SLifeFantastic

A visit to Loin des equilibres, and then just like that, the Picnik is over

2012-01-26T14:51:00.000-05:00

I haven’t been taking as much pictures in SL as I usually do. That is mostly to do with my system issues and me despising the windlight set up in the official SL viewer (the only viewer I can use at the moment). But his week I finally got around to exploring and taking some screenshots to share here…

I had a lovely time exploring Loin des equilibres, a minimalist, black and white sim, displaying the work of Cherry Manga (Mysterious Wave). Taking pictures was not so bad and I started to feel that 'zone' I get into when looking fo photo opportunities.

My usual routine is to get my screenshots then park my av somewhere in the sim and post process my photos at Picnik. So, I was pretty surprised when I went over to to edit my images and found out that it is closing and the last day was April 19th. That totally bummed me out.

When you go to Picnik you get a message saying that “Picnik is moving its easy yet powerful photo editing tools to Google+”. Okay, fine, so it’s not completely disappearing. But, what if I don’t want to use Google+? I joined it awhile ago and I was pretty creeped out by how much information they had collected about me and the friend suggestions, and family members…I mean how the hell does Google know who I know and further, who I may be related to? I think I kept it for a couple of days before deactivating it. I haven’t gone back to check, but I’m sure it still has my info there since ‘deactivating’ has quite a different meaning from ‘deleting’ something. Not to mention the notices I periodically get asking me for my cell number to secure my account. Not falling for that one.

I really had no idea that Picnik was owned by Google, and as it seems will soon own the rest of the free world (am I allowed to say that here?).

Yes, I am aware of the irony in complaining about this when this blog has been hosted here at Blogger for over two years, owned by Google. I have two gmail accounts as well. I thought about moving this blog and emails to another platform, but honestly, I like Blogger and Gmail and I’m happy with my blog set up. I don’t feel like starting all over again some place else. But now the thought is there in my head again…

Anyways, this is kind of annoying because I am a paying customer at Picnik and I have loved the service from the beginning. It really is “Fast, Easy, and Fun”. Remember that? It's good that we are getting refunds and advanced notice, but still...

I haven’t used PhotoShop in ages because I do minimal post processing to my shots anyways, and everything I need is available at Picnik. And if you do more than minimal photo edits, you can do a lot more with the tools also. Closing down such a popular service that a lot of people pay for just seems like a stupid business move to me and an underhanded way of forcing users to move over to Google+.

But, whatever. I’m miffed about this but it’s not like Picnik is the only online photo editing tool out there. It's a minor inconvenience, but for me, the decision is pretty easy – I’ll just take my business elsewhere…and maybe my blog too.

Shiny, Glowy, Bling Bling

2012-01-23T12:37:00.000-05:00

Although it doesn't feel like I am finished with it, I brought my statue/figures/art project thingie down to ground level on my parcel. I think it was a good idea to move it from that skyplatform. I was feeling stuck with it, but viewing it now with scenery around makes it look a lot better.

Yes, it's very shiny and glowy, and kind of blingy. I almost always use the 'grey moon' windlight setting when roaming around SL. In that light, the figures looked a lot darker...until last night when I changed to the region default settings, and WOW! It's got a helluva shiny glow going on!

Oh well, it's a work in progress I suppose. Crap gave me a nice rust texture that I'm going to try on the figures tonight. We'll see how that turns out.

When I started out, it was with the earth and beating heart and I wasn't sure where I was going with that. What you see above is where that lead me. I call it "A Delicate Balance".

You're welcome to come by my home and check it out. I'm at work right now and don't have a SLurl. My parcel is located on the south end of Piper Point. You know what to do.

Happy Monday :))

Rant alert! It's like molasses in January...

2012-01-16T23:48:00.000-05:00

It feels like I am slowly losing interest in Second Life. Could it be so? I’m kind of hoping I am just going through a lull and I will find a spark again.

Next month marks three years in SL for me. I once thought I would never get tired of this place, but here we are and that’s exactly how I am feeling.

There is one major thing that is contributing to my disenchantment...

At three years old, my Macbook, I think is getting old. The official SL viewer runs the best for me, but I don’t like it, and it is still not great. I would much rather be on Firestorm. Unfortunately, Firestorm runs like molasses in January on my Macbook. It’s still a good machine and fills the rest of my computer needs, but for SL, it’s falling behind and a new computer is not in my budget at the moment. Perhaps if I was really involved in stuff in SL, or a business owner or something, I would splurge on a new one, but for me, right now, it’s not worth it.

Taking screenshots and making images to share here - a huge part of my activity in SL, is getting longer and more frustrating. I can’t use those cool features like depth of field or shadows without something else messing up my shot. For example, I turn on shadows and all the alpha textures disappear. I keep hoping that these things get fixed on the newest updates, but usually when something gets fixed, something else breaks. It’s Linden Law.

Even walking around on my parcel, which is usually lag free, is a pain in the ass. I end up spending most of my time on my sky platform and chatting from there. I could do the same thing with Skype, Gtalk, or Facebook without the chat delays which make my best jokes(which are really lame anyways) fall flat, victims of bad timing due to the chat lag monster. I hate to waste a good smart ass comment.

When I really want to go somewhere, like a live music event for example, I set my graphics to the lowest of the low and point my camera to the floor so I don't crash and I can at least hear the music.

I’m trying to remember if three years ago SL performance was this bad for me. If it was, I can’t imagine sticking around for this long on something that is essentially broken. Perhaps now that I have been around for awhile, my standards are higher? But I have a two thousand dollar machine, I expect stuff to work on it, and really everything else I do online works just fine – except for SL.

I have tried many times in the last couple of weeks to explore and do some photos to share here, but my patience is low for dealing with lag and taking pictures with windlight in a viewer that makes you click a hundred times to change settings. Okay, it’s not a hundred times but it’s a lot more than on my viewer of choice.

One good thing is that I started building something, which seemed to be the only logical thing to do while hanging out on an empty sky platform. This project excited me for a little while, until I hit a snag with that. By the way, if anyone has any time and patience to give me a few tips on texturing sculpted prims, I would really appreciate that. Some constructive feedback is welcome. Does it suck, does it have potential? Something, anything. I’ll even post the SLurl here if you feel like coming to look...

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Piper%20Point/101/26/638

It is January, the middle of winter here in Canada. Even though it has been a mild winter, I still feel kind of sluggish and slow, so maybe my frustrations are at a peak. Winter is coming to an end on my pixel home in the Five Islands this week, so hey, that gives me a little project to keep busy - if my laptop can handle it.

Anyway, enough complaining.

Now that I got that off my chest, maybe I will find a solution to this annoying problem. Until then, if you’re wondering why I’m not logging on very much or for very long these days, it’s because I’m over on Facebook playing Farmville. Yeah, I know, it’s a stupid, time wasting, mindless game, but hey, IT WORKS which is a helluva a lot more than I can say for my experience in Second Life these days.

Peace out.

Personal Favourite Blog Posts, 2011

2012-01-08T13:40:00.001-05:00

One of the bonuses of keeping a blog is that it is an easy resource to refer to when you want to take stalk of your life, or in this case, your SLife. Looking through my archives, 2011 was a memorable one with the usual highs and lows, and unexpected surprises here and there. In the end, it turned out all good.

So, since I was already perusing through my archives, I thought I would make a short list of some of my personal fave posts from the year. Again like my list from 2010, some of these posts got a lot of page views, others not so much:

Those greyed out names on my friends list

Why a 365 Photography Project?

Turning off my internal censor

What's the point?

Embracing my Contradictions

The end of my 365 Project, but it's really a beginning

Meeroos for Sale, for Pets or Meat: A Bedtime Story

Goodbye Meeroos. Born and raised in captivity and now it's time for you to go

It's kind of hard to pin point what kind of things I learned from SL in 2011, there's a lot. One thing that pops up is that sometimes it's good in life to expect the unexpected, roll with it, and don't hold yourself to your past. Things change and so do we. Sometimes we have to let go of something good to make room for something greater, and that's okay. It's called your personal evolution.

One thing for sure, in the times I felt confused and bewildered in this virtual world, blogging helped me bring things all back into focus and see clearly.

I'm looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for me, and of course, blogging more from Second Life.

Cheers :))

Online friendships and real world meetings

2012-01-04T16:54:00.000-05:00

With the onset of this new year, and my 3rd rez day just around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about my experience in SL so far. I can’t believe it will be three years next month. That’s crazy. In SL years, that’s like forever! Almost.

I have a huge SL friends list. Actually, I’ve taken to calling it my ‘contacts’ list, because honestly, how many of those names on my list are actually friends? Like people I talk to on a regular basis? That list is a lot smaller. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the friends from SL who I have daily interactions with.

Even smaller is the list of friends I regularly spend my time with when I’m in SL. Can you call two people a list? Probably not. Okay, maybe there is a few more than that.

Anyway, what I’m getting at is I have a small circle of friends who I feel really comfortable with and who I feel ‘know’ me and ‘get’ me. I have never met any of those friends out in the real world and to be honest, I never really thought about it too much, until recently. Maybe it’s just the natural evolution of making friends online, but it's been on my mind and I wonder what it would be like to meet those friends in the ‘real’ world.

I’m not a stranger to meeting people from online. In 2002, I met my friend M, in an international online parenting forum. We discovered that we lived close to each other and decided to meet face to face for a playdate with our babies. We hit it off right away, started our own online mothering group, and the rest is history. We are still friends to this day.

In SL, there are many, many miles between me and my loved ones. The likelihood of there ever being an opportunity for us to meet face to face is pretty low. I often wonder what it would be like to give those friends a 'real' hug, and say “hi, nice to see you”. Thinking about that possibility makes me feel like a bit of a nervous wreck. Don’t know what that is about it, but it’s there and I can’t deny it.

While I doubt that a meeting like that will ever take place, stranger and more unexpected things have occurred in my life, so who knows what could happen. I leave that to the Universe, the powers that be, or whatever it is you want to call it. If circumstances lead to a face to face meeting and ‘real’ warm hugs and greetings…well, that would be pretty damn cool.

For now though, I count my blessings and enjoy the friendships I have made in this virtual world, and reap the benefits they bring to me in my Life.

It’s feels good to be loved.

p.s - if you're wondering what the photo is, it's a building project I have been working on. when I feel like it's ready, I'll blog it.

