This week on SL seems to have been a little slow -- not just at Exile, but everywhere. I'm not sure what to attribute this to, but I have a feeling that this nasty flu bug that is making itself known may have something to do with it. Been there, done that, and it ain't fun at all!!
Despite being a bit slow, we still did really well this week in my opinion. Traffic is staying up - WAY up over what it was even a few months ago, which is a very positive thing! We have some utterly fantastic new members of staff - not to say all of our staff isn't fantastic, because they are, and we adore each and every one of them.
Last night was the Exile staff meeting, and wow, what a crowd! It was really good to see so many of our staff gathered together in one place, putting out awesome ideas, and giving thoughts and input. We've always said that, as owners, while we have the final say on things, we want and need to hear the thoughts of others - there might be juicy things we haven't thought of yet, or information that we need to be able to make a good decision on something. And it was GREAT to get so much of that last night!
Needless to say, there are more great things on the horizon for Exile, coming soon to an SL viewer near you!!
I had to laugh though, watching someone logging in their alts during our staff meeting for an event at "The Place Which Shall Not Be Named". (Kinda like Voldemort, only a place, see?) I mean, I was seriously laughing to myself. By the end of the night, it became obvious as to what they were up to, which was trying to knock Exile off of the SHX Top 40 board. Really? One person ... two separate entries at 0 days? That means that the person logged out of the board between events instead of staying in it and continuing to stream, as any other DJ would do. Gosh, my top score would have fallen off last night anyway, seeing as it was on 7 days. Just shaking my head here. I've said it before, and I will say it again - and it was something echoed at the staff meeting last night. Yes, its great to get up on the SHX Top 40 Board. We all love seeing our names up in lights. But I would much rather see mine up there, having been voted up there HONESTLY, without the use of alts. In my opinion, it seems a bit of DJ Fail if the only way you can hit the chart is by the use of alts bumping your score.
And guess what? Our traffic was still better. Neener. What does that mean? In short, darlings, it means that we had more asses in the seats than you did. Then again, I'm not surprised. *I* certainly wouldn't want to be at a place where the main dish served, is drama. :)
On the RL Front, its been a hard few weeks, as you know. First my Mum, then my housemate's Dad, and then just a few days ago, news that my bio-brother passed away at age 43 from ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
I can't help but to feel a profound sense of sadness. I've never met my bio-sibs. I've talked to my bio-Mum on the phone, and I have contact with my bio-Uncle via email. I guess I am just really sad that his life ended so soon, and that now, I will never get the chance to meet the brother who was only a year younger than I am. Its kind of weird, grieving for someone that you have never met. But, he was my blood, and my family, even if we never had. I can't even say that I will miss him, because of that.
I've been playing with my new iPhone quite a bit. I talked to Siri for the first time today. She and I had a nice conversation about the weather. Heh. I'm wondering if there is some way to make Siri sound like Tyrion from "Game of Thrones". Now THAT would be awesome. While I love my new phone (THANK YOU MASTER!!) its been hard, getting used to it! I keep trying to do things the way that I did them on my Android. Swype is not a feature of this phone. And last night I tried to Swype. LOL It almost ended badly, with gibberish sent in a message. And, I thought something was wrong with it for a bit, on route last night. The light was so dim on the screen! And, then I realized, when I had the overhead light in the car on, the screen was brighter. So I am guessing that it auto-adjusts to the lighting around, somehow. Very cool! I think I might install the gmail app, though, because I really do prefer it to the mail feature that this one has. Or maybe I just need to get more used to it. Today's app download is going to be GarageBand though. YAY!
On that note, dinner is in the oven, and I have to warm the tortillas. Tonight is fajita night, folks!
Peace and Love,
~R
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Holy iPhone Batman!!
I'm wiggling around with excitement here!! MASTER JUST BOUGHT ME AN IPHONE!!
So much for the theory of some, that he only ever buys me sex toys and doesn't take care of his girl, hmmmmmmm?
#LiesDisprovedAgain
Peace and Love,
~R
So much for the theory of some, that he only ever buys me sex toys and doesn't take care of his girl, hmmmmmmm?
#LiesDisprovedAgain
Peace and Love,
~R
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Random Blog Post
I really have no idea what to blog about, today. Last week was such a huge whirlwind of this and that happening in my RL, that I don't even know where to start.
I missed doing my 80's Flashback set at Exile on Friday, sadly. My housemate was supposed to be flying in early Friday morning, and as such, I was to go to the airport to pick him up. However, late Thursday evening, American Airlines called to say that his flight had been canceled. So I rang him, and he was able to get on the phone with a rep, and get a later flight out for Friday. What that meant, though, is that I missed my set to go and pick him up, which is fine. I'm just glad that he was able to get a flight out, as that area of the US had a big snowstorm the next day.
Naked Saturday was great, as always, and there were quite a few people in attendance! Unlike the week before, my internet was actually behaving itself, and so I was able to stream the entire set. Though, I do have to admit, the "Remote Requests" from the week before was pretty funny!
I'm still not completely over this flu crap that I had contracted a couple of weeks ago - blasted cough doesn't want to go away, no matter how much medicine, or what kind, I take! Its really becoming an annoyance. Some days I feel alright, and then a day later, I don't want to move. I haven't been sleeping well at all, because the coughing keeps waking me up. It seriously needs to be gone, and soon!
Speaking of being gone - apparently we have a mini-polar vortex coming in this week. It was so nice last week!!! Highs were in the 60s... and now, today, high was like, 29. Ugh. At least it isn't supposed to snow, as it did last time. Just cold. I am SO ready for spring!!
One thing I did do the other night, was to take a picture of myself when I was bored. I was sitting at Exile, and I noticed that the sit in my AO looked an awful lot like I was doing Yoga. So I snapped a picture of it, because - well, because.
Just some details on the picture:
Dress - Gothicatz
Skin - HUSH
Makeup - Blacklace
Hair - Magika
Glasses - Crie Style
Ugg Boots - Alyce
Wedding Ring - Earthstones
I guess that's about it for me, for now. No dramas to report - just a calm, peaceful existence within SL. Yay!! Here's to many more weeks of the same.
