From: dapetersen@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (Toothpick (-:))
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Repost: A rainbow bubble and mini-gather notes
Date: 13 Aug 92 15:31:34 GMT
Organization: Petersen's Homestead

I'm reposting this message because it didn't get out to all sites - I'm sorry
if you've already read this.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amidst all the recent conversations, no one has really bothered to watch the
weather outside.  A casual glance wuld tell you that it's raining.  A longer
look might tell you that it's been raining for a while, as evidenced by the
puddles outside the door and the steady rhythm of water dripping from the
trees.  But some patrons might be surprised to know that it's been raining not
for a few hours or even a few days, but a few WEEKS!  And to anyone who might
have been noticing - it hasn't QUITE been 40 days, but it sure does feel like
it!

A few patrons gradually notice the change in sounds - or rather, the lack of
some ever-present sounds.  The rain has FINALLY ceased, no soothing background
of drops can be heard, no cracks of thunder, no intermittant flashes of light.
But no one notices, really.  

No, not a single person is paying attention to the goings-on outside the Place.
That is, until a rather bright light shines in through the window.  It lasts
too long for lightening and besides, it swirls with all the colors of the r
rainbow!  As curious patrons begin turing their heads to observe, the light
grows stronger and can definately been seen moving closer and closer to one
of the windows.

As it approaches ever closer, it seems to slip effortlessly through the window,
where patrons see not a light per se, but a large bubble which emits a semi-
familiar, swirling, rainbow colored light.  The bubble grows larger and larger,
rather like that scene from the Wizard of Oz, and patrons shield their eyes
since the light grows more intense as the bubble enlarges.

Then with a loud *POP*, the bubble shatters into a million pieces of rainbow
colored confetti and the light disappears!  Standing in the middle of the Place
is Toothpick, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hi you all!" (*grin*)  "It's been so long since I've been IN here, I thought
I should make a rather grand entrance.  Sorry about the rainbows in your drinks,
but I think you'll see that they add a rather pleasent taste, no matter what
you're drinking!"

To some, this Toothpick person is a familiar sight (though she's been AWOL
for several months now).  To others, the girl with shoulder length blond hair
and cheery smile is a newcomer.  But all in good time everyone will catch up.
She doesn't intend to flit in and out THIS time - so she's back for a good long
while! (-:

Mike smiles as she walks up to the bar.  "The usual?"  "Do I have a usual"
He hands her a large glass of ice water. "Ok...the usual. (-:  But Mike, a
few requests for some others...send a drink to Merrigold, John Ockerbloom,
*chaser, and P'relan, wherever th may be."  Mike obliges.

"These people prove one thing:  you can leave Callahans, but it never leaves
you!  I had the pleasureof meeting up with *chaser after, oh, a year I guess.
It's always fun to bump into fellow Callahanians in RL!  Most recently, as
I was helping P'relan move to Pittsburgh, I got to meet Merrigold and John
Ockerbloom in person.  Since there were fourof us, we christened it a mini-
gather and I appointed myself Gather reporter. (-:"

"So...after managing to get myself to Pittsburgh and to Squirrel Hill via
Forward Avenue and the invisible Forward Avenue exit which I somehow took
though there was not a sign to be found, I helped P'relan arrange furniture
and what-not.  Luckily, John had invited us for a lasagna dinner, appropriately
titled "Eat, Drink, and Meet Merri!" (*giggle*).  It was scrumptious!  And I
don't evenLIKE lasagna!  (Oh and the breas was good too...(-:).  We met Merri,
who bore the implements for the making of Black Death - the best death you'll
ever have!  Thus (hmm....dratted line editors...'breas' = 'bread' up there a
line or so...).  Thusfortified with good food and great company, we settled
down for a round of Bugs Bunny cartoons.  I'll never listen to "Barber of 
Seville" quite the same ever again!

