1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask.... 2 ************************** INSTALLED: 25 JAN 85 ******************** 3 Welcome to BWMS (BackWater Message System) Mike Day system operator 4 ************************************************************ 5 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION 6 PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM. 7 BWMS was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS is a privately owned 8 and operated system which is currently open for use by the general public. 9 No restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the system is 10 privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all messages which 11 I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the system, it will be 12 periodically purged of messages. (only 629 lines of data can be saved) 13 To leave a message, type 'ENTER' and use ctrl/C or break to get out of the 14 ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering the 15 message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to replace 16 the line. To exit from the system, type 'OFF' then hang up. 17 Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system. 18 ************************************************************ 19 20 21 @#%(&@#)%(&#)%&*_%_)*%@_#)&*%)_@#*@_#)*%_)*%!@#)_*%@)_*%_+@*%_)*%_)*%_@_#$)&%_)%@#_&^_#$)^&_)#$^&#_$)*#$)_*%_#$)^*#$_ 22 It has been nearly a year since I have taken the L'homme personna as my own, and in all that time I have never 23 had the pleasure of doing what I am about to do... 24 AT THE TOP! 25 Going back through the archives, now over 10 million bytes worth, I see very few times when such an honor has been 26 bestowed upon me. Maybe this is the shape of things to come. 27 _%*#_)*%_@#)*%_@#)% 28 Mikey:What;s this about ^O's? So sorry if they have caused your terminal problems. In the future, I will ^A all my pauses. 29 Q.M. Glad to see your return. The material is the same witty 'stuff' we have grown to love. 30 E. Ryan: No response? I thought as much. Why compound your embarrasement by showing up again. Writing is such sweet sorrow. 31 Piper: I have been trying to get in touch with you re: the graphics we spoke of one fine day at PC&S. When is the best 32 time. 33 WESTERCONNERS: At last, the photograph you have been waiting for. The Barbarian Women, those four cuties from the Days of 34 Conan, are now available in print. Order today... 3X5 or 8X10. Matte board optional and extra. Picture now available for 35 viewing at PSU photolab, Science Building I. Also, 36 various other costumed entrants, including the famous, "The Humans Must Never See Us Eat" and "Wilma Deering of Buck Rodgers 37 Fame." This offer doesn't end at midnight, so you have plenty of time to order. Proofs available this Saturday, PC&S. 38 *&_*#$)_*#$_^#$*^_)# 39 "Uh...Where are you taking me?", queried Farley, now feeling better about the situation after being reunited 40 with his watch and his gun. "You'll see." Typical NET answer. Vague, uncertain, but always superior in tone and inclination. 41 Fellows chipped in a happy thought. "Ian should have directed Puff to resmear the new occupants of the safehouse. I guess 42 losing the place isn't so bad after all, if it took nearly 50 of the enemy out of action. But I still feel bad about the 43 good agents we lost." L'homme was quick to answer. "In this business you can't afford to feel much of anything, lest it 44 interfer with the mission at hand. There's time for crying your eyes out after finishing." "That's what they tell us, isn't 45 it?", Fellows countered. "Is that REALLY how you feel Parity?" Farlet sensed a long drawn out reply coming, so he decided 46 this was the best time to cut in. "Why are you letting me come along with you. What possible good could I do amoungst the 47 likes of NET agents?" Parity abrubtly stopped walking, and turned to face Farley, looking him squarely in the eye. "You 48 have a raw talent, and energy if you will, that I think we can use. You have shown fortitude and expertise in your pursuit 49 of Joshua that can't be ignored. You have rough edges that need refinement, to be sure, but don't sell yourself short. NET 50 rarely makes judgement mistakes about possible agents, and this little trip we are about to take will help us finalize 51 our desision. #Possible agent! Little trip!#, Farley's mind raced. #They want me in their organization?!?# "Now don't let 52 this go to your head. Like I said, this little trip will tell us quite a bit of what's left to be found out about you." 53 L'homme didn't tell Farley what would happen if the trip showed Farley wasn't up to NET standards, but a developing 54 grin on Fellow's face told him the score was clear to the two NET agents present. "Onward to our destination!", Fellows 55 roared, jokingly striking a Napoleon-like pose, complete with hand stuffed between buttons on shirt. "Too much starch? Got 56 an iche?", laughed Parity. Fellows blushed a bit, and the trio continued onward to the South Park Blocks, looking like three 57 informal businessmen on their way to lunch. Looks can be so deceiving. 58 *%_#*@%_)@#*%_#)@*%_)*%_!)*%_!)%*!#_)%*!