Conference back40::soapbox

    A pendant.
    The love of my life.
    The realization of the above.

    
    
    My amethyst/topaz/gold engagement ring that perfectly matches
      my wedding band.
    
    The love of my life
    
    Our anniversary
    
    
    
    Terrie
    

    
    a rock
    numerous people
    just because

    my C Record gruppo
    
    Chip

    A thousand dollars.  Not the money itself, but Michele and I were
    broken down in Maryland and a stranger pulled up and even though we had
    the money, he gave us $60.00 for a tow.  About five months later we
    drove into our driveway only to see a car with Maryland plates on it. 
    It was he and his wife and they came up just to see us...and to hand us
    a check for a thousand dollars.  
    
    He stated that God called him to a giving ministry and he gave us the
    money because God lead him to do this.  Now here is a man and woman of
    great faith!!
    
    -Jack

    
    
    .5 That is the strangest story.
       

    One year I was working for a manager I would rather forget.  This was
    the only year I ever had to fight to take vacation time.  Somehow
    it was managed that I was delayed from taking my vacation until nearly
    the end of September, and only 10 days instead of the 14 I needed.
    
    The weather that September had been rotten, chilly and rainy.  I went 
    to my cottage in New Hampshire with thick sweaters. I am one of those 
    strange creatures who loves hot, humid weather and I felt sick that I 
    had been shut indoors through the great summer we had just had.  As 
    the week went on the weather got worse.  Depressed and sick at heart, 
    I was ready to call it quits and leave for home when, on the last but 
    one day of my vacation, a warm front went through and the humidity rose 
    with the temperature and the lake was like summer. Everything was quiet 
    and still, the haze sat over the water and the feeding fish dimpled the sur
    face.   I sat on the dock until sunset and just drank it all in, storing 
    it away in my memory to cheer me thorough the long winter to come.  
    
    That day was better than pure gold to me.  That was the very best gift 
    I have ever been given.          

    
      I've never gotten a "gift" that really impressed me, unless you
    want to count my wife, parents, children, schools, diplomas, etc.
    
      Mostly, people give me "joke" gifts I try hard to laugh at before
    putting them in the closet or the trash.  I sure hope they don't
    cost much.
    
      An article of clothing, a book or cd, a bottle or food item.  If
    you ask me what I'd like, a simple consumable item is best.
    
      For New England friends far away, I love to send live lobsters,
    particularly if they can't get them easily wherever they are.
    
      bb

    Jack, i want that couple's phone# and address this very minute!
    
    :-)

    
    reprieve from death at the hands of a mercedes driver on the
    autobahn nr. Wurzburg many years ago

Our well stopped producing water one summer. It was a "wash" well, and
was buried somewhere in the yard. No one could recall exactly where it
was; not the original owner, not the guy who dug the well. The previous
owner said he thought it was "about here, about 4' down."

We started digging. We dug down about 6-1/2 feet, found no well, so we
decided to simply keep digging in a line at that depth, sort of
trenching, figuring that we'd have to hit it. Some neighbors dropped by
and lent a shovel. After a few days of hauling dirt and rocks out of a
6-1/2' deep hole I wrenched my back and fell over, and my wife had to
(almost) carry me into the house. She called the neighbors and told them
the Big Dig was stopped for a while, and why.

That night, as we were eating supper, I thought I heard something out in
the yard. Went to look, and there was one of the neighbors she'd called,
digging away. Said he knew we needed water, he'd just carry on until I
felt better. 

I still get misty-eyed thinking about the gift of that friend.

Art


The well was under the paved driveway. I finally found it through
electronic means. The problem was a cracked 85� plastic fitting.

    What was it? 		Can't tell you
    Who gave it?        	She'd kill me
    What was the occasion?      Jack Daniels
         

    
    Seriously, the greatest gift I have ever received and will ever
    receive is my daughter Jennifer and my son David. Nothing that
    I can think of that anyone has given me has meant so much or
    had such a profound effect on my life.
    
    Sorry if this sounds like violins should be playing, but I'm
    being quite serious...
    
    -b

    
    
    	re: brian
    
    	Hey, my son's name is David...good choice! ;*)
    
    	The best gift I ever got? Besides my family it would have to be the
    shotgun my grandfather gave me. Ever since I had been able to walk he'd
    let me hold that shotgun. It was the first thing we wanted to do when
    my brother and I would come over their house! :) He'd always smile and
    lay out the rifle and the shotgun on the bed for us, all the while
    giving us the safety lecture. He gave me the gun on my 15th b-day (I
    got my FID card that year).
    
    jim

 Eternal life

	Maternal instincts

    You have the urge to breast feed?!?

    re .17 & .18
    
    
    rut row

	Why yes Glenn. Can Leslie come out and play?