New Year's Revolutions

2011-12-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

Looking back at my new year's rant from 2011, I can say I am in a much better mood to bring in 2012 than I was for 2011. Good. That's a sign of improvement.

And I'm sticking to my promise of not making any New Year's resolutions. Why wait until the new year to make positive changes in your life when you can do that throughout?

If I did make any promises to myself for 2012, it's that this is going to be a revolutionary year in my evolution. At 38, I feel like I am just now starting to really find my voice and embrace it, and give myself credit where credit is due. For me, that's a revolutionary kind of thing. Watch out world. Here I come.

As for Second Life, 2011 was an interesting year. There were some highs, and lows, but I do believe that things happen for a reason, and I'm quite happy and content to go with the flow and to not sweat the small stuff. I have my friends (you know who you are) who I love dearly and I feel so blessed to have them in my Life.

One thing I intend on in SL in 2012 is to build more and start creating something I can be proud of. I've already been messing around with prims over the holidays so I've got a head start on that...

I'm enjoying piecing together prims and seeing what I can come up with. So far, it's nothing totally unique or earth shattering, but it's a start right?

I might go through my posts from 2011 and put together a list of my personal favourites, but I make no promises because my kids come home today and blogging takes a back seat to playing Super Mario on the Wii with the rugrats. Priorities.

Until next time, I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.

With love,

Carrie, (aka Billie), or just callmeShebear ;)

"Arctica Dreams" by Rebeca Bashly

2011-12-18T23:44:00.000-05:00

I'm a fan of Rebeca Bashly. Can you tell? I've blogged her work twice in the last couple of weeks. I don't know her, I just really appreciate and enjoy her art. It resonates with me.

Arctica Dreams spans the entire sim of MetaLES. Upon arrival, it looks cold and empty, with the exception of one large tree, but take a short walk around and you will find a snowy mound to fall through which brings you down below to a dark and icy world of pure beauty.

Before you embark on your journey, click the sign for a notecard with a brief note and some tips to walk through the installation.

You know how much I like to play with windlight, so it was hard to not try out a few different settings, at least. But cycling through windlight presets, I found that this build is best viewed at the artist's recommendation of 'midnight'. That's just like me though. You can't tell me anything, I always have to figure it out myself :p

Viewing these ice sculptures, I thought about how much artistic vision, creative effort and technical skill that went into creating an end product that looks so effortless and beautiful. That kind of amazes me.

I don't know a thing about art. I am not an expert. All I know for sure is how something makes me "feel". Whether it be writing, painting, music, sculptures, photos/images, or prims in a 3D virtual world, if it makes me "feel" something, anything...then that's my definition of art. For me, it's pretty simple.

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this installation, so go see for yourself, and pay attention to how it makes you feel. I spent a good part of my Saturday evening at Arctica Dreams, which turned out to be the perfect antidote to my hectic afternoon of last minute Christmas shopping.

Enjoy :))

Visit Arctica Dreams by Rebeca Bashly at MetaLES in Second Life

A thousand shades of grey

2011-12-08T15:07:00.001-05:00

I don't have a whole lot to say lately about Second Life. A lot of times, I sit down in front of my laptop and start doing stuff in my web browser and completely forget that I logged in to SL. I say that a lot don't I?

I've been wrapped up in a lot of stuff going on in my life, mainly work and juggling that amongst being a mom of two young children with a husband that works long, long hours. I'm used to keeping it all together on my own, that's just how it has always been. I don't know any other way. Sometimes people ask me how I do it. Honestly, I never think about it, I just do what I have to do, go to sleep and get up the next day and do it again.

I have little moments in my day that make it all okay. The ritual morning text messages with my husband, chats over coffee with co-workers, a laugh here and there on my Twitter stream, Words with Friends, a good blog to read, offline i.m's that make me smile, lunching with friends, making fun of the latest celebrity faux pas, afternoon Earl Grey tea, a cat nap on the streetcar on my way home from work, picking up my kids from daycare with smiling faces, and petting Otis the neighbourhood porch cat on the way home...

Those are my constants (along with my living room being a perpetual mess) and my little bursts of colour in a daily routine that can easily become boring and uninspired - especially at this time of year.

It may seem dull with a thousand shades of grey, but if you stop here and there to have a look around, you'll see that grey is not such a bad colour after all.

Enjoy your day :)

"Phantoms of Absence" by Blue Tsuki

2011-12-03T11:04:00.001-05:00

I am not familiar with the work of Blue Tsuki, but after my morning explorations of his build "Phantoms of Absence", I have definitely made note of this creator and will be watching for further exhibits to explore.

I think I first came across this exhibit in the Destination Guide, which is hosted my the Musei de Roma Capitale, MiC. I can't recall exactly, as I found the landmark this morning in my inventory along with tons of other lm's of places to explore. I'll get to them eventually.

From the notecard:

"Look carefully, you will find people whose memories were discarded in a thrift store box of photographs and now tenuously remembered, visions of strangers who we can no longer know but find an afterlife in a corner of art. Secrets and stories lost."

If you are like me and love to click everything, you will easily find the hidden viewpoints in all three levels of this installation.

Be sure to grab the notecard at the beginning for information and some very helpful tips to guide you through. I didn't read the notecard until the end, and that's just like me, but I made it through just fine.

I found this exhibit to be quite emotional. Walking through each level, there is a feeling of memories that linger, and it brought to mind people in my own life who have passed in the last year.

It certainly provokes emotion, but I also found Phantoms of Absence to be quite comforting and meditative.

It was a reflective and relaxing way to spend my Saturday morning. Enjoy :)

Visit "Phantoms of Absence" by Blue Tsuki in Second Life

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-01T23:33:00.001-05:00

I wasn't planning on getting a Christmas tree this year, but when I received a notice that Rebeca Bashly had created some trees for the season, I stopped everything I was doing to head over and have a look.

I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. This Christmas tree is quite a contrast from Rebeca's work that I blogged previously, and it is beautiful. There is a variety of colours and you get four versions of the tree to choose from, and different gift boxes to rez out around the tree.

The tree is available for purchase on Marketplace here: http://bit.ly/vtbhix

If you would like to see a tree inworld, there is one on display inside at Nordan Art Gallery (click for SLurl).

Or, if you know where I live, you can come on over and have a look at mine ;)

"The Water Keepers" - a faux painting

2011-11-26T17:45:00.001-05:00

I like the idea of trees as guardians, or keepers of the earth and the elements. Actually, I not only like that idea, it's how I see the world (see Indigenous Worldview....)

I purchased a sculpted canvas prim package and now if I can figure out how to texture it properly to create a digital faux painting on canvas, I'll have a nice wall hanging to give out for a holiday gift to my friends inworld.

So far my efforts have come up short, but I still have time to figure it out. Of course, I can always just use a simple prim which is easy to texture, but I like the look of the sculpted painters canvas. It has softer edges and corners and looks more realistic I think.

Wish me luck :)

"The Water Keepers"

(this is not a place in Second Life, just some stuff I rezzed to make this image)

"Inferno" by Rebeca Bashly

2011-11-26T11:33:00.001-05:00

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago and forgot to blog them...

I'm not sure how much longer this build will be up but it was still there when I tp'd over this morning.

The notecard giver at the landing point doesn't seem to be working properly - when I clicked it I was delivered a notecard giver script rather than an actual notecard about the installation.

But don't let that stop you from exploring this magnificent creation by Rebeca Bashly.

The build is Bashly's interpretation of part one of Dante's three part Divine Comedy - Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso.

From Wikipedia:

"On the surface, the poem describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven; but at a deeper level, it represents allegorically the soul's journey towards God."

Be sure to give yourself enough time to fully explore the entire build. I was there for at least a couple of hours exploring and taking pictures. And watch out for some tricky spots when you tp to different areas within. I got lost once and had to start over.

Still, it was worth every minute to view this breathtaking installation.

Visit "Inferno" by Rebeca Bashly in Second Life

And now time for you weather forecast

2011-11-17T19:17:00.001-05:00

Today you can expect grey skies, overcast with a heavy chance of precipitation later on in the afternoon. Expect the unexpected, perhaps being trapped in an elevator playing top 40 radio first thing at the office, and a 99% chance of sad news via email quickly thereafter. You might see some sun peek through the ominous clouds if you have lunch with friends, however, be prepared for dark, threatening rainstorm clouds when sitting in cubicle alone.

In the afternoon, you’ll see a chance of thunderstorms due to looming unpaid home renovation loan, unexpected car repairs, and work deadlines. By evening, a dark chill will fill the air and if you forgot to turn your thermostat up this morning, be prepared for a cold evening indoors. Overnight, turning colder. Don’t be startled by that howling north wind at your window. High likelihood of unresolved misunderstandings with significant other remaining unresolved, leading to another dismal day tomorrow. Your weekend forecast: bleak, dark and foreboding…

Recommended plan of action: dress appropriately, take all prescribed medications, nutritional supplements, get plenty of rest and for God’s sake, spare the world from your misery and stay the hell off of Twitter!

Damn I’m cranky. I'm taking shelter from this stormy weather by parking myself on my sofa watching sappy romance movies all night long.

Where's my positive thinking? I think I lost it.

Empty Nest

2011-11-14T20:48:00.001-05:00

Well, now that 'those who shall not be named' have flown the nest and are off enjoying their hard earned freedom, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself.

Yes, I celebrated their departure. I couldn't wait to be rid of the annoying little buggers, but now that they are gone I can't help but feel a little lonely...

I log on to empty stumps and it's just so lonely now without them. I miss the annoying chirping sounds they used to greet me with.

I need a hobby. Some have suggested breedable plants, butterflies...maybe I need a support group. A pet might keep me occupied...wait, that's how I ended up here to begin with. Nevermind.

Sigh.

I knew this day was coming, but noone told me it would be like this. My skybox is so empty and lifeless, and resonating with silence...

...and what the heck am I going to do with all these extra prims?

(I promise this will be the last I blog about 'them'. I just couldn't resist the final empty nest syndrome post. haha)

Goodbye Meeroos. Born and raised in captivity, and now it's time for you to go...

2011-11-12T00:53:00.001-05:00

I've been contemplating it for awhile now, and I have finally made the decision to give away my nests to my friends and release my remaining Meeroos.

Far too often I log on and stand and stare at the little creatures wondering why I continue to keep them when it stopped being fun for me weeks ago.

And it really was fun. I had a great time and it kept me busy and I had a few good laughs. I even made some new friends.