Peace and Love,
~R
I missed doing my 80's Flashback set at Exile on Friday, sadly. My housemate was supposed to be flying in early Friday morning, and as such, I was to go to the airport to pick him up. However, late Thursday evening, American Airlines called to say that his flight had been canceled. So I rang him, and he was able to get on the phone with a rep, and get a later flight out for Friday. What that meant, though, is that I missed my set to go and pick him up, which is fine. I'm just glad that he was able to get a flight out, as that area of the US had a big snowstorm the next day.
Naked Saturday was great, as always, and there were quite a few people in attendance! Unlike the week before, my internet was actually behaving itself, and so I was able to stream the entire set. Though, I do have to admit, the "Remote Requests" from the week before was pretty funny!
I'm still not completely over this flu crap that I had contracted a couple of weeks ago - blasted cough doesn't want to go away, no matter how much medicine, or what kind, I take! Its really becoming an annoyance. Some days I feel alright, and then a day later, I don't want to move. I haven't been sleeping well at all, because the coughing keeps waking me up. It seriously needs to be gone, and soon!
Speaking of being gone - apparently we have a mini-polar vortex coming in this week. It was so nice last week!!! Highs were in the 60s... and now, today, high was like, 29. Ugh. At least it isn't supposed to snow, as it did last time. Just cold. I am SO ready for spring!!
One thing I did do the other night, was to take a picture of myself when I was bored. I was sitting at Exile, and I noticed that the sit in my AO looked an awful lot like I was doing Yoga. So I snapped a picture of it, because - well, because.
Just some details on the picture:
Dress - Gothicatz
Skin - HUSH
Makeup - Blacklace
Hair - Magika
Glasses - Crie Style
Ugg Boots - Alyce
Wedding Ring - Earthstones
I guess that's about it for me, for now. No dramas to report - just a calm, peaceful existence within SL. Yay!! Here's to many more weeks of the same.
Peace and Love,
~R
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Tired Eyes and Other Ponderings
Tired.
That is the first thought that comes to my mind, not long after I just woke up. I am so tired, and I could absolutely go back to bed and sleep for a few more hours. After thinking about it, perhaps its a mixture of tired and stressed. My housemate is in Ohio until tomorrow, where he's been since Tuesday morning. Its funny, you never realize how much someone does until they aren't there to do it, heh. I've been covering both of our routes - now normally, I drive and throw, and he sits in the back seat and rolls. He also gets out and does porches, and does the assisted living homes that we have on both routes. I've been doing the whole she-bang since Tuesday night. The first night was okay. Last night I wanted to pull the car off to the side of the road and cry. My back and shoulders hurt, my ankles hurt, and I am tired of inky fingers! On top of that, I have been trying to get boxes unpacked at the house. I got most of the ones in the dining room, which were mostly books, that went onto the new bookcase that we bought a few weeks ago. Heavy!!
Its been so quiet, too. I think both of the dogs think that I am secretly taking people out of the house and getting rid of them. Achilles keeps laying by the door, and Loki keeps looking out the window - both activities seem to start about 10pm, the usual time that he would come home from work at night.
I did actually sleep really well last night. So, I'm not sure why I am so tired! I've been getting up every day around 5pm, trying to establish a regular "getting up time". I think its helping, but I'm not totally sure yet. And, I had a pot of beans and ham simmering all day for dinner, while I slept. They are lovely, let me add.
EXILE has been amazing. All the way from scheduling right down to the events - amazing. Our traffic is excellent - we're up there close with groups double and triple our size. Our DJ's are ranking on the SHX Top 40 chart - let me add in, WITHOUT the use of alts to bump the scores higher. Actual av votes. Not cheating, like some clubs who shall not be named here, do.
On that note, let me expound ... As a DJ myself, I would feel very let down to know that I only hit the charts because someone had 6 alts in the club, each of them voting to bump my score higher. I feel much more excited, even when I don't hit the chart, just to know that the people are enjoying my music. For me, its not some competition. Its all about enjoyment. If I hit, then I hit. If I don't, then I don't - as long as the music is enjoyed, thats all I care about. But, what does it say, when you have 10 people at your event, and 6 of those people are alts of one person, who is also there? The sad thing is, the majority of the staff at said club, don't even realize that all of those people are alts, because the person in question gives each of them their own personality. What a breach of trust, in my opinion, especially to the persons who call them friend and family.
Anyway, I'll climb down from my soapbox now, and get back to concentrating on EXILE - because, in the long and short of it all - that's what matters most. :)
That is the first thought that comes to my mind, not long after I just woke up. I am so tired, and I could absolutely go back to bed and sleep for a few more hours. After thinking about it, perhaps its a mixture of tired and stressed. My housemate is in Ohio until tomorrow, where he's been since Tuesday morning. Its funny, you never realize how much someone does until they aren't there to do it, heh. I've been covering both of our routes - now normally, I drive and throw, and he sits in the back seat and rolls. He also gets out and does porches, and does the assisted living homes that we have on both routes. I've been doing the whole she-bang since Tuesday night. The first night was okay. Last night I wanted to pull the car off to the side of the road and cry. My back and shoulders hurt, my ankles hurt, and I am tired of inky fingers! On top of that, I have been trying to get boxes unpacked at the house. I got most of the ones in the dining room, which were mostly books, that went onto the new bookcase that we bought a few weeks ago. Heavy!!
Its been so quiet, too. I think both of the dogs think that I am secretly taking people out of the house and getting rid of them. Achilles keeps laying by the door, and Loki keeps looking out the window - both activities seem to start about 10pm, the usual time that he would come home from work at night.
I did actually sleep really well last night. So, I'm not sure why I am so tired! I've been getting up every day around 5pm, trying to establish a regular "getting up time". I think its helping, but I'm not totally sure yet. And, I had a pot of beans and ham simmering all day for dinner, while I slept. They are lovely, let me add.
EXILE has been amazing. All the way from scheduling right down to the events - amazing. Our traffic is excellent - we're up there close with groups double and triple our size. Our DJ's are ranking on the SHX Top 40 chart - let me add in, WITHOUT the use of alts to bump the scores higher. Actual av votes. Not cheating, like some clubs who shall not be named here, do.
