Conference back40::soapbox

    Aw, poor bubba.

    Let's just say I had a skeleton in the closet.  I exorcised it, made
    peace with God and it has been removed from me.  Still wish the memory
    would go away but hey...that's the price one pays.
    
    

    The 30 minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday, January 17,
    1983.

    11:30 to 12:00 noon, June 4th, 1964.  I don't mind remembering the
    reception though, it was a great meal and a good party.

    Do I just get a single 30 minute block, or can I divide it into a
    number of smaller time periods? 8^)

    
    	And if anyone else isn't planning to use his or her allotted time,
    	I've got years of erasing I could do.
    

    You can have mine.  I have no egrets.

    
    	Oh.  Piranhas, huh ?
    

    zenith thomething you want to forget?

    I'm afraid 30 minutes just wouldn't do it...

  <acme prevention>

    out, damned spot.

    details, please!!!

 oh, this is just grand, isn't it?  everybody'll put in some
 30-minute interval that nobody else has a clue about.  
 ain't we got fun.

Some of them prolly pertain to weddings.

    You want details, fine.  My 30 minutes was the time I found a murdered
    body in a bathtub.  There.  Happy?

    Goodness...was it someone you were close to???

>    You want details, fine.  My 30 minutes was the time I found a murdered
>    body in a bathtub.  There.  Happy?

	no.  i already knew that.

>    My abortion.  Happy?

	no.  what's the point of putting in these intervals?  just to
	make everyone else wonder or ask you?

    Geez, I'm sorry.  

    .23
    
    > what's the point of putting in these intervals?
    
    Pointed question:  Can you point us to where it says there has to be a
    point?

    Diane, you meany! Having the gall to question the usefulness of people
    putting in a 30 minute interval with nothing to make it relevant to
    anyone other than the author. You should be ashamed. Or forced to drink
    white zinfandel.

    
    	RE: .20
    
    	Binder must've been pretty close to the person in order to see
    	him/her in the bathtub, don't you think?
    

    re: .27
    
    Why does it have to be relevant to anyone else?  Is the purpose
    served simply by causing the author to reflect on the landscape
    of his/her life?
    
    

  .27  the white zin thing is cruel, not to mention unusual.

    <<< Note 689.0 by TROOA::trp669.tro.dec.com::Chris "running on empty" >>>
    
    If you could erase 30 minutes from your life, would you?  Which 30 minutes 
    and why?
    
    

  yes, indeedy.  we could have a whole notes conference for people
  to use to reflect on the landscape of their lives.  just a bunch
  of topics with no replies.  or veiled suggestions of replies.
  that sounds great.

    There's a winery near Henniker, NH, that makes a white zin that tastes
    like wine instead of syrup.  Sugar content well under 2%.

  .33 please give me directions to it, so i can be sure never to
      go there.  thanks.

We could have a jokes conference where we just used the joke numbers.

    
    	Does it come in a box or a bottle?
    

    >Why does it have to be relevant to anyone else?  
    
     Well, it seems pretty pointless to talk about some time period nobody
    else knows anything about, but if it fills your sails don't let me be
    the one to stop you.
    
    >Is the purpose served simply by causing the author to reflect on the 
    >landscape of his/her life?
    
     Depends on the purpose, wouldn't you think? It occurs to me that the
    purpose of making an entry in this note is to share in some way. YMMV.
    It seems to me that if introspection is "the purpose," it can be as
    easily satisfied without calling attention to oneself. Unless "the
    purpose" is to call attention to onself, in which case it would seem
    that making an oblique entry would be satisfactory.
    
    

    .34
    
    I suppose you turn your nose up at Rhine wine, too, right?

    Perhaps replies to 689 should be pointers to "the rest of the story",
    to be rendered over in 501 (the confessional).
    
    
    

    .37
    
    Where does it say there has to be a purpose.  Chris put the basenote
    in, people responded in the way they saw fit.  As I see it, that's no
    different in any way whatever from any of the other strings in this
    file.

Binder, don't get your undies in a knot just because Di's more of a wine snob
than you are.

   i don't like white zin.  i hope that's okay.
   in fact, there was a 30-minute interval when i was drinking
   it that i'd like to erase.

Di, the worst thing that's ever happened to you was drinking white zinfandel?
Move over, Lucky Jack.  Here comes Lucky Di.

    
    	I'm sorry, di, but that reply was just too explicit. 
    
    

	I wouldn't mind erasing the 30 minutes it took me last
	autumn to piss off my neighbor. The details follow.

	-------------------------------------------------------------------

	A while back my neighbor, a wonderful man about 75 years old
	asked if I could supply another letter of recommendation
	to the police so that he could maintain his firearms permit.
	As before, I was happy to do so.