I've done my part for the Meeroo population, and the time has come for me to release my furry friends so they can enjoy their freedom in the wilds of Second Life.

So long little creatures. My Second Life won't be the same without you, but it's time for you to go...

Oh, and watch out for serial killers and feral inbred Meeroos...they are troubled souls. I trust that I raised you right and you can outsmart them...it's the risk you have to take for freedom...

Sniffle, sniffle.

Winter depression and beautiful gloominess at Delicatessen Petrified

2011-11-10T23:20:00.001-05:00

November has always been a hard month for me. Three years ago I was diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I tried the medication route, and it didn't work for me. While it did keep my mood relatively even, it turned me into a zombie and my world was literally, a dull sepia tone with little colour. I decided to explore some alternative treatments, namely nutritional supplements like omega 3 fatty acids and other nutrient dense foods, along with exercise. It's not a magic pill that makes my blues go away, but with commitment and consistency, it makes a difference in the long run.

S.A.D can be quite a serious disorder for some, so what works for me may not be right for someone else. We all do what we have to do and I encourage anyone who also struggles with this to find what works for you. Go seek out help. Now.

It's strange because it is not even winter yet. Technically, it is still autumn here, but this is the time when I feel the symptoms the most - sleepiness, moodiness (read bitchiness), lethargy, increased appetite. The days are getting shorter, and it looks like it's 10 o'clock at night when I get home from work. Ugh. I have the UV lamp for light therapy which does help, however, it also tends to give me headaches and eye strain.

Honestly, the thought of crawling into a cave with my cubs and hibernating until spring is my equivalent of a winter vacation on a tropical island. They don't call me SheBear for nothing ;)

Anyway, being in one of my moods last night, I was drawn to explore something in Second Life that is dark. I found Delicatessen Petrified, which judging from these photos, you can agree it certainly fits the criteria for darkness...

My journey started out ominous, eerie and even startling in some instances...

This floating island pictured above kind of freaked me out. Something about the absence of mouths in these figures...no voice...was very disturbing to me.

But as I explored further...

...I found that there is a hint of something beautiful, the kind of beauty that can only come out of transformative darkness...

I started to feel better.

The landscape is sparse, and haunting, and reminded me that even in the darkest of times there is still always hope...

Beautiful gloom...two words that encapsulate my experience at Delicatessen Petrified.

Winter has not yet started in my part of the world, but it is looming close. I may not be able to crawl into my cave for the duration of the season, but I am reminded that the darkness never lasts forever. It is a normal part of the ebb and flow of life, and what might look bleak and gloomy, actually has small gifts of hope to offer to those of us who aren't afraid to enter those dark shadows.

Peace :)

Visit Delicatessen Petrified in Second Life

Meeroos for Sale: for Pets...or MEAT - A bedtime story

2011-10-30T11:11:00.000-04:00

There is a legend in Piper Point. The locals don't talk about it. They prefer to sweep the darkness under their pixel rugs and pretend like everything in their happy little community is bright and peaceful.

But you can't deny the darkness that lurks below the surface...

Legend has it there is a Meeroo burial ground on the west end of Piper. Terrible things happened there to these good hearted and unsuspecting little creatures. It has been many years and the land has taken over, covering up it's dark and twisted history.

But every year, on Halloween, you can hear the haunting screams of the poor little victims echoing across the bay. And if you look closely enough, you can even see the Meeroo ghosts roaming the property, eternally trapped between this world and the afterlife begging to be pet...but be careful, they are vengeful little creatures.

Don't let your curiosity get the best of you because they, whoever these evil people were, like to torture avatars too...

Be cautious about that sweet and quiet girl named Carrie. She lives not far from this twisted mayhem and seems a little too comfortable being so close to this evil darkness.

The land is vacant, the Piper locals are looking for a new neighbour but if you ask them about that strange and eery feeling that rushes through your bones and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end...they will deny it for fear of being the next victim of the revenge of the tortured Meeroos...

And as for me...my lips are sealed....

Muahahahaha!!!!!! Happy Halloween :))

Signed,

SheBear

Visit the sick and twisted Meeroo Pet & Butcher Shop in Piper Point.

Meeroos Boom or Bust?

2011-10-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

I don't even want to say it out loud but...I'm getting fed up with my meeroos.

They are an expensive hobby and I'm starting to resent the prims they are taking up on my parcel. I still really like them and think they are very cute, it's just that every time I have to dish out another $1600L's for food, I cringe a little. I would be happy if I could sell enough nests to pay for the food. The berries last a long time, but when I have to buy 3 or 4 of them within a few days, it kind of hurts my pixel wallet.

Things change so fast in Meeroo land. It wasn't that long ago that I sold a tiger ears nest (and it was a common winecoat) for $3000L's. The other night, I sold a tiger ears/highland coat for $750. I'm okay with that, just saying how fast things change.

Not that I have ever been in it to get rich. Like I said before, I would be happy to make a little $L's to pay for the food, and/or rent a little plot to keep them (which leads me down the path of the cost to rent land with enough prims in SL, but that's a whole other issue...or is it?)

Roaming around last night, I felt so discouraged seeing the price tags for some of these nests. $25,000L's? I've seen prices as high as $75,000L's. I saw another on a bidboard with a whopping opening bid of $30,000L's. I love the little creatures too, but some of these prices are so outrageous with a capital O it makes it so out of my reach and therefore, undesirable. I'm not about to dish out that amount of money for a pixel pet, not matter how cute it might be.

I don't know. I'm big on supporting the breeders market, I bought all my first meeroos from the breeders and not Malevay Studios. I don't want to knock the market, but when I see some of these asking prices I have to wonder, is making a buck really all this is about? Nothing wrong with making some cash, but to me the meeroos are more than that. I see the main appeal being about meeting people, bartering, cooperating, networking...isn't it?

Speaking of which, I have a hard time believing that the release of Sim Pets is going to be the "huge competitive threat to breedables in SL" as Hamlet Au suggests. We have Sims Pets at home, I've played it and I think it's boring. Without the interaction for trading and selling with other people, I just don't get the appeal. Yawn.

My sense is that if anything is going to hurt Meeroos and breedables in SL, it will be the ridiculously high price tags attached to some of these nests from the breeders themselves. Does anyone buy these nests?

If it is going to cost me that much money to fill up my Tome, I'll pass and leave the meeroos altogether, like several people I have talked to recently.

That kind of game is just too rich for my blood.

War of the Worlds comes to Second Life

2011-10-21T10:54:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, I have an exciting event to tell you about that I'm sure will quench your desire for something thrilling and spooky this halloween season.

Seanchai Library has been "bringing stories of all kinds to Second Life" for the past four years. Last October, if you missed it, they performed Dracula which drew crowds of up to 80 avatars. I was in that crowd and it was a fabulous performance.

This year, in the spirit of this spooky season, Seanchai is presenting a special production of War of the Worlds.

War of the Worlds, written by Orson Welles in 1898, scared the living daylights out of people in 1938 when it debuted as a radio play. The performance was so real that it created mass hysteria throughout the nation - people actually begun preparing for alien invasion upon hearing the performance. Imagine sitting down with your family for your nightly radio (for us television) time with your family to experience a performance so real you can't tell where fiction ends and where reality begins. Pretty spooky.

"War of the Worlds scared the pants off people back in the '30's using the power of voice to persuade folks this was real. We plan to generate the same feeling with this production", says Seanchai Chief Librarian Derry McMahon.

There are three performances scheduled for War of the Worlds. The first one being tomorrow, October 22, 5pm slt at the Blood Evolution Kingdom sim. The second performance takes place on October 23 at 12 pm slt at Spooky Fruit Islands, and the final performance will be on October 26th, 7pm slt at Seanchai Library.

I don't have SLurl's right now, but I suggest joining the inworld group, Seanchai Library, to keep up to date on the events and proper SLurl's/

You can read more about Seanchai and their events on their blog:

http://irelandslstory.blogspot.com

Maybe I will see you there :)

A little something I shared at Blue Angel tonight...

2011-10-16T22:27:00.000-04:00

Take me as I am

all of me

don't try to change me

I will not ask you for an expensive home

fancy car or winter vacations in the tropics

although I will gladly accept these gifts from you

if it will make you happy

but do not fool yourself into thinking

that these worldy things will fill my shortcomings

the only thing I will ever ask of you

is to take me just the way I am

my laughter, my passion

my sorrow, my pain

my light and my shadow

though I may try to kick down your doors

from my knot of rage and grief

I ask for your fierce clarity and courage

to look past my defenses

and see the vulnerable child inside

who only wants to be loved

my need for tenderness

to hazardous to show you

I bottle it up until it implodes

there is nothing that can fill the void

except for your unconditional love

I know it is a lot to ask

but if you could do this one thing

it will be enough for me to transform

my rage into kindness

my fear into courage

self-loathing into love...

take me as I am

all of me

and I promise you

I will give you the world

in your hands

Carrie Lexington, October 2011

Blue Angel Poet's Dive in Second Life, Sundays at 5pm slt

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Art Screamers

2011-10-13T22:57:00.001-04:00

I love the Art Screamers name, I couldn't help myself with this post title. haha.

I've been trying for days to get to Art Screamers to explore the latest build on display, Through the Lens of Dreams by Madcow Cosmos and Lorin Tone. I had good intentions to blog this earlier, but it was Thanksgiving and then I just lost track of the days while I was dilly dallying around SL.

Anyway, I'm getting back on track and looking for cool places to explore to share here.

Through the Lens of Dreams is a fun and unique art build to explore. If you are like me and like to click, fly over and sit on everything, you will love it here. The creative collaboration between Madcow and Lorin is truly unique to experience and you must see and click your way through this for yourself.

From the notecard:

"Through the Lens of Dreams" is an exploration of the transformative nature of dreams, where each new setting may emerge from the last and seems continuous while we're experiencing them. The only truly consistent part of a dream is the viewer, that's you. Thus as you walk through the installation you help complete the piece, good work. The piece is more a series of doodles that flow from each other than a single large composition so it seems somewhat sprawling and busy. Just relax and enjoy your own little piece of the whole."

I'm not exactly sure why I chose such a grey windlight setting for these photos. It is anything but grey here, it is bright and whimsical and colourful. I think I chose it because I experience my own dreams as kind of vague and far away, yet there are certain things about them that really pop out and stick with me. Somehow, this art installation kind of reminded me of that.

But art is subjective and open to interpretation. When you go visit, I am sure you will see something completely different.

