Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!microsoft!peterdur From: peterdur@microsoft.UUCP (Peter DURHAM) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Walking around Callahan's... Message-ID: <10127@microsoft.UUCP> Date: 3 Jan 90 17:29:45 GMT Reply-To: peterdur@microsoft.UUCP (Peter DURHAM) Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Lines: 117 References: I get up from the table where Janelle and I have been talking to Justin about which of those English Country Dances is which, and walk over to the bar. "Mike, some of that wonderful apple-raspberry juice, please," I say, and hand over my Microsoft meal card. Mike crosses out one of the $1 boxes and gives it back, then fills a glass with the reddish juice and passes it to me. "To catching up!" I drain the glass, then toss it into the fireplace, and wander around the Place. At one of the tables, Luru says... | "During the past month I've been listening. Listening to my friends. | One after another they have revealed their miseries. I wonder if I | have one friend (of those not-too-many) who is having it OK.. or is | it just that everyone does have something to hide, some private pain, | only to be revealed to very few? [...] "Hmmm. I think few people, if any, have no problems in their lives. Some people's problems are worse than others, to be sure... but there's always something that they regret, that they don't understand, or that they've just been worrying about. When the opportunity comes that they can feel comfortable talking about their problems with someone, such as your friends did with you, Luru, or such as many have done here in in alt.callahans, it helps them. I don't think there's anything collectively wrong with your group of friends... I think there's something right: they feel comfortable enough with you to share those secrets, and they are helping themselves in the process. "It can be tough to be in that situation, sometimes. I have a friend, who when we were in school in Boston, was the person many of our mutual friends turned to for advice and consolation. She, in turn, needed someone to tell her problems to, and that, for a while, was me. She was often frustrated/amused/angry that people would tell her about problems of theirs that were also problems she had been going through for a long time... like finding that significant other. She felt resentment that many of them would dump their problems on her, and that she had enough problems to worry about, thank you." I realize I've been wandering a bit. "I guess what I'm saying is, everyone has problems, and they're glad when they find somewhere to share them." Up at the line, Ed says... | [...] "I reached the | office at 7:30am like usual and began going over some new code. At | 7:40am I got a call. A woman I did not know introduced herself. "Mr. | Anderson, - Yes, My name is Elizabeth Cortney, I'm representing Mrs. | Anderson in a suit for your divorce, You need to be at the Ontario | Superior Court room D at 1:00pm for a Temporary Restraining Order | hearing, - I'm sorry, there must be some mistake, uh, I'm not | divorcing my wife, - Your wife is divorcing you Mr. Anderson... Good | Day." | [...] | I really needed to reveal this part of my life, in truth I've needed | to do this for along time. I am also alone like many of you, I have | alot to give and I also need alot of support. I couldn't have said | this anywhere else but at Callahans. When he has sat down, I turn to Ed, shaken... "I don't know what to say... you have gone through times more difficult than any I can imagine. I don't think I could have survived something like that. I have a great deal of respect for the strength you must have. I hope that sharing your story with us has helped you." I pass the door, near where earlier, Yue-shun said: | [...] | But he is not at all happy. He now studies at a graduate school | in upstate New York, and has just flunked his first semester | there. He is afraid that he is going to get kicked out from it. | [...] | He couldn't think anymore. He doesn't like the feeling at all. | He finishes his vitasoy, returns his glass, takes back two quarters, | and approaches the door without saying a word. In a second, | he is gone. Mike haven't seen such a shy person before. | Neither do the patrons who were watching. [Here is where I'll use some of the magic of Alt.Callahan's and the net... Yue-shun is not here in my narrative thread as I say this, but he will hear it when he returns...] To Yue-shun I say... "You are welcome here, Yue-shun. We will not push you to stay a while and tell us more before you want to. When you are ready, we will listen." At the line, Jilara says... | [...] I thought of this when they told about raiding one of Noriega's | dens of iniquity. Yes, his cocaine, his pornography, evidence of | dark occult rituals, the (I'm surprised it wasn't autographed) photo | of Adolph Hitler. And surrounding all this, his collection of teddy | bears in military uniforms!" She steps up to the line. "Therefore, | to that leaven in the