How Did I Do?

I have absolutely no idea.  But I do see a hack in the voting. What if someone with money spread it around to their friends to give to the kiosk to win?  And seeing as how one may vote for oneself there's just no getting around the fact that as a competition the CRFB has no real merit for a winner. Certainly not enough to gauge quality.

If I even get to round 2 I'll be pleased, as people who attended had a good time and I'd get to do it again. But no illusions: I am a relative unknown in the genre, and not being rich - or low enough to pad the competition with side bribes to friends - it probably won't go further.

That's my objective view and I'm good with it here.  If it weren't a fundraiser I wouldn't be too thrilled, but even during my time I raised a fair amount for Relay For Life, and that's the most important thing.  And working with very nice people, which is also a great thing and made it really a fun hour.

If I get past the first round maybe more will show up for the next one by word of mouth ;) I certainly won't complain, but I remain grounded.

Mainland Snails and Tux with Tails

A new era in Nova Albion.  At least on MY parcels.  As it rolls over into its ninth year, I've traded the pastel of Retro Metro for the hematite & neon aqua of Nova Pier.  It's  back to the futuristic urban look so lacking in recent years.  I filed a ticket for a possible land swap with the Lindens.  There's a patch of theirs running through my space I want in exchange for some end piece which they're encroaching on for a bridge.

Fishing seems a better match for me at 5pmish SLT on weekdays.  It skirts around the usual events including Toontown and the fishers have more options that hour.

Will still be doing Saturdays at 6 at this point, but I may prefer Sundays at 5 instead. We'll see...

Made a housecall last night before bed.  Someone in New Toulouse needed help with setting up their kiosk.  Mystifying issues I can hope to look forward to when I make the transition to Firestorm...

Saturday 23rd is the first Giant Snail Relay of the season.  This time around instead of purchasing scarves RacerX asks for participants to make a donation of their choice in one of his team's kiosks.  I hope to see a lot of relayers there :)

Sunday as part of Relay Rockers DJ competition I'm scheduled to play a 1-hour set from 2pm SLT.  I have no idea what to expect, other than I'll be an underdog regardless. If people enjoy the music that's important. And it doesn't hurt if they give to the kiosk.

As I close this entry, I've received an email from the Lindens, who have accepted my proposal for a landswap and set the middle piece.  Something to look forward to following Grey.

Look for a poster this evening for my Sunday DJing gig and new chalk for the holidays

Cautiously Proceeding with Stuff

Busy month ahead. 

There's something important Saturday I'm forgetting.  Not sure what it is.  I should spend that time making stuff:  special RFL trophies, special comemmorative shirt for Sunday (more on that in a minute), and a building. 

Why a building?  I will be making a Relay For Life "shop" for the vendors I put together, much the way I did with the wall on the cliff last year.  This means anything I've sold at an event or special weekend will become available there.

The thing is, where should this be?  It can be part of Hydrangea or I can do something at Sistiana.  The Retro Metro is not bringing in anybody if the traffic is any indication, so maybe it's time to build something different there.  There's even more land to the south, but at an angle it's difficult to put something down.

Saturday night fishing will feature a St Paddy's playlist. I've been too busy to do a fishing contest on Thursdays, so I'll be dropping that one and keep just Saturday night.

Sunday following RL stuff it's Nova Albion's 9th Anniversary Parade and afterparty. This year's theme will be circus, so come festive ;) Looks like the stilt bitchez got involved, so grab the freebie stilts at the parade's staging area - and don't stand underneath the outhouse.

But first today in Toontown are waves of Backstabber Lawbot invasions.  Beware the Ides of March! I'll be busy this evening.

Knifeheads...

The following weekend is the first Giant Snail Relay of 2013 on 23 March; get your snail avatar & route info from the poster on the side of my diner.

Supposedly I'll have a gig for the first wave of the RFL DJ competition.  I don't expect miracles, particularly with the genre's demands for voice and excessive trance.  But can't hurt to try.

The following weekend is RFL's country / 90s theme.  The team has a shop I understand.  I'll be hosting a couple of 7Seas fishing contests on the 30th, so look for them.

I'm looking vaguely beyond Ostara because I'll be taking a test next week which may or may not have lasting effects.  Once that's out of the way I can plan beyond March. I'll make stuff in the meantime.

Relay stuffs...

Got the impression Relay Rap happened inworld, only a location SLURL was not shared.  Wonder if it's all-audio from here on?