"Through the Lens of Dreams" is open for viewing at Art Screamers for approximately the next month.

Take some time to really explore this full sim build. It is a delightful art installation to experience and I guarantee, it will put a smile on your face.

Visit "Through the Lens of Dreams" at Art Screamers in Second Life

Burn2: "Mintaka" and "Rebirth"

2011-10-06T01:26:00.000-04:00

It is kind of a busy week for me. Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend, and I am off work for a few days visiting the family before the long weekend. I wasn't sure if I would be able to blog more about Burn2 this week because when I am with the family, they make plans for me that cover practically every minute of the day. But I was able to sneak away long enough to find two really great builds at Burn2 that caught my eye to share here.

The first one is called "Mintaka" by Starlash Sweetwater:

You can sit on the floating pages and be whisked away in the story of "Mintaka's Wish". I always love builds that you can interact with and become a part of.

Don't forget to pick up the notecard so you can read this short and inspirational story.

SLurl for Mintaka's Wish at Burn2

The next build that caught my eye was "Rebirth" by Anya Ibor.

A small sample from the Artist's Thesis (be sure to grab the notecard to read the full thesis)...

"From fire we can be reborn…changed…evolved to a higher plane of consciousness...

This can happen by choice—or by chance...

By chance, we might be thrown involuntarily into chaos, fiery horror, terror...

Do we rise to the surface, reborn of fire to ascend higher as humans? Or do we stay in the fire, endlessly burning and suffering? It is up to each individual to choose: Rebirth into a new life of higher consciousness, or stay swirling in chaos."

SLurl for Rebirth at Burn2

I intend on sneaking away from the family a little more so I can share some more interesting art builds to share. Maybe I'll see you on the playa :)

The end of my 365 Photography Project...but it's really a beginning

2011-10-03T21:30:00.000-04:00

After giving it some thought over the weekend, I have come to the decision to stop my 365 SL Photography Project. I've kind of wrestled with it for awhile, but now that I have made the decision, it not only feels like a relief, but also like the right thing for me to do.

In the beginning, this kind of project appealed to me because it was an easy framework that I could commit to. When I say 'easy', I mean attainable for me. Committing to a blog post everyday for a year and following through on it is not exactly 'easy', but it was something that I felt I could do. It was kind of like paying my membership to the gym because if I didn't make some kind of commitment, I knew I would never do it. So working on one or a few photos from SL everyday was kind of like my training wheels for flexing my creative muscles.

And I learned a lot. I learned about the rule of thirds for taking interesting photos, when to use that rule, and more often, when to break it. I learned all the little in's and outs of my SL viewer. I tried different viewers including the official SL viewer and several third party viewers. I finally learned how to use Photoshop Elements or at least how to make use of some features to edit my photos to bring out the best in them. There is still so much for me to learn in that respect. I got to know my Macbook from the inside out in a way that playing games and updating my status on Facebook never gave me incentive to do before.

One of the biggest things to come out of my 365 project was that in following through on it for as long as I did (even though it wasn't always everyday), I created a space in my life to learn some new skills to express myself creatively. Every evening when I log into SL, I am there because I am looking for some creative stimulation, or something to fill the well. At this point, it feels like there is a hole in my day if I don't do something about it, and it took several months before that creative space was a consistent part of my daily routine.

So in that sense, the parameters of the project have been a huge support for me. But there comes a time when your training wheels start to feel like they are holding you back, which is where I find myself now. There have been many times, and getting more frequent, that I want to learn something new, but my time limits make room for only doing 365 photos.

I felt a little bad about making this decision, but when I dig past all my negative self-talk that tells me I fail for not finishing or not following through on my commitment, what I find is that beneath it all is the realization that I have outgrown my 365 project...and that's okay.

Which brings me to my next lesson learned...the creative muse does not always, if ever, fit into a neat little package or a set of expectations. Sometimes she cooperates, but most of the time she is fickle and disappears for days or weeks at a time. She hides around the corner and surprises me with inspiration when I least expect it. She will placate me by colouring within the lines, but she does not like it. That strategy worked for me for a little while in bringing a venue for creative expression back into my life, but now it just feels restrictive and I'm ready to let it go.

Does this mean I am going to stop posting images of places to go or things to do in Second Life? No. It just means I am no longer doing it within the boundaries of a 365 project. I still intend on making images and sharing them here on this blog often, and other random thoughts I have. It's just that every time I look at that number in my post title, I wince a little and I can't wait for it to be over. That does not feel good to me.

When I think back to day one of this project, I feel that I have fulfilled my intentions and have gotten more out of if than I ever expected. When I look at it that way, I can hardly feel bad about the number of posts not adding up to 365. The number is never what it was all about. It was really about me accessing my creative inner voice and expressing that in a new way.

My 365 Photography Project served me well, and although I can't claim a big, happy end celebration, I can say it was a pretty good start to putting me on the path to living the authentic creative life I have always wanted.

249 of 365: Burn2 is right around the corner

2011-09-29T23:02:00.000-04:00

I've been looking forward to press day at the Burn2 grounds all week. I had a such a good time last year, and this year I couldn't wait to get in there ahead of time to take some pics...

I'm a big fan of Mikati Slade and her work. She definitely has a unique style that is all her own, and to top it off, she is a real sweetheart too.

The build pictured above is called "Popscape". From the notecard:

"Once in a while, an important event or realization happens that changes us forever. This change often comes with mixed feelings - fear and hope, loss and opportunity. This artwork tries to capture these feelings. The skulls is our fear for the future, our loss of the past. The hearts is our hope and excitement for the future, our optimism that all will go well, our love for ourselves. The bows blessedly tie all together. Overall, this work tries to communicate a natural and dynamic optimism about the future of people in times of change." - Mikati Slade

Not far down the dirt road I found Claudia222Jewell's build, "The Sacrifice". A stunningly, beautiful and detailed build about rites of passage, sacrifice and transformation.

I don't have SLurls right now. I wasn't sure if I should collect them since the event doesn't actually start until Saturday, October 1st. But it's only 2 days away, and you can be sure that I will be taking more photos to post and I will have SLurl's then.

A few more images from the upcoming Burn2:

"Skelly Mer" by Maya Paris

I didn't this artist's information, but I will be going to take more snapshots and find more information.

Burn2 opens this Saturday, October 1st at 12pm SLT. Further details can be found at the Burn2 blog.

248 of 365

2011-09-27T00:04:00.001-04:00

Chinese Bamboo Garden

247 of 365: Script Impacts and our Digital Environment

2011-09-26T00:50:00.001-04:00

I didn't really do anything creative tonight inworld, but I did spend some time hanging around in front of this:

What you are looking at is a Script Impact Board. I'm sure you have seen them before on your travels in SL. Honestly, I never paid too much attention to them. I'm conscious of my attachments and the scripts on my av, so I have never felt a need to see where I stand, so to speak.

But I decided to do a little experiment and see how my av script impact changes.

In the snapshot above, you'll see my total number of scripts is 6, which comes mainly from my shoes and Meeroos hud. The built in Firestorm AO that I use made no difference when it was on or off. If you see your name on one of these signs and you're dot is green, you are good.

In this next snapshot, I turned off the Firestorm built in AO, and put my AO hud on. You'll see my number of scripts rose to 13, although my dot did stay green.

Next, I took off my AO and put on another favourite AO of mine from a popular animations shop. Note that when I had both AO's on, they were turned off and still their script impact was the same as when I turned them on.

For this last shot, I had on my AO, my Meeroos hud, and another highly popular scripted hud that contains a radar, spanker, gift giver, gestures and many other features that are advertised as being "lag free". This brought my number of scripts to 118, and you can see my dot is now yellow, bringing me close to the red 'danger' zone. I don't wear a lot of scripted items if I can help it, but if I did, I'm sure I would easily be in the red this time.

My Avatar Rendering Cost is usually four digits, generally in the 1000's, sometimes 2000's. I never really understood this, but I think it is worth it to note that my ARC pretty much stayed the same the more hud attachments I put on. The exception to that is in the last snapshot, where my ARC rose to over 3000 with the radar tool and all the additional invisible attachments that went with it.

My sense has always been that ARC itself is not responsible for lag - for client side yes, but I'm talking about region lag and performance. I looked at the ARC of other avatars in the area and I noted that one of them in the green zone had an ARC of over 5000. He just didn't have on a lot of scripted items. The real culprit contributing to sim lag are all those scripts in our av attachments - resizeable and colour changeable shoes, hair, clothing, and AO's. That is of course aside from all the scripted items rezzed out on the sim.

I have spent some time trying to understand scripts and their impacts and I'm no expert, but I can share with you (if you don't already know), some things that I have learned from others and from my own research.

if your hair, shoes or other av attachments are modifiable, you can delete the scripts in them. If they also happen to be copiable, you can copy the original product and save it if you ever need to resize or change them. I do this with all my hairs and most of my shoes if I can.
I use Firestorm, which has an AO option built into the viewer. It also has some bonuses like the radar which you can also use to tp to other people that show up on your radar. I believe Imprudence also has an AO option and a radar. I find the radar handy, but it's not a necessity.
If you are using a viewer that has a built in AO, it is quite easy to set it up and use it. Trust me, if I can do it, than you can too. Just search for some easy step by step instructions or ask for help in your TPV support group.
If you use the SL viewer, I think there are AO's and hud attachments that have less of an impact than the ones I used for this experiment. I just used those ones because they are popular.

I am not advocating for Firestorm or any other third party viewer. The last time I used the official LL viewer, none of these built in features that can help reduce avatar script impacts were included. Maybe I don't completely understand how it all works, but this is how I understand it. I think features like these that can replace heavily scripted items and give the users the opportunity to potentially reduce their impact of sim performance, should be a priority in viewer development. It is my experience in life, that people like being part of the solution to their problems.

And yes, I realize that the Script Impact Board is scripted and has an impact itself. How much of an impact it has, I don't know, but I think this is one of those things where you have to give some thought to what kind of scripts you are wearing, or have rezzed on your land, how much of an impact they have, do you really need it, and is it really worth it?

If I can, I like to keep my scripts low or have low script and low ARC outfits ready when I have to go to a crowded sim.

Again, I'm no expert at this. I'm just someone trying to do my best to not pollute our digital environment with unnecessary scripts that contribute to lag. If you have any thoughts or ideas on the topic, please let me know. I'm always up for learning more.

