[sac-forum] Re: 2 subjects-money and Holiday party

Thad Sez...
> >The collective brainpower.  Have a question?  I'm willing to bet you can
get
> >the answer from someone within the club.  This alone is why I feel so
many
> >members have advanced beyond the "neophyte" stage effectively.  I would
> >certainly hope the ATM group I host shows this spirit.
>
Jeff Sez....
> This is great, but in reality you can have free lists and get the
> same or close to the same results without a club.

Thad Sez....
> >The comradere.  I wouldn't hesitate to drive 100+ miles with this group,
> >even to be clouded out and chat the night away.  And within this is the
> >diversity, the topics are widespread, entertaining, educational, and
> >refreshing.

Jeff Sez....
> This is great except you could just meet at Denny's and plan events
> and then go to the events. A dues collecting club would not be needed.


Thad then says....  I guess that I'm not giving a vivid description of my
experiences.  Certainly I could
converse with other astronomy buffs, and I have, over the internet without
having met them, but none of them could have stopped and helped when I blew
a tire on the way back from an outing.  None of them could've kept pace with
Paul Lind to make sure that his Surburban made it home from Cherry Rd.  None
of them could loaned me an Allen wrench or screwdriver that I boneheadedly
forgot on the workbench at home.  And none of them could've pulled up a
chair under a cloudy sky and chatted and comiserated about it through the
night.  They are on the internet after all......Belonging to a "live" group
has it's own intangible, unpredictable, and irreplacable rewards.

And yes, I could meet up with a group at Denny's without a "club", but if
it's gotten to the point of gathering at Denny's, I think it's safe to say
that you belong to a club already.  I suppose it's up to the individual to
decide whether or not it's worth paying a given amount (or nothing at all)
to be part of that.

Bottom line....I would not have had the great sensation of belonging that I
had and have as a member of this club.  I'm damn proud to belong to it,
(look at the recent Challenger Center donation, and all the public star
parties we host.) and I personally feel that it's the intangible stuff I've
gotten out of this club that matters most, and given that, I'm getting every
pennies' worth.  :-)

Just speaking from the soul....

Peace, and all that it is,  (like, far out man.. :-P )
Thad

PS...Everyone, sorry for the digression.  We should save the continuation of
this discussion for a future in-person chat.

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