On that note, let me expound ... As a DJ myself, I would feel very let down to know that I only hit the charts because someone had 6 alts in the club, each of them voting to bump my score higher. I feel much more excited, even when I don't hit the chart, just to know that the people are enjoying my music. For me, its not some competition. Its all about enjoyment. If I hit, then I hit. If I don't, then I don't - as long as the music is enjoyed, thats all I care about. But, what does it say, when you have 10 people at your event, and 6 of those people are alts of one person, who is also there? The sad thing is, the majority of the staff at said club, don't even realize that all of those people are alts, because the person in question gives each of them their own personality. What a breach of trust, in my opinion, especially to the persons who call them friend and family.
Anyway, I'll climb down from my soapbox now, and get back to concentrating on EXILE - because, in the long and short of it all - that's what matters most. :)
I've been working on making posters for some of the different static events that we have. I think the one for Naked Furrsday came out really cute - I'll share that, right now! Jynxx shared this poster making program with me, and I am absolutely loving it. There are more in the making, rest assured. I've got one done already for Naked Saturday, and am working on the rest of them as well. If you haven't made it down to EXILE to check out our Naked Furrsday event, then you should totally go and do so! DJ Wingtips is an amazing DJ, and his host Florisa is very high energy!! And, Kitten is an amazing dancer, who will leave you needing a fan, or maybe some air conditioning, even in the dead of winter!! Put them all together, and its an event that you definitely don't want to be missing. Not to mention, they have been known to throw in a contest prize here and there - today was a surprise gift from Lover's Playground. LP makes some pretty damn amazing stuff. I have a bed or two from there, and I love them.
Speaking of SL, there's a few things I need to do in there. Gothicatz has a mesh sale going on, and I absolutely have to hit that before it ends. I used to say that I didn't think I would like mesh, but it turns out that I really love it. It was the same with voice in SL, many years ago. People said that it would be the end of SL, it would cause too much lag, etc etc etc. Now, I can't imagine SL without voice being a part of it. I also need to get my set ready for my 80's Flashback Party that happens Friday at 6pm. You should be there! I'd really love to see you.
I think that's about it for today. My brain isn't functioning at full capacity. Maybe I need some coffee to help the process along. Heh. Like, a whole pot of the stuff. That might do the trick.
Love and Peace,
~R
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
A Letter To My Dogs
Achilles and Loki,
I love you both dearly, but we need to have a talk. I know that you are both confused because Darkain left last night and didn't come home - but he will be home on Friday. I know its confusing because Jynxx left a few months ago and still hasn't come back yet. I promise, Friday, he'll be back. But, in the meantime, we need to have a serious talk about house rules and boundaries.
1. The trash can is off-limits. Always. There is no exception to this rule, ever. What goes in does not come back out again. This also applies to the trash can in the bathroom, and the one in the laundry room.
2. You both know where the newspaper is. Its in the same place that its been in, for months now. There's no reason that the newspaper should be completely un-used, and the surrounding area should be a minefield. Please use the paper and make my life a bit easier.
3. I don't mind that you like to lay in the cabinet in the kitchen. But, do you really have to drag out all of the canned foods? There's plenty of room for you and the canned foods down there.
4. The bed. I don't mind if you come up onto the bed to sleep with me. You're warm, and soft, and fuzzy. That said, please give me some blanket to work with. Also, my pillow is MY pillow, and my head goes on it, not yours. Thirdly, when you wake up, and I am still asleep, walking on my head is not okay.
5. Barking at every single noise that happens, inside or outside, while I am trying to sleep, is NOT okay. Someone comes to the door, yes, understandable. But - the wind? A leaf blowing on the sidewalk? The kids getting dropped off by the school bus THREE BLOCKS DOWN? Not okay.
6. I can go to the bathroom on my own. Really. I got this.
7. I can take a bath on my own, too.
8. You're both adorable. I love your big, pretty eyes. Except, when I am trying to eat something. No matter how much you sit and stare at me, batting your lashes, I am not going to share my food. I know what happens when you eat "people food". Please refer to #2.
9. Sometimes, I just want to sit on the couch by myself.
I hope that these things help!
Love always,
Mom
Dear Mom,
Read your letter. Your hamburger looks very tasty. Please don't say the word bath anymore.
Love,
Achilles and Loki
I love you both dearly, but we need to have a talk. I know that you are both confused because Darkain left last night and didn't come home - but he will be home on Friday. I know its confusing because Jynxx left a few months ago and still hasn't come back yet. I promise, Friday, he'll be back. But, in the meantime, we need to have a serious talk about house rules and boundaries.
1. The trash can is off-limits. Always. There is no exception to this rule, ever. What goes in does not come back out again. This also applies to the trash can in the bathroom, and the one in the laundry room.
2. You both know where the newspaper is. Its in the same place that its been in, for months now. There's no reason that the newspaper should be completely un-used, and the surrounding area should be a minefield. Please use the paper and make my life a bit easier.
3. I don't mind that you like to lay in the cabinet in the kitchen. But, do you really have to drag out all of the canned foods? There's plenty of room for you and the canned foods down there.
4. The bed. I don't mind if you come up onto the bed to sleep with me. You're warm, and soft, and fuzzy. That said, please give me some blanket to work with. Also, my pillow is MY pillow, and my head goes on it, not yours. Thirdly, when you wake up, and I am still asleep, walking on my head is not okay.
5. Barking at every single noise that happens, inside or outside, while I am trying to sleep, is NOT okay. Someone comes to the door, yes, understandable. But - the wind? A leaf blowing on the sidewalk? The kids getting dropped off by the school bus THREE BLOCKS DOWN? Not okay.
6. I can go to the bathroom on my own. Really. I got this.
7. I can take a bath on my own, too.
8. You're both adorable. I love your big, pretty eyes. Except, when I am trying to eat something. No matter how much you sit and stare at me, batting your lashes, I am not going to share my food. I know what happens when you eat "people food". Please refer to #2.
9. Sometimes, I just want to sit on the couch by myself.
I hope that these things help!
Love always,
Mom
Dear Mom,
Read your letter. Your hamburger looks very tasty. Please don't say the word bath anymore.
Love,
Achilles and Loki
Sunday, January 12, 2014
We Will Rock You!
WOW!!
That is the first thing that I want to say about this week at Exile, and I will certainly go into detail, because I am soooooo proud of all of our staff!! And I am sooooo happy that so many of our VIPs came over this week to hang out with us!!