darkest situation, | TO ABSURDITY! I smile at Jilara when she sits down. "You know, it's often said that truth is stranger than fiction. In every situation, not just the sad and dire, lunacy lurks just below the surface. Douglas Adams picked out one wonderful instance: instructions for toothpicks. Over in rec.humor.funny, someone posted pages of health warning fine print for washed sea sand. Seeing the silliness that surrounds us is a wonderful habit to pick up." I brighten up, and speak to everyone. "How about it, folks? Look for something hopelessly silly in some everyday thing and share it with us. Pointing out how ridiculous life can be can help lessen the pain for many a sad soul." I sigh. "How do so many of you post so much? It takes me forever to write this all up." I return to my table, and steal a sip of Janelle's seltzer... - Peter ... yes we both put stuff between these funny dots ... Path: mit-eddie!rutgers!njin!skitchen From: skitchen@pilot.njin.net (Skitch) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: Greetings fellow Sensitives Summary: Yet another new face... Message-ID: Date: 3 Jan 90 19:55:11 GMT References: <1989Dec19.192010.3800@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> <45006@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <235@sixhub.UUCP> Organization: NJ InterCampus Network, New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 73 The door to Callahans opens again, and a new figure enters the atmosphere inside. He is a tall, portly gentleman dressed in an overcoat and carrying a briefcase. He removes the briefcase, and underneath it is seen a maroon suit. He dust the snow from the overcoat, looks at his attire, and says, "This will never do." He snaps his fingers. Standing in his place is the same person, but this time garbed in an MIT sweatshirt and jeans and carrying a mostly-new copy of _The Past Through Tomorrow_ by Robert Heinlein. "That's better," he states. "Mike, a screwdriver please." He places a dollar on the bar and takes his drink with him to the line. "Greetings, everyone," he begins. "My name is Scott Kitchen, but there are many who call me Skitch. Let me apologize first for the change in attire. I just got out of work, and I don't think professional attire is best suited here." He ducks a glass or two. "I just wanted to take a moment here to introduce myself and make a short toast. I used to go to MIT, and that's where I got my introduction to USENET. I saw alt.callahans floating around in the list of new newsgroups, so I added it on and started reading. I was fascinated to say the least. Suffice it to say that I like it here a lot. The people are friendly, the room is warm, the drinks are cheap, and the conversation priceless." He pauses to take a gulp of his drink. "The last time I had one of these," he says thoughtfully, "was during the time after the earthquake in San Francisco." He pauses again. "I had been debating whether to make a serious toast or something lighter. I think I'll go with the latter this time around because of all that's gone on around the world in the past few months. The 1990's have ushered in a new era of hope, I feel. Things are not only looking up for the world, but for me, too. I've held onto my job now for longer than I've ever had one, and I'm due for a promotion soon. A very happy time just passed for my best friend, as she got married on 30 December. Hope and happiness and love and warm fuzzies and the like seem to be blooming all over the place. "And that's how I'd like to make my toast -- to the 1990's. May they bring all the things you ever wished for, and may they prove as fruitful as the good times in your respective pasts. Skoal!" He gulps the remainder of the screwdriver, grimaces, and pitches the glass into the fireplace. He walks back to the bar to talk to Mike. "Phew! You put a good amount of the hard stuff in there. Let's have a Diet Pepsi this time around." He places another dollar on the bar and searches for a table with an empty seat. Finding one, he places his drink on the table and opens to his marked page in the book. Before I go away, a couple more things. If you'd like to talk to me through e-mail, please send stuff to skitchen@pica.army.mil. I don't logon to pilot.njin.net enough to warrant receiving mail there, and the mail connections are better with pica.army.mil. Second, I have a couple of questions. What books belong to the Callahan's series? I'm trying to track them down through the local bookstores, and I seem to be having some luck, but I want to double check here. Please send replys to me as above. Second, what is the e-mail address for mail-to-news Callahan's connections? I missed that posting, and that'll prove useful in the future. I've spouted enough for the moment. Let the merriment commence! -- Scott Kitchen Send mail to: skitchen@cc1.pica.army.mil Rebel Without a Clue ICBM: 40.88 N 74.56 W -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tell the truth and run. -- Yugoslavian proverb Path: mit-eddie!