I don’t often post “fashion posts”.  Mostly because I’m not a fashion blogger, or dedicated to any topic at all.  My interests are far too varied to allow for that.  But, once in awhile, my inner girlie-girl, the secret debutante, the hidden clothes horse that gets to play in Second Life in a manner she could never afford in real life, comes out to play and then I find something so elegant I simply must croon.

Such a thing is this dress from Wunderlich, the Marquise de Pompadour.

Marquise de Pompadour gown in Lavender by Wunderlich

I’d never visited the Wunderlich store before last weekend, even though I’ve since discovered that I had previously picked up a freebie dinner gown (most likely on one of my first visits to Caledon Victoria City last fall).  A dear friend from real life whom I have recently met up with in world left a message and landmark for me to visit, knowing of my love for historical periods, especially costumes.  As my friend has wonderful taste of her own I was sure it would be a lovely place.

I was not prepared, however, for the truly gorgeous work I found there!  This woman has a talent for exquisite and detailed reproductions.  In addition to this gown (which I picked up in two different colors), I also obtained several Renaissance gowns, some Victorian gowns, and even several from the 1950s.  All of which are well worth the price tags!

What drew me in and finally convinced me to give in and buy some of the gowns was the attention to detail of this Marquise de Pompadour gown.

The gown is patterned after the Marquise de Pompadour painting by François Boucher and has then been translated into a wide array of color choices.  If you look at the image below, you can get a better idea of the details and work that went into making this gown.  Each rose is sculpted as are each of the ribbons.

Close-up of the detailed ribbons and roses

Of course, I’m wildly behind the times in finding the gown, as I’ve noted on the Wunderlich blog this gown had been the talk of the SL blogosphere some nine or ten months ago.  But, it’s new to me.

Also new to me and pictured in the this image are the new shape and skin I picked up during a brief foray into the Skin Expo this week (mostly just to see what everyone on Plurk was talking about!  LOL).  This particular skin came with several make-up options, which should satisfy my need to find something other than the dark red lipstick of my previous skin and which did not match half my wardrobe!

All in all, I must say that I feel quite like a new avatar and may even begin changing skin and shape more frequently now that I’ve gotten a taste of it.

My family will tell you that I jump from one decorating scheme to another on everything and it’s true.  I bore easily with a given look.  When boredom strikes I’ve been known to change all my desktop wallpapers on all my computers, redesign my blog layouts, cut six inches off my hair, even rearrange furniture on a bored whim.  Until now, I had thought that impulse reigned in during my sojourns through this virtual landscape we call home.

It would seem that after a year and a half as a resident and a full year as an active resident, that urge had finally caught up to me!

A New Faerietale Begins

Shape – Tory by MAD Designs

Skin -  Jesse (Sunkissed 6) by Belleza

Hair – Julia Amore (Black/Light Color Tips Pack) by Panache

Gown -Marquise de Pompadour (Lavender) by Wunderlich

Finally, after being settled in Westmoreland for more than a year, I start work on building a house of my own.

Why yes, you are reading that caption correctly.  I moved to Caledon Westmoreland as a resident just under a year ago.  At the time, things in my job were going from frantic to insanely retarded as fast as they possibly could.  So, rather than attempt to build something more suited to my little island home, I settled in a nice prefab cottage I had been using on the Mainland plot I was running away from and promised myself I would build something of my own when I had the time.

Then, as some of you know, things went from horrendous to “how on earth could things get any worse” within a matter of days and the little cottage with it’s accompanying gazebo became a more permanent residence than I had ever planned.

This weekend I decided to correct that.

The little cottage is still there, for now. Although I’ve removed the furniture in preparation for it’s (hopefully soon) replacement with the fine establishment you see above.  (What?  That doesn’t look like every little girl’s dream home?)

Admittedly, it doesn’t look like much now, sitting in the skies way above Westmoreland, untextured and featureless.  But, I intend for it to soon be glorious.  Contrary to it’s appearance here, it is not simply two large blocks stacked on atop the other.  Each face is actually a wall and there are rooms evolving inside.  Doors and windows will appear as I go, with the textures coming once I’ve roughed out the prims for the features and details.  Nor, will it be such a hideous mishmash of colors, I promise you.  The colors are merely to provide me with visual cues as to what feature I am working on at each given time.

The short white cylander you see is, of course, where the balcony will go.  Any good seaside home should have one for standing in to watch the melancholy sea, after all.  And I think there will be a porch running along the ground floor on these two sides, which are the front and seaward facing sides.  (The other two sides will look up onto the mountains of Westmoreland.)

I realize such things are not of much interest to many longer-term residents of Second Life.  But, as this is my first attempt at such a complicated build, I thought I’d share my progress.  I tried to find tutorials specifically geared toward building houses before I started and was woefully disappointed.  So, while not a tutorial, perhaps periodic updates on my adventures in building will help others who are to come after me.

If we’re all very lucky, there may be a housewarming party before the first snows settle over Caledon and the Realms.

It seems there is at least one topic that continues to crop up in the minds and conversations of online denizens since the dawn of Internet time — online behavior and modes of conduct.  The issue is one of import in the world known as real as well, of course.  But that is a topic for another log in a space separate from this one.

Early yesterday morning, upon arriving at my off-world place of employment and checking my twitter messages, I noticed one from Miss Rhianon Jameson which I had missed the previous afternoon.  During a flight over Westmoreland, she encountered a curious object in the skies over the residential island and my little cottage of Hearthstone.  Apparently, someone had forgotten to clean-up after themselves when they were done playing with prims.

You can read more about Miss Jameson’s encounter and see her pictures of the mess in her aetheric journal, where she wrote of the incident.  As it was morning and I was in the office, it would be several hours before I would be at leisure to return to the duchy to deal with the issue.

When I enter the world for the first time, my settings are set to log me in at my home location, which is my private study inside Hearthstone cottage.  Last evening when I arrived in world.  This was the sight which greeted me in my private office:

"Someone's been sitting in my chair," said Mama Bear.

There is actually a desk and chair somewhere under that monstrous block of wood, hence the Goldilocks reference, which popped into my head once the grey rez cleared.

Now, I do not actually mind visitors to the islands experimenting a little with building.  No, this is not a public sandbox area.  But, if someone wanders over from nearby Caledon Oxbridge, looking for a quiet space to try a few things, I am not ogre enough to chase them off out of hand.  I do have auto-return set on the northern island, in the Nature Preserve, as the issue was getting out of hand there. (I came home one day to find someone had built an entire dressage course in the glen! And another time to find someone had built a huge, Caras Galadhon-esque treehouse in the middle of the Westmoreland channel! And we won’t discuss the entire car dealership built in the airspace above Westmoreland last spring!)

