Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!tank!msuinfo!cpsin2!frey From: frey@cpsin2.uucp (Zachary T Frey {regular}) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: I'm baaaack! Bwahahaha! Message-ID: <1990Apr17.170611.16232@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> Date: 17 Apr 90 17:06:11 GMT References: <1990Apr17.001819.18265@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <9751@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> Sender: news@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu Organization: Michigan State University, East Lansing Lines: 40 In article <9751@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Gellis) writes: >The Man Who Talked with Books takes his hand out of his jacket, takes >his hand off the Baretta 92F he carries in a nylon shoulder holster, >quietly thanks God that he did not have to use it. Since Zach is clearly >a regular, he does not give his lecture on "Why People Should Not Fuck >Around with Guns." (For those who are interested, my favorite part >goes something like this: Right. There's a *reason* I didn't point that thing at anybody in particular. I figured, given this group, there had to be at least one patron who is armed. (I also trusted that those with weapons would be ones with cool heads. The magic of Callahan's, don't cha know?) >[Excellent lecture on gun training and respect deleted.] >Of course, if we looked closely, I imagine that Zach's weapon is probably >only a plastic water pistol version of an Uzi (Zach sounds like he is too >smart to risk even the one-in-a-million-chance accident). But still, >playing around with realistic looking toy guns is becoming more and more >dangerous these days. Police have killed children because they thought >some kid was really pointing a real gun at them. Um, er, ah, arrrgh ... I see now that I forgot to mention that. Sorry. (Demonstrate squirting water at ceiling.) I was in slightly more of a hurry than I wanted to be writing that post, and it seems I left that out. And yes, I am aware of the dangers of realistic toy guns. This is why I would only pull a stunt like this under certain controlled, well understood circumstances. Like here. :^) Zach Frey -- Papernet: Zachary Frey | frey@frith.egr.msu.edu | Usenet: the 514 Virginia St. | frey@msuegr.BITNET | Bellman's E. Lansing, MI 48823 | ...uunet!frith!frey | Paradise. | frey@cpsin.cps.msu.edu | -me Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!usc!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!xavier!news From: nap92@campus.swarthmore.edu Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Nao counts on her fingers.... Message-ID: <37RHGVM@xavier.swarthmore.edu> Date: 17 Apr 90 23:25:54 GMT Sender: news@xavier.swarthmore.edu (USENET News System) Organization: Swarthmore College Lines: 21 "Let's see....One, me. Two, Eretria. Three, Viola. Four, Wildy. Five, Andele. Hihi, Andy! Six, Caithelin (sp?). Seven, (oops. I've forgotten your name, but you've done swing dancing?). One more? Then we'll dance!" Nao looks at her watch and yelps. She runs around the room hugging everyone, especially Andele, who finally get here. "Let's see, now. How many Swatties are in here? Nine? Ten? Such FUN!" "Sorry I can't stay longer, but I absolutely have to run! BYE! (I'll be back for dancing....)" She dashes out the door, and you hear her shouting after a blue van, "Wait! Wait for me!!!" *grin* Nao / v \ | Nao Parkhurst | | | nap92@campus.swarthmore.edu | "Blasny, blasny." | | nap92@swarthmr.bitnet | -"The Foreigner" | \ ^ / Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!snark!eric From: eric@snark.uu.net (Eric S. Raymond) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Another newcomer enters Message-ID: <1W8Hs9#9DVDLF4jpFf97dy5Fx3vgR6n=eric@snark.uu.net> Date: 17 Apr 90 15:02:12 GMT References: <23743@mimsy.umd.edu> Lines: 33 Eric stands up out of the shadows near the fireplace. He's a broad-shouldered 5'7" with dishevelled brownish hair and an open, boyish face that looks very young until you notice the crow's-feet around his blue eyes. But the oddest thing about him is his clothes. They seem to blur and flicker; Half the time they look a lot like Chris's; jeans, UNIX t-shirt and sneakers. Sometimes, he seems to be wearing a blue robe, a swirling jet-black cape embroidered with mystic symbols, and a gleaming silver pentagram. At those times, there is even a suggestion of stag-antlers around his head... "Chris," he says, "we've all been there. Maybe it hit you a bit later and harder than most; that's OK, you found your power early. Give your grief time to work out, then put it aside." His voice deepens; the stag antlers are more definite now. "The Goddess's touch can be sheerest bliss, or it can be a refiner's fire. You are now greater than you were. You will be greater yet. When Her face turns toward you again, be ready; do not let old grief cloud your eyes." Abruptly, all suggestion of the robe, cape and antlers disappears. Eric now appears simply as a young man in normal hacker