Path: mit-eddie!bu-cs!lll-winken!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM!jane From: jane@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM (Jane Beckman x2637) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Silver John and a jam session Message-ID: <8912141136.AA10440@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM> Date: 14 Dec 89 19:36:19 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 48 The door of Callahan's place opens and a traveller comes in. He is a big man, dressed in jeans and a homespun work shirt, a guitar slung across his back. "Nice place, here," says the big man, unslinging his guitar. "Been meaning to visit for a long time. I've heard tell of it. And heard that Fast Eddie plays a mean piano. I think we can have a great jam session, here. I brought my silver-strung guitar, and a friend says he may join us in a while." He extends a hand to Mike Callahan. "Call me John. Some call me Silver John, 'cause of my silver-strung guitar. I was passing through the vicinity and thought I'd stop by. Normally, I don't get much out of the mountains, but..." He grins, shaking hands with Callahan. "I was passing through, and heard this was a special place. I brought a friend I thought might like it, too. I was passing some time by the road, when this fella heard me, and asked if he could join in with me. Said he wanted to come along, when I said I was stopping by here. Said he might see some friends. Said he'd show up later, because he was passing through, and couldn't stay. I think Callahan's is going to have quite a jam session tonight! He seems to pick a mean banjo, and is rather handy with a fiddle and guitar, too." Fast Eddie grins, and breaks into a jumping medley of Scott Joplin tunes. "I'm ready and rearing to go," he says. "Well, then..." says John, and unslings his guitar. The jam session goes wild, and everyone is tapping toes and grinning. Jilara starts to do some Appalachian step-dancing. A banjo suddenly joins in the medley, adding its perky tones to John's silver-strung guitar and Fast Eddie's piano. "Hot damn, now we got music!" says John, and the instruments merge into a fast breakdown. The new arrival is in a dark corner, a slight man, dressed in jeans and a western shirt, a stetson on his head. His eyes have crinkles of pain and laughter, and he plays a mean banjo. He wears an old Renaissance doublet like a jacket, its surface made of many different bands of fabric, a veritable Jacob's coat of patchwork stripes. Jilara stares hard at him for a moment, shakes her head. "That's the fellow I met on the road," Silver John says, nodding. "Glad you could make it." "Of course," he says with a smile. "Jilara always promised to step-dance for me, so I had to hold her to her word." Mike Callahan frowns a little, looking at the banjo player. "Can't quite see you too clearly, fella," he says. "What did you say your name was?" "Tis Strypes," he says with a smile. "Sorry I can only stay a little while. I was on my way to somewhere else, but it's hard to resist a good jam session..." And as everyone watches, he fades away... Silver John looks meditative. "He did say he was on his way to somewhere else..." Path: mit-eddie!bu-cs!lll-winken!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!jt1o+ From: jt1o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph L. Traub) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: An Introduction and a toast (very long) Message-ID: Date: 14 Dec 89 19:36:52 GMT Organization: Class of '91, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 101 Just about now, the entire building seems to shake, the piano jumps, and the door slams open, and shut, and open, and shut again. The wind outside seems to have picked up a bit, a large bit. But still, nothing enters, through the door at least. Through the ceiling, and yes I do mean through, can be seen coming a large, purplish hued form, which seems to shrink slightly as it enters, until, if but a few heartbeats, there stands before the fire a larger-than-human sized purple dragon. He stands there as if warming his claws for a few minutes, and then slowly, his form starts to shift, to flow, until standing before you is a 5'8" man. The man is dressed in purple robes, is blond, with a full, but well kept beard. He is staring at the ground, so other than that, you cannot get to much of a look at his face. He stands there for just a few more minutes, as if lost in thought, and the looks up suddenly. It is now obvious that he is around 28 years old. His eyes however catch your attention, and you have to fight not to be drawn into their amethyst colored depths. "Mike, set me up with 4 shots of rum." He pauses, and then adds softly, "and one of grain." He pulls out five one dollar bills, and with a snap of his fingers, the first bill appears on the table, and one of the rums appears in his hands. "Greetings