July 2009 – Ahuva’s Blog

Dancing and Cake

Today is a day for dancing. Eating cake. Dancing again. *grin* C”mon over. Drake, Bill, Mallory, Frenis and I are partying up a storm.

I have been working product support for a VERY long time now. I will not even TELL you how long because it is painful to me to realize how long. For many years I have been the person my manager sends out to soothe the irate customer. What that means, however, is that I think I know a little bit about providing good customer support. I know it from being a customer and from being support. Both sides of that have their ups and downs, trust me. The customer is NOT always right, but it certainly helps to talk to them as if all their points are valid. It helps to “feel their pain” as the saying goes. I was in pain the other night.

I broke my pool table. Yes, yes, the famous pool table I bought for my coworker. (Who, by the way – has YET to show in SL – has still not even proposed a date to come inworld. /me nods – yes, he is on the “not in favor” list.) I have been running out of prims on my land. So I decided it was time to move the pool table to the office. I “took” the table into inventory. Except….. only the top of the table came. The rest stayed there. Probably I SHOULD have read the directions. Probably would have been a good idea. I rezzed the top back out and moved it into position with the other parts. There. Right as rain. Then Oura came by and tried it. It didn’t work. It seemed to work fine for ME. I, of course, am the owner. That always means different rules. Sean dropped by a few evenings later. Sean is WAY techie. I asked him to give it a try. The verdict: Broken. The table was not dispensing the HUD. When I gave Sean the HUD myself – it didn’t work. We agreed. It was time to contact the creator of the table: Fred Wardhani.

Fred built my pool table. He runs the store French Touch Design and FW Supplies, over in PixelFashion He has other games and lots of very nice furniture. After Sean and I tried and failed to make the table work, I IM’d Fred. I figured that I would write up a notecard explaining the problem and drop the card on him. I sent him the IM as a courtesy to say the notecard was coming. Fred was online and replied immediately. He asked what kind of trouble I was having. I explained that I appeared to have broken the table by taking it and rerezzing it. Obviously I had done one of those steps incorrectly. Fred listened to my story and asked if I would like him to come by and take a look at the table. OMG! Would I???? Of COURSE I would. If I’d had any clue what to do, *grin*, I wouldn’t have been IM’ing him. I told him I’d be thrilled. He asked me to give him a few minutes to settle up what he was doing. In just a short time he called for the taxi.

Fred came to the house and we used voice. SO much easier in these situations. Fred is a dynamite looking guy, with a lovely voice. Not only that – but he was kind, patient and very, very gracious. He grasped the issue immediately and told me how we could fix it. He not only explained how to fix it, but also explained how it worked and what I was to do in the future if I wanted to move the table about. He waited while I ran through the sequence a few times. 🙂 He noted that although I had the pool sticks, I had the modern cue stick stand whereas I had the rustic table. He offered to swap stands for me. 🙂 I took him up on the offer. He was absolutely gracious, completely helpful, and made me feel like an important client instead of the bumbling newbie I really was in this instance. Let me be clear – *I* did the wrong thing. The fault was NOT in the product. But Fred never touched on that. He stuck to helping and explaining and offering other ideas. A class act, for sure.

A few mornings later I went by the store. I wanted to take photos so I could tell you all about Fred and the pool table, and how gracious he was. Fred was there, working on a new version of the pool table. A customer had wandered into Fred’s work area and was asking questions. I joined them and asked Fred’s permission to post his name and picture. Fred remembered me right away, greeted me warmly. He said he would be delighted if I mentioned him here. And – without my having actually posted anything yet – he gave me a gift certificate for the store. Again – gracious, good customer-relations. He certainly did not have to give me a gift coupon, especially as I’d not done anything but ask him to come and help me take my table into inventory and re-rez it. *grin*

So Fred Wardhani gets my vote for “Excellent Customer Support”. I thought he made an excellent product before I ever met him. Now that I’ve had this experience, I can say to you – Buy from Fred. Great products, EXCELLENT customer relations. That is something that works for all of us.

Thanks again, Fred! *hugs* For the rest of you – c’mon by the office. The table is up and ready. 🙂 BYOB.

Messages from RL

Well, I went to the reunion and survived. *grin* It was okay. Not traumatic, not wonderful. There were 3 positive events, so I guess I’d have to call it a win event. Will I go to the next one? No, probably not. Most of the evening was entirely superficial and repetitious. LOL. I did give my unfettered Ahuva free reign at one point. *grin* There is someone who may now regret having stood me up on our date way back in our senior year. And he may well be thinking of me in the future. /me smiles the wicked Ahuva smile.

My wonderful husband came through yet again for this year’s birthday. I asked for and got a new iPod. BUT….. he had it engraved. For all of you who ask “What does your husband think about your time in SL?” – he engraved it with both my RL and SL names. So now you know.