garb, except that there is a large silver flute in his hand. He grins mischievously at the startled faces around the bar. "That was my alter ego, the witch. If you want him, ask for Sunspark". He reaches over and squeezes Chris's shoulder gently, then collars a bottle of ginger beer off the bar and fades back into the corner. Shortly, the sweet liquid notes of a flute can be heard, playing a haunting bluesy melody... -- Eric S. Raymond = eric@snark.uu.net (mad mastermind of TMN-Netnews) Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!image.soe.clarkson.edu!sunybcs!cri From: cri@acsu.Buffalo.EDU (christopher r invidiata) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Another newcomer enters Message-ID: <22095@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> Date: 17 Apr 90 21:57:37 GMT References: <23743@mimsy.umd.edu> <1W8Hs9#9DVDLF4jpFf97dy5Fx3vgR6n=eric@snark.uu.net> Sender: nobody@acsu.Buffalo.EDU Organization: SUNY Buffalo - mall 'n' all... Lines: 24 Zippo looks sidewise at the oddly varying gentleman just making himself known, and chuckles... "'Tis not antlers one needs ot be in good grace with mother!" Only now does anyone notice the knife at his side, with a black hilt with several symbols carved and painted in. He leaps off of his chair and bows low to the ground, hair brushing the ground when he does, snaps up and says- "My name is Zippo, don't ask about the clone part, it's a long story that I guess I'll get into at another time, but in the meantime, the folks here seem to be pairing up to dance, and I have not, apparently, been noticed over in the corner, so would you care to accompany me? Don't worry, I'm not particularly discriminating about gender. I won't be insulted if you refuse, just be gentle with me." With that, Zippo the Clone steps back and smiles. Z.T.C ===================================================== =cri@lictor.acsu.buffalo.edu = "An Eagle may soar, = = aka = but a weasel will = = V118PV6E@ubvmsb.bitnet = never get sucked = Path: mit-eddie!media-lab!snorkelwacker!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!shelby!lindy!news From: HF.ZMF@forsythe.stanford.edu (Miriam Ferziger) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Story Poker (was Re: Hello, did any one hear me?) Message-ID: <9013@lindy.Stanford.EDU> Date: 17 Apr 90 22:28:59 GMT Sender: news@lindy.Stanford.EDU (News Service) Distribution: usa Lines: 46 In article <1990Apr17.003618.22420@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, frey@cpsin2.uucp (Zachary T Frey {regular}) writes: > >The former stick-up artist wanders over. "Hey, what do you know? >Another Zach! We're unusual, I tell you. Why, just this year, I met >the first person over the age of five who was also named Zach. I guess >a quality name like that just has to show up more than once." "This seems like a great opportunity to mention something very funny from my other life," Viola stated. "My oldest friend and I have the same name. In fact each of us was named after our grandfathers!. I have known her pretty much since I came home from the hospital (she is 3 months older than I am). Here is the real kicker . . . we live together!! It is not quite as confusing as it sounds, since most of the people who are supposed to be calling us know to ask for the right one. But it sure is fun. If people cannot bother to keep us straight, that is their problem." > >"So, how are we going to distinguish between each other? If the people >here have trouble with Hildy and Hildebaby, how are they going to handle >Zach and Zach?" Good question! We used to go by M1 and M2 (uncreative, I know, but we were 8 or so.) I have always wanted to go to accept a date from someone I only met briefly and send my namesake in my place. Would the guy notice? We don't look at all alike, but the memory does play tricks on one! I suppose it is something like the kick twins get by tricking people into think that one is the other. >"Well, at least we're not twins." >[Description -- 6'0" (almost), brown hair, cut shoulder-length. The >glasses are half-rimmed. My mustache is *not* scraggly, thank you. :^) >BTW, you can get an idea of the nose from the fact that my smiley is >:^), not :-). (i.e., it's a proud family tradition.) Tonight I'm >wearing white Nike's, red sweatpants, and a navy sweater with "A Phi >Omega" on the front.] > >Zach Frey > --------------------- Viola hf.zmf@forsythe.stanford.edu O Time! Thou must untangle this knot, not I; It is too hard a knot for me t'untie Wm. Shakespeare (_12th Night_) --------------------- Path: mit-eddie!mintaka!