friends," he begins. His voice is quiet, but the power residing therein carries his voice to the farthest corners of the bar. He waves to the 4 drinks still sitting on the bar. "As you can see, I have quite a few toasts to make this evening. This is what happens when you only learn of this place late, and have to catch up by scrying the past." A small smile creases his mouth as he says that, but doesn't quite make it to his eyes. "Anyway, Greetings. I am called Moonchilde, and I am much what you see. In looking over what has transpired here, I could not help but feel the warmth and love which surrounds this place, so my first toast." At this point his voice raises, and his toast echos in the now hushed room. "To Friendship: May you find wherever, and whenever" . "Phoenix, and Shadow, people wear masks for many different reasons. I wear mine for I find that from inside it, I can at times see more clearly, and speak more freely than I could without it. It provides a way.." He snaps his fingers and another dollar bill is exchanged for a yet another rum. ".. well, let's just leave it at that for now, it provides some things that cannot be provided any other way. So, to masks: May they always shield you, not hide you." He turns and scans the room until he catches Gilly's and Greywolf's eyes. Another finger snap, and the third rum is exchanged for a dollar. "Gilly, there are soulmates, out there, and yes, I do like the word spiritkin better, for once, I found one who I thought was my soulmate, and because I, like others here associate soulmate with a SO, there was trouble in our relationship. There are those out there who are the kindred spirits, who mesh with you in every way, so do not despair, and Greywolf, if the happen to also be your SO, then so much more blessed are you. So, to Spirit: may it always draw together those who need each other." The fingers snap once again, and a fourth glass is exchanged. "Greetings Taldin, Yes, empathy is a wonderful trait, yet it is also a most terrible curse at times. Many times, I have seen friends whose suffering could not be eased, in pain, and I share their pain, and be able to do nothing. To feel their despair, and be able to do nothing but despair along with them. Many, many more times has this occured than the sharing of joy. So, I do understand, and therefore, this toast is to Empathy: My we share more joy than pain." "And now finally, my last and final toast for tonight. You see, when I first read the stories back when I was 11 or 12, I always knew that I would have to find Callahan's someday, and always assumed that I would. In finding this Callahan's, I have found something which I had been searching for since that time. And so my final toast for this evening, to Callahans: May there always be a place where people can go and find an open ear. A place when pain is shared and decreased, and laughter shared and increased. A place of warmth in a cold world." The flames glow a bit brighter for all the alchohol, the place seems a bit warmer for the increased comraderie, and every knows that yet another wandering soul has found a home. Moonchilde walks over, and joins Taldin, Shadow, Alaric, and the others in the corner to talk, and.. to listen. Newsgroups: alt.callahans Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!erspert From: erspert@athena.mit.edu (Ellen R. Spertus) Subject: Rescuers and Real Men (was Re: The victims in Montreal) Message-ID: <1989Dec14.203633.17168@athena.mit.edu> Sender: root@athena.mit.edu (Wizard A. Root) Reply-To: erspert@athena.mit.edu (Ellen R. Spertus) Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology References: <9525@microsoft.UUCP> Date: Thu, 14 Dec 89 20:36:33 GMT Lines: 88 In article <9525@microsoft.UUCP> t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) writes: >"Fourteen women were killed in that room. The class being an engineering >one, so I am told, it is reasonable to assume that the room also contained >at least that many men, given the general balance of men and women in >engineering classes. There was only one gunman - and armed with a rifle, >a poor weapon for close-quarters use. And from what I have been told, >even with the odds so greatly in their favor, NOT ONE OF THOSE MEN TRIED >TO STOP HIM!!!" The glass shatters in his hand, unnoticed. "Is there >no courage left in this world? Where are all the heroes? - Gods of >Chaos, it didn't even NEED a hero. All it needed was for two or three >of those men - maybe even just one - to realise that in the confines of >a room, one man with a rifle facing ten or more unarmed men would be able >to get off AT MOST two or three shots before being overpowered. All it >needed was for ONE MAN to care enough about those women to TRY IT, DAMN >IT TO HELL!!! Alaric, I'm disappointed with you. Why are you excluding the women? Just like you, I dream of rescuing and rarely of being rescued. In