Nor do I mind other residents of Caledon installing builds that might overlap some tiny bit into Westmoreland waters or airspace.  To date, when approached in advance by any of the residents of Caledon Prime regarding the possibility of such builds, even if the prims would not be coming out of Westmoreland’s count, I cannot recall ever denying a reasonable request.

What I DO mind is experimenters who do not clean up after themselves, who leave their giant prims scattered over and inside my home like little children who have not been taught any better by their neglectful parents.  For some reason, I have not ever been able to get the door locks on Hearthstone cottage to work.  No matter how many times I set them to “Owner Only”, invariably I find someone letting themselves into the house with nary a “by your leave”, even if the Caledon Post dropbox outside the cottage indicates my presence online and a quick look in the window would show the mistress of the house to be in residence.

Again, I do not mind visitors, but I do expect a little common decency and basic respect for another person’s property.

It seems to me, the line of anonymity given to us by this wonderful digital world or the internet and second life, where every person is a representation designed by a creator who we may or may not know anything about, continues to be blurred and scuffed and twisted until it is little more than a thread.  Concepts such as Respect and Manners seem to be as arbitrary as the path of destruction left behind in a tornado’s wake.

I would ask if these same people would just walk into the real world home of a person with whom they are not previously acquainted, but I fear the answer to that would be ‘yes’.

Well, it’s now almost 7am on the morning after Blogathon. The last post went up an hour ago.

It was different this year. In some ways, it almost seemed more like those early years, back in 2003 when the participants were much more connected and working together across several blogs. But, at the same time, it seemed there were much fewer comments all around, not just on our posts but in the posts of those I was assigned to as a monitor as well.

The most surreal part might be the fact I’m still up and not feeling like I need to sleep at all. I realize by noon I’ll probably be taking Mt. Dew in through IV. But, I feel strangely energized.

Even with all the last minuteness of some plans, the distraction of personal flailing over losing six months worth of writing, and spending Friday mostly laying around with a migraine, there was a marked decrease in my stress levels this year, I think. And that may have made all the difference.

Whatever the case, I feel fantastic this morning. A little stiff from sitting at the computer so long, but fantastic.

We had very few players for trivia. So, we’re leaving that open through tomorrow night. Please, please, feel free to head on over and try your hand at some of them. With all the Potter fans on my flist, at least ONE question should get answered already! LOL

The list of questions still open can be found here: http://esoteric-renaissance.com/thon/post/2009_thon_48_unanswered_trivia/

And with that, if I disappear for a few days, it’s because I need a break from the computer screen. I’ll be back by week’s end, I’m sure.

Also, if anyone still wants to sponsor us, knowing that we completed the 24 hours, sponsorships are open until July 31st and we’re only $90 shy of our $500 goal. ;-D

For kicks, I posted several quick and dirty snapshots of various outfits I was wearing at one point during the event.  I’ve included those below for your amusement.

Waiting for Guests to Arrive

Click Here to sponsor me.

Each year a band of crazy bloggers from all walks of life take 24 hours out of their lives to spend the day blogging, a new post every 30 minutes for 24 hours.  No sleep, no auto-posts, no pre-writing.  Everything written on the fly as they go.

Why do they do this?

To raise money for the charities of their choosing, those causes near and dear to their hearts.  Each blogger gathers sponsors who pledge to give their monetary support to the effort should the blogger fulfill his/her commitment and complete all 49 posts over the coarse of 24 hours.

This year, that day begins at 6am SLT on July 25, 2009 and ends at 6am SLT on July 26, 2009.

For the seventh year in a row, I will be participating in this event and for the third year in a row I will be raising money for The Association for International Cancer Research in doing so.

I realize Second Life residents are just finishing with the Relay for Life events of the last several months.  But, if you could find it in your hearts to spare even a  few dollars for a good cause, it would be greatly appreciated.

I will be blogging from my RL blog, Esoteric Renaissance, at http://esoteric-renaissance.com/thon.  I will be joined this year by my mother, who was the inspiration for my choosing AICR as the beneficiary of my efforts back in 2006.  If you click on the link to that site, you can read my post on why I support AICR and how I came to be involved with them both through Blogathon and in Second Life.

If you would be interested in sponsoring us, please click on the banner at the top of this post and register to submit a pledge.  Alternatively, I can submit proxy sponsorships for those who do not wish to register.  Just let me know.

Additionally, I will be hosting a Blogathon Party at Caledon Westmoreland that day.  Details of which are below:

Date/Time: July 25th 8am SLT – July 26th 6am SLT (yes, 22 hours total)
Where: Caledon Westmoreland, residential side (although guests may decide to wander into the Nature Preserve at some point)
Invited Guests: Any and all, with luck there will be several Blogathon Participants from various realms in attendance
Theme: Relaxed, very relaxed the theme I will be writing on is a ‘virtual slumber party’ so guests may either come garbed in Caledonian standards or not

Needs: Guests are only obligated to bring their beautiful selves, although any DJs who wish to spin during the event please feel free to contact me at kirashasilverpen@gmail.com. We’ll need music desperately once hour 16 hits!

More information on Blogathon may be found at http://blogathon.org

More information on AICR may be found at http://www.aicr.org.uk

Going through the notes on Facebook that I’ve been tagged on over the last few weeks, I realized I hadn’t done this yet and we all know i can never resist the lyrics meme.  It’s cross-posted elsewhere, but only privately.  So, if you have access to the private posts, please respond there and leave this version for those who don’t see the FB/IJ/LJ.  Thanks!

I’m going to post lyrics from 25 songs from my iTunes. Without resorting to an Internet search engine, can you guess the song and the artist? As people get them right, I’ll mark them out, add the title and artist, and give credit to whomever got it. No cheating, people!

I’m not tagging anyone, do it if you feel like it. Don’t if you don’t.

02. On the first day of January, Eighteen Ninety-Two they opened Ellis Island and they let the people through.

03. I tried to kill the pain, but only brought more. (so much more) I lay dying and I’m pouring crimson regret and betrayal. Tourniquet by Evanescence (kudos to Miss Jameson)

04. Since I was born, they couldn’t hold me down — another misfit kid, another burnt-out town. I never played by the rules and I never really cared.

05. Wake me, my lady. Don’t let me sleep. Open my eyes to the wonders you keep. Let me look at you, see how you shine. I’ll fall in love like I’ve done every time.

06. She’s got a smile that, it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky.

07. These eyes see the truth. These eyes hide the proof. These eyes start to bleed. These eyes have forsaken me.

08. Seems like just yesterday, you were a part of me. I used to stand so tall. I used to be so strong.

09. There is a big black bridge and it spans over hundreds of blocks. So, those below catch the trash that is thrown. There’s a plague don’t you know going ‘round, a horrible pox.

