In better times (and I'm confident they're ahead), I'd like the opportunity to meet many of you in person and share a drink and good fellowship. (And some fantastic watches!)
A wholeheartedly agree, my friend! I'd be there!
Having strong opinions is a sign that a person cares, is thoughtful and alive. Having the same opinions as everyone else is boring. So when there are bright and engaged people we can expect strong feelings and disagreements.
Very well said.
I just snorted coffee out my nose. Just thought you’d like to know
Interesting...I always thought snorting to be an inward action...
😗 (snark dosage)
Ok here's my opinion that I don't expect anybody to care about: the sooner people learn (and teach their offspring) that expecting people to care about your opinion is both arrogant and foolish, the sooner the world might cool down a bit and people might look out for their own best interests rather than spending every waking minute worrying about what others think of them.
On this forum, I've found some truly wonderful people. The funny thing is, I know none of them by name but I feel we share a friendship. As a generality, people here are knowledgeable (some exceedingly so) and courteous; ready to offer encouragement, condolences, advice, genuine concern, and help to those in need. I regret that I am not knowledgeable enough about watches to offer any help in this regard.
When my life went through a tough patch last year and I reached out to the OF community, the group offered me so much great words of advice, comfort, and encouragement that I honest-to-God screenshotted them all so I can look back on that time and be reminded that the world is full of good people.
Is the forum changing? I'll answer that question with one of my own: Do you want the forum to stay the same forever? We're all human (well, jury is out on
@Archer...he might just be a supercomputer full of data), and humans change; their tastes and opinions change, their goals and beliefs change. Why should we expect things to stay the same forever?
Side note: it is cringe to see some of the brand new members upload a photo of a watch and ask what it's worth without so much as introducing themselves and browsing the threads for some info first. I can only imagine how annoying that might be to someone that actually knows about vintage watches or specific movements etc (again, not me).
Thank you all for being here. The time I get to spend interacting with you all is truly cherished as I spend so much time alone and travelling. Logging-on and catching up on posts is almost like coming home to a late dinner with the family and chatting about our day. On that note, I hope you're all having a pleasant evening!