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!HPLABS.HP.COM!egly%hplred From: egly%hplred@HPLABS.HP.COM (Diana Egly) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: A Toast in Memory Message-ID: Date: 4 Jan 90 00:23:19 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 29 When I walk into Callahan's I'm wearing a navy pinstripe dress with matching accessories instead of my usual teeshirt and sweatpants. Those who notice such things realize that I'm wearing make-up this time too. "Mike, a round of slivovitz for anyone who will have some in memory of a friend of mine. Make mine really small. A sip or two. I'm not much of a drinker." After I take a couple of sips I throw the glass into the fireplace: "To..." "I don't really know what to say. My boss and friend and some-times mentor died; his terminal cancer proved terminal. He was one of the finest human beings to walk this earth -- maybe even one of the (what is it - 16? 17?) good men of Jewish lore whose existance prevents God from destroying the earth. I won't give a eulogy but you missed knowing a fine person, a survivor, and (by Jilara's definition) one of the most heroic men you're likely to meet. And an unconquerable and unrepentant optimist. I'll let you know when his stories of his life in the nazi death camps are published; I've read most of them and they'll leave you smiling." "To his unconquerable spirit" Diana egly@hplabs.hp.com P.S. My apologies to everyone whose email I've yet to answer. Please be patient. Path: mit-eddie!snorkelwacker!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM!jane From: jane@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM (Jane Beckman x2637) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Families and Divorce Message-ID: <9001031633.AA13190@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM> Date: 4 Jan 90 00:33:14 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 49 Jilara walks over , bends and gives Ed a quick hug. "Oh dear, more old memories," she sighs. "But it can't be helped. But maybe I can. Your story touched me deeply. You see, my much-older half-brother suffered a similar fate. He managed to block adoption of his two daughters and (during a particularily bad phase of his employment history) lived in flophouses to pay enough child support to keep his ex paid off so he wouldn't "lose" his kids. Mom told all sorts of lies. Well, decades have passed, and notes have been compared between my "lost niece" (who found her real father as an adult) and myself. We cannot mend the damage of years, but we pick up and go on. And now, with this woman being thirty-one, we are all together again. Her mother has so alienated her family that her children barely speak to her. Sometimes, decades later, there is a mending, and a healing. It is sad that it often has to wait until children are adults. She and I, who were like sisters as children, were also separated and experienced much pain---but in the end, there is hope." She sighs again, and looks out into space. "Just a couple weeks ago, I got a three-page, single-space typewritten letter from my brother's ex. She had decided she wanted to be friends with me. After that little statement, she loosed a stream of invective against my brother, my parents, anyone and everyone, and finished with a sniffle over how abused she'd been and how she KNEW I was going to burn this letter. No, you don't burn toxic waste. But I confess I'm at loss even whether I should acknowledge whether I got it. I mentioned it to my niece and she shuddered and apologised for her mother. This woman is living almost entirely inside her own head, and probably has from the first. She is convinced she's a victim of the world, and sets up circumstances to prove it. I have a horrible dread that your ex-wife shares this trait. Even if you try to prove to them that you're a good person, it won't work. It's been rigged before you ever entered the game. If she follows the pattern of my brother's ex, she'll eventually drive off the new husband, too, and the pattern will replay again... What's sad is that the children always suffer. If I knew any way to stop this vicious cycle, I'd sure try it, but even Soloman would have problems with many of these situations. I just hope you are there and your daughter becomes an adult and finds you. It helped all parties when my niece did. I know this isn't much to say, and it only holds out hope for a distant future if at all, but I want you to know that perhaps far off, there IS hope. Hang in there, my friend. Some of us know what you're going through." ---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 identity may be jane@fsdcupt.csd.mot.com---don't you love computers with identity crises?) Path: mit-eddie!