10. Pour moi c’est l’heure de foutre à la poubelle. Mon cœur en bois et pour de bon, c’est le crane serti d’étincelles. Que je viens donner ma démission.

11. I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moment’s gone. All my dreams pass before my eyes in curiosity. Dust in the Wind by Kansas (kudos to Miss Jameson)

12. (spoken) You fool. I’m not trying to kill. I’m trying to save you! (sung) There was a white knight riding on his steed, waiting for a noble deed. Inside, a lady in distress with blackened eyes and tears down her dress.

13. The devil that you know is better than the one you don’t and so it goes. Like lonely ghosts at a roadside cross, we stay because we don’t know where else to go.

14. O, Sweet Love Divine, like the touch of rain, gentle on my skin. Lay, lay your sleepin’ head ’til the break of day slowly turns around.

15. I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house. That don’t bother me. I can take a few tears now and then and just let ‘em out.

16. I know this will not remain forever; however, it’s beautiful. Your eyes, hands, and your warm smile, they’re my treasure. It’s hard to forget.

17. This time, this place, misused mistakes. Too long, too late, who was I to make you wait? Just one chance, just one breath, just in case there’s just one left.

18. It doesn’t mean much. It doesn’t mean anything at all. The life I’ve left behind me is a cold room. I’ve crossed the last line from where I can’t return, where every step I took in faith betrayed me and led me from my home. Sweet Surrender by Sarah McLachlan (kudos to Miss Jameson)

19. Wild wind take me home to the mists of down below. I’ll be flying come September day. With no borders in my way, you’ll find me home until the May sun burns the heavy mists of down below.

20. Could it be, you’re an angel droppin’ in to my heart? ‘Cause I don’t always know what this feeling is, but I know it’s alright. And, you help me feel whole for the very first time.

21. Talking away. I don’t know what I’m to say. I’ll say it anyway. Today isn’t my day to find you. Shying away, I’ll be coming for your love, okay?

22. There’s no man alive that has what I need. So, give me a man that I can breathe. There’s no man alive that has what I want. So, give me a man that I can haunt.

23. The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight. Maybe it can’t stop tomorrow from stealing all my time. I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts. I am damaged at best, like you’ve already figured out.

24. Impartial is my battle cry, for here we stand or here we die. A fire fight to light the sky, the time for reckoning is nigh Impartial by Clockwork Dolls (kudos to Miss Jameson)

25. Coin-operated boy, sitting on a shelf, he is just a toy. But I turn him on and he comes to life. Automatic joy, that is why I want a coin-operated boy. Coin-Operated Boy by Dresden Dolls (kudos to Miss Jameson)

Meeting people and having interesting conversations is very much apart of the Second Life experience.  Let’s be honest, it a big part of the reason many of us first came to the world in the first place.  Some days are more conversation-filled than others.

Last night was a night of interesting conversations for me, conversations that make one think about people and openness in a virtual age.

I was spending some time at home in Westmoreland, trying to write some informational pamphlets for the Nature Preserve, when the sound of the front door opening startled me.  Normally I keep it locked unless I’m expecting company.  But, I suppose I had forgotten to lock it again after my last guests.  Getting up from my desk, I opened the door of the study to find a tall, well-built blond with a large silver rocket pack inspecting my drawing room.  I might have appreciated the courtesy of knocking before a stranger entered my home.  But, I was prepared to greet his presence pleasantly.

At least until the conversation turned to the mystic.

It seems my unexpected guest had been searching out Atlantis.  The lovely island next to mine is the island of Atlantis Rising and apparently he had come exploring after visiting there.

I have never hidden my witchcraft practices.  I see no reason to.  This is not the seventeenth century.  If I wished to make a secret of the fact that I am a practicing witch, I would not include such a statement as A Writer. An Artist. A Woman. A Witch. A Storyteller. in my profile.

Still, just because I am up front about the matter does not mean it feels any less like prying to be asked what my spiritual gifts are withing the first ten minutes of making my acquaintance, while making assumptions that prove most of the knowledge the questioner possesses about the subject must have come from a bad television show and too many fantasy novels.

1. Calling me ‘glenda’ [sic], then asking if I’m a ‘good witch’ is not likely to win you any points — especially after I digest the image of all that pink tulle while glancing at my own gothic red and black ensemble for the evening.
   
2. The fact you have been attacked by ‘wiccan covens’ who were ‘not good’ is going to make anyone with knowledge of such things either wonder what you did to piss off multiple covens or belive you have no idea what you are talking about as true wiccans follow the ‘an ye harm none’ rule from their crede with  zeal.
3. Providing the above information as a reason for asking if one is a ‘good witch’ usually only serves to put that person on the defensive.  Non-wiccan solitary practitioners like myself tend not to like either the position, nor the comparisons.
   
4. Simply telling me you are trustworthy does not make you so.  Nor does getting huffy at me when I insist you earn such trust rather than being able to instantly ‘feel your spirit’ and know.  Clearly you are not even willing to spend the time to dig beneath the surface and get to know me.
   

A friend at work once said I was the most private person in social networking he’d ever met.  I have a profile on most networks, yet I reveal little of the real substance of me to more than a select few, despite the public way in which I live my online life. But, I don’t trust easily, in either the virtual or the real worlds.  Life has given me no reason to.

Then again, maybe I am cold and standoffish.  It would not be the first time someone has thought so.

“If I wanted to play mind games, I’d buy a Rubic’s Cube.“  ~~ Acheron Parthenopaeus

Things have been hectic in RL, particularly with work.  Been putting in overtime and dealing with other stresses that have kept me offline a lot.

So, it was not until recently that I’ve had a ton of time to spend in world.  What time I have spent there has been spent working on building a Nature Preserve on the Northern Island of Caledon Westmoreland.

Back in November, the ladies who had previously owned Westmoreland, and from whom I had been renting my little cottage sanctuary, decided it was necessary for them to give up ownership of the region.  Rather than move, I told the Guvnah I would be happy to take on the tier for the entire Westmoreland region.  To anyone not familiar with our attachments to SL, this may sound crazy, but Westmoreland speaks to me in the same way Los Angeles, Boston, and the Rocky Mountains speak to me in RL.  When I was first given the opportunity to rent land there, I knew it was where I was supposed to be.  And so, there I stay.

But, let’s be honest, I haven’t been able to be in world enough to make an honest attempt at renting the Northern Island, even though I would be able to as a Duchy.  Instead, I asked if I might build a Nature Preserve there.

