How Not to Treat a Radiophobe (or, why I will be scarce at SL10B)

This picture would just as soon never have happened.

 The following is a series of accounts which explain why I returned my SL10B parcel and why my presence in SL10B will be limited to a 7Seas freebie and DJing for Bay City.  There will be no presentation this year and I won't be playing tunes on a stage.  Since I was accused of lying and slander it's important that the actual documentation be presented. Fortunately none of the SL IMs are necessary and there are no restrictions on anything else.

First, some backstory. Last year's SL9B experience was marred by my having been assigned a stage consisting of dusty ruins in the middle of a lifeless desert. To some that was a grand build. To me if you're in a place like Second Life, make it the way it was during its heyday, when it was colorful and populated. But hey I'm not the artist. Also it was a culturally personal offense.

I think the key points missed in the selection process for stages are two things:

1. Unlike those who get free parcels, the entertainment is not "gifted" their timeslot. They're doing a gig for nothing and settling for whatever people choose to tip them. If anybody's taking a "we're doing you a favor" position then let's call it all what it is. This is free talent for SL Birthdays. That makes the gift from all of us to the residents.

2. Celebrating diversity doesn't mean dumping people randomly into environments they are not attuned to or actually find hostile. When someone is doing something they are otherwise paid for, don't you think there should at least be some consideration and a portion of the application which could glean what their style of music and interests in cyberculture would be?  Too much work? Okay. Well, the following links were posted on Twitter and are timestamped from June 2012. More people see my tweets about Second Life than anything else I type off the grid.

Egypt Stage gig   Egypt Stage gig 2    Egypt Stage gig 3

Fast forward to May 2013. I looked forward to SL10B like you wouldn't believe. It would be my fifth one as a participant.  When I got my parcel assignment I spent an hour on Memorial day flying through the sims to see what had already been built and what there were for public venues. Not surprisingly, in the same spot on the map (the two easternmost sims to the south) displayed discoloration which was reminiscent of that previous year's desert.  What I saw when I reached there was a bit shocking: twin nuclear silos in a desert devoid of vegetation.

My first thought: where the hell is the stage?
My second thought: oh god I can't be scheduled here. I just can't.

I really don't care how they relate such a setting to celebration or the future of Second Life.  Clearly this was a place for cyberpunks, of which I'm not.  In fact you'll find most people into Steampunk a bit on the resentful side that Cyberpunks call their dirty, post-apocalyptic aesthetic "Steampunk" to begin with. There is no doubt a subculture in Second Life who would appreciate that place and consider it a picnic. I should never ever be filed into that category is all, particularly with all the other options in evidence, such as:

 I dropped hints prematurely in the following exchange in group chat which many organizers saw. I got a talking to in IM by Dr G (I thought it was the exhibitors group and it wasn't, so my bad there) following which I ended with that last bit:

[2013/05/27 13:45]  Holocluck Henly: That tree stage like a mushroom tree thing looks great. Who made it? the one in the water?
[2013/05/27 13:45]  GOLAN Eilde: oh you holoc your about to get an email in a day or 2 :D
[2013/05/27 13:45]  Holocluck Henly: :)
[2013/05/27 13:46]  dudarling Supermarine: kaz made that one holo
[2013/05/27 13:46]  Holocluck Henly: Just so you know I have a phobia about radiation
[2013/05/27 13:46]  Holocluck Henly: even as a hologram
[2013/05/27 13:46]  Harper Beresford: exhibitors, read this: http://slcommunitycelebration.com/2013/05/27/harper-answers-your-mail-exhibitor-questions/
[2013/05/27 13:47]  GOLAN Eilde: Harperrrrrrrrr yr here too :D
[2013/05/27 13:47]  Harper Beresford: i am EVERYWHERE
[2013/05/27 13:47]  GOLAN Eilde: just so you all know i havent seen my stage :D yet lmao
[2013/05/27 13:47]  Holocluck Henly: Kaz... is it mesh? it has that mesh look to it the mushroomy tree thing
[2013/05/27 13:48]  Holocluck Henly: Yay harper :)
[2013/05/27 13:48]  GOLAN Eilde: i will see you in my stage then :D
[2013/05/27 13:48]  GOLAN Eilde: right back to emails :D
[2013/05/27 13:49]  Holocluck Henly: so aboout the one with the Disney characters
[2013/05/27 13:49]  Harper Beresford: no disney.. walt may get us from his grave
[2013/05/27 13:51]  ChloeElectra Resident: EA available if anyone needs any help :)
[2013/05/27 13:51]  Holocluck Henly: shhh I'm trying to give people more false info
[2013/05/27 13:51]  Harper Beresford laughs

So I woke up late that night (early Tuesday morning May 28) and went to check messages as I often do if I have some medical symptoms (no need to go into specifics) and just distract myself till they subside. This took place in GMail...