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM!jane From: jane@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM (Jane Beckman x4030) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Touch Message-ID: <9004171550.AA12040@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM> Date: 17 Apr 90 22:50:58 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 123 Chris Phoenix recently responded to a letter concerning touch, systems, etc. I (Jilara) would like to offer some of my own observations on his observations, and this topic, as well. Human beings are primates. Primates are very touch-oriented animals. It is one of the forms of interactive communication and reassurance that the great apes employ. Read into this statement what you will. As a victim of various kinds of abuse, I can tell you that I'm a whit weird at the edges because I've got a few defensive modes (many of which operate on a purely instinctive basis) and residual touch-oriented instincts, which were very scary to deal with at first, because I tended to regard touch as a threat. (I'm still a lot more comfortable being touched by women than men, and it's not socialization---it's that I react badly to men sometimes because I associate them with sexual abuse. This is ingrained on an almost instinctive core level. Don't startle me: I fight first and control myself later.) When I was falling apart at the seams, when I first came into the place, I had several incidents when I had "freaked out" and struggled and fought against several people who were trying to restrain me, because some level considered that struggle essential to my survival. Why do people dislike being touched? I dislike being touched by people who treat me like a possession or an inanimate object, to this day, no matter what mode I'm operating in. I think the key is in what the touch means. If the only time I were going to be touched was in a sexual manner, I'd resign from the human race and go be a hermit somewhere. Unfortunately, our society has major segments where the only time folks touch is in interactions related to "mating behavior." For people like me, who are conditioned to reject such things as ultimately threatening, this would create total isolation. Inside one's walls, there is a certain amount of envy in watching the touch-related interactions, especially when you are only touched when people want to exploit you in some way. You feel anger, reject the need entirely, get hostile toward those who interact easily, because you are not one of them. It's a craving and fear, all wrapped up in one unhealthy package. I am speaking only from personal experience of my college years and earlier, so I do not presume to speak for anyone else. However, if my words rouse a response of anger in you, at the mere concept of craving and fear and need interlinked, you might do well to look at why you feel that way. It was my first (though long-ignored) clue as to how far amiss I had strayed. I became angry at even the suggestion that things might be different, that I could possibly *want* anything different. I might add that I disliked touch and felt physically ill when people behaved affectionately. It was a Pavlovian reflex, at that point. I remain convinced that those who dislike touch dislike it because it is somehow threatening, an invasion, interpreted as an impingement on personal boundaries. It needn't be. But for those who think this way, it must be actively UNLEARNED, and one must learn trust, and learn to feel safe being touched. It should never come uninvited. But it befits one little to play armored porkypine, either. Because, as humans, as primates, part of our validation is in touch. It's programmed into the cells of our being. actively harmful. Chris Phoenix points out: >Lack of touch is only one symptom of the system. However, it is a major >lack, and I believe it is clear evidence that the system is sub-optimal. >Fact: Severe lack of touch will cause physical damage. >Fact: In orphanages, babies used to *die* from lack of touch. It was > called "failure to thrive". This is true, and this is biology. It's demonstrated again and again, in that isolated societies tend to have certain "cultural disfunctions" which cause early death and illness, and other malaise. Monkey babies who are not touched grow up sickly, stunted, and neurotic. I wonder if there is a great deal of pathology in a society if its members have too high a ratio of such symptoms. (Witness how many yuppies end up in therapy.) In Puritain New England, about the only touching was to hit other people. Did real wonders for the disposition. Witness the witch trials, torture-punishments, etc. Chris also states: >You also seem to be worrying that I am being insensitive to people with >"good" reasons to avoid touch, and that in my ideal system people would be >forced to touch when they didn't want to. Well, it's true that in my ideal >system people would freely touch each other. >But I'm not silly enough to say that everyone on this earth "should" enjoy >touching. I'm just saying that people who do should not be trained to >avoid it. In the ideal society, no one is "forced" to participate in a experience they do not like. This is called "rape" in the broad sense of the word: it may be physical, spiritual, mental, or whatever, but it is still a coercive and unpleasant experience. There is an old joke about "Come ze revolution, we will all eat peaches and cream!" "But comrad, I do not like peaches and cream!" "Come ze revolution, ve