Date: Fri, 30 Aug 1996 06:50:00 -0700 (PDT)
Title: The Azi glow

The old man comes into the Owl, makes his way to the bar and orders a glass of
ice water with a twist of lime.  He asks for crushed ice rather than cubes.  He
looks at Sis through what appears to be clouded blue eyes, nods, and says,
"You have a lovely aura, Miss.  I've never seen one with such protean colors
and extensions."

Sis moves past me and extends her hand to him.  Their hands clasp and both of
them, Sis and the old man, appear to glow as they stand there.  (No one else in
the bar seems to notice).  The two of them are frozen in their handshake.

"Are you Azi, he who has never stood still?"  Sis asks with a smile.
"My name is Azi and I have stood still,"  he answers wisely, and chuckles.
.
"This is my brother,"  Sis motions for me to come forth.  "Brother, this is
Azi, a dear friend of mine I have known for most of my life. He's over 120
years old."

I have never been known as a Pyrrhonist, but this old dude does NOT look 120.
He's more on the order of 60, weathered, white longish hair and in good shape.

"Nice meeting you," I say as I extend my hand. He nods and turns to his drink.
"He won't shake hands with you," Sis says as she takes my hand in hers.
"Azi has been known to knock people unconscious with just one touch of a
finger."

*pro.te.an \'pro-t-e--*n, pro--'te--\ aj 1: of or resembling Proteus :
VARIABLE 2: readily assuming different shapes or roles.
1970 Nature 6 June 968/1 "We have surveyed the occurrence of such protean
behaviours and defined them as behaviours which are sufficiently unsystematic
in appearance to prevent a reactor predicting in detail the position and/or
actions of the actor."

*Pyr.rho.nism \'pir-*-.niz-*m\ \-n*st\ n [F pyrrhonisme, fr. Pyrrhon Pyrrho,
   4th cent. B.C. Gk philoso]pher, fr. Gk Pyrrho-n 1: the doctrines of the
   founder of a school of skeptics in Greece 2: total or radical skepticism -
   Pyr.rho.nist n.
1833 MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE, Edgar Allan Poe "I have often been reproached with
the aridity of my genius; a deficiency of imagination  has been imputed to me
as a crime; and the Pyrrhonism of my opinions has at all times rendered me
notorious."
Also from Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce: PYRRHONISM, n. An ancient
philosophy, named for its inventor. It consisted of an absolute disbelief in
everything but Pyrrhonism. Its modern professors have added that.

Have a great lonnnnnnnnnnnnng weekend!
later,
d.



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                               ,^_ ,-.
                            ()'  \_/()

Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive. -Robert
Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)

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