The Deer Forage for Survival at the Westmoreland Nature Preserve

For the winter, I’ve built it as a woodland forest.  Most everything is purchased and built by someone else.  But, as I continue to learn how to do more and more of it on my own, I’ll be slowly replacing trees and landscaping with that of my own creation.  (Although, I may keep the animals as is.)  Each season, I’d like to create some sort of appropriate recreation as well.  There’s an open area with benches and currently ice skating, that may be replaced with a small pool or pond.

Open Space for visitors to relax, enjoy a picnic, maybe skate

I’m looking to do two things with the space, essentially:

1 – Provide a quiet, pretty space for residents of both communities (Caledon and neighboring Atlantis Rising) to enjoy.

2 – Create a repository for information on real world conservation work, as well as literary and artistic efforts influenced by the conservation movements of the 1800s, perhaps do something in conjunction with the Caledon Library and Muir’s work.

It will likely be a constant work in progress as new and rare plants and animals are brought in.

It’s not quite ready for the public, still some work to be done, seating scripts to tweak, landscaping to adjust, and an official plaque to put out.  But, it’s nearly there.

Plaque to Welcome visitors to the Preserve

(If the image doesn’t show just click the ‘Christmas Gift Toy’ to see the full thing.)

Christmas Gift Toy & MySpace Layouts at pYzam.com

Spending time with my thoughts and the sea

I made an interesting self-discovery this weekend, even though I’ve procrastinated a bit writing about it:

Kirasha Urqhart is still me.

Perhaps not startling to some, but important for the typist behind the avatar.

See, I’ve always been a sort of cameleon, adapting my personality to any given group or situation.  Not really changing who I am, so much as what parts of me get shown to whom.  I don’t think I really hid those parts, so much as indulged in others, rarely feeling the need to discuss Motzart with the Metalheads, for example, when I could indulge my love of Metallica and Slayer in their conversations.  I was always the one who made friends with half the cliques in high school — and then had to figure out how not to make them hate each other for an evening if I wanted to have a birthday party, for instance.

Despite being an active roleplayer (though not obsessive) since the age of 16, a theatre buff and techie, as well as a writer of fantasy and romance stories, it wasn’t really until the internet that I began thinking of some of this intrinsic nature as playing a role in life.

I think, in part, I fell into that trap of being anyone online.  That period of time just out of high school, first couple years in college, trying to find your way in a new adult world that isn’t going to give you a make-up exam if you miss the final, is perhaps one of the most emotionally chaotic periods in a person’s life.  Fiddling around on the internet, which itself is still in its infancy, was a great exploratory experience.  But, in some ways, I think I fooled myself as well as others.

I was at the local community college when i really started getting into the internet and BBSs (which were all the rage at the time, so that tells you how long ago we’re talking).  I would unltimately spend five years there, trying on four different majors, several different ‘me’ personalities, and eventually leave with pretty much nothing to show for it except hours clocked at the threatre and even more logged in the computer lab playing around online.  During this time, I was also seeing someone off and on, an open relationship that I had rapidly discovered I was completely unsuited for, but was already emotionally attached.  I alternated between ecstaically in love and depressingly unloved all based on whether we were on again or off again that month.

The internet offered the fresh start I was looking for, the clean slate where nobody knows me and maybe they’ll appreciate me for who I am, not whether or not I’ll sleep with them or if I’ll be available at their every whim, regardless of my own life and needs.

When I came to Second Life in February…and June…and permanently in October…I was looking for the same thing, I think.

But, I came to realize this past weekend that I seriously suck at being anyone other than myself.  No matter what ‘improvements’ I make in the persona I project, it slips and I end up just interacting as little ole me.  I actually created an alt (no, I will not tell you her name) for the express purpose of going out and exploring and doing all the things I would never do as myself, from dressing in haute couture to experimenting with virtual sex.

She has only seen the light of day about three times.  I’m just not comfortable in her skin.

I attended a few group events this weekend – Jerremy Darwin’s Rez Day Party, hosted by his wife Tymmerie, and a couple stops on the Grand Tour hosted by Caledon and several of her sister Realms (Steeltopia’s party and then Caledon Argyl’s under the sea ball).

I completely forgot to try and take pictures at Jerremy’s party.  But, it was a fun night.  Got to meet several new people who I’ve really only seen in blogs or other people’s Plurks.  Heard some great music.  Didn’t say much, but didn’t really feel like an outsider, either.

At Steeltopia, I took a BUNCH of photos, which I’m working on formatting for flickr and will post during the holiday, most likely.  Again, hung out with some great people, many of whom were somewhat familiar from ISC chat and a couple community meetings.  Great music — including the theme to Neverending Story, one of my favorites.  And again, didn’t say much, but didn’t really feel like an outsider, either.

I was only able to attend the under the sea ball for a short time due to the lateness of the hour and being the only member of the RL family NOT ill this past weekend.

The key point that struck me was that I was truly enjoying myself, without feeling like I had to be a chatter box.  See, I used to moderate a LiveJournal-based roleplaying game.  And we had bi-weekly player chats, impromptu chats, everyone was on IMs (which wasn’t required officially, but most players got put out if someone wasn’t available — and that’s a headache for another story).  There was always a feeling of “you’re a mod, you’re supposed to be here and friendly and chatting with us about nothing, no matter how detrimental chat is to your getting the work done on the game that we’re hounding you about in chat“.  Not from everybody, but from enough of a percentage that chatting began to feel like a chore.  I’m not big on phones, hate hearing my own voice, will never use voice in SL, would rather email than IM, and dislike being the center of attention, even despite wanting to put my words out for the masses to hear.

I’ve spent the last seven or eight years, since the relationship I had in college failed, working on finding a way back to who I am.  The reason this behaviour of mine at these parties struck me was because it’s a clear sign to me that I’ve succeeded in some part in finding that girl again.  Because, it wasn’t shyness or awkwardness that kept me silent.  It was simply because I didn’t have anything important to say.  That’s who I am.  Not a chatterbox talking to fill the silence.  I speak when I have something to say or am spoken to directly.  And if I don’t have something to say, I’m perfectly content to just listen to what everyone else has to say.

I tried to fool myself into thinking my online persona was this vapid chatterbox with nothing interesting to say, just talking to be part of the conversation.  And maybe I played that role for a while.

But this weekend, I realized that my Second Life persona was a more true reflection of who I am.  Which sounds strange, I’m sure.  Yet, in a weird way, I needed to create a new version of ‘me’, Kirasha Urqhart, in order to find part of the real me again.

In trying to decide what to take a picture of to accompany my post on Self Discovery for the SL Bloggers Mix ‘N’ Match yesterday, I decided I needed to show the various aspects of Self my SL-life indulges through the images.  Only four were spliced together for the final post.  But, I thought I’d showcase a few here after the fact.

