and your family.

I know a bunch of you will be traveling. We wish you safety. I know several of you have issues in your families, that you are helping to deal with. I hope you find success with those things, and some time to relax as well. I've both run into folks, had mails from folks, and had calls from folks. The issues of life, don't stop for the Holidays. There are alot of very complex things going on in the background for many of us. We hope you can drop by, find a smile here, and relax a bit.

Thanks for keeping the place open over the past year.

God Bless,
Gary

Thank you, Gary, for keeping the "wonderland" open for us 365/24/7

especially when many of us are "intermittent" in our postings......

You are welcome.

It's been interesting. I've been getting private mails. And ... it would seem that most of you are alike. Here's a brief summary: It's sort of the Barnes demographic.

You dislike people.
You hate crowds.
You are pretty sure that, given any group of five people, you could only tolerate one of them.
You don't like to "chat" with people at all, and you nearly never see those whom you consider to be "friends".
You do not, will not, do the Facebook thing.
You are nagged about being anti-social.
You avoid any sort of gatherings.
You are private with your belongings.
You like to enjoy your hobbies in privacy.
The more you realize someone wants you to do something, the more determined you become to refuse.

I'm not making this up. This is what you tell me, and have for years. I hear you ... I get it. And yet .... ... you keep coming back and reading. You find my work interesting. You like the precision.

Basically, I have a bunch of good friends, who want nothing to do with me. haha. I get it. Thanks for your mail.

That's OK. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Season. I suspect being around guests and friends, is going to be very painful for many of you. Chin up. They will go home again.

Remember the reason we started celebrating Christmas. God Bless,

Gary and Kelly

Gary,

Thanks. I'm looking forward to Christmas, it's my favorite time of the year.

Gary I take offense at your top 10 list:

1 I don't hate people, shoot,some of my best friends are people.
2 And crowds? I'm often the one with the biggest pitch fork at the front of the crowd.
3 Now, in the group of five, you are including me, as the one I can usually tolerate, right?
4 Again, I spend lots of time chatting with myself, but not as much time in front of the mirror as my narcissism would indicate.
5 I'll do Facebook when my pitch fork crowd goes to D.C., could be anytime now. Works well for the Iranians.
6 In order to be nagged, you have to let someone talk to you more than once.
7&8 I'm all for Gathering, it started early as I gathered all my Belongings and went home.
9 My private hobbies I keep in the basement room. But I'm not the one constantly adding on to my home with false walls, like some are suspected of doing.
10 I hope you weren't expecting me to respond to your post, because if I thought you did, I'd refuse.

BTW, If it wasn't for my friend with the chain boa he drags down the hall to my bedroom, I wouldn't have any Christmas visitors at all. Well, him and little Timmy.

Ebenezer

. . . for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.

God Bless Us Everyone

Hi Kent,

Well ... I stand corrected! I can see that all the money I spent on that demographic study, was misplaced ...

I've been getting detailed e-mail, for ten years, explaining why people are not programed to participate or respond. I'm not making any of that up for effect. Thing is, readers are into the "detail" of the guns. The specs., performance, accuracy, range days, hunt stories, tournaments, etc. But, none of those things pay a dime ... and take up a tremendous amount of time to come up with. Most buyers really do just want to drop their check off, and then be left alone. But, if I don't have an endless web presence, complete with never ending new details, many get nervous that I've left the country or quit. ;?) Most return time and again, to the websites, for some relaxing entertainment and news updates. And, I appreciate the fact that they check in and read. However; that's why I don't just take the hint, and cease attempting to draw in participation. I want to show my work in the field. That's why "car clubs" and "car shows" and "car auctions" and celeb. car events exist. But ... that involves going somewhere - doing something - and being around .... "people."

Another thing that you might not consider. Any buyer wants the product they finally end up with, to be a desirable and well known artifact. They want "Barnes Pneumatic" to we known and respected, and have a place in the history of airguns and art. ( .... And you knew there was a "but" coming ... ;?) "But"; I'd love to have a dollar for every time it's been explained to me that someone wasn't a "joiner". Wasn't the type to share the work, post pictures, comment, and promote the Marque, so to speak. Yet; they're always pleased to read about someone else doing those things.

And Virginia, THAT's why I push the issue. I'm not really just a hoplessly insecure basket case that wants to chat on-line all day. My rally call is "Individualists of the World, Unite!" You're heard the old phrase about "Herding Cats". Well, that's "nothing!" compared to getting a pleased buyer to share their experience with a Barnes product. haha.

Hey Kent, I got that sinus surgery today. Went OK. Was pretty unpleasant. I won't go into the details about long needles and burning probes, choking smoke, the smell of burnt feathers, etc. Readers ... this was to correct damage done during one of my previous surgical events, when a tube would have been placed in my nose during the proceedure. It scarred tissue - which bonded to other tissue ... and prevented the "turbinate" structures in there to work. Result was unGodly headaches for months now ... and sleep disorders. So - we'll see how this helps.

OK ... I'm behind on the coffee.



Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2009 12:20AM by barnespneumatic.

I score a 7.


So, I'm practically a talk show host compared to the rest of your customers.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2009 01:01AM by Jerry.

Yeah ... about that ... haha

Remember your report cards as a child? The boxes that indicated your performance stats. The same people who made those report cards, must have designed this forum program. They placed that little number up by your name here, which tells who "plays well with others". haha.

Gary

This last month (since Halloween!) has been a blur. I was only home a handful of days in November and have been consumed with moving into a new office (and everything that goes along with it) in December. So I haven't been able to post as much as I'd like.

We'll be on the road -- up I-95 for Christmas in Connecticut. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!

-- Jim

Christmas in CT, huh?

Hey, I'll be there too.....of course, I LIVE here, but not along the I-95 corridor.

I'm on the I-84 corridor, in Southbury

From what I hear, the odds of a White Xmas up here are pretty good!

Gary, glad to hear your surgery went well. Hope it makes all the difference in your headaches.

Now I think those numbers are secret, I don't see any by my name...either that or I don't even make the whole digit catagory. I don't see your numbers either. I guess the dog eat the report cards.

Stay well,

Kent

Interesting. Over on the right ... on each comment of mine, by the Avatar ... it says "Posts: 1501" Registered 1 year ago .... etc. It keeps a running tally. Well, maybe that's super secret Admin. stuff I see because of my lofty position. Hummm. I didn't realize that. But .... I GOT your number fella ... ... just so you know .... hahah

Gary

Sorry, it threw me when Jerry revealed his was a 7. With a single digit number I figured it must be a 10 point scale we were on! So I dutifully looked for a single digit number. . My number is 173 currently. If you math wizzes will note that is a PRIME number, nuf said, almost.

"A few honest men are better than numbers." Oliver Cromwell

Kent

Thanks Gary, same to you and yours!
Merry Christmas from the deep down under
Neil

A Summer Christmas ... how about that!

;?)

Gary

firstly ,,, happy christmas to one and all .... hope the new year is a good one too .
i go to the bad manners / buster bloodvessel xmas dinner most years ,,, and yes
its in july .
ho ho ho , ah bum hug , and all the rest