246 of 365: Darkness Forest

2011-09-24T23:00:00.000-04:00

You know I like to play with windlight, so when I visited Dark Forest this evening, I had a great time trying different settings that I thought enhanced the beauty of this sim.

It has a dark and slightly gothic feel to it, with it's dark trees and romantic hidden spots to spend with your special someone.

Visit Dark Forest in Second Life

p.s - I learned today, by accident, that you can drag and drop a SLurl into the Firestorm viewer and it will open the landmark on your screen so you can easily teleport to the location. So easy!

245 of 365: Old New York in Second Life

2011-09-24T01:07:00.001-04:00

Photos taken at Old New York, Staten Island in Second Life

244 of 365: A Tranquil Evening

2011-09-20T23:11:00.000-04:00

This is how I spent my evening tonight...listening to the sweet and tranquil sounds of Fricker Fraker's Native American flute.

You can join his inworld group, The Fricker Frequency, for updates and upcoming performances.

243 of 365: Progress...a little...baby steps

2011-09-20T00:21:00.000-04:00

Well, I don't have very many pretty pictures to post lately because I have been busy playing with prims and sculpted prim pieces...in other words, I have been making attempts at building something. It feels weird to say that, because honestly, I have no clue what I am doing.

I purchased some sculptie packs from the Marketplace and pieced together this turtle:

Texturing it the way I envision this turtle in my head, is a whole other thing. I just threw a marble texture on it because I got sick of looking at the default plywood.

I looked at some Blender tutorials tonight and I actually started learning something. I think it's not as hard as I want to think it is. I mean, it definitely takes some skill, but skills can be learned right? It's not rocket science....er, at least I don't think it is.

242 of 365: Glory Box by Portishead

2011-09-18T23:51:00.003-04:00

241 of 365: Ask and you shall receive

2011-09-17T23:25:00.001-04:00

Well, I asked for help and I got it. Thank you for those who responded yesterday with suggestions and encouragement. I really appreciate it.

I'm so, so tired right now. All I have tonight is a couple of photos from Electrobit City. Fun build. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves tonight.

Visit Electrobit City

240 of 365: I'm so discouraged

2011-09-16T23:54:00.000-04:00

If I haven't said it here before, I'll say it now - I have huge respect for builders in SL who can create amazing and beautiful works of art by piecing together simple prims.

Sadly, I am not one of those people.

I have grand and lofty ideas of things I want to create, but my skill is so lacking that when I make an effort to try to learn something new, I just get so discouraged and disappointed in myself that I end up giving up on it all together. My expectations exceed my abilities and it is very frustrating. Maybe I am getting too ahead of myself.

I downloaded Blender tonight, a free, open source 3D content creation program, and I was determined that I was going to learn something about creating sculpted prims. Did I learn anything? No. I stared at my screen for a few minutes, fiddled around with a few things, closed it and went back to petting meeroos. I love my little furry friends, but I want more for my SLife!

Sigh.

There's got to be an easier way for someone like me to learn how to make sculpted prims...anyone?

Please let me know if you have any resources that could help me.

In the meantime, I'll be petting meeroos and feeling just a little bit sorry for myself. Sniffle, sniffle :(

239 of 365

2011-09-15T22:50:00.000-04:00

Photo taken at Velbert

238 of 365: Secret Spheres by Azee Resident

2011-09-14T23:49:00.000-04:00

If you're a Pink Floyd fan, you're going to love Secret Spheres...

From the notecard:

"This is the land of small worlds.... one small unique and minimalist universe enclosed in each sphere... many are intimate and romantic, others simply unusual.... How many are they? You explore and find out!... All spheres on the lower level are connected together by tunnels... or rather a labyrinth ;-) Other spheres float high up in the sky, beyond the clouds, and a few others lie underwater... You can follow the tunnels and explore... or fly through their walls as most are phantom, but be carefull not to fall. Some have 2 or 3 storeys...

* Concept & design of Secret Spheres by Azee Resident (creator of the artistic sim *ZED*

Visit Secret Spheres in Second Life

237 of 365: Glow baby glow!

2011-09-13T23:34:00.000-04:00

I was lucky to get into Roo yesterday on the first try. It was packed with people picking up the newly released Pet-O-matic. Regardless of the ethics that some think of this auto petter, I love mine and the design is very cute. I also think it's genius that with every product release, World of Meeroos posts a storyline on their blog about it. It's really engaging and keeps people on their toes for what is to come next. I am hooked!

I currently have my Pet-O-matic set to pet my meeroos every hour. I won't leave it like that because I'm not in any kind of race or competition to build up regard, I just want to see if I notice any differences with them being petted more frequently. I have noticed that since setting it up yesterday, they have dug up a few new treasures. Maybe that's just a coincidence though.

I was going to pick one up for a friend tonight, but due to some minor technical issues, it is currently not available. According to the World of Meeroos blog, it will be available again as soon as possible. The Pet-O-Matic itself is free. What you do have to purchase is the battery which is available in a few different prices. All of which last for 7 days depending on how often you choose to have your meeroos petted. It's a really cool little contraption.

I'm trying to keep the Meeroos posts to once a week, for those of you not interested in the little weedrats. I make no promises though ;p

236 of 365: My avatar is hovering above the ground

2011-09-12T22:24:00.000-04:00

You'll notice in this picture, that my avatar appears to be hovering above the ground. I tried taking my shoes off thinking it had something to do with that. I took my ao off. I tried 'stop animations'. I did the 'character test'. I rebaked. I went into edit appearance.

I'm using Firestorm, so if anyone has any idea how I can fix this, please let me know. I feel like a huge giant when I'm with my friends, whose avatar feet actually touch the ground.

I'm too tired to log in and explore to do any photos tonight. I need to catch up on some sleep.

235 of 365: Not today

2011-09-12T00:59:00.000-04:00

I thought I was going to blog something different today, something political about how I see the world and the events of 9/11. I never want to go about saying what I want to say in an insensitive way, so I thought I had the words all worked out in my head...

But then I had a heart to heart with a friend in SL today, someone close to me who's work and life was directly impacted by the events on that day. As we talked, I felt my gut grow heavy with collective grief. There are some things you think you know, but it is only an intellectual understanding. And then someone says something to you that takes your 'knowing' to a completely different level. I could feel it in my bones, in my gut and in my heart.

I still stand by my convictions, but today is not the day for me to get political about this.

I send love and light too everyone who is working towards making our world a better place.

234 of 365: Home of Many Nations and the Great Plains, 1850's in Second Life

2011-09-10T23:54:00.000-04:00

So this evening I attended my first ever Native American Pow Wow in Second Life. This was by far the coolest thing I have ever seen in SL so far. Of course, my opinion may be a little biased ;p ( I am mixed Native American/French Canadian)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am very critical of any kind of Native American roleplay in-world not because I am against it altogether, it's just that I have seen a lot of Native American themed roleplay sims that are...just wrong, and offensive to not only Native Americans, but women and humanity in general...

...but I'm not here to rant about that.

I'm here to share a very cool cultural event in the virtual world that I think would be a nice experience for a lot of people, if you are interested in such things. I know it's really lame to blog about events after the fact, but I only heard about the event when I logged on today.

The Pow Wow was held in celebration of the new connection between the Home of Many Nations and the Great Plains 1850's Roleplay sim. I blogged before about the Home of Many Nations here. It is not a roleplay sim, however if roleplay is your thing, the Great Plains 1850's roleplay sim is now right next door. I don't know if another celebration like this will take place again soon, but I will keep my eyes open for notices.

Still, if you are interested, these are two place that I think are worth exploring because they capture the spirit of Indigenous North American values such as spirituality, community, respect and inclusivity. Anyone, regardless of race, who has an open mind and heart is welcomed.

Peace :)

Visit Home of Many Nations and Great Plains, 1850's

233 of 365: Dear Plurk, it's not you, it's me

2011-09-09T12:14:00.000-04:00

(I'll be back later to add my 365 picture somewhere in this post)

Today I decided it was a good time to do a digital clean up - clear out my inboxes, delete old accounts, merge some of them and scale down my social media accounts. It's not like I have a ton of them or a huge social media presence. I just feel the need to keep things as simple as possible.

So I'm deleting my Plurk account.

Not that that's a big shock or anything. I haven't been over there in months. Last night I went over to test the waters and although I like the Plurk layout, I really hate the whole karma points system. I know, I know, it's childish and stupid and I tell myself I don't care, but there is a little voice in my head that does care about it and hates seeing my karma at a dismal 37%. All my cool smilies are gone...and really, I'm just over it.

When I first tried Twitter many, many months ago, I did.not.get.it, and so I left my account to collect dust, gaining no followers. My interest in Twitter got peaked again when I started seeing Twitter referrals in my blog stats, a lot of them on some occasions, so I thought I should give it another go. Now I'm kind of slow at picking up on things like this, but after putting in some effort to send some tweets and respond to others, I started to like it, gained some followers, and now I love it. Twitter is one of those things that grows on you I think.

I've been thinking about why I prefer Twitter over Plurk...

The first thing that comes to mind is I like it because Twitter has become a main source of news and information for me. It's not that Plurk doesn't have that also, I just find Plurk to be more random chit chat, or at least it is on my timeline. Nothing wrong with that, just my observation. I don't read the morning paper because I don't have time, but it's really easy to check in with my Twitter timeline on my way to work to see what news and events people are talking about. Any items that interest me, I 'favourite' them to read later.

I just finally started figuring out the whole #hashtag thing. It's really easy to see what topics are trending, and create a column or an alert for topics that you want to keep up with. This is a great tool for people who are marketing a blog, event for a product. I think the ease of that is also dependent on which Twitter app you sue, which brings me to my next point...

There are dozens of Twitter apps out there for your mobile device or computer that will suit your needs. So far, I have tried the mobile Twitter app and TweetDeck which was good, except it kept randomly sending double tweets of mine. I'm currently using Twittelator which so far, I like. There are tons more apps out there to choose from, and this variety for choice is something I have not seen with Plurk. The mobile Plurk app is okay on my iPhone, but it doesn't rock my world or anything, so meh.

As a social justice advocate, Twitter is infinitely useful in spreading the word and news of events, and information - think Egypt and the uprisings in the middle east. I have a separate Twitter account for that, but I think you can make lists to tweet so certain crowds. I haven't tried that yet. (no i'm not involved in political uprisings, but I am passionate about social justice issues close to home and I tweet about them).