Plus, it gave me a chance to really play with my recently acquired copy of Codie’s FilterCam.  All the photos taken were taken using the FilterCam.  You can find more pics in the Identity Series Set on my Flickr.

Identity 1

Identity 18

Identity 57

Identity 23

Today’s post is brought to you by Rik of Stories From Another Life, as part of the SL Bloggers Mix ‘N’ Match exchange.  The topic of “How SL Has Helped of Hurt Your RL” was suggested by Nightflower of Nightflower Blossoming.

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Nightly Tableau

13th January 2008.  That’s when Rik was first born into the world of Second Life, which means a good 10 months in-world now, and in those 10 months, more online hours clocked up than I care to imagine!  I’d never have thought when I first poked my nose into this online world that I would find myself so drawn in and involved with so many aspects of it, but while my online life maybe flourishing, it raises the question; has Second Life helped or hurt my real life?

To start with, I guess I’d have to ask what has changed in my life from this time last year, when I knew nothing of Second Life.  Well, I could say I was in front of the computer less, but that would be a lie really, I was sat right here, ruining my eyesight in a badly lit room just the same, but doing different things.  As I remember, it was mainly TV and films, I still had satellite TV, and would settle down in front of it to watch several repeats of TheSimpsons over dinner, followed by a film, and then if there really was nothing on, I’d flick around the web, seeing what delights YouTube or the web in general could present to me.  Not exactly a healthy lifestyle.

But did I go out more and experience the real world, the one that existed outside of the warm glow of the computer screen and the comfort of the sofa?  Well, yes.  I’d go for walks at the weekends, perhaps go out into London for the night, or to the local pub, meet with friends, or if I was feeling particularly energetic, climb upSnowdon with friends.

So, a year on, and what’s changed?  Most weeknights I’ll come straight home from work, scoff down some food and log straight intoSL , and that’s it for the night until I collapse into bed.  And as for weekends; get up, log on, and occasionally tear myself away for some essential grocery shopping or to track down and clean any unpleasant smell that may have developed in the house during the week.  Not to say I don’t go out on occasion, but it’s a lot less frequent than before.

On the face of it; it does sound like a bad thing, that my real life has disappeared into nothing more than a break between sessions online, but it’s not quite as bad as it may seem.  With my online time I’m meeting new people from around the world, learning new ideas and cultures, finding new ways to express myself creatively through the various art forms within Second Life and generally being part of world wide family.  Surely that’s better than wasting away in front of a sit-com in front of the TV?

But then there is the filp side; there’s no question that my health has degraded over the past year with less exercise, late nights, and disturbed sleep from staring at the computer intently for hours on end.

So to answer the original question, has it helped or hurt?  I’d probably sway more towards helped, as there’s no question that all the experiences and friends I’ve made over these past 10 months have definitely changed my life for the better, and as for the ways in which it’s hurt my real life, in terms of health and real world socialising, I think that just needs to be a case of re-evaluating the priority of some of my real life responsibilities and giving them more time.  Without Second Life I imagine I’d still be sat here, watching yet another Simpsons re-run and wasting yet another evening of my life, so Second Life, you’ve helped me!

Happier Here With You

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If you have enjoyed today’s guest post and would like to read more of the exchange, you can find a list of posted articles on VintFalken.com.  Thanks go to both Vint Falken and ArminasX Saiman for organizing this exchange.

The post written on my suggested topic, “Is Second Life Truly a Second Life or an Extension of the First?”, was written by Eladrienne Laval and appears on Samantha Speaks.

I was assigned to write on the “Discovery of Self in SL”, a topic suggestion made by Otenth Paderborn.  That article should appear on Constructs of a Mind later today.

Again, reposting my thoughts from the forum now that I’ve formulated my own opinions and decisions about Linden Labs’ latest ‘offer.

Oh, I will stay on in Caledon as long as Caledon stays on.  But, all my plans at expanding my presence or experience in SL are cancelled.

I’ve taken some time to think about this new proposal before posting my full thoughts.

I am not an estate owner, nor do I own an OS sim, though I do rent space on one for a little cottage, a move that was necessitated by continual dissatisfaction with owning land on the mainland. But this issue has been of great interest to me.

Why?

Because while I do not have these things now, I had planned to in the near future, once I had saved the money. I have been saving now for several months to by a full sim, not an openspace, a full sim, on which to build an artists’ colony, — a colony that would have included bringing new members to the grid as many of those interested in the project when I have spoken to them of it are not current customers. But would have joined in order to be a part of what I proposed.

I speak in the past tense because I have decided, in light of how this has been handled, to find another venue when the time comes. I cannot do business with or ask anyone to become the customer of a company in which I have no faith and cannot trust to do business fairly.

I had written before that I thought what most of us wanted was simply for Linden Labs to treat it’s customer base with fairness and honesty. I think the majority of people here can agree that if there is a serious need, technical or fiscal, a *small* price increase across the board (mainland, OS, full sim) to offset the costs of badly needed upgrades or what have you would be fair and reasonable.

But that is not what Linden labs did. The initial proposal was a 67% increase on only the ‘popular’ land type, with zero allowances or breaks for the people who were suddenly looking at almost doubling their fees, many of which were not insubstantial to begin with.

True, the issue was opened for discussion and feedback, (of which there has been an over-whelming amount). By implied agreement, Linden Labs says, opening discussion this way, ‘we want to work *with* you to make this the best situation for all of us’. Unfortunately, for those of us who haven’t been here for that long and had little of the history our peers with longer terms of residence in Second Life have seen with the company, we took you at your word, both implied and stated. We believed our feedback could make a bad situation at least a little more tolerable.

I say unfortunately because this ‘new’ deal has destroyed any faith I and others like me might have had in Linden Labs.

The feedback you received was that a price increase of that magnitude was more than your product you were offering was worth, more than many would be willing to pay for what they were getting.

You claimed to be listening to that feedback and doing something to mitigate the situation in a way that would be beneficial to all, allowing for fairness to the users of your service as well as easing the technical burdens you have given as the reason for this ‘necessary increase’. A resolution was promised, one that you again claimed incorporated the feedback of the community you serve.

What you gave us was a slap in the face, to put it baldly. Instead of one product not worth it’s price for the capabilities provided, you gave us two. Rather than provide more value in the product or bring the price to a level justified by the value in product, you have provided less value and asked for more money.

I hear the words of some saying “if you don’t like it, go to the mainland”. But, Linden Labs has alienated mainland residents as well, who must be Premium Account holders to buy land there and have recently been labeled “immaterial” to Linden Labs overall business.