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM!jane From: jane@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM (Jane Beckman x2637) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Life in Cosmo Message-ID: <9001031734.AA13867@fsdcupt.csd.mot.COM> Date: 4 Jan 90 01:34:08 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 68 The door bursts open and Jilara closes it with a firm BANG. Callahan raises an eyebrow and says nothing. "Humphf!" she says, her mouth set into a "we are not amused" line. She's been holding a folded magazine, and now walks over to the fireplace and tosses it on top of the fire. "Not a toast, but rather something that needs to be toasted well," she says, watching little blue-green-orange flames lick at the ink. A few people peer into the fire and notice it's a copy of the December issue of Cosmopolitan. "I'm ordinarily against bookburning," she says, resting a hand on the mantle. "But tonight I'm symbolically consigning a set of attitudes to the flames of hell. Classism, sexism, neuroticism, narcissism, and the yuppie value system. Oh, and xenophobia. Don't forget xenophobia." She picks up a poker and stirs the magazine around. The flames lick greedily at the new pages, where women in sexy lingerie vie with muscular hunks, and nibble the edges of ads for Jordache jeans. She turns away and faces the room. "Why Cosmo? Well, for a while I've been getting madder and madder at the attitudes it purveys. I used to pick up a copy now and then, to laugh at the sleaze. Then I started noticing the bitter undertaste, rather like a cynanide milkshake. And then it hit me that somewhere out there, people were reading this stuff and having it influence their world view. It's insideous, in that it purveys dangerous ideas, sets up an us/them mentality about men and women, reduces people to commodities, and often does it under the guise of self-help. The frivilous stuff you can dismiss, but there's an underlying message I find disquieting. Then I read a "fluff" article that made me strangely angry. I couldn't figure out why. It was all about the thrill of going with "Mr. Wrong." Mr. Wrong drinks Bud out of the can, and makes less money than you do. He has engine grease under his nails and drives a funky old car---or a motorcycle. He takes you to funky old bars, or to play pool. He doesn't talk much, and is often a "man of action." To the article's credit, it mentioned abusive types. However, the major impression was they were talking about blue-collar men. Why was I mad? Because they had described my uncle, who was a wonderful person. Because they had (gasp, choke!) described the "real" me. (Does this make me Ms. Wrong?) They had described a society that doesn't give a damn about how much you make or what designer label is on your clothes, or whether you have an investment portfolio. They had taken "real folks" whom I love dearly, and made them a novelty item that's amusing for a bout of "slumming." There's even an amusing little observation about how having so little in common makes the breakup so much easier, once the novelty has worn off the relationship. Person as commodity. A little wear on this sweater? Throw it out and start with a new one. And YOU'RE DAMNED RIGHT I'M MAD! That's what's wrong with this whole country; no-deposit, no-return everything. I just never saw it summed up so succinctly in such a frivilous manner, before." Someone points out that she's hyperventilating. She takes a deep breath. "Ground and center," she reminds herself, between clenched teeth. "It's the whole mentality. Everything nowadays is oriented toward commodities, and the message of the whole culture is that Things matter. People are just window-dressing. Another commodity to buy and sell. A true yuppie would never come into Callahan's, except to see why some thought it was so popular. And they certainly wouldn't understand The Place. Too Real, you see." She viciously jabs the burning magazine with the poker again. "Thank god this place isn't like that other world out there!" She puts the poker back and heads for the bar. "Thanks for putting up with this raving. I'll have a Bud," she tells Callahan. "In the can, thank you. I'm making a statement." Taking her Budweiser, she retreats to her favorite table and watches the Cosmo burn. ---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 identity may be jane@fsdcupt.csd.mot.com---don't you love computers with identity crises?) Path: mit-eddie!bloom-beacon!shelby!lindy!news From: GE.LJB@forsythe.stanford.edu (Louis J Bookbinder) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: burning, burning Message-ID: <6881@lindy.Stanford.EDU> Date: 4 Jan 90 21:39:39 GMT Sender: news@lindy.Stanford.EDU (News Service) Lines: 67 The back door opens with a bang and a clanking, thumping sound drifts out from the store-room. I comes Nick Chopper, in his metallic arms a huge stack of firewood and the inseparable silver axe. Mike yells "Damn! Close the back door!" A wolf-like figure jumps down from a chair and runs into the storeroom, slams the door. "Thanx" Nick apologizes while stacking the firewood next to the hearth. "Where did you get the fuel?" asks Mike. "There were all these dead trees lying around on the streets, so I cut off the branches and brought them in. Do people do that, normally?" "Ah, HAH!" nods Mike, "Christmas trees" Nick looks stricken. "You