#_)%*! L'homme sans Parity *%_)#*@_*@#%_@#*%_@)*%_@#)*%)_#*%_*%@_)*%@_#)%*@#_% 59 JUHURYAIT BEFIBOT ETZO XAPAJIG. MANO AYAI ZADI. ZOYTU RAHN. 60 HABIA KUFIV EJAPESA. 61 TARFOX UFATA 62 ******************************************************************* 63 64 ALEOSIE VA HEAX. EBACO DOQUA. A HANIB IASE. 65 KARJOR WON CAJAPADIB. FAVA A BUMMA. 66 67 RAYM DONONE 68 69 ##################################################################### 70 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa 71 Drat, I did miss that disk. Oh well, such is life. 72 MARK: I'm not sure what fight zippy was refering to but I think it 73 has something to do with the disk that I missed. But then again, 74 picking a fight with Tilean >>>> OOPS <<<< I sure would not want to. 75 ZIPPY: Go for it kid. 76 MISTER ^O: The control O locks my terminal, I have to hang up 77 turn the terminal off and reset the works. Not fun at all. 78 Thanks for making them a's. Normally I cc n anyway. 79 ALL: What is this, a mixed NET/ROMANCE CYCLE we are in? 80 Very Odd. 81 Watch the wasted lines folks. 82 CHIEF PENNY: Congrats on your promotion!! May the force be with you. 83 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa Smurf 1-25-85 18:05 84 (Swish)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(Poof!) 85 Apprentice: So sorry, this brain of mine has a poor time of it when it comes 86 to remembering names. To answer your question, no, I don't recall ever 87 persuing those tomes. How is your fantasy knowledge? Have you read the whole 88 of The Unbeliever series (Lord Foul's Bane, The Illearth War, etc.)? 89 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 90 Miller: Eys, I Acn erda oyru algnaueg. 91 (Poof!)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Master Changer >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(Swish) 92 ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 93 Miller - I also read your 'language'. But then, I saw your mention of if 94 (it) on CBBS/NW. 95 All - maybe none of you are eligible to take the Mensa test--no one caught 96 the fact that I left out WHAT DAY the test was. Well, they can always use 97 the test fee anyway, so the next test is Saturday, February 23. 98 L'homme - how about those nice, innocuous ^Dave Obie 99 |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| 100 ALL: Hmmm. Everyone seems to be rather annoyed with this romance state. 101 Personally, I don't mind. I wonder why everyone else does? And, with NET. 102 I have nothing against NET at all, please don't think I do. But, to me it 103 gets a little boring at times. This is probabley caused by the fact that I 104 don't do any writing in it, don't understand it, and have difficulty 105 following the story line. (But I still enjoy reading it, don't get me wrong). 106 So, I enjoy the other stuff... ang I am puzzled by the particularly critical 107 voice it has been recieving lately. Not only the romances, but the many of 108 the other stuff, as well. I just wanted to say to many of you other writers: 109 it is enjoyed and appreciated. Keep up the good work! (oh, by the way NET 110 writers: I'm not trying to sound harsh or anything. I hope it didn't come 111 off that way). Well, don't disappear y'all. Keep writing. Please... 112 |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| 113 One more thing I forgot... What's wrong with having all this different 114 writing enter mixed? What's wrong with having net/romance state together? 115 Just wondering... (I really hope this doesn't sound like a violent assault. 116 ) Enter only! Oh well, better than those twits. 117 MELISSA: Where ya been??????? 118 |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| 119 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 120 Hmmm, hope ENTER ONLY doesn't last too much longer, my '#' key is getting a little fried... 121 \_\_\_\_\_ above: If anything, your opinion seems apologetic. No one here is going to tear out your throat if you 122 say, plainly, that at times the NET writing gets to you. On the contrary, some of the writers might try harder to make 123 the story REALLY interesting. No comment, large or small, is thrown out. 124 Quizmaster: I was thinking about investigating Mensa, but never did get around to it. Are you a member? If so, could 125 you tell me what exactly the members do? 126 Ian: I wave the white flag- if I can't crack the level 4 code in a few weeks then it's highly improbable that I'm 127 going to at all. I'm beginning to see CPPAL PFXL[ in my sleep, not to mention on the inside of my eyelids when I 128 blink. 