Chestnut had a fantastic blog the other day. Who is a content provider? Guess what – we all are. Even more to the point was Raven’s comment. Wow. I can’t say it better. Go read it for yourselves.

I’ll close with this thought. It’s triggered by 2 things: something that someone in SL said to a friend and by thoughts of my father.
Life is too short, folks. It could end tomorrow – snap! So I’m not playing games. I am who and what I am. I’m not backing down, I’m not running away. If there’s something I want – I’m going for it. I don’t intend to be rude. Yes, I may be forward. My apologies if I surprise or offend you along the way – that is not my intent. But I want to live NOW. I’m shooting for the stars. Today could be my last day. I’m not wasting it. Enjoy life!

Ladies Night at the CnP

ZOMG! I am soooooo glad that Bailey and I became friends via our blogs. Without Bailey I’d never have found the Crown and Pearl. I have such fun there and made so many good friends. It is one of the best places to chill and dance and throw off whatever ails you. Oh, okay, so they have a bit of a drainage problem there. Look – every club has its flaws. So the CnP loses the floor regularly. /me shrugs and sends them yet another bill for ruined boots.

This Friday I logged on and was lured to the CnP by FRAUDULENT advertising. I’m not saying who sent the message or who it was that supposedly was naked, but hey, there are LAWS about that kind of thing, you know????? *grin* No one was nakie but there WERE nekos galore. Beautiful gorgeous nekos with patchwork tails. So I got out my tail and ears, touched BD’s tail and joined the dance line. Oh – why did I have to touch BD’s tail? Because that’s where she has her chim, and it’s the chim that makes us all dance in unison. Okay – almost in unison. I joined late so I was not properly aligned but I WAS in step.

I say it was Ladies night but Ioh was there too. *grin* Hey – in MY opinon – there should always be a hot neko male about. Rrish was there, too, not-neko’d. But the beautiful cats are Bailey, Bailey and Elise. I’m so happy I finally got to meet Elise. I have only met her tangentially through Flickr. I think this was actually the first time I met Iohannes also. We’ve only “met” via blog postings. So it was a wonderful mix of old and new friends, dancing and chatting, starting the weekend off right.

For all the photos – see my Flickr account.

For My Father

Today is the 3rd anniversary of my father’s death. I miss him terribly. I always knew I adored and loved him. I’m glad I told him all that while he was alive. I know that I made him proud while he was alive. He always loved his family. He had the most beautiful, fascinating wife of any man in the room. His children were the smartest, best daughters a man could want. His grandchildren – ah, let him tell you about his phenomenal grandchildren – there were never such pearls. *grin* He was generous, loving, smart, talented, witty, successful. I owe so much of who and what I am to him. Wherever you are Daddy – know that we all love you and miss you and thank you for all you taught us and did for us. You were the best Daddy a girl could want. *hugs*

Daddy, I miss you.
But you’re always in my heart.
I remember you.

I needed to go remember my father today. /me smiles So I put on respectable clothing and headed to shul. I say a huge “Thank you” to my friend Hunter who kept me company. He even found me kipot to wear. *grin* When I daven shacharit I will wear a kipah. The hat simply is overkill for my daily jeans. Thank you again, Hunter. I truly appreciated the company.

Sign me in, please?

Sometimes I am amazed at how difficult it is to communicate in this world. I don’t mean technologically. I don’t mean language barriers. I don’t even mean that we give words different connotations. Sometimes – we can’t communicate because the event the one person describes is not in the reality of the listener.

I have a demo in 45 minutes (less, by the time I finish posting this). I have a bug in my script. I’m saying something two times instead of once. It’s a list of names. I spent nearly 4 hours this morning talking to some really, REALLY smart people about my bug. They kept asking me questions that just seemed crazy to me. I thought I’d explained the process I was scripting. I thought it was incredibly obvious. I didn’t understand WHAT was so difficult. The more I tried to say I am trying to do these steps, the farther apart we seemed to grow. So. Here we go…..

1. Avatar walks up to the signin desk.
2. Avatar touches the poseball.
3. Animation takes over, avatar is signing name.
4. Script is sensing all other avatars around the avatar signing in. Because the one avatar is signing in ALL the other avatars (co-workers) standing about. Don’t argue yet. That’s what my manager requested. Keep reading.
5. Script shouts the list of names (avatar signing in AND all other around) to a Welcome Board in another room.
6. Welcome Board displays list of names.
7. Animation ends.
8. Avatar that was signing in is teleported to the other room with the Welcome Board.
9. Avatars that are left in first room must each click the teleporter device to tp to 2nd room.

