We're in this for the long run, you know. We can handle the extremes for a while." He hears Jillara saying ]>This is Callahans, dammit! and adds "Doesn't mean we won't get angry at you, too, Cynic, but we still want you around. Some of us are self-righteous about anger (and I'm talking about myself, not about Jilara), but we hope you'll handle _our_ weaknesses, too. Not the easiest thing to do when you're angry, which is why anger causes such trouble." ]>I consider myself a cynic. You, my friend, are a misanthrope. "Jilara, you've talked briefly about the pains you've been through, pains that have got to be deep and overwhelming and that make it hard to trust or accept the love that holds you even in that pain, and you've mentioned that Love as well. And if the Cynic hasn't met it yet, well, no surprise if his own pains make him misanthropic. Change takes a long time, especially if all you see is the darkness, and there's more than enough of that around." "About the hand-green-ade (a sLimey trick), I must confess that I had tossed several peanuts at them when they beamed in. Missed, though, and I suspect one of Traveler's elephants has eaten them by now. There's been a minor time-storm around here, and so they arrived after your green-ade, which arrived after the flames began." ]Again, I really thank you for the gesture, but if you give me ]a warm fuzzy, it will turn into a cold fuzzy, and we don't want that. "You may not want them now, though angry words get tangled in them like spiderwebs, but you can leave them in the back of the ice-box, and get them out later. The anger tends to evaporate after a while, and there's nothing like pulling an ice-cold fuzzy out of the fridge when there aren't any warm ones around." Since he's sitting much nearer to the fireplace than to the chalk-line, and everything's been backwards anyway, he does the toast in reverse. "Two beer!" The tankard bounces off the mantel, across the room, and lands on the bar, along with a couple silver thalers (paper money not having been prevalent during his persona's time). "And to those who need caring - before this happened, I'd been going to remind the Unbeliever that there _is_ still love in the world, but this is for you, too. It comes in a lot of flavors, shows up in places you wouldn't have expected it, and sticks around when you're not in the mood. Sometimes it's real visible, sometimes you don't realize it's there till you trip over it, but it's there. Sometimes it's pretty light-weight, but sometimes it's a river that absorbs the hatred and the anger and the pain and still flows on. And it'll be there when you need it, because it _is_ still there." > My heart does not feel what my ears have heard, > these whole and wholesome, healthy words. "Aye," he says, "it's like that, too." the electric monk -- # Bill Stewart AT&T Bell Labs 4M312 Holmdel NJ 201-949-0705 erebus.att.com!wcs # Fax 949-4876. Sometimes found at Somerset 201-271-4712 # Pay LOTS of attention to that man behind the curtain! Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!lll-winken!decwrl!ucbvax!prism.gatech.edu!ccastdk From: ccastdk@prism.gatech.edu (Arthur dan Pwyll) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: New Arrival Message-ID: <9003170045.AA10726@prism.gatech.edu> Date: 17 Mar 90 00:45:08 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 31 The door swings open slowly framing a tall dark-haired man with steel-blue eyes. He blinks for a moment in the unacustomed light, then walks in slowly, carefully shutting the door behind himself. He walks up to the bar and lays down a five. "How about a grasshopper?" Beside him, Eddie speaks, "Sorry bub, you can't use that fin in here." The man gazes at Eddie calmly for a moment, then puts away the bill, "What can I use, then?" "Singles." "Just ones?" "Yep." The man smiles faintly and pulls out five ones and turns to Mike, "Now, about that grasshopper..." and lays the ones on the bar. Mike places a thick greenish drink upon the bar and scoops up one of the bills. "Drinks are half a buck," he says, "If you leave your glass at the bar and not in the fireplace, you get your chance from that box yonder as you leave. Oh, you can call me Mike." "Thanks Mike, you can call me Arthur." He drains half the glass in a single gulp, then asks, "How do the glasses end up in the fireplace? "Why," says Mike, "People throw 'em there after their toast." A quiet sound as of wings issues from near Arthur's shoulders, and he cocks his head as if listening to someone. "I see." He looks down, and spots the chalk line, then walks over to stand in front of it. He looks at his glass meditatively, then drains it. "To solitude!" **SMASH** He stands there for a moment, then draws himself to his full height and walks back to the bar. Laying another single down, he asks, "You got any good ale, Mike?" Silently, Mike places a brimming ale mug on the bar. Arthur smiles, "Thanks." and walks to a table near the fire, sipping his ale. Arthur dan Pwyll Path: mit-eddie!bu.edu!lll-winken!