[Gossamer's Scrapbook] The Ethereal Canyon I

[Tarot]

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/business/a/cell_directory.htm

[Gossamer]

Urban Legend or not... in the USA telemarketers are a huge problem. It's one of the reasons we don't have a home phone number any more (and that most people I know don't). We were getting calls 24/7 from all sorts of businesses. One night, on a Friday, we counted over 34 calls in thirty minutes... so we gave up the home phone after first unplugging it to get some peace and quiet. Ironically, a great deal of them were asking 'Do you want to switch your long distance carrier?'. And, since I called the number and it was a government list - and totally legitimate including an extension to complain about phone embarrassments or to report violators (the www address attached to it is a .gov), it made me feel better to have my number on it. I don't want cell phones to get used anywhere near as often as my home phone was abused. It sucked before. It will suck again if we let it. So while you might think its a hoax or a joke, it really isn't funny to me.

[Tarot]

Point taken. I've lost count of how many times I've been asked if I wanted to take paid computer classes to learn how to use Windows. Mentioning my background did little to deter these folks as "there's always something new to learn!" Only automatic wardialers are worse than that. Do you ever get recorded messages from politicians a few weeks before voting? We do now... and it sucks (though there is a subtle satisfaction to be had from hanging up on people you really can't stand). And we far more parties than just two.

[Gossamer]

. My Absence Recently As some of you may or may not have noticed, I haven't been around as much as I usually have been. I've blogged about this before, but in the pacific northwest august is beautiful and everyone tries to cram a whole lot of work into a short amount of time due to the weather and holidays. I'm looking forward, after looking backwards at a real lapse in activity, and I can't see it getting any better for a while either. I just came off of being sick for well over two weeks, so sick in fact that I didn't even go to work for part of that time. Now that being said, I'm finally kicking the bug and feeling better... but now that I am it's as if its just hit me that August has eight days left and I need to get my ass in gear. This has incited a near panicked state in myself. Why? There's so much stuff left to do! I mean a ton of stuff. It's not even funny. So I thought I'd post a bit about my up and coming schedule so everyone would have an idea of what is going on and why I will continue to be slow posting or sluggish in my responses. And I apologize for that slowness, but truthfully I was too sick to post (or even be out of bed) and now I'm going to be insanely busy. I need to learn to warn people, because the trend for the last five years of playing on PBP's is that I have routinely disappeared for this month! Okay.. here goes. August 25-30 Art Studio Remodel - must be done by Friday (will have pics) Saturday - Anniversary (whoot for 6 years!) - work vacation Sunday - Repaint the Garage and outbuildings - work vacation August 31-Sept 5th Siding Replaced on House - via Contractor Replace Skirting with Decorative Cedar - ourselves Saturday - Work Vacation for Labor Day Sunday - Painting Bedroom Congo Green and Vintage Merlot Sept (second week) Bedroom Remodel - Place in new flooring Repaint Bed & Accent Furniture plus add Wall Details Purchase new Dresser & Paint/Decorate Rewire Dish Service to fit new scheme where TV gets moved across room Sept (third week) Build New Deck - via Contractor Build New Fence Around Grotto - ourselves Decorate Grotto - ourselves Paint all new structures - Deck and Fence (lots of detail/fennel work) Add luminescent lights on Deck Posts Weekend - Work/Rest on Sunday Sept (forth week) New floors in Gillar's Office/Game Room Paint Kitchen Replace Kitchen Flooring with new wood floors Somewhere in there we need carpet for the living room replaced as well. We're on this massive 'redo the floors' campaign because the house we bought about four years ago had pale cream carpet in it. When you have pets and dogs and live in the country tracking in mud, keeping it clean, all of that is near impossible to prevent. So we used my art studio as a test ground to see how easily we could put in flooring and found it was simple as apple pie. Now we got a steal on the flooring and its lovely (I'll show you pics) so its completely affordable (except for the carpet which we haven't dared price and wont until all the rest of the work is done) for us. Now carpet has to be contracted out and should take only a day or so (probably on a thursday sometime) but we need to get the bedroom and office and possibly kitchen done first. Carpet can come later because Gillar wants to build a new Entertainment Center built to match his end tables and decorative couch table he already built for the living room. He's quite handy as you can imagine. But with how this month looks, its going to be screaming crazy to even fit anything else in. Now... on top of that, my work is just starting to rev up for the season. We're unloading halloween, and early thanksgiving/christmas. I'm grabbing one trailer, throwing it in a door, and then another after another after another adnasium. Which means, weekend work, tons of overtime, and a lot of dragging it home exhausted. So I apologize, but the next few weeks (at least four) are going to be rough and tough to get any mod time in at all. In the mornings, I'll be able to answer HD tickets, PMs, and do admin type stuff, but after that its going to be sketchy at best. I promise this is just seasonal, and anyone who's gamed with me for years can vouch for this. I just want everyone to know I'm not ignoring the game or taking a noted disinterest in it. It's not that at all. Oh.. and in case anyone wants to see pics... open the spoiler to see the grotto my husband and I have decided to turn our former 'carport' slated area into. It should be done by the end of september complete with painting, decorating, and a new hot tub. The whole idea is that our property sits on quite a few acres but our house is next to the road in a corner lot. So we get both wind and most of our place is open to the road. Now its not a busy road, but truthfully we have no privacy. So, we have this large carport area that already has nice concrete - all but new in fact. I grow flowers on it and have a picnic table, but rarely do I enjoy hanging out and entertaining there. We wanted a deck on the front of the house like a warm entrance hug and a place we could hang out and greet folks. But we wanted the front door still private so you could walk out the front door and have a ton of privacy for this grotto area which I'm going to fill with plants, comfortable furniture, and decorate basically like a Better Homes and Gardens Floral Patio. Its a lot larger area than it might appear on the floorplan image, so I will have a ton of space to decorate and play exterior designer. Part of it is covered so we can hot tub all seasons in the northwest, and Gillar's all important bbq grill area is also covered (and overlooking our new outdoor space) and hidden from the road so he can go out and grill in his boxers, which is his favorite thing to do. So, what do you think? The Grotto : The entire Grotto area is surrounded by a 6ft tall fence with decorative work on the top of it. The side overlooking the courtyard in front of our barn (left side opposite of house) is going to have a smaller fence about four foot. This is so we can enjoy the view of our yard and horses while we hottub. And where the roof is going to be...

[Malia]

That grotto sounds very beautiful! It's important to have some privacy. We live a few meters away from the street, but I find it uncomfortable too when tractors pass by our garden to get to their fields. They could even look through our windows if they wanted ... which is kind of eerie.

Anyway, my dad loves bbq too. Maybe you should get Gillar one of those cool shirts:



The writing says 'barbeque god' (the cans are beer). I don't know whether you have something like that where you live, but I love the idea!

[Tarot]

I can vouch for all Jen said. She'll be a posting machine after her outdoor madness stint.

How are the kittens? The people want to know!

[Jilitse]

One thing after another! I've heard you talk about the fence and the hot tub and the re-painting jobs for the rooms... but seeing this, wow, it's like a total makeover for your house! We'll be waiting for you Jen. Pics, soon

Reading the words hot tub and grill in the same paragraph sends me fluffy feelings of love and romance. Happy Anniversary in advance!

[Mao]

Baby girl you better be taking more pictures I want to seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. <3333333 Eeee is it weird I'm totally excited for you? I kind of love house renovations.

Pictsharrrrssss. Especially of the studio I want to see pink!

[Gossamer]

. Psycho Newbies - Is It Just Me? Does this sort of behavior strike anyone as absolutely crazy? I saw no purpose for this PM conversation to go the way it went and truth be told I'm reposting it because I wanted to give the general gaming population of Mizahar a general idea of what sort of WTF kind of newbies we've been dealing with lately. I'm busy as hell. Yes. But I'm still answering pms. Generally I answer with a short to the point response in order to maximize my time here. And still.... still.... the odd ones are drawn like moths to the flame. So, without further ado.. I give you my WTF pms. Feel free to comment afterwards. Players name has of course been changed to New Player to preserve his dignity. New Player (Sept 1 8amish) – Hey Gossamer, Sorry to bother but I'm thinking of an avatar for my Drykas character and I thought about Raffaello Balzo until I realized you had used of picture of him in the section about Drykas. Can I or not use him as my avatar then? Thank very much for your help, Talk to you Normal enough, right? Wrong. Just read on. Gossamer (Wednesday 9amish)- It is considered incredibly impolite to use avatars of models or actors or pictures that others have already used. One of my short and to the point responses. I thought I was clear and conveyed the general feeling (and my own) in terms of borrowing images. Besides, not everyone needs to play hot models. There are 6 billion people in the world right? I'm sure you can find someone unique. New Player (Wednesday 9amish)- I guess you're just kidding. Since the picture was used in a general presentation of the race and not in someone's profile, I thought I might be allowed to use it. It's not like I'm stealing someone's identity, is it? Thank you for your help - past and future. WTF? How can this guy think I'm just kidding? Its the first hint that something isn't quite right here. Gossamer (Wednesday 9amish)- Actually I wasn't. And I prefer that you don't use it. I have repeated problems with people using images (some that I've gone to a great deal of trouble to get artist permission from) from the Wiki. There are 6 billion + people in the world. I'm sure you can select another avatar model from among them. Goss Okay, so he needed a more lengthy response. I gave him one. I was clear, concise, and tried to not beat around the bush. Weirdness however, is now forthcoming. Seems my second answer might have ticked him off a bit. New Player (Wed 930ish)- That sounds like a clear answer to me! Thank you for your explanation. I understand now how it can be a trouble for you and won't use it then. Thank you again for having taken the time to answer my request. Hope to get a chance to talk to/RP with you under better circumstances PS: Your first mail sounded kinda aggressive and judgmental. i'm no close to being impolite - i.e. I asked you before doing anything. I'm new here, rules are not completely obvious regarding certain things. As I'm sure you're aware it takes time to adjust to this new (and great) universe. I'm just calling for help, as I'm sure you'd prefer that to a crazy newbie running around doing sh** on this forum I'm not trying to provoke your wrath or anything, just expressing a feeling I had and didn't like - but be sure I don't have any grief, I just tend to think better relationships are built upon honesty. Yup. I bet your a bit surprised too. I was. That was sure out of left field. Gossamer (Thursday 9amish)- Aggressive and Judgmental? You read too much into single lines of text. What I said was a quick answer meant to explain the whole truth. I do not joke with new players. It is considered very bad form and highly rude to borrow avatars that others are already using. What's rude and judgmental about that? “Hope to get a chance to talk to/RP with you under better circumstances ” I have no idea what you mean by this. You just asked me a simple question and I gave you a simple answer. Are these now bad circumstances? I'm a bit... amused by this polite passive aggressiveness on your part now. I'm extremely busy in real life as reflected by my posted schedule. I was simply trying to get your PM answered quickly - I cannot help it if you think I was kidding joking or being rude. I didn't judge you. I didn't think you impolite. I didn't accuse you of anything. I really think you need to get over yourself. I appreciate questions, but we deal with people that don't follow the rules by not allowing them to run around and do 'shit' on the forums as you claim. You are pretty much provoking my WTF response by these PMs. Ask a simple question... you'll get a simple answer. Nothing more nothing less. We're not really pro-drama queens here. That's how your coming across. Gossamer Yea... I was mad. I let him have it. But it gets weirder. I still don't know where I called him impolite. New Player (Thurs 9amish)- Calling me impolite when I'm asking a question is not very nice anyway. I know admin have to deal with all sorts of problems new members can bring and for that I tend to understand your behavior. Not doing a big drama here, just clarifying something. You came across as rude when you answered me. Nothing more. Though I appreciate very much that you answered that quickly. Anyway, as you said, let's not make a big drama. Excuse me for conveying a negative message and for misinterpreting what you were explaining. I truthfully understand your position and your effort. Can you please forgive me? Can we just get a fresh start? Forget what you perceived as drama, I'm not like this. I'm just honest and spontaneous. And I'm here to enjoy myself, just like you I'm sure. Excuse me again. And THANK YOU! Rude? You all know me. I'm about to get extremely rude just to demonstrate the difference. Gossamer (Thurs 11amish)- “Calling me impolite when I'm asking a question is not very nice anyway. “ Read my pms carefully please. Never once did I call you impolite. Again, get over yourself. Okay, so I was busy and tired. I should have flamed. Instead I just sent a weenie "you annoy me" type pm. New Player (Thurs 11amish)- Gossamer, please, I think I wrote you a quite nice MP, apologizing to you for everything I said or did wrong. I don't want to argue eternally. I think we both can accept that interpretation of electronic messages is blurred and that I could misunderstand what you told me as you misunderstood my point. I don't care who's right or wrong, really. But I want to respect you as a person and as this forum's authority. I'm not trying to confront you or anything. So again, excuse me. I just want a fresh start and that we can forget about this little "argument" - that my misinterpretation probably provoked in the first place. Do you forgive me? Do you accept that I can make mistakes but apologize for them and deserve that you forgive me? Don't you wish you can just lean over someone's shoulder and say 'Stop typing. Just stop typing now before you make it worse." It's the equivalent of 'Shut your mouth before you really say something stupid. You're about past the point of no return." Gossamer (Friday 1amish)- I doubt I misinterpreted anything you said. You stated yourself clearly and I took offense. Also, Cyphrus Striders do not come in black. Here's the wiki excerpt. Cyphrus Strider Size: 14hh to 16hh Color: Buckskin, Dun, Claybank, Palomino - Often with Dorsal Stripe, Stripping or Solid Black on Legs, and Multicolored Mane and Tail. Can be pinto. Purpose: Riding Location: Cyphrus Region, Rare but possible to find outside Cyphrus though usually of lower quality or confirmationaly inferior. Value: 150 gm. Special Abilities: While on Cyphrus' grasslands, Striders can travel at twice the normal speed of an average horse - reaching speeds easily in excess of 60 mph. This ability is only available to purebreds while in Cyphrus' territory, and often the horses will only gallop fast for those of the Drykas bloodlines or for those which the horses have been gifted to by the Cyphrus Horseclans. These horses often 'pick' their own riders and will rarely accept a rider forced upon them. They rarely wear full tack, only yvas, and can sometimes be luminescent in the dark. The horse you show images of is more of a Nightwalker which you cannot start out with unless you get special permission. They are too expensive for the starting package. Goss There, I redirected his angst towards something else. He seemed unphased by it though and just wanted to bitch some more. Anyone ever see someone fall all over themselves to apologize about something but its not sincere because just prior to that apology they get super critical? Yea... this is about every one of these PMs with this guy. You can't help but think the apology isn't a true sorrow at actions done but rather a way to feel superior by 'I'm the big one. I apologized. They did not. They are small minded." being some sort of apologetic sacrificial lamb? It means nothing if its not sincere. I sensed no sincerity here. New player (Friday 4amish)r- I thought I had read something about the Cyphrus Strider but couldn't find it again... Thanks for the tip, I'll change that! And I'm surprised how you were able to call me a drama queen when you can't even accept an excuse and admit you misinterpreted something. Because you are misinterpreting what I said obviously... I never insulted you, or judged you... I just told you your way of answering me offended me in a way... I don't see how that's offensive. Frankly Gossamer, double standards is not the best way. Why can't you get passed this pride and simply accept my words for what they are and my apologies? I'm not even asking for an apology on your part. So I'll repeat it one last time - it's getting humiliating after that - I'm sorry I reacted this way to a simple piece of advice. I apologize for misinterpreting and offending you. Thank you again for your help too, and your patience. Friendly, Newplayer So at this point... if I write back, it just feeds the fire. The guy really is beyond my ability to care about him. He posted his character sheet, and seems to have a hot enough avatar in place (I knew he could do it... 6 billion people.. one outta fit his character concept. So... in conclusion people... this is what I have to deal with. Any advice, suggestions, or comments welcome. I'm frustrated at this point and not too respectful of coddling innocent fragile youth if this is what this one needs. So if someone else wants to talk to him for me... that'd be great. I'll point you in the right direction. Goss .

[Malia]

From reading this, I'm kind of eager to help you just to get a good laugh out of such conversations. But I understand that doing this on a daily basis isn't as funny anymore.

I'm actually surprised you kept answering him. I think I would have stopped the conversation earlier. It seems like he couldn't clearly admit that he has done something wrong. So he tried to make you the scapegoat by forcing you to react to his apology (which, of course, is a bad way of dealing with a 'no' answer). I know it's just who you are - being honest and precise has top priority. But I believe that when dealing with such people you just answer their question, point out their mistakes and let them fix it. If they don't, tell them again or ban them. If they do, fine. You don't have to answer to their replies, because they have what they want and you know that they obey the rules of the game. End of story. That's how I'd do it, although I can imagine that dealing with so many newbies like him must be very frustrating.