Yes – there are holes here. I KNOW that. This is just a little tiny demo. It’s not meant to be a finished product. The only goal was to mimic a real-life scenario and put up the names of the avatars. But that is exactly the catch. “real-life scenario”

My scripting friends could not envision a scenario where one person would sign-in another person. I am totally blown away. I do this all the time. Two of us walk up to a sign-in desk. If I pick up the pen, I’m going to sign your name, too. If you pick up the pen – I expect you to sign me in. Sure – if we’re talking badges and security – we each sign ourselves. But talking a casual kind of demo/meeting, where the point is simply to see who came in??? For heaven’s sake – you’re standing there – sign my name! No. I had TWO people look at me/ IM me and say “personal integrity”. You have got to be kidding me. I asked more people. Nope, they’d NEVER sign in someone else. So I guess that makes my manager and I and one co-worker and one SL friend the only people in the universe who would sign-in someone else so that they didn’t have to be bothered.

Tell me. Honestly. Would you sign me in?

Pool Time

Ha! I bet your first thought was that I was going to talk about the pool table I want scripted for my coworkers. Admit it – you think I’m obsessed. Well. You are right that I am obsessed. But this post isn’t about that. However since YOU mentioned the pool table…. I don’t say this often here, it’s not really something I like to say. I quit. They win. They beat me down and I surrender. There won’t be a pool table for my manager’s manager. 😦 I was offered a WONDERFUL deal on a pool table script. VERY inexpensive, done by one of my absolute favorite most-trusted scripters. I cannot convince anyone at my company to fund it. No one I know has the budget to pay for it. I KNOW that there is money out there, because I see people getting garbage all the time. I can’t get anyone to pay for this and I simply can’t afford it myself. So. If my manager’s manager ever really comes inworld to hold his all-staff meeting, there won’t be a pool table. Don’t blame me. If they want team-building – let them go kill each other. 🙂

This post is REALLY about my pool, however. I LOVE my pool. Now that it’s summer in RL for me, I find that I am hanging out at my pool all the time. I’ve been thinking I needed more animations for it. Then I went to see Calli’s new house yesterday and also visited her neighbors. Wow. Now Calli knows how to live the good life. *grin* Her house is gorgeous and the views are stupendous. Her neighbors also do it right. Calli showed me the recliners. I NEEEEEEEDED those recliners. Now. This instant. Instant craving. That had to wait, however, as I wanted to see Shenlei’s students practice their fashion show. See – I CAN control my emotional side on rare occasion. 🙂 I love watching Shen’s students. They are so excited and happy when they walk the runway. I was having problems with that laptop, however, so my shots are not very good. Also – I don’t want to spoil the surprise for their final show. So no pics today. /me smiles They are so CUTE because they are SO excited!! *grin* Thanks Shen – it was great to hangout last night.

Once the students were done practicing, I grabbed Oura and said we MUST find the recliners. LOL. I bought 2 recliners and we headed back home to redecorate. We had to decide on colors. I really wanted colors yet when all was said and done – white looked the best at my pool. We had to move furniture all about, take out some plants. I HATE having to count prims. Sigh. I need more land. This really stinks. I NEED more land. (I’ve begun craving my own sim……) Jonah showed up and had great ideas too. I’ve managed to add the recliners AND keep the deck chairs. I’m so excited. Now I need some more animations for the water. We tried out some party lights too, but that’s where I started getting prim-conscious. blech. I may have to do some serious pruning on the back lot to gain more prims. Because I NEEEEEEEEEEED pool lights. *grin*

C’mon by and visit! The water’s great!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Fine, it was only one day. But it was vacation. I have two laptops going – my work one and my gaming computer. I was on vacation. So I was inworld on the gaming computer (thank you again my dearest husband for my wonderful wonderful setup – I’m hoping this year’s birthday is MUCH better than last year).

I also had my work laptop up and running. I had my email and my calendar set to vacation. We have an internal IM system. I had my status set to away. I thought that should cover me. Because, you see, I was actually sneaking INTO work. You read that correctly – INTO work. Because I LOVE what I do – part of it, anyway. The other part I enjoy but it requires that I take vacation time. There was a meeting that I, omg, WANTED to attend. I had VOLUNTEERED (sheesh – not even a bus this time to run me over) to think up some ideas for an action plan. So I was on that computer also. And someone from the enjoyable part of work IM’d me, starting in on his issues. I watched the text grow and thought – I need to nip this in the bud. Now. /me blushes because I suspect my answer could be construed as “snarky”. Maybe even “rude”. I basically stated that I was on vacation. *grin* I suggested he take his issues elsewhere or he could wait for my return. I then changed my away status to the slightly stronger “Away on Vacation”. Since I was actually communicating with people about work through the work IM, I couldn’t really turn it off. See – life is so COMPLICATED when you lie about being at work. No – NOT at work. At work?