Not once, but TWO times this week, we hit traffic records! First on Wednesday, and then again on Saturday! Saturday's traffic put us close to a few other clubs that have memberships double to triple that of ours. By close, I mean, within 2,000. What an awesome achievement! Also, we have surpassed 400 members in the Exile main group. Woohoo!!
Saturday night at Exile started out on a rocky note - DJ Jynxxie wasn't able to make her shift, and had left me an offline about it. I got in touch with her host, Spydie, and he talked to DJ Daz, who came in and covered Jynxxie's set. She had an amazing number of people at her set when Master and I came in around 7pm slt, and everyone was having a great time at the Sock Hop.
I had gotten some offline notices regarding our iShout stream - the US Servers had gone down, and so I ran over to rent a EU stream so that I could DJ for Naked Night. After Daz finished DJing, Master had to load the new stream info into the board, so Naked Night was a few minutes late getting started. Meanwhile, people were POURING into Exile - it was like a bus had pulled up outside and was letting people off! When Naked Saturday started, there were 26 people at the club!! Everything was going great, and I was about 10 songs in .... and my internet went down. GAH! Master IM'd Daz, who still had her SAM up, and she took over my set for me. I was able to get back online with my phone, and so I was still able to be there. About 10pm slt, my net was back up again, so I got to DJ the last hour of Naked Night, heh. When it ended at 11pm slt, we still had about 10 people in the club, but they were tapering off. The funny bit about that was, that my internet apparently wasn't ALL the way up, because I couldn't DJ and be on SL at the same time. So, I was on Skype with my phone, and had my stream going, and Master proclaimed it to be "Remote Requests, Exile Style", and he was relaying requests to me via Skype, on my phone. Ha! No one can ever say I am not a devoted DJ! Our traffic for the night ended up being over 9,000 - a new record for the club!
To all of our staff -- I am SO impressed with the way that you handle yourselves, and the way that you all work together to make sure that events get covered with as little stress as possible. Thank you SO much for making Exile such a wonderful place for our patrons to come and hang out!! 2014 is going to be an AWESOME year for Exile!
Peace and Love,
~R
That is the first thing that I want to say about this week at Exile, and I will certainly go into detail, because I am soooooo proud of all of our staff!! And I am sooooo happy that so many of our VIPs came over this week to hang out with us!!
Not once, but TWO times this week, we hit traffic records! First on Wednesday, and then again on Saturday! Saturday's traffic put us close to a few other clubs that have memberships double to triple that of ours. By close, I mean, within 2,000. What an awesome achievement! Also, we have surpassed 400 members in the Exile main group. Woohoo!!
Saturday night at Exile started out on a rocky note - DJ Jynxxie wasn't able to make her shift, and had left me an offline about it. I got in touch with her host, Spydie, and he talked to DJ Daz, who came in and covered Jynxxie's set. She had an amazing number of people at her set when Master and I came in around 7pm slt, and everyone was having a great time at the Sock Hop.
I had gotten some offline notices regarding our iShout stream - the US Servers had gone down, and so I ran over to rent a EU stream so that I could DJ for Naked Night. After Daz finished DJing, Master had to load the new stream info into the board, so Naked Night was a few minutes late getting started. Meanwhile, people were POURING into Exile - it was like a bus had pulled up outside and was letting people off! When Naked Saturday started, there were 26 people at the club!! Everything was going great, and I was about 10 songs in .... and my internet went down. GAH! Master IM'd Daz, who still had her SAM up, and she took over my set for me. I was able to get back online with my phone, and so I was still able to be there. About 10pm slt, my net was back up again, so I got to DJ the last hour of Naked Night, heh. When it ended at 11pm slt, we still had about 10 people in the club, but they were tapering off. The funny bit about that was, that my internet apparently wasn't ALL the way up, because I couldn't DJ and be on SL at the same time. So, I was on Skype with my phone, and had my stream going, and Master proclaimed it to be "Remote Requests, Exile Style", and he was relaying requests to me via Skype, on my phone. Ha! No one can ever say I am not a devoted DJ! Our traffic for the night ended up being over 9,000 - a new record for the club!
To all of our staff -- I am SO impressed with the way that you handle yourselves, and the way that you all work together to make sure that events get covered with as little stress as possible. Thank you SO much for making Exile such a wonderful place for our patrons to come and hang out!! 2014 is going to be an AWESOME year for Exile!
Peace and Love,
~R
Friday, January 10, 2014
We Got the Right Stuff ... Baby ...
That's right, we got it going on!
What an awesome week at Exile! Traffic has been awesome, we've had DJ's charting on the SHX Top 40 left and right, and tons of new members and staff!
It just reinforces my belief that 2014 is going to be a great year!
Now .. if I could just get over the flu. Sorry about the short post but I need to get back under my blankets again.
~R
What an awesome week at Exile! Traffic has been awesome, we've had DJ's charting on the SHX Top 40 left and right, and tons of new members and staff!
It just reinforces my belief that 2014 is going to be a great year!
Now .. if I could just get over the flu. Sorry about the short post but I need to get back under my blankets again.
~R
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Saturday, Snow, and California Dreamin'
Wow, what a night!!
The night started, in SL, with DJ Jynxx's set - "Freak Night". The idea was to have people dress up in freaky outfits to party, and some did, but a lot of people just came as they were, and partied down that way, which is totally cool with us! We've always said that no one has to dress up to be included in an Exile event! She was streaming some awesome music, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Of course, she made the SHX Top 40 List, as Master had the night before. I did as well, but he managed to unseat me, heh.
Next up was Naked Saturday, which is always a blast. It started off with a bang, because the majority of people who had been at Jynxx's event decided to stick around as well as all of the regulars coming in on top of that. We've got a second Aussie on staff now, and she was there, which was a blast! I can see a little friendly rivalry possibly forming with her and Master, since they are from "rival cities". (I don't want to give away RL locations here.) Actually, we have quite a few new staff members, and let me take this time to welcome them to the family!! Yay for new staff members!!