And my final reason for preferring Twitter over Plurk is that Twitter does not have a points system that makes me feel like a total social media failure. Over dramatic? Yes, maybe I am, but I can't be the only one who feels that way..am I? I don't mind games to level up on, I'm totally into the Meeroos, but the Plurk karma system does nothing for me. But hey whatever floats your boat, if you like it, great...it sinks mine so I'm getting rid of it.

For all you dedicated Plurkers out there, I'm not at all dissing your choice of social media platform at all. I used it for several months, met some great people, and made a few new friends. It has it's good points too. Just for me and my purposes, Twitter fits better into my day and so I'll stick with that. Besides being a Plurk lurker makes me feel kind of creepy.

No hard feelings, okay?

p.s - I am @callmeshebear on Twitter if you want to come follow me :))

232 of 365: "The Blue Heron"

2011-09-08T23:07:00.002-04:00

"Creativity is the Blue Heron waiting within us to fly; through her imagination, all things become possible" - Nadia Janice Brown

231 of 365: There is a method to my meeroo madness

2011-09-07T11:53:00.001-04:00

Okay, I am trying really, really hard not to blog about meeroos everyday, but it's SO HARD, I'm dying here! So please, just indulge me will you?

I love waking up in the morning to emails that say "It looks like your meeroos will have a new baby soon". I'm like a kid at Christmas jumping out of bed in the morning to log in and see what kind of present the meeroo gods have left me over night. My husband thinks I have totally lost my marbles, and he may be right. He gave me the 'concerned, I think she's slightly crazy' look while he was handing me a mug of coffee this morning.

So I logged in to find two nests that made me very happy: a Caledonian and my first Cinder nest! Now, to some of you more experienced breeders, that may not be a big deal, but for me it's totally cool.

It's exciting because after months of crapshoots of just throwing them together and hoping for something good, I am finally finding a method of pairing my meeroos that is producing desired and pleasantly surprising results. I'm still not entirely sure, but I have a theory that I am still experimenting with.

It seems to me that pairing like with like, produces something new - that is, if there is/are rarer traits in at least one of the meeroos lineage. For example, I bought a normal winecoat male nest that had a Koi parent. I have a ton of winecoat nests so I chose a female that had as many of the same traits as possible - same coat, same eyes, same size, but with no special traits in the lineage. I coaxed them, named them Sid and Nancy, petted the hell out of them and so far they have given me a Caledonian/short tail and a Cinder.

Am I completely off, or am I onto something?

Now to prove I'm not totally crazy, the other day I got another Caledonian nest from my two Sierra coats, Jack and Olivia, which I paired together using the same strategy. The only difference being that neither Jack nor Olivia have special traits in their lineage, or not that I know of. They are nests that came from some of my earlier meeroos.

I don't read the forums, so if I am onto something that is not a huge breakthrough for anyone else, oh well, it is new to me and is providing me with big motivation in getting those blank spaces in my Tome filled.

Now, if I get a Koi nest from Sid and Nancy, that will be cause for big celebration and you'll be sure to hear about it here.

/me shakes head and snaps out of it...

I can't believe I think about this crap all day long. I'd better get back to work ;)

230 of 365: Messing with Mesh clothing

2011-09-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

I have to admit that initially I wasn't very impressed with mesh clothing when I first tried it the other week. My disappointment had nothing to do with the quality of the clothing or work of the designer. It had everything to do with me being attached to my shape and not wanting to change it to fit the mesh clothing. I realize that mesh is still brand new to the grid so it will be awhile before all the kinks are worked out, I can live with that.

A couple of days after purchasing these two mesh dresses from Jane, I was delivered two new folders of the same dresses with several more sizes/shapes in each. I chose the 'fair' size, which although was not a perfect fit, once I put on the invisible alpha layer, the fit was pretty close to my av shape that the only one who would notice the difference would be me.

I really like the smooth look of the dresses, with no prim parts sticking out in odd places. The dress, for the most part, moves with your av movement, which I think looks pretty good.

I'm excited to see what clothing designers come out with for mesh clothing in the future.

I heard that Firestorm Mesh Viewer Beta was released today. I'm still using the SL Viewer 3 to view mesh creations, but if for whatever reason V3 doesn't work for you, the Firestorm Mesh Beta might be an option that works for you.

You can get these two dresses and other mesh clothing items at Jane. Direct link here.

229 of 365: When I was a noob

2011-09-04T23:56:00.001-04:00

I was doing an inventory purge tonight when I found this snapshot of my avatar when I was less than a month old in SL:

I cringe when I look at this. No AO, and I didn't have one for months because I hated the 'sexy walk', free hair, free dress, but I actually paid $500L's for the skin. I suppose I could have looked worse.

It only took about 2.5 years, but I'm pretty satisfied with my av now, although she is still always a work in progress.

228 of 365: "Fantasy" by Anley Piers at Nordan Art Gallery

2011-09-03T16:03:00.000-04:00

There is a great little write up at the Nordan Art Gallery blog about Anley Piers inspiration for this art exhibit currently on display. Direct link to the blog here.

Visit "Fantasy" at the Nordan Art Gallery

227 of 365: What Summer has taught me about Being Happy

2011-09-01T17:32:00.000-04:00

September 1st. Summer is winding to a close in my part of the world, the weather is changing, nights are getting colder and the daytime breeze stronger. The sun is still shining though, and this is probably my favourite time of the summer. Sadly though, the warm weather will soon be over and it won't be long before we are swept away with trying to keep up with hectic schedules.

This summer, I spent a lot of time up north visiting my family, hiking, swimming, and sitting around campfires. I also had the opportunity to go camping as part of my work, which although was on work time, it turned out to be a sort of mini-vacation for myself. I went on long hikes in the woods. I swam and splashed in the lake with children and we floated on our backs and watched the clouds drift by above us. We went canoeing and tipped our canoe over because we couldn't sit still from laughing so hard. We huddled together in our tents at night when the wolves started to howl on the full moon, and we played cards until the batteries in our flashlights died. We laid in the grass at night and looked up at a sky that was so clear it looked like we could just reach up and touch the stars.

I want to hold onto that feeling and I wish summer didn't have to end.

On my way to work this morning, I realized that although summer is coming to a close, I can still capture it's essence throughout the rest of the year. As much as summer is about enjoying the sun and the outdoors, I think it is more about slowing down and enjoying authentic moments in our lives. You know, those rare occasions when your mind is not going a mile a minute, you're not checking your Twitter stream or emails, texting, doing ten things all at once, or rushing to that next appointment. The essence of summer is really all about slowing down, being Present and having fun.

I want more moments where I am genuinely present to really experience Life instead of just rushing through it. I have always believed that Life is not something that just happens to you, it moves through you and if you aren't paying attention you can miss those small yet wonderful junctures of pure happiness where all seems right in the world. I may have missed a lot in the past because I was too busy, but the good news is that I can start right now to change that.

So now that September is here, I am making a promise to myself to keep the lessons of summer close and remind myself to SLOW DOWN once in awhile. In the midst of all the errands, the school days, the parent council meetings, swimming lessons, dentist appointments, and oh yeah, my full-time job, I want to chill out and enjoy the moment.

My autumn resolutions:

spend quality time with my friends more often - in SL and RL
have more real and meaningful conversations that make me feel fulfilled
play with my kids more
make time for romance with my husband
go for more walks, in all seasons
go for bike rides for as long as possible, until the snow comes
get out and see art exhibits and get inspired
share a meal with other families at the community centre in my neighbourhood
go to the library and sign out new books every week for bedtime stories with my kids
call my mom more often
get immersed in a really good book, movie or television series
write more
say 'thank you' and 'i love you' as often as I can
do things that make me HAPPY

School starts next week and it won't be long before my agenda book fills up and the inevitable "chase" begins. But I'm pretty confident that I can make space in my Life for everything on my list, and then some. I can do it all. All I have to do is be present in each and every moment, and remember that being happy is not a destination or something that I have to work hard to achieve. Happiness is right there at the tip of my fingertips, right within my reach. All I have to do is slow down, chill out, and enjoy it.

226 of 365: Impressed with Mesh

2011-08-31T23:11:00.000-04:00

Since I was so impressed with the mesh creations I viewed last night, I decided it might be fun to try out a mesh avatar.

Meet Flufee, one of two mesh avatars available at Dirty Lynx. The other mesh avatar is robot Yobee, which is just as cute.

I don't know, I think I like the look of mesh avatars but it takes some getting used to. And I was surprised when out of curiosity I checked my ARC and it was a measly 33. I can't recall my ARC ever being that low.

Flufee is available at Dirty Lynx or you can find it on the Marketplace.

Again, you will need to use a mesh enabled viewer to see this avatar properly, V3 beta or Kirsten's viewer. Otherwise, your mesh avatar and objects will end up looking like big uninspiring shapeless blobs.

225 of 365: Mesh Mellows

2011-08-30T23:38:00.000-04:00

Tonight I took a long over due break from Meeroo petting to actually go out and explore. Since Mesh is all the rage these days, I found Mesh Mellows by Claudia222Jewel in the mesh showcase in the destination guide and off I went.

I had my doubts about mesh coming to SL, especially after trying some of the new mesh clothing - I was quite distressed about having to change my shape to fit the clothing, but I will refrain from dissing anything because it's still in the early mesh stages, and what do I know about making clothing anyways?

But when I tp'd into Mesh Mellows and things started to rez on my screen, I will admit to feeling a little bit of that same excitement when I first found SL - so many possibilities. I'm looking forward to seeing how mesh unfolds in SL. I think it has a lot of potential.

TP to Mesh Mellows

(you will need a mesh enabled viewer to see this build. I used v3 beta. As far as I know, the only other TPV that has mesh so far is Kirsten's viewer)

224 of 365: It's a girl!

2011-08-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I go through phases where I feel like I am just logging into SL out of habit rather than a real desire to do anything productive, and my SLife just feels a little flat. If you've been around SL long enough, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

But these last few days I am all excited about SL again and it's all because of my new little bundle of meeroo joy.

I was almost ready to give up on my meeroos because I kept getting a whole lot of nothin' special nests. I don't keep track of my breeding on spreadsheets like some do because I hate Excel with my life and I know next to nothing about breeding animals in SL or RL for that matter. I just try to pair them up as thoughtfully as I can with my limited understanding of the meeroo genetics puzzle. I thought I was a lost cause, but the other night, Sid and Nancy Meeroo gave me their first nest, which turned out to be a keeper...