Yes, I understand that statement by the CEO of the company was not meant as it was worded. Or so Linden Labs has claimed after the fact. But, let’s be honest, it was either the grossest PR mistake in speaking ever, or the truth despite the spin and backpedaling on the statement after. No matter which is the fact, that statement angered the very people that would purchase land on the mainland. (And, to be honest, many of us don’t want to live there anyway when there is absolutely no management of it and we’re forced to either deal with the griefers and generally rude neighbors or move again.)

Had the service provider I work for ever acted this way, I can guarantee we would be out of business. If my customer support team had ever announced something like this on the website without prior direct notice to the individual users affected, our CEO would be out for our blood and promising our customers there would be disciplinary action — not alienating customers further and making excuses for poor communication skills.

The fact of the matter is, no matter what the truth behind this situation is found to be, and I firmly believe in the old saying “There’s three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth somewhere between”, Linden Labs has lost the trust of its user base, it’s customers. We may stay on for awhile, yes. As I’ve said before, we don’t really *want* to leave the world where we’ve built businesses, communities, and lives. But, the quality of those lives here is never going to be the same and eventually, many of us *will* want to or not.

Many of the lands we love are disappearing. These lands are, for some of us, what brought us to Second Life and keeps us here.

The communities we have built are being torn apart. Again, communities which brought us here and keep us here.

More than a few have expressed intentions to remain, but spend no further money on any Linden Lab product, including L$. This means the content creators are looking at less income as well and may be forced to leave simply to make ends meat.

One less reason for the rest of us to login.

Your decision has undermined the fundamental basis of your service and priced a good chunk of your customers right out of being your customers. And, while I would hope there might still be further chances at change between now and January, I have lost all faith that it will happen.

I sincerely doubt I am the only one, or even one of a small minority.

I posted this in the main forums, but want to post it here as well for posterity.

To Whom it May Concern,

You don’t know me. But what you don’t realize is that I and others like me are amoung your most important customers.

Am I sim owner with thousands of dollars sunk into tier fees each month? Nope.

Am I one of the vocal masses responsible for disseminating your every move to the community at large? Or have I ever posted once in response to a forum thread or official blog post? Still no.

Am I an investor looking to offer you money to plow back into your servers in the hopes of growing my own profits off the investment? No, again.

What I am is the average user. I’ve been a resident for eight and a half months. I have a paid account and I’ve dabbled a bit in owning small parcels on the mainland, but spend most of my money on L$ to pay the artists and creators who are also my fellow residents. I’d like create more myself, but it’s a slow process and I’m willing to pay for things now until I can create my own in the near future. I have a few friends I hang out with in world and I love checking out new places to get inspiration for the future I want to build here.

So, what is it I and others like me have that makes us so important?

Potential Influence.

Now, I am not one of the ‘early adopter crowd’ as they like to call it in the tech world. You will likely never know my name and never realize I was here, let alone miss me if I go.

But if I go, I likely take at least half a dozen others with me, people who are here because I brought them here.

If I go, I take with me any plans I may still hold to save up the rest of the money (I have about half of it now) to purchase my own full sim after the first of the year or so.

If I go, any community I intend to build and create within the larger whole finds a home elsewhere, along with any future residents it might attract to the ‘home system’

And, for each person like me who stands here and makes their feelings know, there are ten others quietly watching what you do and making their own plans to leave without warning if things go disastrously wrong. When they go, so does the money the spend on the creations of other residents. Then those creators will go elsewhere, where the consumers are. And while the big businesses are flocking to Second Life now, how long will they stay if their own customers have no use for the platform?

Will it happen overnight? Probably not. But, it can and will happen, perhaps no matter what action you choose to take.

Your announcement tomorrow will likely decide the fate of your entire product. Look around at my fellow residents/customers/what have you, look at how many are already poised to flee. And again, for each one of them, there are others who haven’t said a word, but who are simply going to disappear.

Perhaps, as some whose opinion I trust have said, the technical issues are real. And maybe, in this economy, raising prices on consumers is the only way for you to get the funding to fix them. I’m fair enough minded to give you the benefit of the doubt on those points. I work for a company providing a technical service as well — in customer support, ironically enough. I understand that there are reasons you may not wish to announce specific details to the customer base at large and that you can’t always control what your own service providers will charge.

But, if all of that is true, do the thing fairly. Don’t put the bulk of your financial burden on a relatively small percentage of your users. And, if this is the first step in future price increases at other levels, be straight with us now. Don’t surprise us in six months. Put all the cards on the table and distribute the cost evenly amoung us, private sim owner and mainland buyer alike. Ask just a little more from each of us, rather than dumping a 67% increase on a few.

For those who, like me, have been saving up and planning to join the ranks of private sim owners who are responsible for a large part of the growth and community building within Second Life, your decision on this will decide whether or not we take that step, whether we put our faith in you as a partner in that community or find other alternatives that may be technically less advanced, but more humanely balanced. We’re looking for you to prove worthy of the trust we put in you if we choose to use you as a service provider.

So far, we haven’t seen it. What we’ve seen is a lot of double talk and spin. We’ve seen a lot of avoidance of confrontation. And we’ve seen potential legal issues on the horizon as a result of how this is handled.

Some of us have been through this before. We’ve seen how one or two bad business choices on the service provider’s part can rip a community apart. We don’t want to do it again. We’d like to be able to say “Look at that. They did the right thing, even though it was tough on all of us” and go back to our daily lives. Nobody here really *wants* to leave, not even those advocating an exodus. We have friends, businesses, communities, *lives* here.

But, you can’t bank on that. We often have to do things we don’t like, things we don’t want to do. For all any of us really knows, you’re in that position now. And, if that’s the case, we can live with a few inconveniences in exchange for your honesty.

All we really are asking is that you treat us fairly. And we’ll do the same.

Sincerely,
Kirasha Urqhart, just one more anonymous face amoung many

A Dark Take on a Classic

In the ancient traditions, the day after All Hallow’s Eve was considered to be the first day of a new year.  In many modern versions of those ancient beliefs, the period of time from Samhain to Imbolc is considered to be the dark period of the year when the world and people draw inward and prepare for the coming year that will begin in the spring.  These weeks are a time of reflect and contemplation.

For me, I decided to approach this time in a new guise as well, shuffling off the old and unfinished to don a fresh persona.

I never finished work on the default skin I’ve been wearing for months.  Time and tide have swept me away and the loss of hard drive space earier this year severely cut down my rendering and painting capabilities for awhile.  So, I spent the afternoon shopping around for a new skin and shape.  Both were to be found at Dark Victorian Emporium in Caledon Tanglewood.  The skin is the Mary Poppins skin and teh shape is ‘Annabel’.

Honestly, it’s going to be a shame to go back to work on Monday and lose so much time to just browse and explore the world!