I charted on the SHX again, which is cool! Master told me what number last night, but I can't remember, heh. I'm just generally pleased to make it on, no matter where I place. Its a true reflection on how much the people at my events are enjoying my music (the same for most other DJs, I assume) and it makes me feel really good to see my name pop up there with so many other talented DJs from SL. And, I can say, at least we are doing it the honest way, not by having someone come in on multiple avs, to vote up the songs and rank the DJs higher. :)
I had to leave right after my set to head to RL work. What a night there! The temperatures had really dropped, and the wind was howling like a pack of rabid dogs, and the snow was coming down fast and furious. Of course, I am driving around in all of this, with my windows down. I decided really quickly that there would only be one window down tonight, even though the papers were small enough that I could have thrown out both. First stop was Quik Trip, with 100 papers ready to go in, but we couldn't place them, as there had been an armed robbery!! Thankfully, everyone was fine, no one was injured at all. Remind me to hug Paula tonight and tell her that I am glad she is alright! So those 100 papers went into the back, and we went to grab the rest of route one. That route went off without a hitch, though the going was slow, and we did slide a few times. Route two was a little different, as there are lots of inclines and twisty turns and curves, so the going was slower still. We did actually get stuck once, but managed to push ourselves free, and kept going. By the time we got home, it was 8am.
On a side note, we keep finding bones that Loki procured outside, and brought in, and hid. (Most of them in plain sight.)
And that's my blog for today. I am going to spend the rest of my evening curled up under blankets, with some hot chamomile tea, talking to Master on Skype, and finishing the hat I started crocheting for my Mom at her request. Its a soft baby blue, to match her eyes, and its going to have a matching scarf to go with it.
BTW, she loved the blanket I made for her. I got to give it to her on Christmas Day, when she was in hospital, but she really didn't see it until a few days later, when she was feeling a bit better.
Peace and Warm Blankets for All,
~R
The night started, in SL, with DJ Jynxx's set - "Freak Night". The idea was to have people dress up in freaky outfits to party, and some did, but a lot of people just came as they were, and partied down that way, which is totally cool with us! We've always said that no one has to dress up to be included in an Exile event! She was streaming some awesome music, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Of course, she made the SHX Top 40 List, as Master had the night before. I did as well, but he managed to unseat me, heh.
Next up was Naked Saturday, which is always a blast. It started off with a bang, because the majority of people who had been at Jynxx's event decided to stick around as well as all of the regulars coming in on top of that. We've got a second Aussie on staff now, and she was there, which was a blast! I can see a little friendly rivalry possibly forming with her and Master, since they are from "rival cities". (I don't want to give away RL locations here.) Actually, we have quite a few new staff members, and let me take this time to welcome them to the family!! Yay for new staff members!!
I charted on the SHX again, which is cool! Master told me what number last night, but I can't remember, heh. I'm just generally pleased to make it on, no matter where I place. Its a true reflection on how much the people at my events are enjoying my music (the same for most other DJs, I assume) and it makes me feel really good to see my name pop up there with so many other talented DJs from SL. And, I can say, at least we are doing it the honest way, not by having someone come in on multiple avs, to vote up the songs and rank the DJs higher. :)
I had to leave right after my set to head to RL work. What a night there! The temperatures had really dropped, and the wind was howling like a pack of rabid dogs, and the snow was coming down fast and furious. Of course, I am driving around in all of this, with my windows down. I decided really quickly that there would only be one window down tonight, even though the papers were small enough that I could have thrown out both. First stop was Quik Trip, with 100 papers ready to go in, but we couldn't place them, as there had been an armed robbery!! Thankfully, everyone was fine, no one was injured at all. Remind me to hug Paula tonight and tell her that I am glad she is alright! So those 100 papers went into the back, and we went to grab the rest of route one. That route went off without a hitch, though the going was slow, and we did slide a few times. Route two was a little different, as there are lots of inclines and twisty turns and curves, so the going was slower still. We did actually get stuck once, but managed to push ourselves free, and kept going. By the time we got home, it was 8am.
 |
| Jan 4-5, 2014 |
When we got home, we went into panic mode. As we pulled into the driveway, I noticed that the front door was standing open. Initial reaction was to think we had been robbed again, and secondary reaction was to freak out, wondering where the dogs were! We both jumped out of the car and ran through the deep snow and into the house ... to find more deep snow. On the hardwood floors. And a wet couch, and other things. Everything was still exactly as we had left it, so we started calling the dogs. They came trotting out of the back of the house, where they had gone to try to stay warm. Achilles was a bit damp, but nothing horrible. Poor Loki, however, had apparently had a field-day in the snow outside, because he was wet and his fur had chunks of ice in it. All else was forgotten as we took towels to them, and the hairdryer to the little white Yeti that was once my little white fluffy baby. Next, we shoveled the snow out of the living room, and figured out what had happened with the door. The locking mechanism had jammed inside the door instead of securing, and so the wind had blown the door open, probably right after we left for work.
On a side note, we keep finding bones that Loki procured outside, and brought in, and hid. (Most of them in plain sight.)
And that's my blog for today. I am going to spend the rest of my evening curled up under blankets, with some hot chamomile tea, talking to Master on Skype, and finishing the hat I started crocheting for my Mom at her request. Its a soft baby blue, to match her eyes, and its going to have a matching scarf to go with it.
BTW, she loved the blanket I made for her. I got to give it to her on Christmas Day, when she was in hospital, but she really didn't see it until a few days later, when she was feeling a bit better.
Peace and Warm Blankets for All,
~R
Saturday, January 4, 2014
And Here We Go ... Again.
“Circumstances are beyond human control, but our conduct is in our own power.”
― Benjamin Disraeli
Let me first say that I have been dealing with some heavy shit in RL since Christmas Eve. My Mother has been in hospital, my housemate and I have the flu, and now his Father has passed away last night.
So, the last thing I wanted to hear, yesterday, was, "Have you seen Frenzy's blog today?" I just facepalmed mentally, and thought, what now?? They haven't worked at Exile for weeks, things have been so quiet, and drama-free at Exile since their departure. So I wandered off to have a look.
There was a bit about how supposedly, two of our staff members, who were working at Fitch's club, had "stolen" an event from them for Exile. Let me address that first. The idea for that event had been presented at our staff meeting. It had been on our calendar for well over a week. Secondly, Crystal Rose is hardly the first club to use an event titled "Naked Furrsday" in reference to furries and nekos, which is something Frenzy even says in her blog. Kudos for that bit of truth. I think its much more likely that two people had the same idea separately, at around the same time. It doesn't mean that anyone stole anything from anyone else. And it certainly wasn't intentional on our part. That said, are we going to change it? Probably not.