129 #$##$##$##$# 130 A comment on the current phase on Backwater: It seems that new literary eddies are forming. I had wondered what 131 happens when patrons got tired of fantasy (no matter how cleverly contrived), tired of debate (no matter how 'hot' the 132 subject), and tired of NET (no matter how pretzel-shaped the plot). The answer, in my eyes, seems simple: new types of 133 stories develop. Perhaps this is how the NET got started, after a long series of fantasy entries. I haven't been 134 around long enough to know. What I do know is that even though the story types and names may change, I keep calling 135 back to see what has transpired: 136 Here, at the Backwater Inn. 137 #$##$##$##$# 138 I do hope I'm right in assuming that PorSFis is on the 26th. I might, if I am lucky, actually attend two meetings in 139 a row. 140 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 21:25 - 01/25/85 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 141 ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 142 To: NET Senior agent L'homme 143 From: John K. O'Hara, District Supervisor, NAC, UNDERGROUND 144 Subject: Miss E. A. Ryan 145 Miss Ryan is indisposed at the moment, sir, which is why she hasn't replied. I 146 believe it has something to do with the fact that she is preparing for duty 147 tomorrow, but I cannot be certain. At any rate, expect her to reply by 148 tomorrow. 149 -John K. O'Hara 150 [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ 151 If you are an NEC 152 owner please contact 153 Randy Van Moody at 154 663-xxxx 155 thanks. 156 157 WHY CALL? AND WATCH THE BLANK LINES PLEASE 158 159 RXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXRXR 160 Rising young porno Poloriod picture star 'Petrov' had 161 his career cut short today, when he suffered a severe 162 accident during the taping of the 29 minute VCR epic 163 "Goat Lusters". Reports indicate that a jealous ram 164 butted him in a highly vulnerable area while he was 165 enacting a love scene with the female lead. Petrov 166 was reportedly carried out on a stretcher screaming 167 in a high pitched voice "Do it again! Do it again!" 168 The ram refused to comment on the matter, and tryed 169 to eat the microphone. The female lead would only 170 respond with a mournful "Baaaaa.....". The producer 171 Mr. Black Shepherd appeared to be quite frustrated 172 with the whole affair when he remarked, "Now what am 173 I going to do? It's going to take me at least another 174 whole day to find a replacment!" The films backer a 175 Mr. Mackane was unavailable for comment, though his 176 secratary did respond with a non-commital "Huh?" 177 RXRXRXRX REX XRXRXRXRXRX REX XRXRXRXRXR REX RXRXRXRXR 178 179 180 181 Some people call me knifeweider and this is odd, because some people call me a harlequin romance writer. 182 Forgive me, but do romance writers write from memories of what their loss of idealism was like? Do romance writers 183 tell people what they wished had happened when their basis for existance was destroyed? 184 Don't any of you realize what those stories were? Or do you care that it was the distant memories of a psychotic time 185 that sent the feeling of death across the words? 186 I was trying to do something more important than a simple harlequin piece, even finding someone else like that in the 187 end of the story was A DREAM I have had for a long time. 188 189 I think they are better than you give credit for, even if I do say so myself, sincerely, the Promethean Knifeweiler. 190 191 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 192 193 mark forsyth... never did i entone a fight... i merely thought your message was not appropriate and in bad taste... i 194 know that "Them's fight'N words"... sorrily though... that is how i felt and still feel... 195 many people beleive the only response to rudeness is rudeness and i know that is not so... i wish to thank you for 196 anyway... still fellows if not friends...? 197 198 ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttTTtttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt 199 200 Omega jerked hard at calf muscles, avoiding the oncoming fire with the weird luck of a died in the wool Net agent. 201 Leaping out of the strafing fire of a poor marksman, Omega found tempPorary shelter behind the communications panel. 202 Sme fool let loose with a squirt of flame thrower juice, as it sprayed, un-ignited, the enemy marksmen under the stiff 203 sprays realized what was going to happen to them. 204 205 Agent Sorrell held the can over his wide shoulders and was gripping the spout with two fingers leaving the others to hold 206 the igniter away from the spray. It was far more efficient to keep these agents frightened out of their witts than it was to 207 set the whole block on fire. 208 And Sorrell knew it only too well, except if he got hit,? his trigger would strike the spout and ignite. Then they might 209 all die, and end up on some pathetic local news program. 210 211 000000000000000000000000NULL SET0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 212 213 OFF 214 EXIT 215 216 BREAK 217 LEAVE 218 219 LOST 220 221 REAL FUNNY LOST MESSAGE 222 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp 223 L'homme -- try me at home during the evenings. (I did give you my home 224 phone no didn't I?) I am up till about 9:00 P.M. If you must try during 225 working hours, try between 7:30 and 9:30 in the A.M. This seems to be the 226 least crazy of my working hours. Feel free to call during the rest of the 227 day at work, but the probability of catching me at my desk has been quite 228 low during the last few weeks -- I hope it settles down soon... 229 ppppppppppppppppppp 230 To the "romance" authors ... one of the most difficult problems in reading 231 criticism of one's work is the flack you take from those who do not enjoy 232 a particular genre of writing. Some folks confuse the subject with the 233 technique and lable a subject that is not interesting TO THEM as "bad writing." 