some of my daydreams, however, the man can't stand me after I have rescued him. I had thought this ending was overly pessimistic, but you have convinced me it is accurate. >"By all the gods, if I'd been in that room, I'd have tried it!" >[At least - I hope to hell I would have. - Phil] Same here. I know how to use a gun, and I would like to be able to carry one. ("God created man. Samuel Colt made them equal.") I believe all people should be able to defend themselves and others, so I learned to shoot, to the extreme shock and disapproval of my family. Without a gun, all I have is my pocket knife and my wits (I am a hundred pound weakling); however some women are physically strong. My best friend's sister is at West Point, and odds are she could "whip your ass" (pardon me for using the colloquial). I'd be more confident having her in a room with me than the average male. My brother's girlfriend is much stronger than my brother. She used to jog early mornings in the south side of Chicago ("the baddest part of town"). Someone tried to mug her. She beat him up. Do you consider her unfeminine? Would you call her a "real man"? She does make herself helpless-looking in general, however. Does that make you happy? >YOU DON'T TURN YOUR BACK AND WALK AWAY!!! Not if you still >want to keep on calling yourself a man afterwards!!!" >"I was told that the gunman separated the men from the women, and forced >the men to leave. I don't agree with that version of events. There >weren't any men in that room - because anyone who would turn his back >on fourteen women and leave them to die, at the hands of ONE MAN - make >that one animal - with a rifle, isn't a man. I don't know what he is, >but he isn't a man." You obviously have a high opinion of being a "man". I'll never be that. It is attitudes like yours, Alaric, that made me feel bad about being female for the first 21 years of my life. Do I have to act masculine to be respected for any self-sufficiency and heroism I possess? >In this day and age, you may think that's an outdated attitude. Wanting to protect people you love is not outdated. Just don't pretend that men have a monopoly on it, or that "being a man" is the highest possible compliment. > I can >think of many women who would find it insulting, because in their minds >the desire to protect them is somehow demeaning - an attitude that I >find utterly incomprehensible. What can possibly be demeaning about >being valued? The desire to protect others is not demeaning. The implication that you can protect them better than they can, or that they shouldn't want to protect people they love, would be demeaning. Alaric, you think putting women on a pedestal is awfully nice. I was pretty old before I realized that changing a lightbulb was trivial. My mom always said, "The light has burnt out; get your father." My mom can't operate a computer (much less program one), and she can't use a VCR. She's not retarded. Her IQ is certainly above average. She has a college degree. I am (with great effort) assuming that the views expressed are Alaric's and not Phil's. I am glad, though, that I didn't go to Phil when I was a damsel in distress. Instead, I went to people who also let me help them when they need help. To always be the rescuee would be the worst thing possible for my self-esteem. To both help and be helped by others, in contrast, would be the best thing possible. Ellen Path: mit-eddie!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!jmdoyle From: jmdoyle@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Jennifer Doyle) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: lots 'o articles Message-ID: <12214@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> Date: 14 Dec 89 21:33:44 GMT Organization: or, conversely, Chaos: Lines: 18 Wow! Just checked our spool dirctory here, and a.c is averaging 15 articles a day here. It seems every time I log on there's at least 5 or 6 (and the other day 18 !) new articles waiting to be read. Nifty! Jen p.s. for those who can, join us on IRC. It's been a lot of fun. I've seen Steve(Omaha), Greg(GEM), Magyk, and Taldin, not to mention some people who discovered Callahan's on IRC and are trying to get the newsgroup. Just do /list when you get on. There should be a topic saying something about Callahan's with a nichname to /message for info. See ya there, I hope! -- "Make mine a root beer, Mike. Thanks. To communication! " ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jennifer Doyle // Princeton '92 // jmdoyle@phoenix.princeton.edu Disclaimer: I am a student, I represent the future. Path: mit-eddie!wuarchive!uunet!microsoft!t-phils From: t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Strangers And Stranger Things, Soul-outions,More Message-ID: <9535@microsoft.UUCP> Date: 14 Dec 89 22:27:57 GMT References: Reply-To: t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Lines: 81 