Joining RFL ADvocacy may have been a natural fit, as I use social networking to promote RFL happenings and events.  Many migrated friends are doing what they can in their own way as they feel comfortable with, and that's fine too.  A few are new to RFL of SL, having only heard of it in past years. Give them a taste of being part of a greater whole and get comfortable in it. Even that feels good :)

April 2010.  I'd just acquired an irregular patch of abandoned land I had my eye on for months when it finally went to auction.  Following a consecration ceremony I placed The Starship Diner, adapted from The Golden Yak Diner I built for that previous Second Life Winterfest season.

During the housewarming party, DJ GoSpeed Racer called out to RacerX Gullwing, who was checking the route for a cross-country Giant Snail Race for Relay For Life. Like many in Second Life I'd only heard about RFL, and at the time wasn't aware of Treet TV (or Metaverse TV) programs. I knew RacerX from Lummerland Show & Tell and his reputation for amazing fireworks. He was in the area because the snails were going to pass my land on Saturday!

I reached out to him the following morning after building an observation platform.  He sent me info, a Treet media screen, and took my LM for his master list of observation locales.  I contacted MamaP who provided me with a kiosk. 

Soon a crowd formed and the snails came winding down the road toward us. High up as we were, they were taller than the platform. It was quite a sight.

Snurky had the nerve to try them in May or June through Skybeam Estates.

That's how I was first involved with Relay For Life.  Snurky continues with the relays (see her March 23rd for this year's first one), and I sell annual editions of Snail Racing cartoon shirts under Racer's team.  Last year I also helped with some art for Racer's Bay City Giant Snail relay hunt.  You can always get Giant Snail Relay info at my diner. Look for the new styles of original Giant Snail Relay shirts sometime this month.

Last year I had a wall where I kept an accumulation of vendors. This year I'm not entirely sure of where to place these. There's a space beside the gallery where I can put a wall or little market I suppose. Not entirely sure yet. Wish there was something lowprim & Aley I could utilize that isn't too gritty and fits an inland theme... let me know if you have any suggestions :)

Oops He Did It Again

LOL did you see what he did? Right there in the comments...

God's gift to Doctor Who fandom blah blah blah.  Did he once say anything like: "That's preposterous.  I love New Toulouse and was making the rounds of speakeasies and dives in Second Life before you knew what a 'Radio Riel' was."  He doesn't know shit or give a rat's ass about New Toulouse and its culture.  It's all about adding a rezzer to turn someone's carefully nurtured estate into a fanboy playground for him and his friends.  He was caught trying to put a rezzer with a 1960s police box in the town square without asking in January. Still caught up with trying to get his bearings on becoming an estate owner, the new mayor of New Toulouse was unaware of how irrelevent the thing was to the community, thought he was accommodating a resident, bought the fake stats of how most of the local populace needed it (so not true), and agreed to let Victor plop it down on the pier. Then Victor plopped down 3 more.  All set to role play category and the objects set to materialize as British and/or modern structures.  They are oblivious to the SL RPG edge of Whovian subculture and he preyed on that ignorance to get his way.

And here's the winner.  If you've come from his blog or anything he's said about me, read on to see how he relies on your ignorance to make a point...

Anyone who is familiar with the basics of parcel management knows that as long as an object is set to group, it stays.  Victor has no business remaining in the New Toulouse Parish group. He doesn't need to be there in order to maintain his rezzers.  Everyone else was kicked out 2 weeks ago for the group to be used exclusively by management, so how do you think this would look if the Taloosters - many of whom were not pleased with this group change - knew some outsider whose prims rezzed covenant-unfriendly content, was kept on unneccessarily with these privileges and his ear to owner and EMs' executive conversations and the ability to build on estate land? 

You think someone like Victor - who's served as an admin for several estates - doesn't know this? Of course he does.  He knows everything, remember?  The thing is, he relies on YOU not knowing so you buy his excuse.

Btw while I was pleased to see Nodster as new captain of the Whovians' RFL team, the only activity or contribution to the team thus far has been from Victor, who had to give up teamwork when he ascended to join the relay's committee.  I made my rounds to the team shops and floats yesterday and was going to donate to their kiosk when "victor1st mornington" was the owner I'd give money to.  I stopped right there. RFL management please note that the only change in his involvement this year for that team is that Victor's name does not appear on their team roster.  For all we know Nodster is being used as a front.  We don't know of course, only what we see so far, and I'm getting a whiff from that direction.  Watch that space for violations... We can anticipate he or an alt will have built their relay campsite come July.