	Before I continue, some background...
	He has a farm where he raises geese, chicken, and goats.
	On Sundays they might roam the isolated road we live on.
	He has a horse and sometimes during apple season, the horse
	comes in to our yard after our apple trees. We kind of enjoy
	it actually. They also have a rooster that lost the ends of its
	toes from frostbite. A few years ago, to protest property tax increases
	he and his daughter burned down a small shed.

	Now, my problem. I wrote a letter stating my opinion of him
	which is the first one included below. Then I wrote a
	another letter, as a spoof, which I thought he might get a kick
	out of. That would be the second letter included below.
	I had his daughter read it first and she thought it
	was very funny. I asked if there was anything in it that he might
	take offense to and she didn't think there was. Since he wasn't
	around I asked if she could hand them to him when he returned
	and she was glad to do so. Yeah, you can guess the outcome. 
	She handed the letters to him, with the spoof letter 1st. 
	He read it! He was not amused.
	She explained that it was a joke. Didn't help.

	-------------------------------------------------------------------
	The real letter, signed by me.


	To:	The [deleted] Police Dept.
	From:	H. Modica
		168 North End Rd.
		[...]Ma. 
	Date:	8/25/95
	Subj:	Letter of recommendation for [name deleted]

		
		I have known Bob for almost 10 years.
	We were first neighbors, now we are friends.

		Bob is an intelligent, caring, and very level-headed 
	person. He is the type of person who is there when you need him
	and never let's you down. Quite simply, he's one of the finest
	people I know. As such, please accept this letter as a strong voucher
	for the character and integrity of Bob Loudon.
		  
		I would also be very happy to speak directly with
	the Townsend Police Dept. by phone or in person regarding
	this matter.

						Sincerely

							H. Modica


	-----------------------------------------------------------------
	The spoof letter.



	To:	The [deleted] Police Dept.
	From:	Harold Modica
		168 North End Rd.
		[] Ma. 
	Date:	8/25/95
	Subj:	Letter of recommendation for [name deleted]

		
		I have known Bob [deleted] for almost 10 years.

	Bob, quite frankly, scares me. Everyone in the area
	fears this man. When he drives his Monte Carlo down the road
	most people run like hell to get away from him.
	He's been seen arguing with his geese and the goats won't
	go near him anymore. Look at what he did to the rooster!
	A few years back, he, with the aid of one Nancy [deleted],
	attempted to burn the whole dang hill down. You might remember
	that the local paper covered the story. Thankfully they were
	stopped after only burning down a shed. He also
	uses his chickens and geese to harrass motorists driving by.
	I should also mention that his horse has repeatedly invaded
	our yard. We have no doubt that Bob is also behind this.
	Quite frankly, we think he is unstable and easily enraged.
	His surly manner, hair-trigger temper, and general contempt
	for people in general are cause for great concern.
	Of course, he has his bad points too!

		  
		I would also be very happy to speak directly with
	the Townsend Police Dept. by phone or in person regarding
	this matter.

						Sincerely

							H. Modica

    must-a been sutter home.

Hank, you don't expurgate too well.

  nope - we got the message loudon clear.

    
    Well there you go. Another 30 minutes of my life I'd like
    to erase, done right before your eyes.
    
    					Good Grief!
    
    						Hank
    
    ps. It dawns on me that I'd better be a hellofa lot more 
    	careful at home this weekend.

The thirty minutes back in 1968 when I decided to trade my Stratocaster
for another guitar.

Art

    
    when I first did add entry back40::soapbox.
    
    > notes  o soap
    
    yes, that should cover it. :-)

    
      Jeeps, howzabout thirty years ?
    
      bb

    
    I'm with bb.  There's too much I'd like to erase; 30 minutes isn't
    nearly enough.
    
    Perhaps I'll just erase the entire effing thing.
    

    
    you know debra, you trouble me lately. snap out of it or I will
    be forced to send you the dreaded box-o-blush.

    Good thinking, Battis. That'll surely push her over the edge.

    
    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
                         AAAAAAAAAAAAAA
                                       AAAAAAAAAA
                                                 aaaaaaa
                                                        aaaaa
                                                             aaa
                                                                a
                                                                 a
                                                                   a
                                                                     a
                                                                       a
                                                                         gh
                                                                         

    
    <--- is she dead yet?

    
    	Ding, dong ...
    
    
    	[maybe someone else can finish it for me]
    

    
    shawn, I see some smacks upside your head in the near future.

    I think this comet is affecting everybody.

    Even my dog has been acting strangely.

    
    	Why, is he refusing to hump your leg now?
    

         I would like to erase the thirty minutes I spent yesterday packing
    these heavy tape-loader units, because I think I have ripped my leg out
    of its socket or something. I'm limping around like an idiot today and
    people are laughing at me. I could barely crawl to a terminal to type
    this note. Now I wish I could erase thiry minutes off my shift, or at
    least add them to my lunch.

