[Gossamer's Scrapbook] The Ethereal Canyon I

[Gossamer]

There is truly nothing worse than taking the time to painstakingly explain something to someone quite thoroughly then having them fail to respond or respond briefly and childishly. I'm done with these sorts of responses unless specifically asked.

Sometimes just doing or saying nothing is the best policy. Otherwise it's a waste of time.

[Gossamer]

[Gossamer]

Abusive Relationships

If someone spends a great deal of time telling you about all their abusive relationships they've been in and how much of a victim they've been please don't believe them. They are "manipulators" and people that want you to feel sorry for them so they can get their way or have your sympathy. Truly abused people are almost always ashamed of their abuse or have worked long and hard to get past it and have moved on. Remember that. I'm tired of being surrounded by manipulators or hearing about friends being manipulated.

[Gossamer]

Holy Shit - Last Week Sucked

I wasn't going to write this because it sounds like whining, but truthfully I'm getting so many complaints by demanding players that I can't simply explain this over and over and over again. I just can't. I'd rather do this here and let it end there.

Sometimes life gets crazy. I know some of you people that live at home with your parents don't understand this. I know some of you city folks that live in apartments or in homes in the burbs don't get this either. But when your in the country, stuff happens, work has to get done, and some things can't wait. My week was one of those weeks.

First let me preface this by saying that where I work we are kinda at a standstill with our contract. It's not signed, we are not the lowest bidder on the contracts, and its a huge deal because it might mean our company might be replaced with another to do our jobs for the big corporation I work for. What that means for me is a couple of things... first and foremost I might loose my job. I doubt it, but realistically it could happen. If it does, no big deal, I'll probably retire early. I could just switch companies. Incoming companies can't replace skilled workers who know the system and know how to take care of the client so 99% of the time they hire existing staff and we all wear new uniforms. NO biggie. Sometimes the pay and medical/dental is even better. I'm not worried. But my company is, so that means NOTHING is getting fixed. Nothing... because they don't want to spend any money on equipment if the contract isn't certain. I don't blame them. But shit breaks anyhow. And my company has 12 yard goats and 300+ brand new trucks sitting on a lot that they will take delivery of the moment the contract ink is still wet. So two reasons not to spend money.

Its going to be mid august before we know. But again shit breaks. The compressor on my goat is shot. It won't hold more than 75 PSI without being revved up. That means I have to floor it to engage the fifth wheel unlock to drop a trailer. I floor it for five minutes each trailer to build up enough air to drop things. I move 200+ sometimes closer to a thousand trailers a day. This means I have a splitting headache and a leg that aches from the toes to the hip daily. Its' been like this two weeks. And not only does that hurt, but it makes me cranky and deaf due to the loudness of the sound.

Okay... So there's that.

On monday it was incredibly busy. We dropped 3 loads and I lost staff to deliver them and we worked over in 90+ degree temps with no AC in our goats. I came home sweaty hot crankly and exhausted. Only to find, naturally that something was wrong with the septic system at my house. I'm out in the country.

It was plugged and we were fairly sure the whole thing was probably full. I couldn't get it fixed monday (it was way too late) and there was no time. But I got no sleep. We had in essence no water in the house. I went to work gross too. I did the best I could to clean up but you know how nothing beats a long cool shower after a hot day. The hose just isn't the same nor is a bath out of a bucket.

No Miz time.

Tues I spent the entire day with a company that high pressure washed my lines from my house to my septic. Then I had the septic pumped. That took most of the day after I worked a long shift and by night everything seemed fine... but it was a long long day. I was late to my 5pm class that gets out at 830pm. It took me three plus hours getting home (its a half hour away) because of road closures on the freeway and I got 3 hrs of sleep before work.

Again.. no Miz time.

Weds was my husbands day off. He called me angry while I was still at work to tell me that the septic was still not functioning. You can imagine how I reacted to that after $600 worth of work on it and an entire day lost. The rest of that day was fun after I worked over and I dealt with that mess. Again, I worked long hours and came home to that BS... all I wanted was a cookie and a cold shower or something right? Wasn't going to happen. Eventually we got everything fixed.

