[Killietalk] convention excuses

["Edd Kray" <edd at catfishnthecrawlers_com>]

"DOG ATE MY HOME WORK!"

I'm hearing lots of excuses why people can't make the convention.

As a ex-school teacher, I've heard them all (30 years ago).

1) Let me tell you about my first convention. I was living in Cleveland,
mid-20's, teaching in a Catholic school (= LOW pay). One car in the
household and not a new one.

Four of us HAD to get to the convention, killie-lust was at its high in
springtime; there were empty tanks in the basement just waiting for new
killies. Plan were made months in advance.

On convention day my car ended up in the shop, immovable. Jim Lawson's car
was on the fritz also. Here it is 4PM on convention Friday and none of us
has a working vehicle. We looked at all means to get to Detroit, buses,
trains, hitch-hiking, too far to walk! In desperation I call my "little"
brother and ask him for his car for the weekend. It was THAT important. He
lends it to me. Still don't know why he said yes, he was without wheels for
the weekend.

We'll never forget that trip down the Ohio Turnpike going to Detroit. My
Bro' owned a 71 Dodge Charger hemi (yellow!) with mufflers, (if you can call
them that) that were loud as a 747 on takeoff. We had one 8 track tape in
the car and listened to "Born to Be Wild" at least 1000 times over the
duration. Made it without one speeding ticket!

My first convention. It was great.... and worth all the trouble. Nothing
worthwhile is easy in life. Quoting Arnold "no pain, no gain"

2) I'm hearing all these bogus reasons not to come. Frankly if its too much
trouble, "shaddap" and stay home. There isn't a better weekend to do it.
Hotel rates are lowest of the year (CHECK THAT OUT, It's a fact!). You have
an extra holiday on Monday to travel or stay for a collecting trip.  End of
winter: the fish are breeding and ready to trade.

If you can't make it this weekend, it's obviously just not important enough
to you. We used to have members to whom a convention was more important that
hot-dogs and potato salad on the back porch.

If your job gets in the way, DAMN, you need a better job with an employer
who respects your needs and wishes. You deserve better than some XXXX
corporation who treats you like a commodity. You ain't a bag of pork jowls,
you're a valuable human being with a life! If you can't get this weekend
off, he's never going to give you a free weekend. FIND a new employer who
realizes your value and tell this one to "Take this job and shove it".

Like I said, I ain't running for anything anymore except a world and an AKA
that runs on common sense rather than excuses. That's all I've hard from the
membership for 3 years now: Excuses why they CAN"T do something. It gets
old.

Edd Kray

OH excuse me, this is not a letter about killifish exactly, I shouldn't even
be addressing it to you guys.

-----Original Message-----
From: killietalk-bounces at aka_org [mailto:killietalk-bounces at aka_org] On
Behalf Of John Wubbolt
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2007 1:27 PM
To: killifish discussion list
Subject: Re: [Killietalk] Why not a poll

it wouldnt matter william, they'll never change the date for the
national convention.   It'll always be Memorial day weekend even if its
a horrible time to have it.  God forbid ppl that work for a
living....first big holiday of the summer season and can't get the time
off... that's why i find the regional shows to be better for me.

but just my $.02 worth

John

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