But ... while we're on the topic of "stealing" from places ... How about the event "Time Warp", or the use of the slogan - "Accept No Imitations" - which was Exile's slogan for well over a year now? How about your Cyber Monday event, which started out as a Cyber Saturday at Exile? How about the mass teleporting of Exile VIPs to Crystal Rose events, including ones who were actively participating in an Exile event at the time? How about going after Exile staff to work at the glass house?
Seems a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, if you ask me, to use an old expression.
You want to talk about loyalty, and how those two staff members had none? Perhaps you should take a long, hard look in the mirror - and your lovely "Miss" as well. (Or is that Sir?)
Not to mention ... I really don't understand why Jynxx and I were mentioned in this blog, or today's blog, for that matter, on my part. There's no reason for you to be bringing us up. You haven't said two words to me since you left, nor I to you. There's no interaction between our venues. And, since all of you took off, Exile has been stress-free and drama-free. No one feels as though they have to walk around on eggshells anymore. Stop bringing us up. Stop trying to stir drama! It really is painful to watch. Quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it. Keep whatever happens in your glass house, in your glass house, and let that be that. If I have a need or want to look for some tomatoes or cucumbers, then I'll look you up, but really, don't count on that any time soon.
Also, if those two staff members in question have something going on - its no business of yours. Its no business of mine, or anyone elses, especially to "call them out" on it. Mind your own business for a change.
Maybe I am being snarky - I probably am. As I said, I've had a rough time lately. But, we've got enough going on at OUR place, with OUR staff, and OUR patrons and friends, that we don't have time (or the want!) to be bothered with what is going on at yours. If you want to pick fights and belittle people and etc, that is completely your business. If you want to post about it on your blog, again, completely your business. All I am asking is - leave me and mine out of it. We've got nothing to do with anything that goes on over there, nor do we want to.
There's an old saying about people in glass houses not throwing stones... Might be good for you to have a read and contemplate the meaning.
BTW ... sincerely shaking my head at all of the alts that you refer to as if they are separate people. Tooo cute. Maybe someday, you will figure it all out. Its also funny to see how you talk about the events being "busy" or "packed" ... and to know its really just one person on 6 different avs.
~R
― Benjamin Disraeli
Let me first say that I have been dealing with some heavy shit in RL since Christmas Eve. My Mother has been in hospital, my housemate and I have the flu, and now his Father has passed away last night.
So, the last thing I wanted to hear, yesterday, was, "Have you seen Frenzy's blog today?" I just facepalmed mentally, and thought, what now?? They haven't worked at Exile for weeks, things have been so quiet, and drama-free at Exile since their departure. So I wandered off to have a look.
There was a bit about how supposedly, two of our staff members, who were working at Fitch's club, had "stolen" an event from them for Exile. Let me address that first. The idea for that event had been presented at our staff meeting. It had been on our calendar for well over a week. Secondly, Crystal Rose is hardly the first club to use an event titled "Naked Furrsday" in reference to furries and nekos, which is something Frenzy even says in her blog. Kudos for that bit of truth. I think its much more likely that two people had the same idea separately, at around the same time. It doesn't mean that anyone stole anything from anyone else. And it certainly wasn't intentional on our part. That said, are we going to change it? Probably not.
But ... while we're on the topic of "stealing" from places ... How about the event "Time Warp", or the use of the slogan - "Accept No Imitations" - which was Exile's slogan for well over a year now? How about your Cyber Monday event, which started out as a Cyber Saturday at Exile? How about the mass teleporting of Exile VIPs to Crystal Rose events, including ones who were actively participating in an Exile event at the time? How about going after Exile staff to work at the glass house?
Seems a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, if you ask me, to use an old expression.
You want to talk about loyalty, and how those two staff members had none? Perhaps you should take a long, hard look in the mirror - and your lovely "Miss" as well. (Or is that Sir?)
Not to mention ... I really don't understand why Jynxx and I were mentioned in this blog, or today's blog, for that matter, on my part. There's no reason for you to be bringing us up. You haven't said two words to me since you left, nor I to you. There's no interaction between our venues. And, since all of you took off, Exile has been stress-free and drama-free. No one feels as though they have to walk around on eggshells anymore. Stop bringing us up. Stop trying to stir drama! It really is painful to watch. Quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it. Keep whatever happens in your glass house, in your glass house, and let that be that. If I have a need or want to look for some tomatoes or cucumbers, then I'll look you up, but really, don't count on that any time soon.
Also, if those two staff members in question have something going on - its no business of yours. Its no business of mine, or anyone elses, especially to "call them out" on it. Mind your own business for a change.
Maybe I am being snarky - I probably am. As I said, I've had a rough time lately. But, we've got enough going on at OUR place, with OUR staff, and OUR patrons and friends, that we don't have time (or the want!) to be bothered with what is going on at yours. If you want to pick fights and belittle people and etc, that is completely your business. If you want to post about it on your blog, again, completely your business. All I am asking is - leave me and mine out of it. We've got nothing to do with anything that goes on over there, nor do we want to.
There's an old saying about people in glass houses not throwing stones... Might be good for you to have a read and contemplate the meaning.
BTW ... sincerely shaking my head at all of the alts that you refer to as if they are separate people. Tooo cute. Maybe someday, you will figure it all out. Its also funny to see how you talk about the events being "busy" or "packed" ... and to know its really just one person on 6 different avs.
~R
Friday, January 3, 2014
Thoughts for 2014
I found this online, and thought, wow, how cool is this? Things I really need to remember each and every day. :)
Time is the only currency that matters. Money comes and goes. Attention comes and goes. Love comes and goes. Time is the only thing you can never, ever recover. Once it's gone, it's gone. Be aware of who and what you spend your time on, including the time you spend regretting spending time on shit.
Quit beating up on yourself. The entire world is lined up and ready to remind you why you're not as good as they are. Someone needs to be on your team. Start by recruiting yourself. Be your own biggest cheerleader. Don't stand on your own sidelines wearing the opponent's uniform.
