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Straaaaaaaaaaay! I'm sure you don't mean it, but don't even joke about such things. Makes me feel bad, and it would break my heart if my passion got in the way of yours. You know I am pulling for you in every way.

Remember, this isn't a contest. The sketch is nice, it's the memories of our observations that are priceless. As Jason said, it's camaraderie. A support group for those who sit alone in the dark. I know you understand, just want to be clear I do, too.

Find your passion, my friend, and pursue it. How can you not succeed? You know how all that works. (Well, surely we both have a few stories about when it doesn't. ) Carbon stars or doubles are nice subjects. Some guys like the sun, some can really deliver on the moon. I just fell into planets, so might you. Fall into a passion and let it take you to...uh, to...Nirvana. I think that's where it leads.

Ah, I find myself lecturing like my mother and in need of a spanking.

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Nooooorrrmmmmeee! I'm just kidding. If I'm willing to quit over something as trivial as "telescope envy" ( ) I have no business doing this in the first place.



-stray-

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WHEW! Thought we lost you...thanks for showing up! Yea, I knew you were kidding, but I still felt it.

Telescope envy, there is plenty of that for everyone, including your's truly. Like money, there is never enough. We have to observe within our means.

Glad your back and posting.

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Looking back, I went the cheap route. After playing around with the 60mm for a few weeks I asked my wife if it would be okay to buy something "better". She gave me the green light. I could have laid out $500+ on a better rig, but with Christmas coming around I settled on a the Orion 90mm (which, if I recall correctly cost me around $250 + another $150 for the Celestron EP kit).

Me evil scheme was simple: spend a few bucks now, learn the sky, split a few doubles (my initial passion), and then upgrade to a larger aperture at some time in the not-too-distant future. I NEVER intended to become fixated on Jupiter, yet here I am.

In the Beginners Forum I was advised that I would probably find 90mm lacking rather quickly. Some advised that I purchase a Big Dob for the most pleasing experience, but I do not think that I was seeking the most "pleasing" experience. I think that that I was seeking a challenge and the Orion has provided that...yeah, it really has... I have a very strong feeling that I have just begun to scratch the surface.

The camaraderie that you and Jason mentioned is also a big part of this. On any given night, although I sit alone in the dark at a personal level, I know that across the world hundreds (if not thousands) of eyes are seeing the same things that I am.

I will continue to slew this rig until it falls apart.



-stray-

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