Troy: Thank you for giving us some background on your astronomy interests. Thirteen years means that you are not a beginner. My own background is that I've done mostly armchair reading in the topic for several decades. I've been actively observing for 8 years and been a member of SLAS for about 5. Some of your impressions are valid and some of them are not. As far as math goes, I do not apologize. Astronomy is a science and science is done with math, statistics, strange units of measure and obscure nomenclatures. It all comes with the territory and you won't find a safe haven from it. The cosine function I used in my post to Kurt's message is 10th grade geometry and nothing to run away from. I also don't publicly criticize the board members. To do so would imply that I could do a better job. I don't think that I can do a better job, but your extensive club experience might make you a good candidate. Most officers run unopposed for their positions. You are welcome to try if you wish. As far as the local astronomy social scene goes, there is good news and bad news. The good news is there are other venues than SPOC. The Harmons star parties take place in a supermarket parking lot in the middle of the city. There is really only the moon, the planets and a few double stars to look at and this makes for a more relaxed atmosphere. The lighting lets you see the people, read their facial expressions and inspect their equipment. If you're busy with job and family responsibilities, you can still just drop by Harmons for an hour or two and look through other people's telescopes or chat with club members or members of the public. Harmon's is where I go for "social astronomy". Farther out at the semi dark sites like SPOC and Wheeler Farm, the social tone is different. It's too dark to read facial expressions so you might miss something when you talk to some one. Heck, you might not even see someone who is just standing around waiting for an invitation. Most people are in a public frame of mind but many are trying to find Messier objects or trying to deal with an equipment problem without turning on a bright flashlight. Also both these venues have had the lawn sprinklers come on just as it gets dark so people are edgy. I go to these places but I don't bring equipment. I approach people carefully and ask to look through their telescope. If they are in the mood I discuss astronomy with them. Going out to a true dark site alone or with a small group of friends may be about the best observing experience you can have. You can chase down the dimmer members of the NGC without distractions and I do this often when the weather is warm. I may go for a short "sneak and peak" with binoculars during the winter but I'm careful not to get myself stranded or lost. Be careful of whom you invite with you though, there are some big talkers around who really don't know how to act at a true dark site. I've had someone set up his scope and then refuse to look through it. He followed me around all night staying six inches from me clutching a big flashlight. He had never been to a truly dark site and was terrified of the dark! Sadly I now avoid the SLAS Private star parties. This is for social reasons. To be fair to SLAS almost all of the "characters" involved are no longer members. These are the astro-snobs who just show up at these events with a sense of entitlement and a low regard for new people. They will drink Red Bull all night and talk non-stop about Evolution, UFO's, JFK, and partisan politics. If one of these latches on to you, as a captive audience, there is no escape short of packing up your gear and driving away. They will also critique you, your equipment, and your observing techniques whether you ask them or not. I've been told that these venues are getting "much better", but I still can't bring myself to drive for eight hours and set up with the "cream of the crop". There are plenty of good dark sites between there and home. Daniel Turner