vill all eat peaches and cream and LIKE it!" I think it speaks for itself. I think most human beings who have not been _socialized_ otherwise like being touched. There may be some babies who cry harder when Mama picks them up, and stop when they are put down, but I haven't heard of them. Those, in this ideal society, would be respected as well, but I, personally, don't know if they exist. I don't know if they would survive infancy, frankly, because these things evolved as survival tools. That's just my sociobiologist's viewpoint. Me, I'm just another primate. Maybe a somewhat messed-up primate, but I still consider myself part of the general class. I think my response is of public interest, so I am posting it to alt.callahans with all of your quotations removed, and without identifying who I'm responding to. I don't think this breaks any net.rules or callahans. rules. If you don't want to be anonymous, that's fine with me too. You can feel free to post any of my letters to you on this subject. [This is the end of my response. Thanks to all of you who have read this far. Any comments will be greatly appreciated.] -- Chris Phoenix | "I've spent the last nine years structuring my cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU | life so that this couldn't happen." ...And I only kiss your shadow, I cannot see your hand, you're a stranger now unto me, lost in the dangling conversation, and the superficial sighs... ---Jilara the Exile (I hope.) "If I'm not home accepting what I cannot change, I'm out changing what I can't accept." ---Ashleigh Brilliant alternate mail path: jane%fsdcupt.csd@urbana.mcd.mot.com My email went to Urbana, but all I got was this stupid router! Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!HAWK.ULOWELL.EDU!wgarmil From: wgarmil@HAWK.ULOWELL.EDU (WildCard) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: The falling of some illusions Message-ID: <9004180026.AA20779@hawk> Date: 18 Apr 90 00:26:06 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 37 After spending Easter weekend crying in memory of a lost love, WildCard finally looks up from the fire. And for once, he is not alone. Diana- It is Marcy's memory which anchors me in reality. Before her, it was the need to care for a friend who was like me, but unable to care for himself. Before these two, I had no anchor & was "permanantly" adrift. But to answer your question, no I do not have a anchor (other than Marcy's memory) currently. However, I am better off than I was before and current do not need a physical anchor (I do know I can not be without one forever, however I may feel today). You offer is greatly appriciated. Nick- Thank you for reassuring me that this is were I needed to be this weekend. This place is truely a place of healing. To all the others who comforted me this weekend- Thank you. My contacts have currently fogged up and I can not see everyone around me, but I do feel you presence and appriciate it. I believe the time has come to remove this costume (at least for a while. It is as much a part of me as my glasses are). WildCard standup, moves over to a place where he won't blind anyone, and clangs his golden bracelets above his head. When the flash has died down, WildCard is gone and Wayne Garmil, reluctant time traveler and lost soul, is in his place. Without his costume gone, so are his illusions. He is slightly overweight, brown haired & eyed, average height and wears thick glasses. His eyes search the room for friends and comfort and settle upon Kady. But before he goes over to her, he must not ignore his new friends. But his smile says he will not forget about her. They will meet soon. Wayne heads back to his table to talk with his new friends. For a while, he has found a home. _ __ _ __ How can we dance ' ) / // / / ) / when our earth is turning? / / / o // __/ / __. __ __/ How can we sleep (_(_/ <_ Date: 17 Apr 90 23:28:39 GMT Sender: news@sco.COM Reply-To: caroline@sco.COM (Caprice) Distribution: alt Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. Lines: 43 RRRRINGGGG! RRRRRINGGGGG! Uh, hello? Radio Free Colorado? Great! This is Caprice, listening in at Callahan's Place and I'd like to say thanks for playing that song by the Doors for me. But do keep playing the other stuff, too, OK? I'm getting lots of tips for updating my moldering music collection! But mainly, I called to talk about friends, what their good points are. One of the most important, at least an ideal to strive for anyway, is an ability to laugh at things. A good sense of humor, especially when it's kind of off-beat and a little weird, a sense of the absurd, even. Like this guy I used to live with... One day, we were driving around and drove past a 2nd hand store, and they had a sign out front that said "Used Furs, 20% off". Well, at the time we had a kitty (he took the kitty when we broke up, sniffle, snurf), named Max, and I looked at the sign and said, '*Used* Furs', huh? Wonder what Max would think of the concept of selling 'New' fur, eh?" We both had a good laugh about the concept and how funny it was, but I can imagine that there are people out there in the world somewhere who would've just looked at me strangely or wouldn't have thought the concept very funny at all for one reason or another, but most of the folks I call my friends would have laughed about it. Well, unless they were in a bad mood at the time or something. Yes, of course there are other good points ... .. But I probably ought to let you get some more folks calling in, not monopolize the phone line here, so I'll call back if no one else calls in on this subject, OK? Bye now! -- I'll wrap four strands of hair 'round a notch of the nearest pine. A spider's web, come spring. -- Roberta Hill Whiteman Path: mit-eddie!mintaka!