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM!jane From: jane@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM (Jane Beckman x4030) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Blankity-blank system... Message-ID: <9003161648.AA03928@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM> Date: 17 Mar 90 00:48:32 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 10 Hmmm... Usenet is dumping off the system again, and wasn't showing updates for the past day or so. When I went to check on alt.callahans just now, usenet blythely informed me "No news is good news!" and went out to lunch. Thank heavens for remote servers! (And that I copied some of the files to my directory.) Alaric wants to make a few more comments, now that he has a couple opportunities to get access through my machine. Ohboy, party time at Grand Central Starport! See some of you there! -----Jilara the Exile Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!usc!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!cwjcc!ncoast!allbery From: allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: hell Message-ID: <1990Mar16.235654.4082@NCoast.ORG> Date: 16 Mar 90 23:56:54 GMT References: <9060035@hpfcso.hp.com> <1990Mar12.143842.20006@granite.cr.bull.com> <12571@thorin.cs.unc.edu> Reply-To: allbery@ncoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) Followup-To: alt.callahans Distribution: usa Organization: North Coast Public Access UN*X, Cleveland, OH Lines: 37 As quoted from <12571@thorin.cs.unc.edu> by gottscha@unc.cs.unc.edu (Stefan Gottschalk): +--------------- | In article <1990Mar12.143842.20006@granite.cr.bull.com> mwolf@granite.cr.bull.com (mary-anne wolf) writes: | >Cynic writes: | >> certainly rage is not hate, but I think that | >> the emotions may be connected, and it disturbs | >> me that I do not have complete control. | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^! | >I made a decision that anger should be expressed | >quickly and verbally. I now have a tongue that can cut like a knife, | >and I might even have a reputation of not being a nice person, but at | >least no-one is frightened of me, and I have not really hurt anyone | >because I have never let the anger build to a point where I wanted | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^! | >to. That is much easier than finding somewhere to put it once it | >has built up. | | Well, certainly I'm not above such things. Hate is a Big Word, and I don't +--------------- Am I above hate? I'm not certain I can answer that; I've never felt anything I can call hate. Anger, yes; hate, no. Don't ask me why; it may be nothing more than a matter of labels. +--------------- | >"I'm nobody. Who are you? Are you a nobody too?" | | Nobody here but us nobodies. +--------------- Sometimes I wish I were a bit more of a nobody.... ++Brandon -- Brandon S. Allbery (human), allbery@NCoast.ORG (Inet), BALLBERY (MCI Mail) ALLBERY (Delphi), uunet!cwjcc.cwru.edu!ncoast!allbery (UUCP), B.ALLBERY (GEnie) BrandonA (A-Online) ("...and a partridge in a pear tree!" ;-) Path: mit-eddie!mintaka!yale!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnewsh!wcs From: wcs@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (Bill Stewart 201-949-0705 erebus.att.com!wcs) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Grin-- Some Dreams Come True Message-ID: <8981@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> Date: 16 Mar 90 22:11:56 GMT References: <1990Mar14.183114.10606@granite.cr.bull.com> Reply-To: wcs@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (Bill Stewart 201-949-0705 erebus.att.com!wcs) Organization: Sirius Cybernetics Lines: 19 Silverblack writes: ] (Joelle Ann Mellon) writes: ] >She laughs as she steps up to the chalk line. To him, she says, "Ad Novos Amicos!" ] >She hurls her mug into the fire, and to the rest of the room, she says, ] >"To New Friends!!" >>CRASH<< ] (At the sound of Latin, Silverblack looks up from editing his resume. ] He's been here, but silent, for the past few days. Goes to the bar.) The monk, having long forgotten his Latin in the swirl of other arcane languages used in the trade, hums under his breath ("The hills are alive, with the sound...") and wonders if this was really Latin or one of the related languages; Esperanto would certainly be in context. -- # Bill Stewart AT&T Bell Labs 4M312 Holmdel NJ 201-949-0705 erebus.att.com!wcs # Fax 949-4876. Sometimes found at Somerset 201-271-4712 # Pay LOTS of attention to that man behind the curtain! Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!apple!arc!sarc!arc.UUCP From: steve@arc.UUCP (Steve Savitzky) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Negativity Summary: Meager and hollow, yet crisp Message-ID: <856@sarc.UUCP> Date: 17 Mar 90 01:17:33 GMT Sender: news@sarc.UUCP Reply-To: steve@arc.UUCP (Steve Savitzky) Organization: Advansoft Research Corp, Santa Clara, CA Lines: 50 A small dark smudge appears in the air near the bar, gradually enlarging into a region of blackness the size and shape of a medium-sized teddybear. It continues enlarging to the size of a medium-sized bear, which reaches into its own blackness and pulls out a dollar bill. "I think a black russian would be appropriate," it says, in a rather hollow voice. "I have read several posts today from people who feel guilty or otherwise upset about their own negative emotions, or those of others. Hmm. Let me present my credentials first: in my real-world persona of Steve Savitzky, many years ago, I was part of a group of friends who were suspended from Junior High for a week because of our "negative attitude". Being negative, cynical, skeptical, pessimistic, depressed, angry, hate-filled, and the like are things I've had plenty of practice with. "The point is, these negative attitudes and emotions are not only perfectly normal; sometimes they're actually useful. The trick is to find ways of expressing them that at least don't hurt anybody, and at best are helpful. "For example: my wife feels angry and upset at the way homeless people are being treated. She expresses this by working for a shelter. "For example: I get depressed. (I used to do it more often.) Although my depression sometimes spills over and gets other people depressed, too, I've also written some of my best poetry in this state. Other times I just crawl into a corner and read "King Lear". "Even hate is useful. I think it was an essay by John W. Campbell that pointed this out, or maybe it was Heinlein. The point is, if you hate something, you keep hating it until you wipe it out. Sometimes this can be useful. Groups like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, various anti-war groups, and the like, are based on constructive hatred. The trick is learning to hate things that *ought* to be wiped out. Even when you hate a person, sometimes this is because of something about that person that you can try to change (called "hating the sin but loving the sinner" -- the opposite phenomenon was the subject of a poem by Ogden Nash, the title of which escapes me at the moment). "Anyway, my point is that not *all* negative feelings are bad. And if you inadvertantly express them in a way that hurts other people, apologise for *that* and not for the feelings themselves. After all, if it wasn't for that hollow space in the fireplace, where would we throw our glasses? "To Holes!" The bear flings its now-empty glass into the fireplace, then slowly and quietly implodes. It can be seen, in the process, that the darkness inside it was full of stars. Path: mit-eddie!mintaka!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpfcso!hpcndaw!jason%hpcndjdz.HP.COM@hpcnd From: jason@hpcndjdz.HP.COM (Jason Zions) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Collective noun for a buncha fuzzies? Message-ID: <21780004@hpcndjdz.HP.COM> Date: 16 Mar 90 01:16:58 GMT Organization: HP Colorado Networks Division Lines: 29 Jazz's head swivles in Gilly's direction after she lets the door close behind the fuzzie-animated banner. "Ah, yes, collective nouns. As in `A Murder of Crows', etc. Hmmm. Cows group in herds, so I guess Fuzzies group in Slippers? A Slipper of Fuzzies. Not too bad. Maybe a Velcro of Fuzzies? Trademark troubles there, beware." He sidles up to the bar, muttering to himself, lays out a doller in exchange for a shot of Glen Kinchie (love that name!), and starts back to his table. Freezing in his tracks, a small gleam creeps into his eyes. "Got it! A Nuzzle of Fuzzies! Like, ``Where oh where has my nuzzle of Fuzzies gotten off to this time; I only left the bag open a minute...''" He settles back into his seat. "I remember a notestring on collective nouns from, oh, five or so years back, before the Great Net Reorg, back in net.jokes. I invented a few, but I was only proud of one of them." He looks up, sees the question in Gilly's face, realizes he's left off in the middle again. "Sorry. Umm, what's the collective noun for a group of morticians? Why, a Corpse, of course, pronounced as in Corps." As he says this, his hand creeps over the top of the shot glass in an attempt to protect the contents from any airborne peanuts. Jazz Path: mit-eddie!mintaka!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpfcso!hpcndaw!jason%hpcndjdz.HP.COM@hpcnd From: jason@hpcndjdz.HP.COM (Jason Zions) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: More Shared Joy! Message-ID: <21780005@hpcndjdz.HP.COM> Date: 16 Mar 90 01:32:30 GMT Organization: HP Colorado Networks Division Lines: 34 As he hears Karl's questions, Jazz turns toward him. "In response to the first, ``Were you right to leave the ball in her court like that?'', I'd have to say yes. She did accept the newsletter, she was interested in the conversation, etc. and so forth. I think you're okay here. "Secondly, regarding the use of address (and phone number) obtained by sleuth - you probably can't use it from that source. But, have no fear; a better answer is at hand. A slightly conspiritorial tone creeps into the voice at this point. "In point three, (not really a question after all,) you say you noticed