Again... no Miz time. See a trend here?

Thurs was a long one. But I didn't work over because I had an appointment right after work. It was a lovely dentist appointment. I have a 'managed plan' with my teeth so I use my insurance money up because I have great dental coverage and that appointment was just a minor one. I was supposed to get a small cavity filled and one huge one filled and a root canal and cap on that tooth. Well, they started the 'small' one and the tooth crumbled. It was so much fun to be there four hours while they did a root canal, rebuilt the tooth and capped it... not touching the actual tooth that needed the canal. He broke a file off in the root canal too. It's still there. They evidently just seal around them.

So when I got home I was traumatized, it was late, and then I got a text message. "HAy's done. Come get it. $3 in the field... I'll leave enough out there for you for a few days so you can come when you can." I told my husband and he mentioned it to the neighbor who was bored... and they decided they wanted to go get at least one load. The neighbor even got a flat bed trailer borrowed so we could get a lot on the first trip. I was wiped, but off we went again to buck hay. I ended up driving the truck. It kinda sucked because again it was in the 90's. I crawled to bed after a shower at 1030pm when I had to get up at 230am to get to work.

No miz time. Again. And super duper cranky.

Friday rolled around. Nothing eventful but the splitting headache at work and throwing endless bales of hay in the barn all afternoon evening. I think I showered and crawled into bed around 7pm.

I woke up early Saturday did all the things that had been neglected the rest of the week - house cleaning dishes laundry barn cleanup etc... and then our friends invited us to ride an old fashioned steam train around chehalis. It was hugely fun. Then we went out to dinner really fast and drove over to that friends house that was saving me the hay and put away a few more tons. I was in bed by 8. Tired. I'm not getting old, I'm just incredibly busy.

So today I planned to have Miz stuff done. I didn't get anything done. Matt wanted to go to the movies and see Star Trek Beyond. It was fantastic btw. And now we are building fence and I'm here to do some catchup. But I cannot believe the amount of angry emails, nudged HDTs and people who want to know where I've been and why I haven't done whatever it is that they needed done.

All I can say is that I'm sorry. Real life comes first. Important things like getting hay in during good weather and fixing my septic are super important. I did them first. Then I'm concentrating on work. Miz comes somewhere after that. And believe me, it would come faster and more important if there were more hours in the day. But there are not. I hope you all understand.

[Orin Fenix]

I'm so sorry to hear all that! It sounds like a total nightmare of a week. We understand that real life happens and that real life comes first. Here's hoping that the next week is a little better and that everything calms down or becomes at least a little bit less stressful.

[Gossamer]

Design Failure

Mizahar was never designed to be ran by Assistant Storytellers. Tonight, with all the things on my mind, that sticks out the most. I can see why the system is not running as effortlessly as it should be. We need more people stepping up to be Domain Storytellers. Assistant Storytellers were just supposed to give support to busy domains who needed helpers to get things done, never were they designed to run whole domains. Now we have a ton of domains ran just by AS's. I don't think this can continue as is. It makes me a bit worried for the system because I can't give AS's more power than they already have in terms of what they are in charge of and still have them remain AS's.

Giving them more commands and more access to things such as SS threads will not encourage them to move up to DS status. What's so wrong about being a DS? I'd rather be a leader than a follower, that much is for sure. I'm not sure what it is going to take to encourage AS's to move up to DS status after 60 days of getting their feet wet if more commands won't do it.

Running Gods? Running Gnosis threads? That should be a thrilling prospect. Yet still they hesitate. I wonder why.

[Emergence]

I am a very new AS as you of course know Goss. But I am also extremely excited about it and hence why I decided to become a moderator in the first place. I agree with you, I did not know that people were hesitant to become DSs... For me that is the complete opposite.