The best way to learn how not to beat up on yourself is to literally change your language about yourself. If you find yourself insulting yourself, your looks, your thoughts, your ambitions, and your feelings, literally say aloud the words "No. What I mean to say is," and change whatever you just said into something honest but not insulting. Even if you're in a room by yourself, and you think the insult, say it aloud. This one tool will change everything about how you feel about yourself. And the worst possible thing you could do to help yourself grow is to "feel stupid" doing it, so you don't do it. Get over that, do this work, and in as soon as a month, you'll find yourself thinking more highly of you. In a year? Even moreso.
Love is a verb. You give love. You are loved. If you "have" love, you're neither giving it nor receiving it. It is a dead thing, nonmoving and not living. Quit hoarding and holding on to love, or even thinking you can.
Love and Respect are two things that, when you give them away, you don't lose any of what you had. You simply replicate what you have and give it to someone else. The effect should multiply. If it doesn't, you're wasting your time.
When you find you've been wasting your time, stop. I mean, you're free to keep on wasting it. No one is going to stop you. But remember, the SECOND you realize the truth, it's YOUR decision what to do with it. Everything, including ignoring it, is your responsibility.
Take responsibility for anything you've done. Never hide from it. Everyone already knows the truth anyway, and trying to make up a story about why it's not your fault simply makes you less trustworthy in the future.
Trust is not hoping the other person does things right. It's giving them permission to fuck it up and seeing how they handle it. If you ever find yourself trusting someone "to do it right" you're not trusting, you're gambling. And that's fine too, just know the difference.
The best way to figure out if you can trust someone is to trust them.
People WILL disappoint you. It's inevitable. We all hold everyone in the world to a standard, and eventually they will fall short of that standard. When they do, remember, they fell short of YOUR standard, not their own. You own that, not them. They own their actions, you own your expectations. Proceed accordingly.
Forgiveness has NOTHING to do with what the other person did or will do, and everything to do with releasing them from the prison of your hatred and anger. If they're not living in your prison, you don't have to feed and shelter them anymore. Prisoners have a cost. Whatever you're paying to keep them, you're not spending on yourself or anyone else in your life. Decide how much someone who completely fucked you over is worth and spend appropriately.
Cheer when you win. Goals are fun, and achieving them should be a victory every single time. Celebrate every single one.
Anyone who isn't cheering when you celebrate a victory isn't on your team. Fuck em.
If you want to achieve more goals, allow yourself to shift them as you yourself change. If your goal is to lose 30 pounds, and you begin working out and you lose a bunch of fat and look fantastic and feel great and only lost 20 pounds, allow the goal to change.
The world is a great place. In order to experience it, you must open yourself up to the possibility that you may get hurt. But then again, you may not.
It's just STUFF. Everything you have, everything you own, everything you've collected, everything you've bought or been given, no matter how much it means to you, is JUST STUFF. You will adjust to losing any or all of it, and almost always for the better.
If you woke up this morning and had a hot shower, you've had a terrific day.
People change. Trying to stop that is like trying to staple waves to the beach.
Suppressing feelings is the best way to make sure they show up again at the worst possible moment and fuck your shit up, bad. Feel what you feel, and never ever apologize for it.
No matter how strong you are, at some point in your life, you're going to have to ask someone for help. Learn to do it sooner rather than later, and you'll spare yourself years of agony borne of thinking you're some sort of invincible Superman, but wondering why all these bullets keep hurting. You're not. No one is. Wake up.
Ask for what you want. You'll get it, one way or another.
Courage is not the absence of fear, doubt, or anxiety. It's facing that stuff and seeing the truth beyond it. Anyone who ever tells you they're not afraid is lying.
Strength is not the ability to withstand anything, it's the ability to recover from anything. It takes no effort for a strong man to wether a storm he can handle. It takes a tremendous effort to admit there's a storm that can beat and break you, standing up, and deciding to rebuild.
Fitness, losing weight, diet and happiness are four corners of the same parallelogram. I've been involved in some form of exercise for most of my life. My weight has fluctuated greatly as an adult, losing lots of weight only to put it back on. This year, I lost nearly 70 pounds and kept it off. Not because of CrossFit and not because of the Paleo diet (both of which I do), but because CrossFit and the Paleo diet work in conjunction with one another to make me happy. I found an activity I love, that fills me with desire to perform, to the point that I found myself changing my diet, sleep schedule and activity schedule to best fit this new lifestyle. You can try any activity you want, and you may get fit or you may lose weight, but until you find one (or several) that fill you with happiness and joy simply for doing them, you will struggle with the weight loss and the fitness, just as you will struggle trying to push two same-pole magnets together. You can do it, but there's resistance, and eventually fatigue sets in and you let go and the ends push apart. It's just how it is.
The most useful application of remembering the past is making sure you do not repeat it. Always remember it, and never dwell on it.
They're not strangers once you get to know them. Best way to make that happen is to talk to them.
You can tell someone the truth without being a dick. "I'm just being honest" or "I don't mean to be blunt" or "Not to sound rude, but" are simply shorthand for "I'm incapable of actually communicating with anyone without somehow trying to make myself sound and feel superior."
If you want to be honest about how you feel about stuff, start with telling yourself the truth about it.
Journal every day. You need some things to be yours and yours alone. That's the perfect place to keep them.
If you don't keep some things for yourself, you'll be empty.
Everything ends. Experiences, relationships, even life. The trick is not to be so intensely aware of how great something is that you know you'll miss it when it's gone. The trick is to accept that it WILL be gone, one day, somehow, and to let go and enjoy it while it's here.
You are the accumulation of every experience you've ever had. To try to pretend something didn't happen, or to cover it up, or to otherwise hide from it is to hide from yourself. You will lose that game. Every single time.
You are also the common denominator in every experience you've ever had. If you've noticed a pattern where things just keep not working out for you, you need to realize that, in at least some regard, you're part of that pattern.
If you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done.
Joy is a feeling. Happiness is a state. You can be happy in moments you're not feeling joy, and you can feel joy in moments where you're not actually happy. Don't confuse the two.
Time is the only currency that matters. Money comes and goes. Attention comes and goes. Love comes and goes. Time is the only thing you can never, ever recover. Once it's gone, it's gone. Be aware of who and what you spend your time on, including the time you spend regretting spending time on shit.