Jeffrey Young writes: | ..points at Alaric: | "Noble, yes, nobility, no. I never claim to be a leader, never want | to run people's lives for them. I serve no master, but am master to | none, either. I do favors for friends, and they do them for me. That | is a good relationship-- a fellowship of equals." "I said nothing about running other people's lives, friend Taldin. Your protest affirms the truth of your nobility." He sighs, with a look of a man remembering distasteful memories. "Please, do not confuse the true meaning of nobility - being of noble spirit - with the more common meaning mistakenly assigned to it, being born into rank and power. So-called `noble' birth - or, more accurately, aristocratic birth - does not automatically confer nobility. A man born to power and to rule, friend Taldin, leads because he believes it is his right to do so - that he has a right to have others do his will. He leads or directs others to serve _his_ betterment and ends. The welfare of those who follow his orders is of secondary importance to him. One who leads from nobility, on the other hand - should he choose to lead at all - leads for the well-bwing of those who follow his guidance, and even then compels none to follow him who do not wish to. It is their welfare that drives his actions, not his own. I maintain, friend Taldin, that you are noble in the true sense of the word, and I salute you." | The unicorn blushes a little at the compliment anyhow. (Purple Unicorns | look VERY odd..) | | "Heh.. if you give something, and expect nothing, as I do...then | when you do get something, it is so much more valuable." | | "And blue is a color of intensity as well, so I've been told." | | "as for purity, well, perhaps not purity in the sense of pure-- | that's what White Unicorns are for, but they are ofttimes cold and | aloof, feeling too pure for any mortal to touch them. I may be | good and chaste, but I am by no means pure...I am one who enjoys | physical contact..you might remember in a previous posting, "There are many interpretations of purity, my friend. Purity of soul neither requires, nor implies, chastity in body - though there are many who would argue otherwise... I can consider them only misguided fools, and for their own sakes I hope that someday their eyes are opened. But only they can remove their blinkers." | "On souls: Of course you have a soul, because you care, or want to. | A soul is what distinguishes *you*, it is your feelings, desires, | fears and cares. It is what takes the wounds that do not show, and | that which is hardest to heal. It is the source of the Light that | I speak of...the light within.. If it goes out, you lose yourself, | and you are a zombie, a face in the crowd.. still, you have yours, I can | see it. Kinda dim, but then life's been kinda grim for you, I'll bet. | That's the key, I think.. Taldin is my soul, and I'n not afraid to show | it to others. You have a light.. it's just hidden in the shadows that | you have placed it in, courtesy of the demon whom I call Despair." "When despair and frustration sit heavily upon me, friend Taldin, I question much about myself. I question all that gives me worth. Do not take literally all that I say when such feelings are upon me... sometimes, frustration, despair - and tes, pain too - speak louder in my voice than reason. It is a failing, perhaps... but not one that I would change, for if I am not to doubt myself when I am in the depths of despair, then when may I ever doubt myself? And it is good to doubt oneself from time to time, my friends... one who never doubts himself in the least is one, or perhaps several, of three things: foolish, arrogant, or possessed of incredible luck." He pauses for a moment. "I suppose it is also possible that such a man simply has no weaknesses, no failings, to give him cause for doubt... but I have never yet met anyone who was perfect, and doubt that I ever shall, for absolute perfection is unattainable in the real world." -- Phil Stracchino t-phils@microsoft.UUCP Eternal Stranger and Digital Renaissance Man for Hire ------------------------------------------------------------- `The biggest drawback to being a Renaissance man in the 20th century is that you automatically become an anachronism. The 20th century has no real place or use for a Renaissance man, particularly a digital one.' Path: mit-eddie!wuarchive!decwrl!