234 Some, with more subtlety, throw the story into a pigeonhole that they assume 235 contains an excess of "bad writing." Thus "romance" (sorry about the label, 236 but it's the nickname of your subject around here) gets labled as a 237 "harlequin romance." (By the way, don't make the common mistake of dismissing 238 an entire catagory of fiction. There are some excellent writers in that 239 general catagory. If anyone needs a reccomendation, please ask.) 240 We all, of course, feel that our own writing is "good writing." However, 241 we all can improve -- none of us is perfect. Please take good, constructive 242 criticism in the spirit in which it is intended, an attempt to help each of 243 us become better at an activity which we seem to enjoy. As an example, a 244 recent criticism of one of my entries took me to task for using the phrase 245 "hot tropical sun" -- a presumed redundancy. Although I might quibble with 246 that phrase, I tried to describe a tropical sun that was not hot... I could 247 only manage a sunset... looks to me like a unmodified tropical sun really is 248 hot. Perhaps it is redundant. Oh, well, another trite phrase bites the 249 dust. Therefore I make this solemn vow: I will carefully, anxiously, 250 earnestly, and obnoxiously avoid any an all excess redundancy and repeating 251 the same information too many times in too many different places in this here 252 writing stuff. Note that I cleverly kept the definition of "too much" 253 obscure and will fight a precise definition with great vigor. 254 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp 255 *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* 256 To `agent' L'Homme: 257 First of all, my whereabouts are my own business...second, I have been unable to access BW 258 since my last entry. I would have tried on the 25th, but was, again, unable to. If work permits, 259 I shall observe today's PorSFiS meeting...Since I am on assignment, all qeuestions should be 260 directed to John. He will get them to me...one way or the other... 261 Be there in `spirit'... 262 *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Elizabeth Ryan *=*=*=*=*=*=*=* 8:24am on 1/26/1985 *=*=*=*=*=* 263 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$## 264 "A prospective NET agent?," I whispered. Could my luck be turning better? Was this the end of countless 265 failures, lost opprotunities, and bad dealings that had so dominated my life for the past few months? 266 #Better not get my hopes up yet,# I thought. #If I blow this one, I'm in DEEP trouble.# 267 I decided to take my mind off of it. No sense brooding on what you can't change, at least for the moment. I looked 268 at my chrono and saw several miniature lights on that I never noticed before. The largest was labled in almost 269 microscopic print, "System Failure". The only thing my chronocom seemed to be able to do was tell time- some sort 270 of electromagnetic pulse had destroyed the remainder of the functions. #Drat, I wonder if Fred was knocked out too?# 271 I thanked whatever gods exist for this little reminder of my usual bad luck. I swore that I would never forget it 272 again- for if I did, next time more than my chrono would be inoperable... 273 "Farley!", someone yelled. I broke out of my concentration with a start. L'homme had obviously been trying to 274 say something to me for several moments. "Yes?", I said. 275 "Pay closer attention. While you were standing there daydreaming you could have been shot nine times over. What 276 I asked was, 'What do those lights on your watch signify?'." He seemed a bit irritated with me, not at all like his 277 previous joking mood. 278 "Oh, er... Well, they mean that I can't communicate with Fred. The communications functions have been knocked out." 279 The irritated look on L'homme's face faded. Fellows appeared interested too. "Who's Fred?", they asked. 280 "My car.", I said. 281 "You talk with your car?", L'homme asked, amused. 282 "He's semi-sentinent. He helped me while I was tracking Joshua. I don't know where Fred is, now." 283 "Well, you'll just have to cope without him. We've almost arrived at our destination." 284 "Where's that?", I asked. 285 "You'll see...", Fellows replied, in the typical vague and obscure NET manner. 286 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 08:49 - 01/26/85 #$##$##$##$# 287 The last couple of times that I've called the Backwater, to write another 288 episode of the Magen story, I was shocked by some of the crudeness. Maybe I 289 have led a sheltered life, growing up in the South. I don't wish to tell 290 anyone what they should or shouldn't do, but I don't wish to have my name 291 and writing along side that sort of thing. This is the reason I've been quiet 292 for the last few days. I'll wait and see if this is only a passing phase. 