>  I get the sense that the seperation of the pinheads from the P-L has
>  been good for the people who may not be able to mix fun with work.  I've
>  been talking to one person at work who wasn't getting the eti
>  stuff...was uncomfortable with the whole approach.
>
>  Building community...maybe we need different neighborhoods...or
>  different establishments.  Maybe there's a need for a yuppified coffee
>  shop and a hardware store...and a bar for third shift steelworkers and
>  third shift nurses.  And maybe some of us like to stop in at every rag
>  tag hole in the wall junk shop as we go beebopping down the street!

I'm not into making anyone uncomfortable. Neither do I care for others who are
inhibited, or otherwise not enjoying the sport, to make me feel uncomfortable.
I feel that there is a need for a wide coverage network,, such as PL, even if
it does need to be as bland as Kraft cheese. I like to experiment with my
cheeses and you can do some neat stuff with Kraft cheese, sunlight, flat
rocks, and earthworms.

I think a problem with PL, though there is a substantial subscription base, is
that there is no expressed focus, no guiding mission to adhere to - making it
relatively easy for some of us to get sidetracked? But you cannot get
sidetracked if there is no track in the first place... other than what each of
us as individuals imagine to be the case.

"Oh, by the way, you just diverted the conversation away from the topic that
we never knew that we were talking about to begin with."

"Sorry. excuse me!"

And there is no GUIDE to coach us in the creative use of the media. The
potential for communication is great using PL. We just need to be clear about
how we want the list to function. I did not feel totally put-out by the G&E
experiment... though that even one person would feel uncomfortable was not my
intent - and therefore we moved the horsing around to BP. Now there appears to
be no PL... this was not the intent.

PL should be sort of like a major mall where we can all congregate in the
center, say hello, and then run to our favorite bars. Some people think
Budweiser is the only beer and refuse to drink anything else. They should be
comfortable being stuck in their ways, it is not my role to force them to
guzzle Johnson CIty Pinecone Mohair Stout. But I certainly think I, and a few
other preservationeers, have a right to a sanctuary where we can experiment,
explore the media, and build relationships.

I think I ran into a few stumps (my first coice of words was less discrete) on
PL and I just as soon leave them to their own problems, I've got my own to
worry about. I intend to continue with Gab & Eti simply because I find it
perversly interesting to see the reactions of the BP preservationeers. I think
it is kool and, despite a few twisted heads, not much harm.

][<en Follett