Uh oh. You made him mad. Now he's gonna threaten to leave and never come back. DT --- On Thu, 2/26/09, Canopus56 <canopus56@yahoo.com> wrote:

Sometimes you guys sound like a bunch of fossilized old-foogies whose astronomical life stopped with Comet West. It's not the skies that you have but what you do with the skies that you do have. This is an astronomy listserv - a place where people with some astronomy experience come to drool and fawn over every fuzzy thing that pops into the night sky.  My apologies if I my sarcasism struck too deep or sent you over your limit.

Peace, Best wishes, Kurt

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Kurt, respectfully, I did not compare this comet to West, or even mention other comets. You did! I just said that it didn't match up to all the hype I've seen about it in the press, and I tend to agree with the friends and neighbors who ribbed me about it after I showed it to them. If West is in your mind right now, I would suggest that you are maybe a trifle miffed that you missed it? (nyah-nyah) ;o) I went through the phase you and Daniel are now in, some 30+ years ago, when my time was my own. It isn't now, and isn't likely to be for several more years. I have a job that requires a lot of my time, even when I'm not at my desk, and a family that constantly makes plans for my off-time without consulting me. I'm not seriously complaining, God bless 'em- I am truly blessed to have a loving family who wants and needs me. But I just can't dive into astronomy like some of you people, and "Ooooh" and "Ahhhh" over every magnitude 5 fuzzball that drifts-by. I've seen LOTS of those, lord have I seen lots of those. With what little time I have, I'd like to save it for something I HAVEN'T seen. I'm sure there are others like me, who, yes, wish they had more time for their hobbies, but don't. When I get that time, I'll spend more time on the "also ran" objects. We don't all have to agree. I was mildly insulted by Daniels holier-than-thou "Lazy Boy" recliner crack after Howard's post. If he has time on a weeknight to drive out of town at the drop of a hat for a half a tank of gas' worth, more power to him. But to suggest that others don't because of a character flaw on their part is pompous, self-righeous, and erroneously judgmental. A character flaw on his part. I was doing that drivng, spending those hours out in the wilderness to the exclusion of just about everything else, decades ago. Where were you guys then? I was showing slides and setting up my telescope in churches and schools decades ago, what were you guys doing then? Even now, there are some 38 list threads for utah-astronomy ("conversations", Gmail calls them) in my IN box that I haven't even opened and read for lack of time in recent weeks. Gee, another character flaw on my part for not displaying the required level of public enthusiasm. "It's not the skies that you have but what you do with the skies that you do have" I don't necessarily agree with that, as noble as it sounds. You assume that others have the same motivations as you, or that they parallel your desires somewhat. To the ATM, for instance, time at the workbench is often just as rewarding as the darkest skies at the eyepiece, sometimes more so. Some observers are just "nature lovers", and happy to just get a glimpse now and then. Some amateur astronomers actually are the armchair type, and are just happy knowing it's all out there. There is no imperative to "Do" anything, really. And those people are just as entitled to their view as you and Daniel are to yours. Frankly, I spend so much time on a computer at work that it's kind of ruined it for me in my free time. I prefer activities that have nothing to do with screens, spreadsheets, or USB cables. Go figure. Excuse me for being a little more selective with what I think an object worth trading sleep for. I think I have the right without being labled a fossil. And I never chastised anyone for not agreeing with me. To each his own. I just ask for the right to be allowed my own opinion without taking sh*t for it. My point is just that as a group, and the those member of the press who are among us are perhaps just as guilty- we tend to overhype these things with the general public. Let's save the newspaper stories and NPR interviews for the McNaughts, the Wests, the Hale-Bopps, the Hyakutakes. Ok, or not. Maybe I'm just a glutton for abuse and should stop showing these things to the general public when they read about it in the paper or on-line. Perhaps I am at fault here. Kurt, I very much respect your enthusiasm and devotion. You are a research MACHINE- go man, go! Everyone benefits from people like you. Daniel, I'm sorry that you think so many amateurs are slackers. Maybe when I'm retired I can put in the hours and drive the distances to your satisfaction. Maybe then I can pick up where I left off so many years ago. OK, that's enough of that. Sorry to have wasted your time. Just don't read my posts anymore and you won't have to suffer through them. On Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 12:57 PM, Canopus56 <canopus56@yahoo.com> wrote:

Thanks, Chuck, that's nicest compliment I've received all week and a badge I am proud to wear. -:) But seriously, sometimes you deserve the ribbing you get. Sometimes you guys sound like a bunch of fossilized old-foogies whose astronomical life stopped with Comet West. It's not the skies that you have but what you do with the skies that you do have. This is an astronomy listserv - a place where people with some astronomy experience come to drool and fawn over every fuzzy thing that pops into the night sky. My apologies if I my sarcasism struck too deep or sent you over your limit.