    No, he's being beaten up right now, sorry.

    Rex

	I won't interupt Hildy from her pleasures....

    this notes file (sniff, wipe away a tear)

    aw.

   .11 thanks for recounting that, Art.

    .11
    
    Some friend, that.
    
    I remember an occasion many years ago when my mother-in-law's septic
    system became stopped up.  The tank is out in her front yard, and the
    hatch was buried.  Nobody knew where.  I figured wotthehell.  Got a
    pair of soft-drink bottles and a couple of coathangers.  Made L shaped
    things out of the coathangers, and dowsed the hatch within five minutes
    of starting out to look for it.  I stuck one of the bent coathangers in
    the ground and said dig here.  The contractor dug there and found that
    my wire was within six inches of the center of the hatch, which was
    about a foot down.

    What was it?              Trip to Europe. Two weeks in Paris and London.

    Who gave it?              Patty my girl friend the lawyer.

    What was the occasion?    She settled a big case.

  George

Did you go alone?

    Ya! Spell it out for us already!

Glenn never goes anywhere alone.

  No, we both went last summer. We met her son who was living in Paris at the
time with his girlfriend. We spent some 8 days touring around Paris seeing the
sights. For my money, it's the most incredible place in the world. 

  Then on to London where we saw 3 plays in 4 days including King Lear. We saw
Westminster Abby, Big Ben, the Tower of London, Picidilly Square, even did the
"Jack the ripper" walking tour. 

  Incredible trip,
  George 

Yes, Paris is a beautiful city.  Too bad there are so many Parisians there.

    {chortle}

    >For my money, 
    
    I thought he said *she* picked up the tab.  ;-)
    
    DougO

  Actually I was surprised, the people in Paris seemed ok. I went expecting
to be treated poorly but we were treated rather well.

  One things for sure, people in Paris are a damn sight more friendly than the
people in New York.

  George

    
    As long as you're fond of dog $%^& everywhere, Paris is fine
    I guess.
    
    -b

>>  Actually I was surprised, the people in Paris seemed ok. I went expecting
>>to be treated poorly but we were treated rather well.

	same here.  they were nice to me.

  There's another rumor I heard that Paris was a dirty city. Also not true.
In fact, they regularly wash the sidewalks and streets. At the top of each
rise water flows out into a gutter alongside the curb washing everything
away.

  It was the cleanest city I've ever seen.

  George

    
    I've been there several times George. I didn't find it to
    be a particularly clean city. Nowhere near, say a Montreal
    or a Toronto. They do wash the sidewalks, that's true,
    but even then they have trouble keeping up with the
    canine population... and from what I saw, Parisians are
    not particularly concerned with where their dogs relieve
    themselves.
    
    -b

  Funny, as cities go I didn't notice. Maybe they've found a way to solve that
problem. Perhaps they are washing the streets more.

  Anyway it was pretty clean when I was there. And the buildings and the art
are something else. The Louver is awsome, both inside and out. And a trip to
Versallis helped me to understand just why they had a revolution.

  George

    I was going to brag about Montreal and Toronto, but Brian beat me to
    it.  You'd like Ottawa too. Frothingly clean city.
    
    Glenn

    Those French have a different word for everything!

>>    Those French have a different word for everything!

	yes, for instance, they don't say Louver or Versallis.

    They would if they read soapbox.

    
    George:
    
    Paris == Beautiful.... most definitely yes.
    
    Paris == Clean    .... uh uh.
    
    Never been to Ottowa Glenn, although I may get to go this
    summer for an ISO meeting...
    
    -b

    I've never been to Ottowa either.  8^)

RE     <<< Note 350.45 by MPGS::MARKEY "Specialists in Horizontal Decorum" >>>

>    Paris == Clean    .... uh uh.
    
  Well as I said, it was clean when I was there.

  Were you there last August?

  George

    
    Well, I'm also hoping to get to Ottawa after I go to Ottowa. :-)
    
    -b

    Actually, I believe Paris has cleaned up its act. They were getting bad
    publicity and it was affecting tourism.

    >Well as I said, it was clean when I was there.

    >Were you there last August?
    
    No, I haven't been there since 1991. Clean now, eh?
    