Halloween Party at Caledon Kintyre

Had a blast dancing at the Halloween Party in Caledon Kintyre tonight, dancing the night away as the sim burns.  In the photo, from left to right, if I can remember everyone’s name from the local chat window: Otenth Paderborn, Draco and Theodore Nacht, Adrianne Khandir, myself, AutopilotPatty Poppy and Erasmus Margulis, Searra Weatherwax, and Lavendar Beaumont.  Quite a few others were in attendance as well, but this was as many as I could fit in one photo clearly.  heh.

I do truly love what I have come to know of the Caledon regions and her people so far.  It is to Caledon that I recently moved in search of a quieter neighborhood.  The people have been nothing but pleasant and friendly so far.  And, the sense of community, even when first joining, is quite astounding.

No matter what happens with the OpenSpace situation (for my new home is on one of the OSes in Caledon), I know I want to stay a part of this group of people.

And with that, I bid you all good evening and wish for you pleasant dreams.

Swinging with ghosts at my Halloween garden.

As a special treat, I’m offering up my first ever Windlight Sky setting for download. Right click this link and chose ‘Save Link As’. Save the file here:  Program Files>Second Life>app_settings>Windlight>Skies.

This one uses the windlight sky available for download.

I’ve remained fairly quiet on the issues facing OpenSpace owners as of this week.  If you’re unsure of what I’m talking about, click here for the latest.  With all the issues happening in my real life right now, I just don’t have the energy to spare for more than cursory involvement in the protests.  Not that I don’t care, but I’m spread too thin to be able to do much without snapping myself.

That said, I have to make the comment that the number of calls to flee the world and find somewhere else to go are depressing.

What I ask myself is if these people who call for such a move have ever been through such a community shift before, in or out of the virtual worlds.  We saw similar moves over a year ago in the LiveJournal communities.  Fandom in particular was targeted and subsequently protested.

It’s never been the same since.  Half the fans moved to InsaneJournal.  Many refused.  The fandoms that were so cohesive prior to LiveJournal’s stupidity still feel somewhat fractured, cross-posting to both and trying to make those who stayed behind feel as welcome as those who moved on.

And those who weren’t in fandom, or who didn’t follow the account deletions and policy changes that LiveJournal instituted, felt no need to move.  They weren’t affected, after all.  So now, fandom friends were moving to Insanejournal and non-fandom friends were staying put.  Did users who wished to move let go of those friends staying behind?  Or try to maintain a presence in two worlds, two groups of communities and commitments?  And what of those who moved to WordPress, GreatestJournal, personal domains, Scribd?  what happened to their portion of the community?

The community that had drawn so many of us in simply doesn’t exist any more.

While I understand my viewpoint may not be popular right now, I can’t help but fear the same will happen to the communities of Second Life® if a mass exodus is called for.  Where will people go?  Those who can afford to will likely choose OpenSim, ironically accessible currently through the same Linden client or forks of that same client.  But where will the interconnectivity come in?  Will the mass exodus also result in a massive community working to build their own grid?  Or will we be forced to login to individual grids for each group or community to which we have access now?

Is LindenLabs playing fairly?  Clearly not.  But, which is more important to us?  The principles that will force us out of our own community?  Or the community itself?  LL is at least putting in the appearance of trying to talk with us and take feedback into consideration.  Has that been the ploy all along, as I’ve read in several places?  Perhaps.  But, if they are willing to at least pretend to compromise, to find a middle ground, can’t we make the same pretense?

At least for awhile until we can see which way the wind will blow?

My New Home on an OpenSpace Sim

Guardian of the Gate

This image is from Triskele Cove.  I have more here.  While I was going through my inventory and cleaning things up a bit this weekend, I found a landmark to this place.  I wasn’t sure what it was, so I hopped on over…and landed in this beautiful under the sea realm.  I’m still not sure if this is an RPG area or what, but it’s beautiful!

So, it’s Halloween time.  My first as a resident of Second Life.  My question, then, is this:

In a world where you can already look like anyone and anything you wish…what constitutes a Halloween Costume?

I think about our traditional costumes in the real world: witches, ghosts, cowboys, frenchmaids, army men…and I can’t think of one I haven’t already seen in the everyday life of in-world living.  At least half my wardrobe, from the pirate gear to the faerie dresses to the victorian gowns, would count as a costume were I to wear it in real life.  What does one have left to disguise themselves in a world where disguises are the normal attire for daily interaction?  Even adding ’spooky’ make-up or wild hair-dos can’t really be a substitute.  Not when one sees it on a casual shopping trip on any given day.

So, what’s a poor avi to do?

I guess that’s my assignment for the day — find an answer to my own question and purchase a costume for my Samhain Celebration on Friday.

When I was in college, there were so many Scorpios in our group that we never had individual parties. Even for college kids, a party almost every night for a month is a little much. So, what we did was we held a Scorpio Birthday/Halloween/Samhain party the weekend before or after Halloween. Costumes optional, gifts not required. It was silly and fun and hit all the perfect party themes.

I miss them.

So, I’ve been thinking about having a Birthday/Samhain party in-world this year. Several of my friends from various areas of life are residents and it’s cheaper than trying to throw one at home that would likely be very sporadically attended.

With that in mind, I logged in and spent some time at the land I purchased at the beginning of the summer for perhaps the first time in a couple months. (Usually, I’m logging in quickly to try and get to a particular event and then I have to split after. The most I’ve seen of my house is the tower bedroom to change clothes before heading out. — Oh the joys of a hectic job!) My intention was to show a friend from work around Second Life® and allow her to get used to the world before coming to the party. After, I’d take a look around, finish furnishing the house, decorate the place for the party, find a bonfire, etc.

That plan petered out after about ten minutes actually ON the property.

While I was gone, the large plot of land in the middle of nowhere has become a locked bastion of serenity amoung god knows what! My neighbor to one side has built a moat right along the property line. Although I left a decent sized walkway between my wall and the property boundaries, on two sides the land has been terraformed into steep slopes right to the edge, dragging the edges of MY property down. On one side, a giant metal monstrosity was built right up to the boundary with searchlights circling high over head constantly. There’s a wrestling ring along the boundary of the last side. I think there’s a club on one of the lots too, because there were quite a few shouted conversations about it while I was in the yard looking for a good bonfire spot.

The quiet, empty valley I’d built a house in has been surrounded by noisy commercialism and rowdy clubbin’ before I could even finish decorating and moving in enough to want to show off on my blog. (This is a larger piece of land than the one I’ve previously posted about, although I still own that tiny one, which I’m thinking of selling/renting.)