293 |_|_|_|_|_|_|---Thank you for remembering me. ---Melissa 294 ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() 295 Do NET agents love anyone? Can someone out there tell me with any degree of certainty that NET agents care for any- 296 thing besides the gun they carry and their current purpose in life. Aren't secret agents supposed to be notorious 297 lovers? Look at the most famous spy, James Bond. Is signiture is the trail of broken hearts he leaves in cities 298 accross the globe. Detectives, spies, double agents, undercover cops: all male oriented with male writers and male 299 players. Women are simple playthings to be used for enjoyment, and an occasional bit of information or two. If we 300 must be subjected to the internal workings of an organization such as NET, let us get a little different perspective 301 on the various internal workings of the agents that make up the NET. Let us get some character development. Let us 302 read about characters who do more than live to play the game in the fast lane. Everyone needs to come down once in 303 awhile. Let us read about one of these moments. Let us see what makes a NET agent tick. Take the blinds off the 304 story, and let us view the whole situation. 305 Let's hear it! 306 ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() 307 JoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshua 308 ()()(): in my admittedly too-infrequent entries, I HAVE attempted to portray 309 Joshua as a human rather than an infallible superman. Mistakes, doubts, and 310 other such normal traits. Not too much, since NET *IS* supposed to be elite, 311 and I certainly don't want to play an Inspector Clousseu (damnded French spellings...) 312 One problem with character development is that it takes a lot of space, space 313 which is a precious commodity on this board, and space which would preferrably 314 (by us) be used to advance the story. Last summer L'homme and I were travelling 315 from the 13th floor of a building to the street. It took us at least 150 lines, 316 none of them action, because we WERE trying to work on our characters. 317 As I recall, it met with less than enthusiastic response. 318 As for the male perspective, we do have a part time female agent, yclept 319 Gaudy Minsky, who offers us a decidedly different viewpoint. Given the 320 male/female ratio of BackWater users, I doubt we're descriminatory. 321 See y'all at PorSFiS. 322 JoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshua 323 |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| 324 PROMETHEAN KNIFEWIELDER: I give credit for quite a bit. I enjoyed your story, 325 and I knew there was more to it than I could figure. Why it got labeled a 326 "romance" is beyond me. I didn't think it that way... anyways, I thought it 327 was excellent. Please continue to write such things, it's nice to know there 328 really was something behind it. 329 MELISSA: The stuff you've seen here which is not to your liking, is probabley 330 not to many of ours (if you are speaking of that classified ad stuff, and 331 things along similiar lines). I will venture to say that the majority of the 332 people who visit the Inn are above that... but there are always a few vandals, 333 here and there, and people to our disliking. If you wish to take a few days 334 from your story, it's understandable... but, please, return eventually. 335 ADRIAN: So, where are you? Oh, I noticed a message for you on Aloha. I didn't 336 know you visited other systems, I haven't seen your name anywhere. I suppose 337 then "Adrian" is an alias. 338 ALL: I'm not a fan of harlequin romances. They disgust me, as do most others. 339 But, I think a common error is to assume all romances are like harlequin ones. 340 A great example of a love story which is very good is "The Siver Metal Lover" 341 by Tanith Lee. It's excellent! It's changed my percpective on most romances, 342 I don't judge them so quickly (I haven't been able to read those ones in Fred 343 Meyers, I don't think I ever will). Anyways, if you read this you might realize 344 that romances don't have to follow a mindless storyline... they can even be as 345 good as sci fi, fantasy, and novels! Wow! Bet you'd never believe that... well, 346 I think this book is an exception to the awful-romance rule. It's one of the 347 best books I've read (of ANY catigory). If any of you read it, tell me what you 348 think. 349 |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| 350 <+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+> 351 Lady S.:I think that an apology for my incompetance is in order.If not or 352 if you have no idea what i am talking about, then excuse me.Just attribute it to the rantings of someone who 353 has had their backpack over his sholder too long. 354 Vffn:Was if REALLY only 5 minuts? 355 ALL M.A.C.E members:(Don't worry.M.A.C.E. is not another 'spy' organization)We get the new batch monday,as im 356 that you are aware.Get ready to start up brainwashing procedures first theing.(We have to keep them out of the 357 cluches of the 'higher up's'.) 