I have been viewing my current place as an AS as a sort of interview for becoming a DS. I want to hold that position once my 60 days comes and goes and you can be sure I will be applying for it as long as I think I'm ready. I do not want to be a DS that doesn't deserve it, though I am sure if I didn't you would never give it to me. My point is I want to be able to run my domain effortlessly. I don't want to have to bug others for help approving jobs or burden them with moderating threads for my citizens. I feel like as someone who is running a domain that should be my job. Obviously as an AS I do not have the right to do such things, but it is my plan to earn those rights.

Right now I am trying to learn everything about Wind Reach and the Inarta and everything that I could possibly need to know about my domain so ensure that when I apply for the DS position I am an expert in my domain. Right now I am asking you and my fellow staff members numerous questions and I also ask them for help with projects or at the very least advise on how my finished projects are doing. I am going to be annoying with questions, some of my questions may be stupid (though I will try my best to avoid such things) as I'm sure you have seen already. Just know its because I do want to step up, again, and I want to be great at it once I do.[/b]

[Deliath]

It's a shame about the lack of Domain Storytellers, but as soon as I have the chance to i will be applying to be a Storyteller of any sort, and if I don't meet the requirements I will be at least applying as a grader

[Crow]

It has been a very long journey for me, and perhaps the most obscure. When I first applied so long a go, I was one of the unique volunteers that wanted to help out. Despite my scenarios of my job and certain aspects that you may have been hesitant on you still allowed me to join the team. Since then time has been sparse but the players have seen what can capably come from me. If not from my story teller account then definitely from my player character accounts which remain anonymous.

I'm sure that I serve as a constant reminder to some of the things that eat at you regarding mizahar. Trust me when I say that everything I have talked to you about when I first joined I intent to hold. I know that assistant storytellers are only meant for support. As such just the same way as domain story tellers are supposed to run full domains. Looking through it regional story tellers run a specific region

This means that of the regions across mizahar 6 regional story tellers would be needed.
Now let's say that domains is in reference to specific cities. If domain sorry tellers were able to step up and control 5 cities within a specific communion or domain then all cities would be able to be opened.
Now for the assistant story tellers. These offer support and can be one for every city. That means alot of assistants.

But what exactly falls under assistant story tellers? What should they be doing? Administration tasks are small for assistant story tellers as such they should be more engaged with plots and the player base. They assist their domain and regional story tellers by being the go to person for problems and questions. Kind of like the military, you don't jump the chaon of command - you start of by asking the first in line that you can for players those are your peers. Then you go up to an As upon which they will forward it to the proper chain if need be.

The way I see it right now is that the current team is great, but we have to quit being afraid of responsibility. Assistant story tellers need to step up like I addressed to you last night and a number of times about myself. Once I do get domain story teller and I'm back to my usual schedule I don't mind personally owning up to a full region. Ravok will always be my sweet corner of mizahar, but I enjoy variety. I enjoy stories.

I am a story teller.

I tell awesome stories, and I want people to read them. To write them with me. To create something unique and memorable.

I am a writer and I will not falter. Mizahar is a place of creation with rich lore and great opportunities. I am glad to be a part of it. I am taking my stand to be a domain story teller or even if it allowed a regional story teller.

Take your stand with me writers and windbags. You won't be disappointed.

~An Aladari Coolwater Template

[Kaleidoscope]

Personally, the reason I felt so reluctant to be a DS (back when I was an AS) was because I had a severe lack of confidence in myself. I was unsure about everything, whether I was doing things right, if I was good enough (whatever that means), if players liked me and my writing, even.

I only stepped up to DS because I hated being a burden on others, hated having to nag people to write SS threads and the like. When I realised that, I also realised that the reason I felt so stupid about it was because I knew, of course, that I could definitely be a DS. So, I applied, and everything's been fine. More than fine actually, I frikkin' love being a DS, and would suggest to any AS that as soon as they can, they should apply.

I can't and won't speak for the others, but that's my own view on it. Of course it's a system that can't run on just assistants. I totally agree with you on that- although the AS's we have are wonderful, it's difficult to run if you only have hands and no feet.