her name on a mailing label. Did she happen to give her phone number when she contacted ESNE? If it's a usual part of the info obtained, and if in fact it were obtained, you could have, in a completely above-board fashion, asked ESNE for her number and contacted her that way. "Or, if she doesn't show up at the meeting this weekend, you could legitimately write her a short note; oh, asking if she's interested in attending meetings (after all I saw your address on a mailing label, so I was wondering if you needed a ride) [only works if you have a car, or live nearby and hence can rideshare, or...] There's a whole buncha non-threatening stuff you can say, including asking her if she'd be interested in meeting for lunch someplace to practice speaking or translating, etc. and so forth. Remind her she has your number (from the newsletter) and ask her to call if she's interested. One way or another, you'll get a response." Jazz walks up to him, gives him a quick squeeze on the shoulder. "Being nervous isn't gonna help the next time you see her; might as well give nerves up for Lent. Best of luck; let me know how it goes, eh?" Jazz Path: mit-eddie!mintaka!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpfcso!hpcndaw!jason%hpcndjdz.HP.COM@hpcnd From: jason@hpcndjdz.HP.COM (Jason Zions) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: grenades Message-ID: <21780006@hpcndjdz.HP.COM> Date: 16 Mar 90 02:02:41 GMT Organization: HP Colorado Networks Division Lines: 77 "Step back a minute and *think*, Jilara." Jazz walks over to her, stands in front of her, hands open and relaxed at his side. Body language says ``not a threat, and not threatened. By anyone.'' "Let's take a look at the record, shall we? Mike, check me on this; I've got a mostly-phonographic memory, but I parity-check at times." The Star Trek gang is >>; Cynic is >. >>"You people," Kirk says expansively in inexplicably unaccented twentieth- >>century English, "do take life very seriously." >>"Life," he intones, "is like Fizzbin. The rules are arbitrary, even >>ludicrous -- but sometimes, you just have to try to play." He pauses again >>and gives you a boyish grin. "And sometimes, it can be fun!" >>(beamout) >Just as the shimmer begins, the cynic enters the bar and tosses a >grenade into the shimmer. The grenade disappears with the group >beaming up. >The cynic smiles to himself. "Just another group of >self-satirical geriatrics eliminated," he thinks to himself. >If it prevents a repeat of Star Trek V, it will all have been >worth it. "At which point", Jazz continues, "the world (with the notable exception of Betsy Bo) explodes; not due to the grenade, *which vanished*, but with righteous indignation. "Run that by, again, people! Kirk says folks are taking things too seriously, that sometimes it can be just fun. The Cynic, whom we all know takes things rather seriously, takes this advice to heart and has a little fun. No damage; I remind you, *the grenade disappeared*. No explosion, no shrapnel." Jazz looks at Jilara, scans past him to Zach, on around the room. "Who are you to gainsay cynic's reality? People walk in here wearing personas; their reality, such that none may say otherwise. Who challenges the reality of Unicorns, or tigers in the rafters, plaid drinks? Yet you alter the imposed reality of The Place because the presented reality doesn't permit you indignation." He looks squarely at Jilara, now. "Remember what the victim of all this said - ``The rules are arbitrary.'' The implication in his first line - ``Lighten up! Y'all are taking things too seriously!'' And you jump on the first person who takes his advice. Listen, if you want to jump on me, please take the cleats off first; I bleed from holes like that. So does cynic, though probably less than I. "A misanthrope? Helluva diagnosis to make long-distance. Whether or not it's true is not relevant; it is judgemental in the extreme. Judging one another arbitrarily is not exactly in keeping with The Place, Jilara. In fact, Zach, I'd call that kind of judgement more violent than tossing an imaginary grenade into an imaginary group of people beaming up into an imaginary starship where we don't even knoe if the imaginary grenade exploded into imaginary fragments." The voice grows quieter, calmer; tightly-reined intensity. "Try to remember there are people under the personas. Attacking a person with a weapon like ``misanthrope!'' is in a different class from taking someone's advice and having a little fun." Jazz strides over to the bar, looking Mike in the eye; they lock gazes for an instant, and both look down simultaneously. "Gimme a Glenfiddich, neat", slide of paper dollar on counter. He toes the chalk line, tosses back the scotch; while the fire burns the gullet, ignites the stomache, inflames the soul, he shouts "To Empathy, and Empaths - even when we forget!" and hurls the glass into the fireplace. The shatter of the heavy glass sounds curiously like the sound of a dud grenade hitting the floor of a transporter room. And bouncing. Twice. Jazz