Callahan's Bar Rag May 1996 Edition!

A Toast

Toasting is a very rich tradition at Callahan's. Most of the stories of the original book, Callahan's Cross-Time Saloon, are based on a Toast, after which the Toaster, customers and staff hurl their glasses into the fireplace with a resounding SMASH. The Toast frequently set the tone of the conference for the next little while. Toasts need not be elaborate... a simple expression of a sentiment... for better ... for worse. The toast for the month is;

"To all the Callahan's Places there ever were or ever will be, whatever they may be called -- and to all the merry maniacs and happy fools who are fortunate enough to stumble into one: may none of them arrive too late!"
- Spider Robinson Posted March 26, 1996 at alt.Callahans
Copyright 1996. Spider Robinson.
**********SMASH**********

Callahan's People

This feature will introduce some of the people you might meet at Callahan's, either the original or Callahan's at Delphi.

Mike Callahan --
Mike was the original proprietor of Callahan's Place, as Callahan's Cross-Time Saloon was known. A gentle red haired Irishman, his size was overwhelming. An artist who knew him once noted that Lady Sally -- Ms. Callahan -- could have fully fit into one of his pant legs. Mike was the pillar of the place -- with a kind but firm word for any customer that came in requiring advice of any sort. He had a seemingly endless capacity for Bushmills, and a penchant for puns.

Cat (CATMOORE) --
Cat is the General Manager of Callahan's Place at Delphi. She is one of the warmest, friendliest people anyone could tell anybody about -- always ready with a kind word or a hug, for any wayward soul that needs it. Truly a pillar of the place. She has a seemingly endless capacity for Orange Juice. During the time she cannot be at Callahan's Cat is involved with computers.

Doc --
Doc was a regular at Callahan's Place. He was a portly purveyor of the medical sciences, although he assisted Mike in delivering kind advice for anyone that needed it. He was responsible for directing several regulars to Callahan's place, and in the process helped them put their lives back in order. Despite being generally anesthetized by ample servings of Bushmills, he was a master darts player and frequently won that and punning competitions.

Doc (METCALFR) --
Doc is a regular at Callahan's Place here at Delphi. With his acidic wit and a excellent penchant for Limericks, lucky are the customers who are in Conference at Callahan's when Doc is "hot." When he cannot be at Callahan's Doc is a synapse/neuron improvement specialist, and in his spare time takes his plane into the wild blue yonder. Doc has been known to enjoy a Crown Royal in this other life, and also when he is at Callahan's.

Forum Notes

In April the patrons of the Forum were treated to several memorable instances of shared joy and pain.

In Forum post 14308, Roxy (ROXANNEII) shared with us her inner turmoil and the mixed emotions that she faced about needing pain killing medication for the long term. We have been conditioned to know that drugs are a "bad" thing, something that we should only take in the short term, and not as a matter of course. Her dilemma was that if she did not take the medication, she could not lead a normal lifestyle. If you haven't read the post, it is worth doing. And reflecting on. Any of us could find ourselves in that circumstance.

In Forum post 14312, Angel (TERRIBAILEY) responded to Roxy with a most beautiful and insightful reply. A classic "Shared Joy." Not only did we see a strong counterpoint to Roxy's dilemma, we were given a wonderful insight into a philosophy of life, and a brief glimpse of the warmth and beauty that is Angel. Truly worth reading and reflecting on.

In Forum post 14362 Pilgrim (PILGRIMBOB) shared a family story in which his children were suddenly subjected to a decision between getting a material and emotional reward for perfect attendance at school, or having an unplanned opportunity to visit with a distant grandparent whom they had not seen for a long while. You can imagine the turmoil in the youngsters' hearts, as they struggled with the decision. You should experience the warmth that flowed into this heart at the outcome.

In a series of Forum posts (See 14374) Aristo (AISTOPHENES) shared with us the decisions that he had to make, in determining whether to make a career move to Poland. After an exploratory visit he has decided to take on that challenge. That, alone, is worthy of a toast. ***SMASH*** Good Luck! You will be missed. Because of the wonders of the 'net, however, we may see him back at Callahan's one day.

The problem of software viruses was also discussed. Doc (METCALFR), in his Post 14423 alerted us of a diabolical scheme that involved fake copies of a favorite compression/decompression program. Download the wrong one and there goes your hard drive data! Not a good idea.

The forum also contained several thought provoking posts about the April 15 Holocaust Remembrance -- and a shared promise to never let it happen again -- however we, at Callahan's, can help to make sure that it never does.

Another Gathering

Callahan's has had two "official" gatherings of the clan, to date. The first took place in Alexandria, VA in September 1995. The second took place in Sarasota, FL in January 1996. A third is planned for August 23 to 26 in Toronto, Ontario. The gathering will include a picnic on the Toronto Islands (a short ferry ride from Toronto), a tour of the CN Tower -- the world's tallest freestanding structure, and a day trip to Niagara Falls. Lots of other activities and party opportunities too. Please make plans to attend. More information is available by e-mailing Kak (ALKAK000).

Conference Highlights

The Conference section of Callahan's was a little quieter this month than in the past. The groups tend to be slightly smaller and shorter-lived -- perhaps a reflection of a decreased number of patrons at Delphi, in general. The lack of quantity in no way diluted the high quality, however.

There were no formal discussion groups organized this month, although many impromptu discussions ranging from the sublime to the silly broke out. One of the wonders of Callahan's is that if you join a conference and either don't like the topic or haven't the foggiest idea what is going on when you come in, wait for five minutes. Either the topic will have changed to your liking, or you will have suddenly degenerated to the riotous level where you understand what is going on, and you find yourself joining in with reckless abandon.

There is perhaps only one guarantee in the Conference. The drinks are virtual perfection, have virtually no calories, but have an intoxicating effect that ensures that you will leave feeling better than when you came in. Or maybe it's the people that you meet. :)

Special Events

Kamui (SODEUR) produced a set of handcrafted Callahan's mugs. For those who ordered them, we hold in our hand a limited work of art. Thank you, Kamui, for the idea and the artisanship. Only 18 were produced.

Who's Who

Nick (NGREENE) -- Owner of Callahan's on Delphi
Cat (CATMOORE) -- General Manager
Angel (TERRIBAILEY) -- Conference Manager
Shady (SHADYJAY) -- Forum Manager
Leo (LEOMUNDE) -- General Staff

Concluding Quote

"God put me on Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. At the rate I am going I am so far behind that I will never die."
-- Calvin

Joining Callahan's

Joining Delphi is easy and FREE. The easiest way is to visit our web page. Just click on the "Forum" or "Chat" link and you'll automatically be sent to the registration area... Then you can post on our message boards and join in our conferences.

It's FREE!!! Come visit us!

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