mean these were presents to those people?!!" "No, No, no problem. Every December quick-rich artists run up north and cut down whole forests, bring the trees back to cities and sell them to the masses. It is absolutely de riguer to have one in the home for Christmas. Dec 26 it ends up on the curb." "Ozma! What a waste!" "You bet! But it's TRADITION" Nick grabs a log to toss in the fire, stops, looks closely at the flames. "Who is burning books?" "Me, but its a Cosmo" says Jilara. "A what? Is book burning a tradition, too" Jilara laughs. "Yes, and No. Books are traditionally burned everywhere there is politics, and around here, generally, we don't. I was doing the modern equivalent of bra-burning!" "Bra?" "Never mind. I'm sorry I burned the Cosmo, but I was mad. It portrayed sexist attitudes I couldn't stomach. You understand sexism, Nick?" "Not really. Booky has been trying to explain it and I understand the attitude but not the motivation. Frank Baum put in quite a bit of it but I ascribe it to the times. He, at least, was open minded enough to make Oz's ruler and magician female." A wistful look comes over his face. "And Dorothy Gail, of course. But I understand there is a lot of unfairness about all this, stereotypes and roles and double standards, all of it insidious as can be imagined, in this world or any other" A small blue alien looks up from a nearby table and adds "Every other. Worlds with sex ALWAYS have sexism. What a waste!" Nick blinks a few times, then nods. "Seems like a TREMENDOUS waste to me. I shudder to think of all the time wasted in the struggle, let alone the unhappiness caused." "And the tragedy, therewith," adds Jilara "Amen" says Nick. "One of the nastier aspects of this world. But I don't see so much of it here at Callahan's. Uh, I hope you don't burn many more of these things. The acetate smoke from these glossies wrecks havoc with the flue!" He clanks back to the bar where Mike lays 5 1-dollar bills in his hand. "Thanx" Out the back door. Booky - You Bet! (What? me? opinions? Bo) GE.LJB@Forsythe.stanford.edu Path: mit-eddie!mit-amt!snorkelwacker!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!sksircar From: sksircar@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Subrata Sircar) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: The e-mail connection to Callahans, and what are the books? Message-ID: <12664@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> Date: 4 Jan 90 22:10:50 GMT References: <1989Dec19.192010.3800@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> <45006@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <235@sixhub.UUCP> Reply-To: sksircar@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Subrata Sircar) Organization: SPAMIT Lines: 26 skitchen@pilot.njin.net (Skitch) writes: >Second, I have a couple of questions. What books belong to the >Callahan's series? I'm trying to track them down through the local >bookstores, and I seem to be having some luck, but I want to double >check here. Please send replys to me as above. Second, what is the >e-mail address for mail-to-news Callahan's connections? I missed that >posting, and that'll prove useful in the future. First, the e-mail connection is alt-callahans@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (aliased to callahans for me, in case I need it). I'm posting this in case somebody else would like to see it... Second, could somebody please post the books in the Callahan series, along with publishers? I'd like to order them direct if I can't find them here... and I think some other people might like that information as well. A toast: Here's to love, laughs, and the 1990's: may they all go together in our minds. -- Subrata K. Sircar, Prophet & Charter Member of SPAMIT(tm) sksircar@phoenix.princeton.edu SKSIRCAR@PUCC.BITNET "If my life was half as interesting as other people DREAMED it..." - R"BD"D Disclaimer: As if anybody/anything would want me speaking for them... Path: mit-eddie!mintaka!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!rutgers!njin!skitchen From: skitchen@pilot.njin.net (Skitch) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Re: The e-mail connection to Callahans, and what are the books? Summary: Book list to follow... Message-ID: Date: 4 Jan 90 23:06:19 GMT References: <1989Dec19.192010.3800@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> <45006@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <12664@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> Organization: NJ InterCampus Network, New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 38 In article <12664@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>, sksircar@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Subrata Sircar) writes: > Second, could somebody please post the books in the Callahan series, along with > publishers? I'd like to order them direct if I can't find them here... and I > think some other people might like that information as well. It figures that I'm going to end up answering my own question. Seems I