Behold Paisley Meeroo...my new Caledonian/short tail meeroo. To the untrained eye, she looks like a regular meeroo, but trust me, she's a rare one that is worth some $L's.

And from Sid and Nancy, who would have thought?

Actually, I'm quite happy about this because this time I put some time into researching genetic histories (and I possibly lost some brain cells in the process), and low and behold, I got a winner!

I can't wait to breed this baby for some more meeroo awesomeness :))

223 of 365: A little bit of Canadiana for this Monday morning

2011-08-29T09:45:00.001-04:00

Some classic 80's Canadian pop, circa 1981, for you today. This tune by the Toronto band Parachute Club has been in my head all weekend. Filmed in the streets of Toronto, it's a classic here.

(if the link happens to not work for you and you feel like looking it up, it's called Rise Up by the Parachute Club)

(Rise up rise up)

Oh rise and show your power

(Rise up rise up)

Were dancing into the sun

(Rise up rise up)

It's time for celebration

(Rise up rise up)

Spirits time has come

We want lovin' we want laughter again

We want heartbeat

We want madness to end

We want dancin'

We wanna run in the streets

We want freedom to live in this peace

We want power

We want to make it ok

Want to be singin' at the end of the day

Children to breathe a new life

We want freedom to love who we please

*Chorus

(Rise up rise up)

Oh rise and show your power

(Rise up rise up)

Everybody dance into the sun

(Rise up rise up)

It's time for celebration

(Rise up rise up)

The spirits time has come

Talkin' 'bout the right time to be workin' for peace

Wantin' all the tension in the world to ease

This tightrope's gotta learn how to bend

We're makin' new plans

Gonna start it again

(Repeat chorus)

Rise up now

It's time, it's time, it's time

(Rise up rise up)

Oh rise and show your power

(Rise up rise up)

But dance into the sun

(Rise up rise up)

It's time for a celebration

(Rise up rise up)

Everbody's time has come

Spirits time has come

(Rise up rise up)

Oh rise and show your power

(Rise up rise up)

All dance into the sun

(Rise up rise up)

It's time for a celebration

(Rise up rise up)

Everbody's time has come

Spirits time has come

(Rise up rise up)

Oh rise and show your power...

222 of 365: Yes, you guessed it...more RL pics

2011-08-28T00:16:00.001-04:00

I guess I shouldn't feel bad or apologize for being consumed by RL life this summer. I am still logging into SL, it's just that I am far more interested in being out and enjoying the summer before it's over, which I'm afraid will be over very soon.

This evening my family attended the Canadian National Exhibition, or simply the Ex as it is known around here. We did the usual attractions, watched a few shows - human canonball, Kenyan acrobats, the dog show, and of course the rides. I think I did something weird to my neck, but apparently I get the coolest mom on the block award for getting on the all the rides.

It was fun, but what really caught my eye were these sand sculptures in the exhibition hall:

"The blind leading the blind"

"Galileo"

"Fukishima Meltdown"

Fukishima meltdown was my personal favourite. I'm drawn to art that is political, and I loved, loved this sand sculpture.

It's too bad that it is a sand sculpture and will soon be gone. But just like art in the virtual world, nothing is permanent and I think that somehow makes it more special and meaningful to view and appreciate.

I should be back into blogging cool art exhibits and places to visit in Second Life soon. School starts shortly and summer is now days away from being over :(

221 of 365

2011-08-22T23:53:00.000-04:00

Today was a weird day that started with news of the death of a popular political leader in Canada who seemed to be taken from this world way too soon. In Canadian history, this is going to be one of those "I remember where I was when I heard the news" days.

I was on the trolley on the way to work reading my Twitter timeline when I found out. Isn't that a sign of the times? I get all my breaking news on Twitter.

I spent my evening in SL alone thinking about all the deaths in my life this year. I've attended three funerals so far, and it looks like my family will be attending the state funeral here in Toronto on Saturday. Even though I didn't know him personally, news of Jack Layton's death and battle with cancer hit me hard. Why does it seem like all the good people in the world die of cancer or in terrible accidents, and the mean, terrible ones live to be a hundred?

Anyway, tomorrow is another day. I'm sure I will be feeling better after a night of sleep. Nothing else to do except to keep on moving forward.

220 of 365

2011-08-22T00:39:00.000-04:00

This is my SL home in Piper Point which is a part of the Five Islands. I am always working on it and tweaking things and slowly but surely, it is coming together in a way that I am quite happy with.

I just hope that I reach a point that is somewhat finished before the seasons change, then I suppose I will start over again with winter landscaping.

That's okay though, I find it quite meditative to work on my parcel which is a huge improvement. Not that long ago, I actually hated terraforming and landscaping. Now, I look forward to logging on and seeing what I can do next.

Anyway, if you would like to stop by and look around, here's the SLurl.

219 of 365: More RL

2011-08-19T00:45:00.000-04:00

Well, I don't have much going on in SL right now because I am busy enjoying the summer in RL with my family.

We went to Canada's Wonderland today with my cousin and her family. We had a great day getting on the rides and splashing around at the water park. It was a tiring but fantastic day.

Only a couple more weeks of summer left. I don't want it to ever end.

218 of 365

2011-08-17T23:44:00.002-04:00

217 of 365: I think my brain is still at camp

2011-08-16T22:00:00.000-04:00

I've been back from my camping trip since Friday and I'm still waiting for my brain to join me. I feel like I have mommy brain, where I forget everything and anything and my brain is just mush.

I feel so lazy, I'm practically dragging my ass out the door in the morning to go to work because I really wish I could still be here:

Exploring pretty nature places in SL is just not the same as enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of hiking through a nature trail in the real world.

216 of 365: A short break

2011-08-08T00:42:00.000-04:00

I'm going away this week on a work trip. I will be about five hours north of Toronto, in the wilds of Northern Ontario, gone camping. Yes, camping, and yes it's a work trip. My job is pretty cool sometimes.

Anyway, I'll be back for more 365 photos either this coming weekend or next week.

Have a great week and have fun in SL! :)

215 of 365

2011-08-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

"And while I stood there

I saw more than I can tell

and I understood more than I saw

for I was seeing in a sacred manner

the shapes of the things in the spirit

and the shape of all shapes as they must

live together like one being."

-Black Elk , Black Elk Speaks

214 of 365: Another Project 365 to keep me busy

2011-08-05T12:39:00.000-04:00

As if my current SL 365 project isn't enough, I have started another one for RL photos. I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I like taking photos in SL and over the last several weeks, I have been taking a lot of snapshots with my iPhone and it occurred to me that everything I have learned about taking photos in SL so far, has been coming in pretty handy for my RL photo album.

So I thought why not start another 365? It's fun and I enjoy it, so I just did it.

Here's a few photos I took today from the rooftop garden where I work.

On nice days, when it is not too hot, I spend my lunch hour up here. I love rooftop gardens. They're like little gems of nature in the busy downtown core.

I started another blog at Tumblr for my rl 365 photos because there I can upload gigantic big ass photos, and I just wanted to try a different blogging service other than Blogger.

http://fotomojo.tumblr.com/

I kind of hate the name I chose, but all the ones I wanted were already taken. I'm still kind of miffed that when I went to go look at the url's I wanted, they were sitting silent, and had not been updated in ages. Hrmph. If I come up with a better name and url that is available, I will post the new link here.

213 of 365

2011-08-05T00:39:00.000-04:00

Favourite place to hang out and chat.

212 of 365

2011-08-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

I blogged Roche before here. I sometimes like to go back to my favourite photogenic places for photos and try some different windlight settings.

Roche in Second Life

211 of 365: Some photos from Ruinsfall, the home of the Dryads

2011-08-02T22:35:00.000-04:00

dry·ad/ˈdrīˌad/

Noun: (in folklore and Greek mythology) A nymph inhabiting a forest or a tree, esp. an oak tree.

"Unique Fantasy Creations for cheap with mod/copy permissions. Also, feel free to roam around the forest and enjoy the Siren's Cove. Try to find the Secret Caverns if you wish. Walk amongst the Dryads. Even become a Dryad. Stay as long as you like."

Visit Ruinsfall in SL

(use the teleporter to get to the store)

210 of 365: If I had any skill as a painter...

2011-08-01T23:27:00.000-04:00

...I would have painted these pictures on canvas. But with SL windlight and photo editing tools like Picnik and PhotoShop, I can almost, kinda, sort of feel like I have created a painting :)

(raw photo from SL)

(Picnik photo)

(Photoshop photo)

The soaring eagle didn't come out as clear as I had wanted, but I got tired of messing with the damn thing.

209 of 365: A Mini-vacation at Wasaga Beach

2011-08-01T02:28:00.001-04:00

I just got home from a weekend in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. The town's claim to fame is that it is the longest fresh water beach in the world. It boasts, white sand beaches, and warm waters on the southern shores of Georgian Bay. Best of all, it is only a 2 hour drive from Toronto.

In the summer, everyone from the city goes to Wasaga because it is fairly close and the beach is worth the trip. However, this makes weekend traffic a total nightmare. But despite the lag, er, I mean traffic, we didn't let it slow us down. After several years of weekend road trips to Wasaga, we have our strategy perfected - hit the road early, stay late, don't fight the traffic and crowds of people, and RELAX. There's nothing you can do about the traffic.

Summer is short in Canada. Enjoy every minute of it.

208 of 365: Photo Booth fun from my newb days

2011-07-29T22:37:00.000-04:00

Sometimes digging through your inventory will find you some hidden gems and blasts from the past that I guarantee will bring a smile to your face. I highly recommend it :))

207 of 365: "Hand to Mouth", a flash fiction audio recording

2011-07-28T10:50:00.002-04:00

Just a random photo from my SL collection...

I've made an audio recording of a flash fiction piece a wrote some months ago. It's a very rough draft. I did have a few people read it over for me and offer some excellent suggestions for some changes to make it better. Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me, find that folder in my hard drive. I fear I may have accidentally deleted it. So you get the first draft version here ;)

ETA: If you are reading in Google reader, you may have to go to my blog page to get the embedded Cinch recording. It's not showing up in my feed.

206 of 365: Mad Ninjaz

2011-07-27T17:01:00.000-04:00

So last night in my continuing quest to look for new places for photos, Aubree sent me a teleport to a place called Mad Ninjaz.