Hi there! My name is GOLAN Eilde and on behalf of the Performance team, we'd like to welcome you as a performer for this year.

Using your application availability, we've scheduled you for June 21, 2013  Friday  8 AM slt on the  DJ Stage. You must confirm this slot prior to June 1, 2013 or we will reassign it. If the time does not work for you, we will do our best to reschedule but cannot guarantee an alternative slot.

< skip rules for bevity >

Congratulations, and thank you for contributing your talent to SL10B!

=====

Thanks [Golan]. I confirm. I'm in the USA in NYC and I use winamp with a shoutcast plug-in to stream.

Could you please define "DJ stage" as I had a very unhappy experience last year. I do not play depressing, desolate or post-apocalyptic areas, and I saw this year there was an atomic power plant for a stage. I will not play there. It's a terrible place and not in the spirit of a celebration. If I've been exiled to this place, I'm sure something can be done to have me play at one of the more optimistic and alive stages.
Thanks!
Holocluck Henly

======

We're sorry you will not be able to join us this year.

Golan

Just like that. No "I'll see what we can do" and no switching with someone scheduled opposite on another stage. No recollection of what I typed while he was active in group chat with me the previous day. Nobody thought then "we should switch Holocluck with someone else. He shouldn't be assigned a nuclear power plant."

I was lifted high high up then dropped on jagged rocks. Or so that's how it felt. It was devastating. So keep in mind from here on how I feel and how I wanted to see a solution.

I spoke with an EA (exhibitors assistant) friend I knew and shared the email. She suggested assistant in charge of entertainment KT to speak with since Loon was majorly busy.  I posted the email exchange on my Facebook page since they had apparently hidden the Notes feature. This was because I didn't want to have to repaste or explain over and over what happened. My Facebook page is usually private and my status posts don't venture far from the source. Also most of my friends are either on staff, don't care, or are too busy playing Zynga games to care about manual posts.  I gave only KT the link to the post to explain what happened to me and how I had a phobia and didn't even own a microwave etc and that it wasn't fair that I was assigned that or nothing.  The post explained also that I am aware Golan was just doing his job and speaking on behalf of SL10B's organizers.  I went to bed after feeling some sort of optimism that someone in charge could be more diplomatic and help.

The morning brought more disappointment. KT had replied that she designed both stages and that she wouldn't be much help (aka lacked objectivity or the notion that maybe not everyone found a nuclear power plant to be an ideal place to throw a party). She seemed more concerned that I was "plastering people's names all over facebook."

So it seemed she was under all the wrong impressions.  And yeah it didn't sound like there would be much help to be had from her corner.

Loon IMed me on Facebook. By the tone of his message KT probably tattled in a dramatic tone instead of escalated my situation - as we do in the real world of customer care and damage control. Remember I've already been dropped onto the rocks by this situation. I'm coming to these people for help. It hurts to type the same junk over and over again. I intentionally used a low-profile place instead of this blog to keep the Email exchange.

5/29 7:47am EDT Loon: Open your post about SL10B up to comments if you want to be HONEST about what's going on.

Honest. In caps. Someone suggests I lied about something. Any idea from what you see where there is anything untrue? Were they going to disclaim that they could be callous, antipathic or incapable of actually helping people? Wasn't sure what he had to comment about other than 'we're sorry for any misunderstanding. Of COURSE we'll look into this right away' and really he didn't need to comment in the post for that. It was only for reference to show the exchange.

Here was my reply. We don't want anyone thinking I've lied about anything...

Me, 8:24am EDT - You'd have to be a friend to comment; it isnt a blog and normally my posts are not visible to the public, but I didnt want to have to write it over and over and over again. you want to give an explanation of why I was stuck there, good. you want to be good customer service and get me to a place that isnt about death and pain then fine. I made it clear how I felt last year, and that was a bit devastating and power to me I rose above it and played there anyway. But I am not about this. I am about light and LIFE. I am in SL to leave destruction and death behind. And I dont own a microwave. That mushroom stage is BEAUTIFUL. It's a perfect example of what makes SL worth coming to. btw here's last year's documentation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/holocluck/7433908576/ Sorry we have to friend under these circumstances. Frankly I wont go into how I felt and what I went through last night when I read the news

What he did before I even read his latest and add him was share the post on his newsfeed so his friends could say things like "well I think it's a beautiful nuclear power plant!" So basically what he did was abuse my trust and exploit my post and my pained situation to garner confirmation from his friends that everything was handled just fine.