    Next thing you know, you'll be telling me the women shave
    their legs and armpits now and don't carry long loaves
    of bread like they were assault weapons...
    
    (Anyone ever find themselves losing their interest in
     bread after you've seen a loaf stuffed under a hairy
     armpit?)
    
    -b

RE     <<< Note 350.50 by MPGS::MARKEY "Specialists in Horizontal Decorum" >>>

>    Next thing you know, you'll be telling me the women shave
>    their legs and armpits now and don't carry long loaves
>    of bread like they were assault weapons...

  No, didn't see that. In fact they were quite lovely.

  It's quite a people watching town. What's weird is that all the chairs in the
outside cafes are set up pointing out toward the street. Sitting in those
chairs sipping coffee or win while watching the people go buy seems like a
major activity. 

  George

> Sitting in those chairs sipping coffee or win while watching the 
> people go buy seems like a major activity.

For the most part, what were they buying?

    I've been to Ottowa but I've never been to me.

    I think George was actually at EuroDisney the whole time.

>> Sitting in those chairs sipping coffee or win while watching the 
>> people go buy seems like a major activity.

>For the most part, what were they buying?
    
    And buy the whey (if you like skim milk), what were you winning?
    
    -- Jim

    .31
    Piccadilly Square, they must have made a lot changes since I lived
    there.
    
    joan
    
    

    re .31  :-)
    
    re .16 eternal life
    
    	I presume, you have been given this gift not too long ago.
    	Because otherwise you'd have already noticed that eternal life 	
    	is much more a curse than a gift.
    
    	Heiko

    
    >SWAM2::SMITH_MA
    
    >I've been to Ottowa but I've never been to me.
    
    
    
    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
    
    Sorry.  This isn't the most disgusting song topic, is it 8^)?  That
    song makes me gag. 

RE                     <<< Note 350.56 by TROOA::TEMPLETON >>>

>    Piccadilly Square, they must have made a lot changes since I lived
>    there.
    
  It was interesting. It seemed to represent the difference in night life
between London and other cities, especially Paris. I've never seen so many
punkers in one place in all my life. 

  Also when I travel I don't want to eat Hotel food or go to an expensive
restaurant for every meal so being able to grab a Big Mac, Coke and fries for
lunch even at a pound or so seemed like a good deal. 

  George

    
>    re .16 eternal life
    
 >   	I presume, you have been given this gift not too long ago.
 >   	Because otherwise you'd have already noticed that eternal life 	
 >   	is much more a curse than a gift.
    
  

        January 14,1979 to be exact.  Certainly not a curse from my perspective,
        though at times life on this earth is a bit tedious. 


   Jim

George, if you want to see some awesome Louvers, check out Home Depot.

| <<< Note 350.37 by PENUTS::DDESMAISONS "no, i'm aluminuming 'um, mum" >>>


| same here.  they were nice to me.


	Well of course Milady (tm). When royalty visits Paris, they ALWAYS roll
out the red carpet. Especially for one as lovely as thee. :-)

 ZZZ    Well of course Milady (tm). 
    
    Actually Glen, Jimminy Cricket owns the trademark to this.
    
    -Jack

| <<< Note 350.64 by MKOTS3::JMARTIN "You-Had-Forty-Years!!!" >>>


| Actually Glen, Jimminy Cricket owns the trademark to this.

	Jack, I never said who owned the trademark. Just that since Dick
pointed it out to me how it is supposed to be, it has gotten a trademark
next to it.

    
    Glen, far be it from me to point this out, but point it out I will.
    You are sucking up BIG time. I have been known to suck up in the past
    as well, but at least I was subtle about it. Yours was as subtle as
    a 2x4 to the head. HTH
    
    Mark

	Mark, it is only sucking up if what you're saying isn't true, or has
been blown out of proportion. What I said had nothing to do with sucking up
because it is 100% true. :-)


Glen

    What is the truth-to-sucking-up ratio when applied to blowing smoke?

    I got this here snarf.

But who gave it to you?

ME

    Eternal Life.. :-) 

	Nancy, do they have shields with eternal life?? :-)

    It's kind of like wearing a tin foil hat Glen.  :-)

��    Eternal Life.. :-) 

  Aha, another Indiana Jones pinball machine (afficianado?)  (afficianada?),
    errr player.  :-) :-)
kb

>>  Aha, another Indiana Jones pinball machine (afficianado?)  (afficianada?),
>>    errr player.  :-) :-)

	aficionado, or afficionado