So kids, what have we learned from this?  That fandom is shitty business. Yes, this has all been done over  fandom.  Sad isn't it? Cheating, manipulating, lying... every sort of malicious act imaginable.  IT'S A SHOW.  SOME CREATORS HAVE MADE SOME COOL STUFF IN SL AROUND IT.  OKAY FINE.  It's fun to travel in a TARDIS and all, and some people have invented interesting characters and had adventures etc., and that's fine too.  But THIS... this level of activity I've been observing over the past 2+ years by Victor is simply the sign of a sick mind.  Where I live this behavior is so way out there. And then there's the whole following me around stuff.  I'll beg off some themed estates for now.

I wonder what The Doctor would think?

Tell you one thing. He made things easier to happen. The Tower card. To be honest, the Aether Chrononauts captains are now ready to define their team the way they want. They don't need someone proactive to run the RFL-hosted events for them and do what they should be doing.  I switched to a team run by a former committee member with some friends in tow.  I know he's going to be participating in everything and I can step back as I'd hoped to this year. There are at least two operations I'm facing after a certain unpleasant test is conducted next week.  I just have to survive that one and I can look to the future.

I think after filtering out victor's vituperous haze over my blog post (he so loves to rat), they found that my blog was essentially a neurotic's introspection, that in general I distrust everyone and need reassurance about everything.  They ultimately realized that I found them to be wonderful people and quickly getting into sync with the RFL experience.  They really are good folk, and being thrown into a test of fire has proven them to be very resilient.  We parted diplomatically and I shared my master photoshop docs with their co-captain.

If there's one thing you can rely on: when I say I like someone or something, you know I'm not bullshitting. The only thing fake about me is my avatar.

Thought We Got Rid of Him...

Sometimes I'd rather be fishin'...

Victor's convinced New Toulouse' estate management that he's god's gift to timelords and their authority over themed private estates. They can have him, the police boxes which rez outdoors against covenant, and the RP category he's placed them under rather than Social (that alone is a slap in the face of New Toulouse).  The management didn't ask their own people to provide these for the community, only accommodated someone's personal roleplay.

They should be very proud of themselves that a bully with no interest in the populace or theme chased out one of its own to assert themselves.  Nothing says disconnect like four rezzers with modern and British structures at the ready.  Gabrielle Riel added him to the resident group and he never left. No, I don't know what he was doing there. One of the things I liked about NT was that he wasn't there. Then he was. You don't think he's a stalker? Suit yourself.  Personally if we never crossed paths again I wouldn't object.

I let the meter run out.  Someone I know needed more prims anyway.  I tried to get a journalist to hold off on a review of Maison Bleu, but he was insistent on posting it.

I'll still be there for the community.  Those who share a bond and true connection with the culture and its music dominate the New Toulouse.  A few places offered for me to play tunes at their establishments, so I won't be gone.  And of course I remain their liaison for the Aether Chrononauts during Relay For Life season.

I've learned the Aether Chrononauts have a perennial logo.  I made some clip art of it available to team members so that they can include it in some form on events/vendor textures - in a corner of the graphic or something.

I have been this close to making my own team for Relay For Life but for 3 things:

1. If I hadn't gone to Wildstar Beaumont there wouldn't be an AC team this year. There's an accountability I cannot deny. In fairness though he should have said there wouldn't be one instead of plucking someone unfamiliar with RFL to run the team.  That's hardly fair to anybody incl them. What would have been the harm if it took a year's hiatus? Still it's done and he went through a lot to find someone. We have a team thanks to him.

I want to say though the captains are very sweet and helpful, but I think they try too hard. The unique thing about AC is that it is comprised of disparate cultures, who work out whatever according to their own communities while contributing towards a single total. The only real place we have to synchronize our schedules is for RFL hosted events where the team works together. But they're learning. I think once the intimidation of the whole thing fades and they get more comfortable, they'll be fine.

2. The campsite. I'm not making one. Don't even ask.

3. A friend reminded me that the end result is the most important thing.  I must not ever forget that. If they just leave me be to do what I do and help the team by keeping members informed and equipped plus coordinating Teams R Us weekends lineups then it'll be good.

I'm proud to have brought on so many people, some new to Relay For Life. I couldn't do it with my own team. The objectivity would be gone. We'll see how this season pans out. I have a lot to prove after my experiences last year.

The first Teams R Us mini-gig is this Saturday: Kick-off Day. Have some team folks planned to provide vendors in addition to myself. Look for new shirts and Second Line Umbrellas :)  I'd have signed on for Cartoon World Gallery to have a booth in Fashion For Life but I didn't have the money to register.

Here's to more good times and helping people leave their bad times behind. GO RELAY!