Quit beating up on yourself. The entire world is lined up and ready to remind you why you're not as good as they are. Someone needs to be on your team. Start by recruiting yourself. Be your own biggest cheerleader. Don't stand on your own sidelines wearing the opponent's uniform.
The best way to learn how not to beat up on yourself is to literally change your language about yourself. If you find yourself insulting yourself, your looks, your thoughts, your ambitions, and your feelings, literally say aloud the words "No. What I mean to say is," and change whatever you just said into something honest but not insulting. Even if you're in a room by yourself, and you think the insult, say it aloud. This one tool will change everything about how you feel about yourself. And the worst possible thing you could do to help yourself grow is to "feel stupid" doing it, so you don't do it. Get over that, do this work, and in as soon as a month, you'll find yourself thinking more highly of you. In a year? Even moreso.
Love is a verb. You give love. You are loved. If you "have" love, you're neither giving it nor receiving it. It is a dead thing, nonmoving and not living. Quit hoarding and holding on to love, or even thinking you can.
Love and Respect are two things that, when you give them away, you don't lose any of what you had. You simply replicate what you have and give it to someone else. The effect should multiply. If it doesn't, you're wasting your time.
When you find you've been wasting your time, stop. I mean, you're free to keep on wasting it. No one is going to stop you. But remember, the SECOND you realize the truth, it's YOUR decision what to do with it. Everything, including ignoring it, is your responsibility.
Take responsibility for anything you've done. Never hide from it. Everyone already knows the truth anyway, and trying to make up a story about why it's not your fault simply makes you less trustworthy in the future.
Trust is not hoping the other person does things right. It's giving them permission to fuck it up and seeing how they handle it. If you ever find yourself trusting someone "to do it right" you're not trusting, you're gambling. And that's fine too, just know the difference.
The best way to figure out if you can trust someone is to trust them.
People WILL disappoint you. It's inevitable. We all hold everyone in the world to a standard, and eventually they will fall short of that standard. When they do, remember, they fell short of YOUR standard, not their own. You own that, not them. They own their actions, you own your expectations. Proceed accordingly.
Forgiveness has NOTHING to do with what the other person did or will do, and everything to do with releasing them from the prison of your hatred and anger. If they're not living in your prison, you don't have to feed and shelter them anymore. Prisoners have a cost. Whatever you're paying to keep them, you're not spending on yourself or anyone else in your life. Decide how much someone who completely fucked you over is worth and spend appropriately.
Cheer when you win. Goals are fun, and achieving them should be a victory every single time. Celebrate every single one.
Anyone who isn't cheering when you celebrate a victory isn't on your team. Fuck em.
If you want to achieve more goals, allow yourself to shift them as you yourself change. If your goal is to lose 30 pounds, and you begin working out and you lose a bunch of fat and look fantastic and feel great and only lost 20 pounds, allow the goal to change.
The world is a great place. In order to experience it, you must open yourself up to the possibility that you may get hurt. But then again, you may not.
It's just STUFF. Everything you have, everything you own, everything you've collected, everything you've bought or been given, no matter how much it means to you, is JUST STUFF. You will adjust to losing any or all of it, and almost always for the better.
If you woke up this morning and had a hot shower, you've had a terrific day.
People change. Trying to stop that is like trying to staple waves to the beach.
Suppressing feelings is the best way to make sure they show up again at the worst possible moment and fuck your shit up, bad. Feel what you feel, and never ever apologize for it.
No matter how strong you are, at some point in your life, you're going to have to ask someone for help. Learn to do it sooner rather than later, and you'll spare yourself years of agony borne of thinking you're some sort of invincible Superman, but wondering why all these bullets keep hurting. You're not. No one is. Wake up.
Ask for what you want. You'll get it, one way or another.
Courage is not the absence of fear, doubt, or anxiety. It's facing that stuff and seeing the truth beyond it. Anyone who ever tells you they're not afraid is lying.
Strength is not the ability to withstand anything, it's the ability to recover from anything. It takes no effort for a strong man to wether a storm he can handle. It takes a tremendous effort to admit there's a storm that can beat and break you, standing up, and deciding to rebuild.
Fitness, losing weight, diet and happiness are four corners of the same parallelogram. I've been involved in some form of exercise for most of my life. My weight has fluctuated greatly as an adult, losing lots of weight only to put it back on. This year, I lost nearly 70 pounds and kept it off. Not because of CrossFit and not because of the Paleo diet (both of which I do), but because CrossFit and the Paleo diet work in conjunction with one another to make me happy. I found an activity I love, that fills me with desire to perform, to the point that I found myself changing my diet, sleep schedule and activity schedule to best fit this new lifestyle. You can try any activity you want, and you may get fit or you may lose weight, but until you find one (or several) that fill you with happiness and joy simply for doing them, you will struggle with the weight loss and the fitness, just as you will struggle trying to push two same-pole magnets together. You can do it, but there's resistance, and eventually fatigue sets in and you let go and the ends push apart. It's just how it is.
The most useful application of remembering the past is making sure you do not repeat it. Always remember it, and never dwell on it.
They're not strangers once you get to know them. Best way to make that happen is to talk to them.
You can tell someone the truth without being a dick. "I'm just being honest" or "I don't mean to be blunt" or "Not to sound rude, but" are simply shorthand for "I'm incapable of actually communicating with anyone without somehow trying to make myself sound and feel superior."
If you want to be honest about how you feel about stuff, start with telling yourself the truth about it.
Journal every day. You need some things to be yours and yours alone. That's the perfect place to keep them.
If you don't keep some things for yourself, you'll be empty.
Everything ends. Experiences, relationships, even life. The trick is not to be so intensely aware of how great something is that you know you'll miss it when it's gone. The trick is to accept that it WILL be gone, one day, somehow, and to let go and enjoy it while it's here.
You are the accumulation of every experience you've ever had. To try to pretend something didn't happen, or to cover it up, or to otherwise hide from it is to hide from yourself. You will lose that game. Every single time.
You are also the common denominator in every experience you've ever had. If you've noticed a pattern where things just keep not working out for you, you need to realize that, in at least some regard, you're part of that pattern.
If you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done.
Joy is a feeling. Happiness is a state. You can be happy in moments you're not feeling joy, and you can feel joy in moments where you're not actually happy. Don't confuse the two.
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