I don't think anyone has malice intentions toward Carl around here. If he crashes his plane, it doesn't affect any one of us. But it is always a good thing to do, to seek help from people that have learned the ropes before you. Carl seemed to have an aversion to the GIMPs...lol.

Its about 20/20 hindsight. Anyone experienced in a field has a more complete viewpoint of that field. Often times a beginner is unable to see the whole picture of something because of thier limited experience. I think the rational here is that, if Carl doesn't want to hang with the GIMPs, that's up to him. But to get started in a hobby with as many facets as this one, a GIMP could come in handy off the get go.

I remember back in 6th grade, I started playing the clarinet for fun. Wasn't very good, but I got to where I could play some scales and so forth. Then, I took lessons for about 3 months. During that time, I had to break some bad habits and form some new ones. But after that mere three months of clarinet lessons in 7th grade, I turned int a pretty good player. I played all through highschool, earning superior ratings in clarinet chiors, trios, and I played solo/first chair clarinet at my school, and 2nd chair in the all-county band. The details of my clarinet career are not important here. But the extra gusto gained from one who understands the field in a much broader way than you can go a long way.

If you don't want to hang with the GIMPs, that is fine. Think of it as an investment.

Not to say I couldn't have learned clarinet on my own, but my opinion is that it helped me greatly. I don't regret it at all and I know that you won't regret some GIMP help either, even if just for a short while.

Good luck!