But most of the day I wasn’t working. I was playing. All day into the wee hours of the morning. Oh yeah. 🙂 That may have been the most marathon session I have ever spent. /me smiles happily in recollection. Most of the day I spent with Oura, but lots of other friends dropped by or IM’d. We spent hours in the pool, without undue harm. 🙂 Oura entertained us by dancing in her chains. 🙂 What guy in the other tube? Later in the day Jonah dropped by to join us. The 3 of us splashed and played some more. Oura is right – I need many more animations for the pool, now that it is summer. Especially when people go AFK in my deck chairs so that they can work.

I spent time working on my AO for opensim. Although some people appreciated the AO I was using, I suspected that for an unanimated world, it might be a bit too strong. All of the poses were really bland by SL standards. But surrounded by newbies in default everything, the gestures seem more overstated. So what do you think of this new one I was trying? *grin* No? Or is it just the attire?

I love my SL house and friends. Last Friday’s vacation day was at the RL shore and was heaven on earth. This Friday vacation was at my SL pool and was wonderful. You can have your cake and eat it too.

Maybe There WAS a Party

I’m telling you straight – I do NOT believe there was an actual party going on in my room the other night. Oh sure – I realize it LOOKS like there was a party. But then as I cleaned up my room, I found my bears. Oh dear. We had quite an argument. Turns out my bears LIKE wearing lingerie and heels. Who knew? I told them the clothes had to go – they were 68 prims I could not afford. They got very growl-y. We compromised. I promised that I would have a Bear Dress-Up party just for them and their friends. We would rez lingerie and shoes and whatever their little bear hearts desired and we would play dress-up. So all of you out there with bears – let me know what date is good for you and we’ll organize the event.

NEVER Trust Your Friends

I stand before you a sadder but wiser woman this morning. I broke one of the great SL rules last night. SL and alcohol do NOT belong together. Especially for one such as myself, for whom a glass of white wine can pretty much be my limit. 🙂 Yeah, I know – world’s cheapest drunk date. My coworkers used to LOVE going on business trips with me – I could never drink my share. Of course, that was in the days when corporate travel was allowed and when people were allowed to admit they enjoyed a drink now and then. Good grief – I even knew people who – GASP – smoked!!!!

This story actually starts the night before last. I met someone new and stayed up WAY too late chatting. 🙂 It was lovely, but I really do need more than 3 hours of sleep. I relied on a super-large iced coffee, turbo’d, to get me through the morning at the office. By lunch I felt like I’d been kicked in the head. I actually left the office by 3:30 (omg – and the building didn’t collapse without me in it!!! rofl). But of course I logged back in to work when I got home. The rest of my family was heading out to the movies. I poured myself a glass of chilled wine, sat back and dealt with emails and such. A coworker contacted me about business – we ended up testing code, installations, etc. Poured myself another glass of wine, expecting to get some dinner when we were done. Oops. Moved into SL and floated in my pool chatting with a friend. Sipping wine, floating, chilling. It was truly lovely. Said friend left. Okay – time for dinner! But first – I went to answer a plea for help at an MM board. *grin* How could you NOT want a Toblerone chocolate sword?????

I tp’d to the board. Saw Dale logon just then so I tp’d Dale over for the sword too. *grin* Dale likes chocolate. As we stood there clicking the board – WHAM. That wine and the fatigue just came right up and slammed me. I truly could not see – my eyes simply teared, couldn’t think, and knew that I was way way past any coherent or reasonable behavior. I threw myself on Dale’s mercy. Explained that I was done-for. 🙂 I needed rescuing. LOL. Dale actually had to remind me how to get back home. Once there – how to climb onto my bed. Which I seem to recall missing about 3 times before I got there. Oura had logged on in the meantime and said Hi. I said – I’m trashed, contact Dale. 🙂 And that, dear readers, was my mistake.

Dale and Oura. OH, how ye have BETRAYED me. /me lets tear run down my cheek. My property is protected. You must be in my group to rez objects on my land. Only MY FRIENDS are in that group. I logged in this morning to get my MM winnings. Which – by the way – I never got because I was so stunned when my house rezzed. THEY TRASHED MY ROOM!!!!!!!!!! OMG – they stole my bed, they left garbage piled up (with FLIES no less), they obscured my artwork, left empty bottles. I recoiled in shock and horror. eeeeewwwww It was so GROSS!!!!! I still can’t quite figure out what is under my bears. 🙂 or the big white waving things (toilet paper streamers???) I’m SURE I did not have a ceiling fan. 🙂 Is that from the pool table downstairs????

Hell – here’s a public apology to you. *grin* I saw your plurk yesterday about being bored and wanting to party and live it up. When I saw my room – I thought you and Nat had been there and done that. *grin* I guess you were too busy doing whatever to Prad’s floor. *hugs*

So dear reader – learn from my mistake. SL and alcohol don’t mix. Never trust your friends. Don’t give anyone rez rights.

Um, Dale, Oura – could one of you PLEASE give me back my bed??????

Month: July 2009