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!HAWK.ULOWELL.EDU!wgarmil From: wgarmil@HAWK.ULOWELL.EDU (WildCard) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Reposting of partial letter Message-ID: <9004180104.AA00407@hawk> Date: 18 Apr 90 01:04:30 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 38 After spending Easter weekend crying in memory of a lost love, WildCard finally looks up from the fire. And for once, he is not alone. Diana- It is Marcy's memory which anchors me in reality. Before her, it was the need to care for a friend who was like me, but unable to care for himself. Before these two, I had no anchor was "permanantly" adrift. But to answer your question, no I do not have a anchor (other than Marcy's memory) currently. However, I am better off than I was before and current do not need a physical anchor (I do know I can not be without one forever, however I may feel today). Nick- Thank you for reassuring me that this is were I needed to be this weekend. This place is truely a place of healing. To all the others who comforted me this weekend- Thank you. My contacts have currently fogged up and I can not see everyone around me, but I do feel you presence and appriciate it. I believe the time has come to remove this costume (at least for a while. It is as much a part of me as my glasses are). WildCard standup, moves over to a place where he won't blind anyone, and clangs his golden bracelets above his head. When the flash has died down, WildCard is gone and Wayne Garmil, reluctant time traveler and lost soul, is in his place. Without his costume gone, so are his illusions. He is slightly overweight, brown haired & eyed, about mid-twenties in age, average height and wears thick glasses. His eyes search the room for friends and comfort and settle upon Kady. But before he goes over to her, he must not ignore his new friends. But his smile says he will not forget about her. They will meet soon. Wayne heads back to his table to talk with his new friends. For a while, he has found a home. _ __ _ __ How can we dance ' ) / // / / ) / when our earth is turning? / / / o // __/ / __. __ __/ How can we sleep (_(_/ <_ Date: 18 Apr 90 02:40:16 GMT Reply-To: andyd@pogo.WV.TEK.COM (Laura Davidson) Distribution: na Organization: Tektronix Guest Lines: 55 Kady gets up from her table, where she has been exercising her glutious maximus for the past week. She knows full well Lyra is going to disagree with what she is about to propose, which is why Kady gives her an impish smile. With a friendly nod to Doug, she does her best not to be self-conscious. "Hello, Mike. Better make it a Diet Sprite. Guess what I'm on." Taking the drink, she wanders over to the chalk line, hands only shaking slightly. "It seems to me that the Place gets more traffic from broken hearts than any other single category. Now, I'm sure that this is an over- simplified and drastic solution, but wouldn't life be easier without love? "I have a saying; Love is a softening of the brain tissue coupled with a sudden inability to move any vocal organs and a weakening of the knee joints." Kady sips the Diet Sprite and makes a face. "Ick. Well, if all I drink is this, my expenses will certainly lessen." "Now, I'm not saying that I condemn lovers (and please, let's confine this to the emotional level, hmm?) and such. Poets have not asked "What is life without love?" for nothing. "But there is something demeaning about being in love. Suddenly one is at the mercy of another. When you lose your independence, what do you have left? "Red is the color of blood, hell, love, and anger. That seems pretty significant to me. Of course, as anyone can point out, so is the fact that I don't have a boyfriend...." "And finally my toast; "To love and all those poor infatuated chaps." The glass describes a perfect arc, ending with a terrible crash. To you heartbroken: sound familiar? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Some facts about myself-- ( Kadyriatha 1) My foot is a size 7 ) alias Luana De Grood 2) My mouth is a size 7 ( "borrowing" the account of 3) I don't believe in coincidences ) Andy Davidson -- Kadyriatha---- (c'est moi) | using the account of Andy Davidson We dance round in a ring and suppose, But the Secret sits in the middle and knows. --Robert Frost, THE SECRET SITS