If it was just one irritant, I’d probably stick around and maybe try to work it out. But clearly, now, despite my being the first one there, my quiet residence is the odd peg out in this area.

Which means I’m thinking I’m going to move. Perhaps to a more structured, clearly residential area. Hopefully well enough in advance of my party. I don’t think I care if I actually own the land or just pay tier/rent at this point.

Things I’m looking for in a region:

• Clear, defined theme, or at least clearly defined residential & commercial areas (If there’s a true theme, preferably pagan friendly, steampunk/fantasy/roleplay-optional ideal)

• Flexibility for builds/decoration (i.e. I can build my own house, it’s not a cookie-cutter-house style development)

• A sense of actual community amoung tenants/residents, while still open and welcoming to newcomers

• A general respect for boundaries and privacy (no crazy music automatically piped to the entire region, not messing with private builds unless invited to, etc.)

• If there’s mature content, it’s not in your face, larger than life on the side of a building.

• something large enough for a decent-sized yard for under $50USD a month, or the $L equivalent (I’m currently on 4096m.)

I just need a quiet retreat, someplace to go so I don’t have to change clothes in public, where I can have a quiet, private chat with a friend or two, or maybe a small gathering, that I can customize to my heart’s content and retreat to play around and finish teaching myself how to build in SL.

Someday, I intend to buy an island or two and build an artists’ community, the kind my friends and I always dreamed of in high school. Whether that’s more commercial on my own to make money, or I can find enough like-minded friends to share the costs, it doesn’t matter.

But, until then, I’ll be happy with a long-term residence in a charming sim. I’ve already contacted the person responsible for citizenship and land/rental requests at one of my favorite sims to visit. Still, a tour through that sim shows that there are not very many vacancies there.  So, I’m open to suggestion if anyone knows of a good place that fits my needs, either buying the land outright, or renting????

Playing at Burning Life

This is just a short post to point you toward more pictures I took in the Burning Life installations during a very brief second foray into them.

I definitely need to plan better to allow for more time at Burning Life next year. What little I could see was fantastic and I wish I’d been able to see more of it.

Entering Burning Life

It’s been a long time since I posted to this blog, or even had time to play in world. Real life has been hectic and all-consuming these days.

But, when word of Burning Life 2008 reached me through a message in Myrl I knew I wanted to visit. I’ve always kind of wanted to attend the Burning Man festival and never been able to, so this opportunity would be rather cool.

I have a busy weekend coming up preparing for out of town guests to arrive. I was afraid I’d miss Burning Life completely since I usually only have time to go in world on weekends. So, I made time to explore a bit tonight. I didn’t see much. 22 sims is too much for any one person with a full first life to manage, I think. But I went through the introduction area, the Temple, and then wandered through the areas around the Temple.

I sort of felt like I was at the Wonderful of Disney store at Downtown Disney with Donald’s nephews staring at me through this big eye when I first arrived after the introduction area.

Anyway, it’s late and I have a lot of work to do in the morning. There are some more pictures from my travels here. If you have time this weekend, I strongly recommend visiting the Burning Life builds. The festival ends Sunday. So, don’t wait too long. It’s well worth the effort to see this desert creativity.

The Association for International Cancer Research, AICR, the charity I am blogging on behalf of Saturday, has an island in Second Life and has offered to host an event in their dance club to help promote Day of Blogs.  I went and checked out the club last night and it looks like a good space.

The event is currently scheduled to begin at 2pm SLT (10pm GMT/5pm EDT/2pm PDT) and will run for a few hours.  I will try to be there for the duration of the event in between blog posts.  You can teleport to the island here:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/AICR/234/24/22

For more information on AICR and their efforts, please visit their website at http://aicr.org.uk or follow them on twitter @aicr!

There’s still time to sponsor us for the event!  Send an email to jayellefsw@yahoo.com with your name, pledge amount, and email address.  Further details may be found at http://esoteric-renaissance.com/?/thon/

It’s that time of year again. For one day, 24 hours, bloggers all across the internet will be posting constantly, eating intermittently, and sleeping not at all to raise money for their favorite charities. Are we insane? Maybe. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely!

As ever, we at Imagine This will be participating along with all the others. This year, Adrianne and I will be bringing you reviews of our favorites in the realms of Fantasy and Science Fiction literature, art, and media. Adrianne shall helm the Science Fiction discussion, looking into the literature, art, movies, and music surrounding her favorite worlds. I shall take the lead for discussions of Fantasy, highlighting my favorites in various subgenres and types of fantastical tales.

We will be blogging on behalf of the Association for International Cancer Research, AICR, once again this year. AICR supports scientific research into the causes and cures for cancer taking place all over the world.

This year, as there is no official Blogathon, the folks at Day of Blogs have banded together to keep the tradition alive while the folks at the official event take a breather. As such, the same automatic methods of tracking pledges are not available this year and bloggers are tracking their sponsors independently.

What does this mean for you, our faithful sponsors? No need to register for anything this year! LOL

If you would like to sponsor us, please leave a comment on this post, or send an email to jayellefsw@yahoo.com. Include the name you wish to be known as (anonymous sponsors accepted), the amount you are pledging, and an email address at which the links for donating can be sent to you after the event.

Also, if you would like to hang out with the bloggers, or are a blogger yourself and would like to see some of the interesting posts from the event as they come through, please feel free to join the Blogathon room on FriendFeed: http://friendfeed.com/rooms/blogathon

The one thing anyone who knows me in real life would almost unanomously say about me if asked to describe me to someone new is this:

I am a compulsive reader.

No, seriously, I read anything and everything. This weekend alone I’ve finished off two novels, read about two hundred blog posts and news stories, and started on two how-to books. If there’s no book around, I’ll read a newspaper or magazine. Neither of those? Pass the cereal box.

A month ago, when I first started exploring Second Life® one of the first things I did was start looking for others blogging about their experiences there. I find that in any area, fellow bloggers are one of the best places to find ideas and tips. You can find some of my favorites of the blogs I’ve found so far in the sidebar for this one. Link backs = <3.

Seeing as I want to get into the technical aspects of building and creating content, I then turned to my other favorite informational source, my favorite things: books.

My package arrived from Amazon Friday. I got a couple books on scripting, one on content creation and building, and a general overview of getting around in world (which, unfortunately, seems like a dud so far as most of this I figured out in about two hours of solitary exploration). I’m thinking I might write up reviews as I go. But, I want to take these slowly so that I can really get the most out of whatever exercises, etc. might be included. (I have a brand new zBrush character creation book to go through too.)

So, yeah, I think this classifies me as your basic ‘book geek’. heh.

Now, off to play in world. Got a couple places I want to visit that I read about in those blogs I was mentioning earlier.

Then I have more housing to play with. *smirk*