Capo,
Maybe I'm not such a dreamer after all. A well thought out response and I respect your stance.
I'm not sure if you are referring to my post, but your post was only one of the triggers among many, over time, that "inspired" me to comment. ( whether it's any of my business or not, admittedly ) Now that you have made known your intention, I do see where you were coming from more clearly. ( in essence you were trying to communicate, "end of story" it seems )
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I'd like to expand on my comments as they may seem somewhat harsh and judgemental. I cannot comment on others specific individual cases, but in my experience there have been about three times in the past where I have left an MP feeling varying degrees of bitterness and resentment. If I were to write a review at that moment it would come across as hostile, bias, of little more use than a shill and of not much use to anyone, although many people are capable of reading between the lines. I do tend to gain perspective pretty quickly, but it still would have those elements. Generally when people feel hurt or their ego / pride is compromised they tend to become irrational and lash out, which many times manifests itself in an "absolute" and personal attack ( defence ) rather than an objective stance. An objective, well thought out post will generally receive a similar response. ( either that or a knee-jerk reaction as we do tend to see things as we want and have already decided, rather than that which is true )
Over time I've learnt to look at my experiences differently, to an extent, and am more able to rationalise and see the good as well as the bad. It's more like the "good and bad" have emerged into one outlook, which is "the experience". There are many factors involved in an MP encounter. One being that, not everyone is going to feel a chemistry with me and another being that I will not always hit the MPA on their best day. To give an extreme example, I once ran into an MPA who had been traumatised by her prior client. Luckily I was able to turn that situation around.
I know some look at it very much as a business transaction and it is, but if I looked at it purely on those terms it would take away from the overall experience, not to mention the fact I think I wouldn't be true to myself and may be putting up a defencive wall. How the MPA in question looks at it, essentially does not effect my outlook as I'll look at it how I want anyway. If I were to base my outlook in terms of service ( customer satisfaction ) and value, money wise, It would negate from the entire experience for me and detract from the fun. It's a lot easier and enjoyable to have an open outlook. Trying to maintain a balance between the fantasy, my own reality and reality is the key, although sometimes easier said, than done.
I'm aware that in many cases I have high expectations, yet at the same time try to keep perspective and make allowances. Anyway, my point is that if I were still feeling bitter and / or un-objective over an experience to this day, I'd have to ask myself whether it's something within me.
Many come across as "saying it like it is", and it's a respectable trait, but are we actually saying it "how it really is" ...
I'll go away now ...