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[MarkInTx]

... in response to Re: correction, posted by Oscar on Oct 19, 2002

Actually... yes...

Maybe I'm really strange, but the last two cars I bought I knew exactly what I wanted, and bought it. I didn't shop for different cars.

I don't know about you... but I don't have time for that.

In fact, both times, the dealer had to talk me into a test drive. (I should say that they were both new. I would test drive a used car -- but I'm not sure how "new" vs "used" works into your analogy...)

[Bobby Orr]

... in response to Cars, posted by MarkInTx on Oct 19, 2002

Mark,

If you have some time, go to a new car dealer, say you are interested in test driving whatever one or two cars hit your fancy - then go to another new car dealer down the street and try another two, then do it one more time...........I just bet you have a blast, and learn alot about yourself.

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Fun, posted by Bobby Orr on Oct 19, 2002

Doesn't sound like fun to me.

But, I'm not much of a car guy... so maybe that's it.

I have spent hours at The Guitar Center playing all kinds of different high end guitars... I've spent hours at an archery store trying out different bows...

But usually, I only "Try to Buy".

Must be a personality difference...

[Oscar]

... in response to I'll take your word for it, posted by MarkInTx on Oct 19, 2002

So perhaps "cars" were a bad example for you in this respect.  So if you went into this big guitar store with every brand of guitar and were looking to buy a guitar that day, would you play only one??  ;-)

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Re: I'll take your word for it, posted by Oscar on Oct 19, 2002

"So if you went into this big guitar store with every brand of guitar and were looking to buy a guitar that day, would you play only one?"

Nope. I sure wouldn't.

However... if I had taken time to look for what I wanted, read reviews, talked to other players, and put it together with my own experience, and decided that what I really wanted was the Guild Large Body 12 String... then I would simply go in and get it.

In fact, I KNOW better than to go into the Guitar Center with my checkbook after payday...

I will walk out with something I don't need... but wanted at the time...

[Michael B]

... in response to Re: Re: I'll take your word for it, posted by MarkInTx on Oct 19, 2002

Ha Ha. You reminded me of something. In 1972 (dating myself) I went to Mexico City with a guy who had studied guitar in Spain for about a year with one of the real masters. We went into a large music store and he asked to see a guitar. Thinking he was just a tourist looking for a cheap one, that's what they showed him. (He was actually looking for a good one to use in his act and was willing to spend up to $1000, remember, this was 1972 money). He declined the cheap one and insisted that they show him a particular one that they had in a locked display case. They got kind of huffy and wouldn't let him use it. Finally he insisted on seeing the manager and (very relunctly and with an attitude) the manager opend the case and let him have it with instructions to "be careful, if you mess it up, you'll have to buy it". He played for an hour and drew a croud of 100 or more people off the street into the store to listen to him. When he finally quit, they all applauded, and the manager (who's attitude had changed, of course) asked him if he wanted to buy it. He said "That peice of junk? No way". When we left, I asked him if he did that just because of the manager's attitude, he said no, that guitar just wasn't that good, particulary for that price...later that day he did buy one for about $400 from one of those places where they make them by hand.

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: I'll take your word for it, posted by Michael B on Oct 19, 2002

n/t

[Stevo]

... in response to /, posted by thesearch on Oct 18, 2002

spot on. It is very easy to get caught up in the pursuit of the goal to the exclusion of common sense.  Guys want to 'win'...which is defined as marriage.

I will say this. If I had to do it all over again, I would not have corresponded for so long before going over.  The reason being that as the correspondence process continued, I kept weeding out prospects until there was only 1, so my trip ended up as VO.  I would have preferred to meet several, but as the emotional involvement/commitment grew through correspondence, I couldn't see my way clear to meet several women in the time available (10 days).

Had I corresponded for, say, 3 or 4 months, then I would have felt comfortable devoting only 2 days to a lady, allowing me to VM.  But after more than a year, how could I justify spending such a short time with a woman who had made all that effort to continue correspondence.  By that time, I couldn't even figure out a graceful way of meeting even two women, let alone many, so I ended correspondence with my 2nd choice lady at month 10 and continued on with my 1st choice through month 14.  By that time, I was so emotionally committed that I couldn't imagine meeting up with any other ladies.  It was only fair that I spend all the time available with my chosen woman.

However, I wasn't TOTALLY being stupid about the matter.  I did the social thing BEFORE meeting my woman so that if things didn't work out, at least I could go back home with some names and addresses of potential mates to begin correspondence anew.

[Bobby Orr]

... in response to /, posted by thesearch on Oct 18, 2002

Now that you have experienced what you have experienced and know what you know, what are you going to do the next time you go to the FSU?  Are there any places you recommend?  Any tips you care to share?  My experience has taught me to go to a pond seldom fished, to go to a place you would not mind going back to, to write a minimum number of letters (maybe even none, but I am still not sure of that), to consider a personal advertisement, to limit the number of cities you visit in any one tour, to indeed meet alot of girls, to stay in a flat in the center of the city, to have the help of an agency (the trick is always to find good ones), to stay away from the big tour groups, to not be afraid of failure and to be committed to finding the right FSU girl for me.