358 359 ASP 360 <+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+> 361 P.S. Now I know why 'ENTER ONLY' is such a pain. 362 <+><+><+><+>etc. 363 MELISSA: I CAN SEE THE HEADLINES NOW: AUTHOR 364 HAS BOOK REMOVED FROM DISTRIBUTION. "I WON'T 365 HAVE MY MASTERPIECE ALONGSIDE THE NATIONAL 366 ENQUIRER", SHOUTED WRITER MELISSA X.... 367 GROW UP! SO I DON'T LIKE WHAT HAS BEEN 368 ENTERED RECENTLY EITHER...ONE REASON THERE 369 ARE BORDERS IS TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT DIFFER- 370 ENT PEOPLE ARE WRITING DIFFERENT STORIES. 371 MAYBE YOU'D ALSO LIKE EVERYONE NOT TO 372 READ OR THINK ANYTHING SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE 373 BEFORE LOGGING ON, JUST IN CASE YOU HAVE A 374 STORY ON BWMS? BRUTUS 375 ''''''''''' 376 BRUTUS: I can see why you have the name. 377 ''''''''''' 378 |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| 379 BRUTUS: Your point was worth mentioning, but @#^&(*@!!!!! Have you no respect 380 for peoples feelings? I can think of dozens of ways that you could of stated 381 that withour being so unnecessarily harsh, and still made the same point. Did 382 you deliberitly choose such a cruel way of wording your attack? It angers me to 383 think that some people can be so inconsiderate of the feelings of others. Many 384 of these new writers (which I think are very good) are abit timid and scared 385 about writing their entries, being so outrightly rude is enough to cause them 386 never return. Or was that the idea? I agree with you, I must say. But, why 387 do you have to be so God------ mean about it! I hope you haven't caused Melissa 388 to discontinue writing here, if you have, I hold the must extreme grudge 389 against you. I don't suppose "Jay Anderson" is one of your aliases? You 390 certainly fit the character type, and I haven't seen his name lately. 391 |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| 392 L'homme: Sorry, but the board doesn't seem to work. In fact when I have it 393 installed, the free memory is reported as only 15572! I might also note tha 394 the red wire I asked you about is NOT present on MY board. Both boards say 395 REV. A. I'm going to check the positioning VERY carefully & give it one 396 last try. 397 _________________________________Leonard___________________________________ 398 010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101 399 Gee, I'm glad that CPPAL PFXN[ got your "attention". 400 010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101 401 `,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,` 402 Tilean, in no way did I ever want to start a fight. I 403 think an observer misunderstood my mention of a different 404 board to talk about things. But I have no intention of 405 having a fight or argument over anything. If you saw the 406 two entries you know what I am talking about. And you are 407 right in your first entry however long ago it was. 408 Melissa, I agree with you but people are supposed to have 409 a say, an opinion about everything. I'm sorry about the 410 message above, it was mean. Please continue with your story, 411 I'm sure a lot of people would like the read it, and it could 412 be around those other stories and be just as good. Please 413 write some more. 414 `,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`Mark`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,` 415 1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2 416 A tale of Piprov... 417 418 I wandered about through the scorching heat for what seemed like forever. I constantly had to tell mysel-ter was 419 (oop) myself water was over tAs the sun began to sink on the horizon the first day, I fell to the sand and began 420 to think of all the things I had done in my life. I figured that I had lived a rather happy life, and was 421 dissapointed that I had to die young and unknown. 422 By the time the moon had risen full in the sky, my eyes were so caked with sand I could not close 423 them. Instead, I rolled over into the sand and waited for deaths' grim hand to clutch my soul... 424 I assumed my mind would simply cloud over and that would be all, never did I expect to hear or see what I did... 425 a small lamb gently baa-ing. I lifted my head and was somewhat surprised to find myself in a grassy meadow, 426 up 427 428 surrounded by a flock of sheep. I looked down at what I remembered as being tattered and dusty garments, only to 429 find that I was wearing shepards clothing. I had in my hand a shepards staff, and in my other hand, a horn. 430 Why this was I could not and still cannot explain, but I have grown to enjoy the company of the sheep. I have 431 especially grown fond of the lamb that I first heard long ago. She has grown into a graceful ewe and I have never 432 been apart from 'She' ever since. 433 434 1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2 435 TUNE IN NEXT WEEK FOR ANOTHER ASSUMING ENSTALLMENT OF 'TALES OF PIPROV' 436 1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2 437 1=2 typo: ln 437 I kept telling myself water was over the next dune. 438 1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2=1=2 439 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (one of several) 440 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?/MiG/? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?