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!eru!luth!sunic!bmc!kuling!jonasf From: jonasf@kuling.UUCP (Jonas Flygare) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Retrospective Message-ID: <1296@kuling.UUCP> Date: 14 Dec 89 19:35:37 GMT Organization: Dep. of Computer Systems, Upsala University, Sweden Lines: 48 The sound of a door slamming open, driven bu hard gusts of freezing wind makes everybody look up. Snow drifts in, the fire roars, and there is someone standing in the doorway. He tugs at the door once, twice, and on the third try his heavy gloves catch the handle and he forces it shut behind him. He is clad in green and black, with a heavy backpack. He is wearing snow goggles, and holds a pair of snowshoes in his left hand. In the right hand he is holding .. something feathery. He leans the snowshoes on the wall to the right of the door, manages to lower the backpack to rest beside the snowshoes, and removes several layers of scarves and sweaters. With the face now visible, all can see he is somewhere in his mid 20:s, short cut hair, clean shaven, with blue eyes. He removes the heavy boots, and sits down. He opens his right hand, and in it a bird is laying, feathers all snowy, ice on its beak, and closed eyes. His eyes darken, and he closes both hands around the bird, remaining silent for a while. Then, very carefully he places th ebird on the table, walks up to the bar, and placing the money on the counter order a shot of firebird tears. A glass containing the liquor, in color resembling liquid copper is placed on the counter. Turning to the audience he takes one, two breaths of the fumes from the glass, and speak. "The weather is wonderful today. To be out in the snow, feeling the cold and defying it. Knowing I am alive, and feeling the joy of winter.. Winter is a time of rest, and a time for long sleep. Winter is a time for friends to bring warmth in your soul, to defy the icy cold that mother nature cleans herself with. Bit, it is not a time to be alone, already cold in soul. Winter is a time to think, to look back upon all the choices we mad, right or wrong. It is a time to be happy we have a place like this to share warmth, and shed the ice that all those wrong choices place in our minds. A toast to the winter, and to the summer that will follow! He gulps down the liquid, eyes darkening as if all memories told and accounted for in this room were being told blazingly fast, tears forming, from the liquor, or the memories and tales of death recently told no one will know. The glass then describes a perfect arc into the fireplace. >clinc< >>whoosh<< as the drops remaining catch fire. Eyes still teary, he walks back to the table, picks up the bird, and asks: "do you mind?" As everyone nods consent, he picks it up, holds it, and all present feel a shudden chill, as if they just lot a little part of themselves. Hands opening again, the red robin (quite easy to tell now, snow gone) stirs, then in a flurry of feathers starts circling the room, chirping, landing on shoulders, tails and other assorted bodily parts (depending on the physical form of the being) singing of the coming summer. The room feels warmer now. The stranger walks back to the table, sits down, smiling as he looks at the bird paying tribute in song to all the friends in the room. He then picks a furry from a large pocket (very much resembling a ferret) and places it in his lap, where it after yawning once returns to it's sleepy self. Conversation picks up again, and continues. -- jonasf@kuling.docs.uu.se : "Doedth eddydthig dthrike you adth dthrayge Jonas (flax) Flygare : aboud dthidth houdth?" -- Dirk Gently Path: mit-eddie!rutgers!psuvax1!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!samsung!uunet!microsoft!t-phils From: t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: .. a short incident.. Message-ID: <9537@microsoft.UUCP> Date: 14 Dec 89 22:38:30 GMT References: Reply-To: t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) Distribution: alt Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Lines: 17 so-luru@stekt.oulu.fi (Ari Husa OH8NUP) writes: | Back in the dark corner of the tavern, a stranger suddenly rises. He | doesn't look familiar to anybody, nor does anybody greet him... | | "Good day. I might be back", he mutters and leaves, wondering if this | really would be place for warmth and frienship, and whether he ever | actually dares to come back. "Come any time you feel ready," comes Alaric's voice from across the room... "Mike's door is always open." -- Phil Stracchino t-phils@microsoft.UUCP Eternal Stranger and Digital Renaissance Man for Hire ------------------------------------------------------------- `The biggest drawback to being a Renaissance man in the 20th century is that you automatically become an anachronism. The 20th century has no real place or use for a Renaissance man, particularly a digital one.' Path: mit-eddie!mintaka!