After BB came the sampling of the Black Death! Um!  Then it was movie time again
with "Diva" featuring someone who liked garlic bread as well as I do and someone
who just didn't like anything!  (To everyone:  sorry about these inside jokes.
John, P'relan, and Merri - hope you're laughing as hard as I am!)

That ends Saturday.  Sunday, P'relan and Merri and one of her friends went
grocery shopping while I got stuck on cleaning duty.  After a bit, we met up
with John at the Peking Palace (or some such place) for some Dim Sum.
I discovered that spicy mussels are better than Black Death and that the chinese
can make more things into dumplings than you could ever imagine!  We were also
kept amused by Merri's friend's (I've forgotten his name already...) tea, which
kept rotating around the table.  Maybe he was trying to get it cooled off...?

Well, that's about it.  A rather short gather, I admit, but a good prelude to
the one in September! (-:"

"OH!!!"  Toothpick sprints up to the bar once more. "More water?" Mike asks?
"No!  5 drinks!!!"  Mike raises an eyebrow with a look that says, "Not."
"No no...notfor me, for Thalen!"  She's smiling even more than before, though
you didn't think that was possible.  "Over July 4th weekend, I had the priviledge
of singing at Carnegie Hall in New York City under the direction of John Rutter!
It was fantabulous!  But was was even more astonishing was that Thalen (old
Callahanian) made a 2 hour trip to hear the concert!"
Those of you who sng know how wonderful it is to have friends in the audience.

"Sp for Thalen, 5 drinks of whatever he wants because I never imagined that
someone would actually come to Carnegie to hear the concert. (-:"

Toothpick pauses, a bit outof breath, to look around.  With all the changes
her life's been going through lately with the new job, the new condo, etc..., 
she's got a bushel of warm fuzzies to see how little has changed here.  It's
still the same old fun conversations, nutty side trips, serious discussions, 
and gathering place of good friends it's always been.  She sighs happily and
sips her water.

Slipping off the barchair (never any stools here!), she threads her way over to
Lamplighter, aka Tom.  He looks a little surprised to be ambushed from behind
in a bear hug!  "Congrats!!!  Let's see, on top of everything, you should be
a happily married man by now, right? (-:  BTW...I need a current address.  I 
STILL have a little something for you and Aurora, 'k? (-:"  She winks at him and
moves on over toward kitten. 

"My dear, you are really going to get yourself in trouble over this Ohio bit, aren't you?
Toothpick grins. "Really, Ohio is a wonderful place to live!  And I've travelled
all over the world, well, at least all over Europe and the U.S. (not to be c
construed as the entire world by any means), so I can say that. (-:  But
I'm certainly glad you don't live here - it gives me a good excuse to trip 
over to IL for a gathering! (-:"

Toothpick turns as Ray...excuse me, M.C. Ray takes the spotlight.  She starts
grinning, then holds her sides laughing, able to visualize Ray doing this rap
thing in RL.  She shakes her head and wipes the tears from her eyes as she 
moves on, headed toward the shadows.

"Hey lurker!  I see you in there! You know who you are...yes you!"  She points
to a certain tenor from her choir who has been lurking for a few weeks now.
"I *told* you Callahans was a fun place, didn't I?! (-:  So when are you getting
outof that corner and into the Place properly? (-:"

Toothpick sidles over to a table to watch the race between the termites, the
Gryphon, and the parachute. "Ah Callahans, you just never KNOW what you're
going to find!"  On the way, she passes by the chalkboard and wipes her name
off the MIA list.

Eventually, her glass finds its way into the fireplace with a loud *CRASH*,
reminiscent of the perpetual thunder of the last few weeks.  "To Callahans
and to the people who make it real!  Thanks everybody!!!"

She settles down to puzzle out a method for getting the VPM to make spicy
mussels...

================================================================================
TOOTHPICK (-:			
In RL - Debbie Petersen			"Be careful what you wish for.
(216) 656-3161    			 Wishes come true."
dapetersen@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
dapetersen@miavx1.bitnet                -The musical "INTO THE WOODS"
================================================================================
Organization: Senior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA