Beth Macbain

Let the record show that I have never once ever spoken to or followed around any Mole or Linden, including @Quartz Mole, while they are working other than for actual honest houseboat issues that I went through proper channels and opened a case for that resulted in Quartz landing on my boat to fix a thing. As a matter of fact, my only communication with him is really right here on these forums, and let's be honest, he's just humoring me because he's a nice human being. 😋

The great big one in the middle that isn't finished yet. It's only like a half lake right now. I live on the little outcropping right beneath the lighthouse that only has three houseboats right now.

My experience with Blender, as told through my thoughts... I want to make all the things. Imma download this thing and make all the things. Beth, you're a pretty smart chick... should be easy for you. Why am I talking to myself in the 2nd person. I'm right here and I'm literally me. Anyway... download, download, download... install... accept... awesome, let's do this! ... What is this? What is happening here? Why did it do that thing? Crap. Crap, crap, crap. Okay, yeah... regroup. TUTORIALS! I'm sure there are some really awesome tutorials that'll walk me right through this. You're great at the self-learning thing, Beth. You got this. Why am I talking to myself in the 2nd person again? Am I going nuts? Hahhahahahahahahahahahaha... I went completely bonkers ages ago! Oh tutorials, right. Got it. YouTube.com, search, Blender for beginners... WOOT! Alrighty! Watches 2 minutes of tutorial. Okay, that's enough! Time to try again! ... What is this? What is happening here? Why did it do that thing? THE TUTORIAL DID NOT PREPARE FOR THIS AND I HAVE NO #($(&%%)*% IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. More cussing. Slapping some keys. Try to watch tutorial again. Try to get past the first step again. Close Blender, uninstalls Blender. Welp, time to top up my Lindens...

I wouldn't. I would be furious if the process from day one had been first come, first serve and then suddenly I was in the back of the line instead of having the same chance as anyone else to hit the button and grab one. I would be livid. And if I'd signed up on a list in the first couple of minutes of it opening up, and then found out it was randomized and I was at the bottom, I would lose my ever-loving mind. Of course, many say I already have. I'm sure I'm going to get frustrated when the trailers are released and I'm not able to get one. One thing I'm not going to do is smash my keyboard over and over and over and over all day every day for hours on end with my blood pressure rising incrementally with each press of that poor little F5 key. That's a choice people make to do, but it wouldn't be my choice. AND I REALLY WANT A TRAILER!

I think, and I could be wrong on this, that when the terraforming piece is happening they keep the access closed. I don't have a map in front of me, but I know that the regions that are being worked on around the northeast side of Quartz Lake (I'm calling it that and nobody can't stop me!) were closed while @Abnor Mole was working on them before the most recent brouhaha. I sailed right into the invisible brick wall. I think it's just maybe easier to do that way instead of having a bunch of residents standing on it bouncing around like they're in a bouncy house. That might be entertaining for the Moles to watch, but probably doesn't help with productivity. 😋

This may or may not be getting framed and hung on my wall.

In case anyone was wondering what happens at private Mole parties...

Also, I believe the entire process will get faster and faster as they get used to doing it more. I don't want them cloning any regions, but I do believe a sort of assembly line thingie is going to naturally fall into place and production will increase. The last thing they want is for a lot of people to lose interest quickly because they can't get in. Maybe they should have waited until they had 10,000 ready to go instead of 3,000? Perhaps... perhaps not. It's given them the freedom to catch bugs that can only be found by incompetent residents (i.e. ME) breaking things in ways they never imagined them to be broken. Much easier to get those fixed and out of the way with 3,000 homes then 10,000... or 30,000! And to do it on a schedule that is comfortable for them, not the demands of 30,000 angry residents demanding action immediately.

It was like the fourth hit on a search of "animals dancing gif"... lol! But thank you! ❤️

The rumors are already flying. I'm just bringing them out in the open instead of behind closed doors. I find that's the best way to deal with these types of things and to make sure everything doesn't fall victim to the "telephone game" and get twisted in each retelling of the rumor. Because it wasn't conveyed that tip jars are allowed on the Fairgrounds for community events, the perception is that there was special treatment given. That doesn't mean it's the reality, so isn't it better to bring that out in the open so there can be clarification for everyone to see?

Not the event, the exception to the covenant regarding the use of tip jars.

The big deal is that if something is sanctioned, that should be made public for everyone to know, not a chosen few. I'm not in any way, shape, or form saying that it shouldn't have been sanctioned. I'm still of mixed opinion on that, and it's a decision for the Lindens to make anyway. My issue, if we really want to go there, is special favors being given to certain groups and not every single resident of Bellisseria. Perhaps that should be in a separate thread, though, as DJs are only a part of that discussion.

Sorry! I'm... you know... me... lol!

Wouldn't it be cool if, perhaps, at some point in the not-so-distant future, we could have a Mole Appreciation Party? Just sit them all in chairs and let everyone come and gush over them for an hour or so? A free-for-all mole love-fest. 😊 Not THAT kind of love-fest, you filthy people... or it could be, I suppose... whatever works!

Thank you, Gingir! This is all new to all of us, and we have a very unique (and amazing) community. All of these things will get ironed out, I'm sure!

Stop that! I'm not supposed to like you, remember? (That's hilarious, btw... have an olive branch.)

It's Sunday and I'm sure Patch has other things to do than check the forums today. The questions regarding this are here now and I'm confident he'll be around tomorrow to give us an answer, or let us know this is under discussion. Can we please not turn this into a poo-fest that a Linden has to come in and put a stop to on a Sunday? Please? Pretty please?

REALLY happy I didn't see this before it was closed, and I guess deleted, because I don't see it now. I would have likely had an aneurysm. Honestly, I think it's probably a good idea that they close the regions off while they're working. We can still watch them from outside the area but it would keep people from getting all up in their business while they're working. My biggest fear is that the atrocious behavior of a few will make the Moles go back into their burrows other than when they're working, and cut themselves off from being a part of this incredible community that they have created. One of the very best things about Bellisseria is having them in our backyards, literally, and showing up just to hang out with us and be around us. These people are just freaking awesome, and it's certain that they love their work and are so proud, as they should be, at what is happening with Bellisseria. We love the Moles. Period, full-stop. And we want them to be part of this incredible thing they have created for us.

No magic... sorry to disappoint! Just a nice little conversation, I promise. 😊 And thank you for the really lovely photo!

Well... this certainly blew up while I was asleep. Let me be clear... I have absolutely, positively NO problem with the Pirate DJs. I think you guys and gals are fabulous and I love what you're doing and how you're doing it! I don't have a problem with a DJ who didn't know the rules coming in and earning a buttload as long as he truly didn't know the rules. DJs make money from tips... we all know that's just standard practice and I'm going to go on the assumption that he didn't know he was breaking the rules, or there was a special dispensation of the rules for this event that wasn't passed on to everyone. Let's not get out in the weeds on this and make it a "well if he can do this, why can't I do that" kind of thing. We all know perfectly well that the answer to than is just "No." Clearly. The covenant is absolutely clear on that. Somewhere yesterday there was a miscommunication, either from the organizers to the DJ, or the Lindens to the organizers, or the organizers to the Lindens, or the organizers and/or Lindens to the rest of the community to let us know an exception to the rules had been made for the ONE TIME event, and if an exception was made, that's okay. We don't have to make this a big deal, and it doesn't need to be a witch hunt. It's a question the event organizers can answer (and I probably should have gone straight to them. My mistake and I apologize.) I understand that the organizers worked their butts off putting the event together. Things slip through the cracks and that doesn't mean it's the end-all and be-all of every thing ever. It's a learning experience for everyone who plans on using the fabulous fairgrounds in the future. Let's look for solutions instead of finger-pointing and assuming the worst. Perhaps a contract of sorts needs to be put together that is specific to the Fairgrounds? Something publicly available for the community to see, and that anyone organizing an event at the Fairgrounds needs to agree to beforehand? It could even be a stickied thread here. The rules, and then the organizers have to acknowledge them publicly in the forums? I don't know... I'm sure there are other and better ways. I don't know that I have an issue with tip jars being allowed at big events like that, either. DJs work hard. It's not a matter of just turning on a stream. I just think that it's wise to get out ahead of this before we get too far down the road and another 4,000 residents have moved in with their own ideas of what is acceptable or not. And the end of the day, we have to remember that Bellisseria is the bomb-diggity from top to bottom and we want it to stay that way because it's a fabulous gift provided by the Lindens and Moles and we LOVE IT!

I'm very glad to know this person wasn't part of the group. My question now would be for the event organizers about why this wasn't discussed when he was booked.

Or maybe we just want to see everyone treated equally.

Some people just aren't going to do that, though. It would be nice if everyone could be nice all the time, but some just won't be, especially to new residents. Taking away the age would remove a bit of their power.

Question about this... were all the DJs at Julyfest today part of this group, because I understand one rezzed a tip jar out and collected quite a tidy little sum of money. If there was an exception made to the covenant for the event, that's fine... I think. Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, I think some clarification would be good.