    You aren't clear on the concept eh? Time is not a condiment, Sammy.

         Concept? Now I wish I could erase the thirty minutes I spent
    driving to work, and just stay home. 
    

    
    
    	erase 30mins eh? I'd get rid of the 30mins in which I accidentally
    broke the rear window in my parents truck with my bb-gun. It took one
    second to break and 29mins and 59seconds for my dad to chew my butt
    off. %*}
    
    	There were other more serious things, but at least they were
    learning experiences. This one was just plain dumb. :*)
    
    	jim

    If i could split up the 30 minutes, it'll be the two car accidents that
    I've had in the past 8 years where nincompoops have rear-ended me,
    leaving my back in bad shape!

 I'd erase any 30 minute period before my Dad died, and use it to talk to him
 about Jesus..



 Jim

    
       Yeah, erase the 30 mins in the church where my ex and me exchange
    I do's, that way we didn't......8*)

	I would erase every single.....




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    Hello All,
    	I was kind of reading through the notes files and noticed your
    topic. I just couldn't help but to put in my two cents worth, which I
    usually don't do. But, I would just love to delete the 30 min my X and
    I discussed moving and we decided that she would move down here. 12
    months later she was the "X" anyway. A terrible 30 min and a worse
    decision.
    
    Dan

    I *DON'T* want to erase the thirty minutes after finding an old
    suitcase full of $190,000 of Municiple Bearer Bonds in my parent's
    attic.  I want to erase the thirty minutes when I found out that 
    the town had defaulted on them.  [I was rich for a little while!]

      Quite honestly, my top whatever list is composed of things I would
      never want let out in public!

                     ___   ~----._
            _______     ~~---.__  `-.
        --~~       ~~-----.__   `-.  \
        _,--------------._   ~---. \  `.
      '~  _,------------. ~~-     `.\  |
     _,--~      _____    `        _____|_
         _,---~~          -----         `-.            /##
      ,-~   __,---~~--.       `._____,',--.`.        ,'##/
    ,' _,--~  __,----.          `  () '' ()' :    _,-' `#'
     ,~   _,-'   ,' ,--          `---' \ `.__,)--'     ,'
       ,-'      -  (                                _,'
     .'   _-~ ,'    `--                          ,-'
    /  ,-'  ,'  __                        ___,--'    _______________
     ,'  ,'~ ,-~     /            ___.ooo88o  |    ,'               `.
    /  ,' ,-'    /               ' 8888888888,'   _|                 |
      /  /    /                 '  `888888888.`.  \       TONY!!!!!  |
     /  /  /      /            '    `888888888 |   |                 |
       '      /     /         '       `888888','   `._______________,'
         /                   '           ~~~,'
        /   /  /            '            ,-'
         /           /                 ,'         

    EEEEK!  What was that?!

	Glenn as a child.

    
    	"as" or "is"?
    

    jeeze, 30 minutes from my life?
    
    how about all the multiples of 30 minutes I spend thinking up witty
    repartee to this conference?
    
    my employer would probably prefer that I erase these minutes from my
    day..
    

   .77  you might want to start entering that stuff, instead of
        just thinking it up.

	just a suggestion.

>2)  And I'd really like to erase the time that I threw up in the
>    middle of Grade 7 homeroom (period cramps if you must know - 
>    aren't you glad I shared?)  I was given a nasty nickname that
>    stayed with me the rest of the school year - kids can be cruel :-)

    The most embarrassing 30 minutes in 7th grade (which I would keep
    because I get a kick out of now) was the first day back to school after
    getting my artificial eye.  The class had done something to tick off the
    teacher and he sentenced all of us to staying after class.  While he
    was still yelling at the class, flapping his arms up and down, my glass
    eye popped out and bounced across the floor.  After I scrambled across
    the room to retrieve my eye I recall him pointing to the door and
    yelling "Out!"

    If I could break up the 30 minutes to erase into 2 15-minute chunks:
        1.  When I lost the original eye, and
        2.  When I was hit in the mouth with a baseball and did a Charlie
            Brown imitation with teeth and blood flying everywhere.

    -- Dave

    
    	But, you see, Dave, if you erase the 15-minute interval where
    	you lost the eye then the 30-minute interval where the artif-
    	icial 1 popped out is somewhat, oh, I don't know, irrelevant?
    
    	You've gotta pick 1 or the other.  8^)
    

    RE: .80

    Well, true.  I don't think I'd want a real eye popping out and bouncing
    across the floor ... it would be a rather strange sight.  �-)

    -- Dave

    .68
    
    Rosie,
    
    I'm with you; if I could only erase that 30 minutes that occurred
    30 years ago!!!
    
