Ah Brian,
A bit of a nudge, nudge, wink, wink if you know the guy maybe... and obviously the return comments weren't malicious...
But to be honest, those kind of comments might not have been too far away... The preciousness over "access" on here is something I do not agree with.... If you are up front and open about your intentions then why not ask... After all, it wasn't a direct question that would put anyone in a tricky position...
I'll probably ask the same question in the future when I get half a chance to get over there...