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Why Open Houses?
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Well, there are all sorts in this hobby. We do seem to have more than our share of grumpy old men in my experience. And while I won't yet qutie subscribe to old, I am a male and more than a big grumpy. <br /> <br />I have been amazed at times at how inhospitable, and nearly resentful of my very presence, folks have been at shows, open houses and the like. Not always, there are plenty of good experiences. But the folks who act as though you're an imposition are common enough to take note. <br /> <br />Now, when we're talking about guests at an actual operating session, that's a different story. I agree that having people hover and pester when you're trying to do something is annoying. But I like the idea of a "pinch hitter" to handle visitors... if you're not prepared to deal with visitors/guests in that or some other way, then you ought to impose and enforce a "members only" rule at op sessions. <br /> <br />I have to agree with the original point here, though. If you are a grumpy old railroader, then don't have an open house, don't attend the open house, or suck it up, slap a smile on your face and act nice. (For me, the latter is easy, I just act like I do when my wife's family comes over!) <br /> <br />Only semi-related, but interesting I think: <br /> <br />Having said all that... The other way I use up all my free time is with vintage cars. And the folks at car shows put any model railroader I've ever met to shame. They not only have the 'don't bug me' and 'go away, yer bothering me' in spades, but often add a distinct element of la-di-dah to it: The type of car I own and my focus in that hobby mean I'm generally attending "concourse" shows. I restored and work on my car myself, but A LOT of the hobby in this arena is folks who can't even change their own oil, but who can write gi-normous checks to the specialists. It often boils down to a bunch of old rich guys playing at "who's is bigger?" (their bank accounts, I mean). <br /> <br />I'm already a rogue in their company since I actually drive my car (the shock! the horror!)... But what I really love to do is watch the bored-out-of-their-minds kids passing row after row of "DON'T TOUCH ON PAIN OF DEATH!!!!!" type signs and then invite them to sit in mine, honk the horn, make "vroom vroom" noises and so forth. The look on those other guys' faces is priceless! Part of it may be because I also have the trains - after considering the damage an over-eager six year old can cause to a loco, and how long it would take me to fix _that_, I have a hard time getting worked up over "they might get a fingerprint on the gearshift!!!". <br /> <br />
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