/ 441 S:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KAS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:KS:K 442 tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt 443 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 444 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa of this mess ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 445 (picture fill in... A room, dark and with many lights blinking uncomprehensible 446 information. Maps, pepsi reader boards with data that makes little sense. 447 Gathered are patrons of the BW Inn. People who are renown for the amazing 448 amouts of BS that can be created at a moments notice. Some are discussing 449 battle decorations from Germany. Present are; Myself, the others and somebody. 450 An air of perversity and carbon dioxide fills the room. And some food. 451 Some pizza dough, uncooked, with toppings that mortal man has problems 452 understanding. but we know, we are aware that we are NOT normal mankind. 453 thus ends the discriptive phase of this message, maybe.) 454 ? ? ? /MiG/ ? ? ? 455 Anticipation grips me as I am told that it is my turn to relate all sorts of 456 diversified lies and tales of intrigue. Just kidding. Plans for todays events 457 have been in the works for quite some time, and it was about time for these plans 458 to become a reality. Once it we all came to the conclusion that PorSFiS would 459 be as good a place to start as any, all semblance of this reality could only 460 have been a for-drawn conclusion. The plan included, as mentioned, a great deal 461 of Pizza, some people that had to be threatened to attend- Harshly- and that 462 mysterious of all creations, an ungodly Videotape of... 463 ^^^^^ --->the Guardian 26:23 464 Hi, bye . Gota go. 465 Lady S. 466 S:KS:KS:KS:K 467 Aha, everyone left, said something about Wintermute, and something about a vidiotape that looks like hukashbkj ? ? ? 468 no time... and probably no screen for most of you... sorry about the form feed... but it is enter only after all... and 469 man in gray has this murphy' law something or other... and it is probably the catalyst for the whole video tape thingy... 470 this is going to make for some pretty odd little mentions at one of the up coming porsfis meetings... and i am going to 471 Love them all... 472 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 473 Time is rather short, yes the party (if you can call that) went well. Or 474 at least that I think it did. I hope that everyone did. Anyway, I did 475 enjoy it, and if the Inn is greatly reduced in numbers for the next week, 476 you will all know that the pizza WAS spiced and that we are all in your 477 local hospital..... SICKY we are all. 478 Goodnight.............................. 479 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa Smurf ~~~~~~ 480 The Crew: 481 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?/ MiG /? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 482 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sondargaard ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 483 S;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;KS;K 484 ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt 485 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZippy 486 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And PaPa Smurf ~~~~~~~~~~~ 487 We are now signing off for now: 1-26-85 23:46 488 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 489 A multiple entry? How confusing. 490 Kathy: Pleased to meet you. It's amazing how different real life is from the images conjured up by the imagination. 491 I was pleasantly surprised. 492 Sondargaard: See comment to Kathy above. I only wish I had had more time to talk to all of you. 493 ()()()()()()(): Please go back to your archives and look at my entries. Now, can you honestly say that I resemble 494 a superhero? I think not- "an extremely unlucky fourth-rate detective" is a much more accurate discription. Beyond 495 that, there is noenough space to convey it all. The action is, in this case, more important to me than the background 496 of the character. 497 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 00:36 - 01/27/85 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 498 SUPPOSE YOU HAD WORKED ON WRITING A 499 STORY. MAYBE IT WASN'T A VERY GOOD 500 STORY. MAYBE YOU COULDN'T FIND THE 501 RIGHT WORDS TO EXPRESS YOUR FEEL- 502 INGS. MAYBE IT WASN'T SOMETHING 503 THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED TO 504 THE PUBLIC. MAYBE YOU LOOKED OVER 505 YOUR STORY AND REALIZED YOU COULD 506 NOT ERASE IT, BECAUSE OF "ENTER 507 ONLY". MAYBE YOU HAVE DIFFERENT 508 IDEAS OF WHAT A GOOD STORY IS THAN 509 OTHER PEOPLE. MAYBE IT WAS THE 510 FIRST TIME YOU HAD EVER SHOWN ANY 511 OF YOUR WRITING TO SOMEONE ELSE 512 (EVEN ANONYMOUSLY). NOW........ 513 SUPPOSE SOMEONE SAID THAT IT WAS 514 SO HORRIBLE THAT THEY COULDN'T 515 BEAR TO HAVE ANYTHING OF THEIRS 516 ON AN ANONYMOUS BULLETIN BOARD 517 BECAUSE YOUR WRITING WAS SO BAD, 518 WAS SO OFFENSIVE. NOW......... 519 TELL ME---HOW WOULD YOU FEEL? 520 I THINK I WAS NOT HARSH, NOT 521 CRUEL, AND NOT OFFENSIVE TO 522 MELISSA....IF YOU THINK DIFFER- 523 ENTLY, WELL, WELL, MAYBE YOU 524 SHOULD HAVE HAD SOMETHING FIRST. 