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!erspert From: erspert@athena.mit.edu (Ellen R. Spertus) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Rescuers and Real Men + Obj. tale Message-ID: <1989Dec15.004847.24501@athena.mit.edu> Date: 15 Dec 89 00:48:47 GMT References: <9525@microsoft.UUCP> <1989Dec14.203633.17168@athena.mit.edu> Sender: root@athena.mit.edu (Wizard A. Root) Reply-To: erspert@athena.mit.edu (Ellen R. Spertus) Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lines: 27 I've had some more thoughts since my original posting, mainly thanks to Jilara, who emailed me. I still stand by everything I said in my last message, but as Jilara pointed out, I forgot to credit Alaric for being unhappy with and wanting to do something about the general situation in question. Yes!, Alaric, we need both more males and females like that. Second, I had forgotten the differences between communicating by voice and over the net. The feedback and speech tones aren't available, so it's hard to tell if someone is verbally abusing you or gently disagreeing. (This goes for more than my posting, of course.) The above paragraph was probably boring, but I wanted to amend my earlier message. So here's a tall tale, that contains two favorites of mine. Someone I know (kfl@ai.ai.mit.edu to be specific) once wrote ANTS on a sidewalk in sugar and came back hours later to watch people staring at the ants who could spell! And when it started getting windy, and the ants scurried away, he being singing that famous folk song (Dylan?): "The ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind..." [The first paragraph is true. The second I picked up from a discussion years ago on rec.humor on mistaken song lyrics. Someone supposedly actually thought that's what the Dylan song said.] Path: mit-eddie!bu-cs!lll-winken!uunet!microsoft!t-phils From: t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: The Answer, Of Course, Is 42 Message-ID: <9541@microsoft.UUCP> Date: 15 Dec 89 01:52:47 GMT References: <6424@hacgate.UUCP> Reply-To: t-phils@microsoft.UUCP (the Eternal Stranger) Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Lines: 37 Keywords: puzzler with a twist In article <6424@hacgate.UUCP> lori@hacgate.UUCP (Lori Barfield) writes: | | OK, Mike, I'll buy for anyone who sets down his glass and figures this | one out. The theme tonight *is* Computerness, isn't it? Well, let me take a shot at this... I'm pretty sure I have the first five. | clock chip technology q u a R t z | | XXX compile time reading material p e n t h O u s e | | link B i n d | | remove trailing blanks t r I m | | type of variable u n i N i t i a l i z e d | | nerd personality trait _ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ _ _ | | sorce of the last bug in any program _ E _ And this I think is a typo or deliberate error, since Robinson has no E in it... so I'm going to guess y O u | | VAX communication link _ _ _ N _ _ Now I'm not sure, but this one _could_ be u s e N e t ...so there's my best effort so far - 5 I'm sure of, and 2 possibles. -- Phil Stracchino t-phils@microsoft.UUCP Eternal Stranger and Digital Renaissance Man for Hire ------------------------------------------------------------- `The biggest drawback to being a Renaissance man in the 20th century is that you automatically become an anachronism. The 20th century has no real place or use for a Renaissance man, particularly a digital one.' Path: mit-eddie!bu-cs!lll-winken!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hplabsz!sartin From: sartin@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM (Rob Sartin) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: The Unbeliever's Tale Message-ID: <4497@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM> Date: 11 Dec 89 02:20:51 GMT References: <5161.257f9900@elroy.uh.edu> Reply-To: sartin@hplabs.hp.com Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Software Technology Lab Lines: 31 In article <5161.257f9900@elroy.uh.edu> cosc5sh@elroy.uh.edu (Unbeliever) writes: >I came up with a theory the other day -- all one needs to do to find a >girlfriend is to arrange your life so that you're happy without one. >Murphy's Law then handles the rest. Needlessly bitter, but that expresses my >mood rather well right now. I don't think that's bitter at all. It also has a strong ring of truth to it. When you are going through your life thinking that the one thing you need to be complete is to have a girlfriend, it shows. You appear desparate and incomplete, both to yourself and to others. When you go through your life feeling that you are happy and are leading a fulfilling life, it shows. You appear to be an interesting person with something to contribute to a relationship. If you saw two people walking down the street, one happy and fullfilled, one desparate and empty, which would you be more likely to want to spend time with? That reminds me. It's time to feel satisfied with my life again. Thanks, Rob Sartin internet: sartin@hplabs.hp.com Software Technology Lab uucp : hplabs!sartin Hewlett-Packard voice : (415) 857-7592 P.S. When talk.troubles was first discussed I said: "I find it hard to conceive of a place where I would be less likely to share my troubles and personal problems than the net." I am happy to see that alt.callhans has turned out to be the place that it is. A round on me, Mike.