Select other? NOT!

Is anyone seeing the following select other weirdness?
Start the mate command....I pick a face with LMB.
RMB, select other, cycle thru some faces till I get the one I was after...
LMB to accept the selection.
The original face I picked on turns green and says "you must pick from two
different components for mating.
Well, I realize I have to do that!
Which is what I was trying to do when I got bogged down in the select other
command!
There are some other variations of this condition
Better results are achieved with the RMB on the very first pick. Although
This is not always true.
Other conditions like order of the pick also seems to be in play....
I have seen this on two different workstations.
I suspect I do not understand some of the implications of the changes to the
mate command.
Anyone notice this?
I would love to change the way I pick....(not really) if I could figure out
the recommended "select other behavior"
Recommendations anyone?
Hacksaw