Me, 6:12pm EDT - I looked to you as someone who could help and all you did was spread my post to garner sympathy for your friends. I was very wrong about you and KT and a lot of people. Not a problem. you can play god with other people and you can place them wherever you feel with as callous a regard antipathy can bring. I will not be part of it.

Loon 5/30 11:42am EDT - There is no help to be had, Holodoc.... Stages are already booked- there's no where else to move you. You made very inaccurate and slanderous statements about the team working on this community celebration- they needed to be addressed. I suggest that, in the future, you don't publicly post something on Facebook you don't want people to respond to.

Wondered at this point if he knew what "inaccurate" and "slanderous" meant. Or "honest" for that matter. btw it should be stated that wondering doesn't mean I've slandered. Not a word of this has been changed.

Me 5/30 11:56am EDT - You'll have to point out the inaccurate and slanderous statements.

I DID notice you missed that I said Golan was speaking on behalf of SL10B and wasn't personally at fault.

I did find it shoddy you couldn't swap me with someone on another stage, seeing as staff so easily play god and throw people into environments without an iota of consideration of culture, aesthetics or sensitivity.

Like I said: you're not my people.

Me 5/30 11:57am - btw YOU posted it everywhere. I posted it so I didnt have to relive the BS over and over again and it would be one place for it to be read. My own friends are either already on staff or dont care and play zynga games all day.

...Said as much earlier.

Loon 5/30 12:57pm EDT - I posted it on my own timeline since you disabled commenting- I did no further posting. If you had not disabled commenting I would have only commented on your message. You created the situation- blaming me for your mistakes will not change that.

This is where he's wrong. He wasn't a friend at first (remember this was just for display) and I eventually added him so he could comment.  The fact is he just didn't want to wait for me to have a lunch break before I could check Facebook that previous day. A bit disrespectful and a bit rude to think this touchy matter was available to fling about.  Sort of how this whole thing was handled. I suspect Loon is in a radically different timezone than I am - and lacks the consideration that maybe he should wait for someone to catch up. He said in the posts that I was bumped down to the bottom of another stage's list and not to expect to play unless someone cancelled. Well by then I wasn't expecting to anyway. I had given my parcel back and washed my hands of SL10B for allowing people like that to be in any form of authority - or allowed to interact with people in any helper capacity.

I had by about this time deleted the post since it didn't serve its purpose (presumably all shares of it disappeared with it) and unfriended the hostile.

Me 5/30 1:23pm EDT -  You asked me to add you so you could post. I did. so?

me 5/30 1:39pm EDT - I wonder whether you're ever wrong about anything? I bet you aren't

I mean, how can I write lies if I pasted the actual mailing. When the sims open to the public it goes to blog and people can see without editing how curt the rejection response was instead of "let's see what we can do to swap you with someone at that time" like real support would do. I dont have to say a thing, and you can't call the actual exchange "lies"

Loon 6/1 11:18pm EDT - You make it up as you go along. Nothing I wrote said you lied.

*Does a doubletake*  You saw that, right? I haven't been honest, I've made slanderous and inaccurate statements, but I haven't lied about anything.  This was getting beyond ridiculous.

Me 6/2 7:42pm EDT - " You made very inaccurate and slanderous statements about the team working on this community celebration-" Now go away. I'm done with SL10B and your drama. You just love to hear yourself talk.

I can admit that I was choking up earlier in the week when I gave back that parcel. People have been asking what happened and I didn't want to say anything because the stages weren't yet revealed to the public. But now that the power plant has been posted in their blog I'm at liberty to relate all this.

One final note.  Loon works for neostreams support, a company I've given 1000L per month for my audio stream for about a year.  I will not be renewing this month. It means Loon gets some of my money and that's just not acceptable. I will go to another stream service. Someone like that wouldn't have lasted here in RL.  The company I work for turned 50 this year. You think this sort of support for their field employees and freelancers would have gotten us this far?  We're ALL people here, and you don't diss someone for having a phobia - and for fighting the cancers those silos and more cause each year during Relay For Life. 

So no, other than some humane and civilized behavior and an apology for the shitty way I was treated, I don't want anything more to do with SL10B beyond what I mentioned.

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!