525 WE NEW WRITERS(I HAVE NOTICED 526 SEVERAL OTHER STORIES START, NOT 527 GET ANY COMMENT WHATSOEVER, AND 528 THEN THEY STOP.) NEED SUPPORT, 529 OR AT LEAST COMMENTS, TOO.... 530 BRUTUS 531 532 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 533 534 When I was only five, and very sick with the measles, I remember 535 waking from the midst of such a dream as only a fever can bring, to find 536 her there: her hand on mine, the other wiping my brow with a cool cloth. 537 Such is the first memory I have of my grandmother, but it is so typical of 538 the many memories that were to be created throughout the years that 539 followed. 540 541 I remember the days at the zoo, the parks, the museums, the many trips 542 to interesting places and the ideas they helped to stir in my young mind. 543 I remember how she used to read to me, and, Oh! what she read: Swift, 544 Twain, even Dickens were introduced to me by her, and worlds were opened. 545 And how she introduced me to science fiction with C.S. Lewis' "Out of the 546 Silent Planet", then the works of Wells and Verne when she saw how eagerly 547 I grasped at the wonders of that marvelous field of literature. The public 548 schools taught me the mechanics of reading, but she taught me the joy that 549 can be found between the covers of a book long before I could comprehend 550 the words on a page. 551 552 I guess it was easy to love her, she never needed to discipline me. 553 My parents were quite competent in that field, and thus she was left free 554 to give me an education in so many other ways. And love her I did, though 555 in typical childish fashion I never expressed that love in a manner that 556 the adult I have become now wishes I had. But a child never thinks of such 557 things. Why should she, the world is static and never changes, Grandma 558 will always be there, Grandma knows everything and so knows how I feel. 559 560 But the child grows older, and eventually enters a stage of self- 561 imposed independance. For a period of years, this independance interferes 562 with the ability to remember the simple but honest emotions of childhood, 563 having defined them as childish and therefore not suitable for the 564 new-found maturity. Sometimes this foolishness can place a block between 565 the adult and the child, the adult feeling justifiably hurt at the child's 566 behavior. In my case, my grandmother understood. She could remember how 567 she was at that age, and so could carry within her a greater understanding 568 than the child would have thought possible. 569 570 When the return to sanity comes, if it comes at all, it is all too 571 often too late. I was lucky. When I truly became an adult, long after I 572 had physically matured, she was still there, patiently waiting for me to 573 talk to and share with. And so we found the closeness once again that we 574 had possessed in those earlier years. But now I found that the scene was 575 reversed. Though she was still capable of teaching me so much, and I found 576 that I was just as enthusiastic a student, she was older. It was harder 577 for her to go to the museums, the parks, the zoo. And with her eyesight 578 failing, she could read only with extreme effort. So I began to read to 579 her as she once read to me, and I introduced her to authors that she 580 devoured as hungrily as I once had: Asimov, Clarke, Sturgeon, Ellison, 581 others. Much to my surprise, Ellison soon became her favorite author 582 (writer! as he would say), and we quickly worked through all of his short 583 stories and essays. I found anew that our tastes were nearly always the 584 same, which is as it should be since my tastes were developed at her knee. 585 586 I know that, if I had been only five years younger, or had not 587 eventually arrived at adulthood, I might have missed these last years with 588 her. But I was lucky, I did arrive there, and so was blessed with her 589 warmth and knowledge and deep understanding. The thought that I might have 590 missed all of that....... is something I would rather not think of. So 591 here's to you, dear grandma, with love and thanks. For everything. 592 593 In Fond Memory 1893-1985 594 595 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]PAM.[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 596 597 598 Voyeur: Yes indeed, that was the same motel (with light-bulb and plastic 599 log) that you overheard (overread?) me speaking of to Salazar. And yes, I 600 did catch a bug while there, my unfortunate dip in the warm winter waters of 601 the Pacific ocean did wonders for my health as well as my well-being. 602 It was one of those trips that will be remembered fondly for many years to 603 come, though at the first it seemed to be the beginnings of the greatest 604 disaster epic never filmed. Sorry I took so long to respond to you, I'm 605 afraid that I'm being typically late in getting back to people. One of many 606 character defects. 607 608 My goodness! This hasn't happened in a long time! I'm actually going 609 to finish up a disk. Clean, clean, clean, that's all I'm good for. 610 611 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES = 611