Ouch! Yeah, they were probably rather dejected. Some years ago, my family and I went to a particular Fiero event. We never really felt welcome. A handful of the people I could only term as snobs. It was like a high school clique, complete with hair toss, and these women were older than I am. My wife went back to the hotel room, but I stayed and conversed with some other "outcasts". After the event, my wife told me we'd never be back, and we haven't been. She also told me "those people aren't friends of yours". I couldn't disagree. A particular group of people were inconsiderate, rude, and certainly not the best Fiero representatives. At another event, there was a dinner as part of the event. We attended the dinner. The people who sat at our table never spoke with us, but had a lively conversation among themselves. Worse yet, the servers took forever to take all the orders, the food took over an hour to arrive, and the orders were all messed up. Fortunately, we persisted, and have had positive experiences at some other Fiero events. I guess it's about expectations. The people who attend should appreciate the people who put on the event, and everyone should be appreciative of the people who attend.
For my wife and I to attend an event, it's a big deal. No matter which days, we both have to take time off work. Hers is just a matter of slots and availability, but usually takes many requests, and requires a lot of people to sign off on it. It's an ordeal, for me, largely because of verbal abuse from my boss. I don't really ever get time off, because I still have to handle all the daily task assignments, file all time sheets, answer the drama calls from my boss, handle tech escalations, and field any calls from clients. My boss doesn't understand boundaries, and will encourage clients to call while I'm on "vacation". I rarely get a lunch, because the calls just never stop, and I never get to eat. The time sheets and task assignments I have to do daily. Worse, I'm the escalation tech AND the only level 3 tech, and the IT manager. I'm always on call. During several Fiero events, I had calls after 2am. Numerous times, while on the way to/from a Fiero event, I've had to pull over and handle some issue or other. My boss' idea of vacation for me was getting off 1 hour early on Fridays, if the day wasn't too busy, meaning that I'd have to wait until after 3pm that Friday before a decision could be made. For 5 years, I went without a vacation day, or working less than 14 hours/day without a lunch, although he did let me come in late one day when everyone was closed for bad weather, and he let me rest on the floor in the office one day when I had food poisoning, and I got off for a few hours (6pm-10pm, after coming in to work at 7am) when my daughter was born. It was so bad, in fact, that one of my clients offered to cover for me so I could have a few days off. I've been able to hire another tech to help with the simple stuff, but that only gives me a bit of a reprieve. The threats, put-downs, and name-calling, etc are unpleasant, but bearable for an enjoyable event; however, if my wife isn't happy, I'm not happy. One good thing about the drives to Fiero events is that we're in separate vehicles, so my wife isn't aware of how much of the drive I'm dealing with issues over the phone. For the kids, they're of an age for school and lots of activities. Somehow, Fiero events are mostly during the work week, during the school year/kids' events, etc. There's a lot of juggling. Once we get to an event, if no one wants us there, why should we go back? I'm sure many people have more difficulties than we do.
I'd taken a disabled friend to run some errands. On the way back, we stopped by a restaurant to eat. In the lot was a black 85GT. The weather was unpleasant, and the kids were with me, so we just went on in. I didn't see anyone likely in the restaurant. We left. A while later, we pulled up to a light. After a bit, I heard a horn a ways back. Next thing, that GT pulled up next to me. He waved me over, and we talked for a bit. He'd been somewhere nearby, and seen me check out his Fiero.
Some Fiero people don't seem to want to be approached. I encountered one of those, too.
