Absolute Power Comes Full Circle & a Numb Farewell to a Privilege Glutton

Disclaimer: When I post about negative experiences it is rarely if ever out of any smug satisfaction.  There are no winners.  It is a "buyer beware" as I stumble through the metaverse.  This post definitely serves this purpose.  You have an opportunity to learn from any mistakes I've made and spot warning signs in advance.  Those who know these people and find me relating a story: take it for what it is; there's no glory in it for me. I am sure to lose several from my contact list.  I always blog with the expectation that someone is going to find out anyway. This is The Internet.  Just keep in mind that my opinions may not be that of the Hearts & Souls Relay For Life team, and taking anything out on the team or creating difficulties getting the team resources or preventing them from representation or fundraising is an attack on innocent people - both from the team and American Cancer Society - who have nothing to do with this post or me. 

The Relay track this year. Nobody knows what the hell it's supposed to be.

 They think nobody watches, nobody notices, and that the clock isn't ticking.

They've poked and prodded the Kool-Aids to raise enough for the committee's goal, which by the way is a fraction of what we all raised together in 2014 without prodding.

So what do you think?  We arrived on the track first day the sims were ready - nay the first hour - and T1 Radio's parcel is completed over on RFL Give aka 2016's Media Row sim.  This is the other parcel representing the Relay Rockers, who consist basically of T1 staff.  Wouldn't you say there's redundant representation?  Fantasy Faire should have had a section on their supersized space dedicated to Fantasy Faire Radio IMHO rather than more of the same in a second parcel. It looks literally like a Fantasy Faire campsite annex.  And the committee expressed a need to cut back on regions to justify their initial rule of no campsites to anyone raising less than US$300.*

At any rate, it seems the sims weren't not ready yet for some time.

What if I told you it wasn't about traditional post-Relay but that Trader Whiplash - for whom being "The Voice of Relay" apparently hasn't been a high enough honor for covering Relay Rap and most official ceremonies (remember his entire radio crew were no-shows at the Halfway There Fair kick-off event) that suddenly this year he became a committee member along with Nuala Maracas, his former team captain (he is the Rockers' captain this year). 

What if I told you he's been holding events - impromptu or otherwise - ON THE TRACK?  Yes, at the T1 parcel on RFL Give.  The fact is they have dance machines there and people came over during his radio show - WHILE there were fundraising events being held at the Activity sims by those worthless peons who are only good for poking and prodding for more money.

I guess in his case it's okay to LAG UP THE REGION or BLOCK THE TRACK prior to Relay - or whatever BS made-up reason they gave us when they stopped our meager event of 8 attendees last year mid-stream to march us over to a designated Activity stage.

Speaking of which, at least last year Nuala oversaw the Activity sims. Now that she is on the committee we've barely heard or seen her.  Not only that, after all the hype and push over using the stages there in the week leading up to Relay, there hasn't been anyone on active duty to change streams.  Performers and participants have been lucky to flag someone down so their event can even begin!

You thought it couldn't get worse? There are so many ways to tell Relayers "we don't give a crap about you - just give us your fucking money," and Relay For Life of Second Life has certainly explored them all.

I already told my team that tonight when they're caching the track in a lap after clearing their viewers, just skip over RFL Give if it's full. Yes, I told them to expect this.  T1 prepares the state of their sim for mass consumption with a tailgate party on the eve of Relay Weekend.  Then again it might be held at their Relay Rockers campsite. Same difference...

I told my friends to expect Pink Floyd's "Money" to play during such and such lap on T1 this Saturday - the LP version with the word "bullshit" intact.  I called Trader out on using songs with profanity once and he took me to task.  But I know what I heard and he's repeated it since. Way to go on behalf of the ACS brand.

I rely on T1 to cue my team etc for lap changes and such.  Most Relay friends I know will ONLY tune in for the opening, luminaria, Fight Back, and closing ceremonies.  I guess it depends on how irritated I get over their DJs' obligatory use of title puns introducing a set before I switch over during the Relay. It's all via Winamp for me and I can switch to a playlist or Radio Riel Dieselpunk in seconds.

Farewell Trader from my contact list.  You're way more privileged than you need to be, much less more privileged than any volunteer representing ours and all the other teams should be.  You're no longer relevant since I no longer serve at official events.  You're just another big shot openly flaunting your position.  Not the first and not the last.

*I'll address more of how they "cut back" on the track in a post to follow.  It deserves its own discussion.