    I was talking to my uncle awhile back and he mentioned that he had
    found a film of my wedding (remember this was long before the days
    of camcorders).  He asked if he should save it or throw it out.
    I told him to hang onto it, I'd get back to PA for a visit eventually.
    I said I wouldn't mind watching it backwards, that way I could see
    myself leaving the church a happy woman ;-}
    

    Miss Reese:
    
    I am sure u r some catch.  Too bad I'm already spoken for...BTW, next
    time up PA, make a layover in Balto-DC and visit the Mikester & I.

           
    
        Hey, watching it backwards! That way it never happened!  8*)
    
       Rosie

    WaffleSir,
    
    Do ya'll live anywhere close to I85 or I81?   Them's the routes
    I take......I95 doesn't do it.
    
    
    

    Karen:
    
    I live 1.5 hrs away from I81.  Iffen Mikey and I know when yer coming
    thru, we'll definitely do something.  I have family in Hagerstown, MD.

    I'd like to erase the minutes when I approached a friend's dorm room 
    during my senior year in college and raised my hand to knock on the door, 
    only to hear a voice inside saying "Doesn't Deb know yet that Mark (my 
    boyfriend) slept with Sue (my best friend) right before Christmas?"

    I'd like to erase the minutes where both of them swore their innocence and 
    professed their love for me, that they'd never do anything to hurt me.

    And I'd like to erase the minutes when they finally admitted it, and said
    really, it meant nothing, it just happened, I had gone home earlier that 
    day and they hadn't yet left and they were together and...well, it just 
    happened, it had nothing to do with me.

    I'd like to erase that, my first taste of heartbreak.  I've never felt 
    like that before.  It's been 13 years, and it still hurts.
    
    But if nobody minds very much, I'd like to save some of my thirty
    minutes so I can catch myself before 13 years go by next time.
    
    

  I remember my first feeling of heartbreak..'twas right around 
  Christmas in 1967...was at a highschool dance..went outside and
  some friends said "Jim, don't go out"..I went..my girlfriend was
  in a car with some guy :-/


  Jim

    Don't remember my first. There've been so many, the chronology is
    difficult to keep straight.

    Oh, I remember my first heartache real well.  Eight grade, end of
    school year, real puppy love.  She went on family vacation, I pined for
    her. When she returned, "she justed wanted to be friends."  Never spoke
    to her again, even a few years later when she dated my younger brother.

    Dear John for me.....

    what did this john guy do, jack?

    Actually, my name is John...but that's just a coincidence!

    
    >Actually, my name is John...but that's just a coincidence!
    
    	And you don't know Jack!!
    

<---:-)

    
    ditto on what the doctah said...
    
    

ditto what raq said dittoing the doctah.





Jim

    any of youse got an original thot?

    Doctah does. :-)

 Snarf 30 minutes from your life?

    
    just a little while ago, a certain 30ish minutes of my life came to
    mind as ones i wouldn't mind getting rid of.  it would be the minutes
    following my first meeting of a certain f/s guy from ny/nj.  we had
    developed into very close friends via the phone, and our initial
    meeting led to something that meant more to me than to him, which then
    lead to some serious heartache.  it took a long time to get over that,
    and i am not sure if i truly am, as his recent wedding anniversary just
    passed and it took all that i could muster not to send him a not-so-happy
    anniversary message.  if things could be done differently, he would be
    one of those things.
    
    

Shades of "You outta know"?

    
    a little...
    
    

    I`d like to erase the final 30 minutes of Reading vs Bolton in the 
    1st Division play-off final at Wembley last May.
    
    We were 2 nil up after 10 minutes. We then missed a penalty which would
    have wrapped it up. We were still 2 nil up at half time. Then Bolton
    bought on a player called Defreitas. Just 4 minutes to go,and we would
    have been playing in the Premier League,the league of dreams. Then
    Bolton equalised. After extra time,Bolton won 4-3.
    
    I staggered out of Wembley and promptly got lost amongst the big
    industrial estate. Not that I cared. Then I found my way to tube station,
    amongst other distraught Reading fans. Grown men wept openly. I got home,
    drew the curtains,and stared into space for hours unable to speak.
    
    Absolutely gutted. 
    
    

    I had a similar reaction after the Bruins were swept in the Stanley Cup
    finals by Edmonton in '90. They had the best regular season record,
    they cruised through the playoffs, sweeping the Patrick Division
    Champion Washington Capitols, my hopes were sky high. After watching
    the final game at my grandmothers, the image that stuck was that of
    then coach Mike Milbury consoling Ray Bourque and Cam Neely on the
    bench. I went home and thought about that image and bawled for about 3
    hours.
    
    
    lunchbox