[Killietalk] convention

["Curtis Smith" <cskillies at hotmail_com>]

Okay, it is time to start thinking about attending the AKA convention.   
With all the talk lately about how to obtain desirable new fish (BNL versus 
AquaBid), you are missing a very important fact.   When you attend the 
convention you meet other hobbyists who are intersted in the same fish as 
you are, and you make friends with them.   I have been blessed with becoming 
friends with many of the SSA experts and through this friendship, I have 
obtained many species freely through their generosity ( and I'll never be 
able to repay some of them) that other just dream about.   Some of these 
hobbyists have enough friends that desire their fish that they don't have to 
advertise or sell them through other means.   Friendship and fellowship is 
what any hobby is supposed to be all about!   if you are in it only for the 
money, then by all means use AquaBid.  However, I assure you that you will 
lose freinds when you only think about money!

I try to make at least two or three new hobby friends at each convention, 
sometimes many more.  If this is your first convention, look up the old, 
fat, bald guy and I'll be more than happy to introduce you around, maybe 
even to Cap'n Morgan too.   True, there will be species, particularly in the 
new and rare, that will entice you to overpay a little, but the contacts you 
make for later trades, buys, etc. far surpass what you get at the 
convention.

And, if you want to make your opinions known, the convention BOT meeting is 
the place to make that happen!  So, bag up a few pairs for the fish sale 
room to help limit your expenses, and come with me to the 2007 AKA 
convention in Milwaukee.

Curt Smith

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