bumped into this nice little question on news.newusers.questions that asked about reading files with ".Z" at the end. It was answered, and now I can read the archives. I have since blundered over the list, which is as follows: Callahan's Crosstime Saloon Time Travelers Strictly Cash Callahan's Secret Callahan and Company (an omnibus of the previous three books) Callahan's Lady (which I've heard should be read before Callahan's Secret) Share and Enjoy! Ob. Toast: In reading through the archives, I ran across Gilly's story about the warm fuzzies. To her I raise my glass and salute. Mike, let me have a seabreeze this time around. [steps up to the line] To warm fuzzies! May we receive as many as we need, and may we give away as many as we can. It never hurts to be generous. [throw] CRASH!! Warm fuzzies to all, and to all a good night! -- Scott Kitchen Send mail to: skitchen@cc1.pica.army.mil Rebel Without a Clue ICBM: 40.88 N 74.56 W -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hop in my Chrysler; it's as big as a whale, and it's about to set sail! Newsgroups: alt.callahans Path: mit-eddie!mcmullan From: mcmullan@eddie.mit.edu (Greg McMullan) Subject: Re: The e-mail connection to Callahans, and what are the books? Message-ID: <1990Jan5.022640.26680@eddie.mit.edu> Summary: ISBN's, other news posters Reply-To: mcmullan@eddie.MIT.EDU (Greg McMullan) Organization: MIT EE/CS Computer Facilities, Cambridge, MA References: <1989Dec19.192010.3800@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> <45006@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <235@sixhub.UUCP> <12664@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> Date: Fri, 5 Jan 90 02:26:40 GMT Lines: 30 For those who like to keep cross-country net traffic down when possible (and in case ucbvax is down...) (from a posting elsewhere by Russ Nelson (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu]): > A (non-anonymous) posting service exists at many sites. Replace the > dots in the newsgroup name with dashes and send mail to that name. > Send mail to alt-callahans@sun.soe.clarkson.edu, for example. Same for > rutgers.edu and ucbvax.berkeley.edu, and probably lots more. To make finding the Callahan's books as easy as possible, here is information from the 1990 Books In Print, which any good bookstore or library should have. Callahan's Crosstime Saloon ISBN 0-441-090403-5, published by Ace Books, 192 pages, 1989, paperback $2.95 Time Travelers Strictly Cash ISBN 0-441-80713-5, published by Ace Books, 208 pages, 1989, paperback $3.50 Callahan's Secret ISBN 0-425-10059-6, published by Berkeley Publishers, 192 pages, 1986, paperback $2.95 Callahan's Lady ISBN 0-441-09073-3, published by Ace Books, hardback $16.95 Good reading, everyone! Greg McMullan mcmullan@eddie.mit.edu Path: mit-eddie!rutgers!cbmvax!vu-vlsi!swatsun!hildebrd From: hildebrd@cs.swarthmore.edu (Jeff Hildebrand) Newsgroups: alt.callahans Subject: Snack time. (Pun Alert!) Message-ID: Date: 5 Jan 90 04:31:07 GMT Distribution: na Organization: Swarthmore College CS Dept., PA Lines: 44 Hildebaby who has been quietly sitting in the corner during exam time and Christmas comes forward and asks Mike for his usual root beer. As he steps to the line, the others notice a slightly mischievous glint in his eye. Hoisting the glass, he begins to speak: While there certainly have been some good conversations here, I think maybe we could use with a little lightening of the mood here. This I guess would go in as an entry for Tall Tales Night. Actors are a funny breed. They always have lots of little quirks and such which can lead to interesting situations. Take this example: Way back, I guess it would be almost 50 years ago now, the radio show _The Shadow_ was extremely popular. The actor who played Lamont Cranston, the Shadow's alter ego, reaped quite a few benefits out of this. In fact he became the chief promoter for a candy bar called "Nuget" (pronounced "new-get") and although this didn't result in the ridiculous contracts that stars get for doing ads today, he still felt quite possessive about it. One day he was visiting a friend and as they were talking, he mentioned that he felt rather hungry. His friend waved in the direction of the kitchen and told him to go talk to Tois, his manservant. So he went into the kitchen and found the servant chomping away on something that looked rather familiar, so he asked "Pardon me Tois, is that the Shadow's Nuget you chew?" Enjoying the resulting groans, Hildebaby tosses his glass into the fireplace. (While I'm here: Jilara, I've been trying to e-mail you, without success. Can you offer any opinions on which are Julie Ecklar's best tapes, I think I've found a place that still has them in stock. Any advice would be much appreciated.) Cheers, Jeff -- Jeff Hildebrand Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA 19081 JDH92@campus.swarthmore.edu (prefered) or hildebrd@cs.swarthmore.edu Would you trust a man who | "First things first, but not answers to Hildebaby? | necessarily in that order" - The Doctor