There was little information available about this sim, except for what was provided in the landmark:

"I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. " W. B. Yeats

Please respect the people and the land. We request you stay out of our houses and private skyboxes.

Good enough. Simple and to the point. Enjoy :)

Visit Mad Ninjaz in Second Life

205 of 365: More fun with Picnik

2011-07-27T01:22:00.000-04:00

I don't have a SLurl for this picture location because I didn't have enough time tonight to take more photos. Tomorrow I will be going back for more pictures and will post the SLurl then if it looks like a place you want to explore.

I'm still playing around with Picnik and seeing what I can do with it.

I like it so far. Fast, easy fun. Sound familiar?

Before Picnik

After Picnik

www.picnik.com

204 of 365: Image Editing fun with Picnik

2011-07-25T23:41:00.001-04:00

I've grown bored with my Photoshop routine, so I decided to try some online image editing programs just to change things up a bit and see what I can do.

Picnik is fairly easy and you can do a lot with your photos in a short amount of time. It lacks the more advanced features available in Photoshop, but I find it useful for adding quick effects to beautify your photos.

I see myself using this online program often for all my photos, not just SL ones, so I went ahead and purchased the premium membership. There are still a lot of options available with the free basic membership as well.

203 of 365: NaNoBoSqUe

2011-07-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

I found this place from some user photos at Koinup. There was no information provided about the place when I tp'd over so I don't know if this is someone's home. There were a couple of people around and I didn't get booted out, so I assume that it's okay to explore.

It certainly is a pretty spot to spend a Sunday morning.

Explore NaNoBoSqUe, at 0 0 Auspicious

202 of 365: Randomness

2011-07-24T01:26:00.001-04:00

Otis was my first and for a long time, my only Meeroo. I've lost track of how many I have now. He's going to be too old for breeding soon, and I will either release him or retire him and turn him into a Mee-pet. I'm not sure yet what I will do.

Isn't it kind of ridiculous how attached one can get to a pixel pet? lol

Sometimes, once in a blue moon, I get random i.m's from someone who has read my blog, telling me how much they enjoy it. This always surprises me because I don't think I am all that interesting. Today someone told me my blog was 'compelling'. Really?! I'm not complaining, I'm just surprised that the random stuff I post here is actually interesting to others. It's cool, and thank you! I like the encouragement.

The heat wave seems to have broken. It was still quite hot today, but compared to the temperatures earlier this week, today was bearable. We spent the afternoon at the beach and then had a nice dinner at one of our favourite restaurants.

This is me, tired, sweaty, and sticky but happy:

Cheers and hope you are all having a great weekend :))

201 of 365: Just me, a Skye Galaxy performance and a few glasses of wine

2011-07-22T23:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the crappy picture. I attended an amazing performance by Skye Galaxy tonight at Sweet Whispers. I tried to take some pictures, but even after being there over an hour, everything didn't rez and there were still lots of grey people.

Oh well, it happens.

That didn't stop me from enjoying the show, and the three glasses of white wine I had weren't too bad either.

Since I couldn't get a good picture, here's a machinima I found on YouTube. Enjoy :)

Link to Skye Galaxy's SL Performance Schedule

200 of 365

2011-07-21T23:30:00.000-04:00

Today was quite possibly the hottest day I have ever experienced in the city in my 15 years here. The heat was (and still is at this late hour) stifling, and even oppressive. When I last looked at our thermometer outside, it read 42 degrees celcius, which is 108 degrees fahrenheit. The news was reporting temperatures of 38 c/100 f.

My brain feels kind of fried from the heat and smog, so I'm going to go easy on myself with a photo for tonight.

We installed a new portable air conditioner last night, which has greatly improved the mood at my house. We can sleep! Finally!

My laptop feels dangerously hot even with the cooling tray, so I think it's a good time to wrap things up and head to bed.

Oh I hope this heat wave comes to an end soon.

199 of 365: Lunamaruna by Scottius Polke

2011-07-20T23:18:00.000-04:00

Something fishy seems to be going on at the village of Lunamaruna...

Walk around this colourful and whimsical little village, and you will find it is hard to avoid the subtle element of something ominous going on here.

What exactly has gone down at Lunamaruna is hard to say, but it seems that the only inhabitants are strange floating manta rays, underwater creatures, and odd little fish.

Whatever it is that is going on here, it certainly makes for a curious and interesting exploration.

Visit Lunamaruna in Second Life

198 of 365: Quiet time with the Meeroos

2011-07-20T00:53:00.000-04:00

I started out with one Meeroo, Otis, and for the longest time I was the only one out of my circle of friends that was content with just one...but that has all changed.

You can't tell from this picture, but I am up to my eyeballs in Meeroos. I have no clue what I'm doing with breeding them. I'm just kind of throwing them together right now and seeing what kind of nests I come up with. Not a good strategy I know, but I have to start somewhere right?

I can't figure out any rhyme or reason to what kind of nests come from certain Meeroo pairings. I'm wondering if it's all just random?

Anyway, the Meeroos are keeping me busy, and they are cute :))

197 of 365: The 365 SL Photography Project that turned into the Two Year 365 SL Photography Project...or something like that

2011-07-18T22:13:00.000-04:00

I’ll bet you all thought I gave up on my 365 project! Well, I thought I did too and I even wrote a big long post about quitting which I deleted. I don’t really want to quit, but I guess I needed a break.

It all started with some SL drama before I went away on vacation. Then it became about crazy family drama when I went up north to visit my extended family. I love them, but they are big, loud and obnoxious and some issues came to a head and well, to put it bluntly, the shit really hit the fan.

SL drama is over, kinda, sorta. Well not really but it’s out of my hands so that’s that. Family drama, not over, but I’m back home now and far enough away that they can’t drag me into it, except for the occasional drama update via text message. There’s nothing like digital technology to support your familial dysfunction.

Anyway, I had a rough couple of weeks, or three, which has left me feeling depleted in just about every single way possible. Blogging and my 365 project? Not feeling it, so I just stopped. I thought I was going to quit but when I thought about that, it didn’t feel right.

I’m still going to keep up with my 365 project, even though this summer I will be away again for another week for my work, and there will probably be more long weekends and road trips which means more silence on the blog. I just want to keep up with doing something creative, even though my little picture project probably seems like Kindergarden arts and crafts time compared to a lot of other artistically inclined SL folks. But hey, it keeps me focused and busy, and out of trouble, which is a very good thing.

Maybe my unexpected hiatus is a bit of a blessing. Stepping back and looking through my photo collection and blog posts, I realize how the act of doing a daily photo has created a space for me to let go of the daily stresses that get me down, and has given me a tool to focus my energy on something creative (no matter how small it might be).

My 365 project has made a space in my Life that I feel I have grown to depend on and I don’t think I would have really known that until I stopped and stepped back to look at it. And even then, I know not by the collection of images and blog posts I have amassed in the last eight months…I know by the void that it leaves in my day when I don’t do it.

196 of 365: Liberty Cove

2011-06-30T23:01:00.000-04:00

Visit Liberty Cove in Second Life

195 of 365: "Midsummer Night's Dream" by Soror Nishi

2011-06-29T01:25:00.000-04:00

Well I missed the opening party that Soror blogged about, but the build is still up to view. I'll let you read more about it at Soror's blog here.

Visit "Midsummer Night's Dream" in Second Life

194 of 365: Not a good day

2011-06-28T08:38:00.001-04:00

I wasn't feeling so good yesterday. My day started off with an offline message in my email with bad news.

How many second and third chances do you give a person? I'm mad as hell, mostly at myself.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"

Can't, and don't want to talk about it.

The day didn't get any better when I arrived at work. Hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait. Too much waiting and time on my hands leaves my mind to wander.

Thursday is my last day of work then I'm off on vacation for a week. I have no big plans other than to head up north to my parents, sit in a lounge chair on their back deck, stare at the lake, watch the sunsets, and pet cats. Let's hope my allergies don't go all wonky this time.

They have wifi...thinking about leaving my laptop at home. I need a break, and some perspective.

193 of 365: A Vanity shot

2011-06-26T22:27:00.000-04:00

I don't post enough vanity shots of my avatar face, so here ya go...

Sorry, that's all I have for tonight. Busy day and I'm tired.

Tomorrow is another day.

192 of 365: SL8B - "Invisible" by Kerupa Flow

2011-06-25T23:13:00.000-04:00

An installation called "Invisible" caught my eye while I was hovering by on a pod tour of the SL8B sims.

By the way, if you feel overwhelmed with touring all the sims, I have discovered that the tour pods make it so easy to roam around and discover cool builds. You just hop in and float around and you can jump out when you see something that catches your eye. That's pretty much what I have been doing the last few nights because otherwise, I get lost and end up roaming around in circles.

But don't ask me where the pod tours start. I don't know. Empty pods just seem to randomly pass by me which is when I jump in them. There must be a starting point somewhere and if anyone knows the location, please let me know.

"Invisible" by Kerupa Flow, illustrates the artists emotional reaction to the devastation of the Japan Tsunami and the destruction of the Nuclear Power plant in Fukushima.

Walking through the build, a sense of destruction overtakes you. You can then teleport upstairs to a tranquil meditative area where you can pick up a free "Pray like Japanese" animation and take a moment of silence and prayer for Japan.

Tomorrow, June 26th, is the last day for SL8B.

View "Invisible" by Kerupa Flow at SL8B

191 of 365: SL8B - "The Magic Soul of Prims"

2011-06-24T23:16:00.000-04:00

Another really great build at SL8B, "The Magic Soul of Prims" by pallina60 Loon.

Beautiful storytelling machinima.

See The Magic Soul of Prims at SL8B

190 of 365: Jersey, Aubree and Me

2011-06-23T22:42:00.000-04:00

189 of 365: SL8B - "Together" by Mikati Slade

2011-06-22T23:20:00.000-04:00

Well thank goodness for Twitter because if it wasn't for people Tweeting SLurl's to builds at the Second Life 8th Birthday celebration sims, I might have wandered aimlessly for hours, lost and confused.

There's a lot to see and having a place to start is helpful to help get you oriented with the place.

My first stop, thanks to some Twitter peeps, "Together" by Mikati Slade:

I love this extremely cute pop art build that I think perfectly captures the 'magical' theme of this years SL birthday celebrations. The build is bright and colourful, and makes me happy! And the music that Mikati has selected is pretty cool too.

From the notecard:

"People are often inhibited by numerous limits and handicaps, such as their appearance, gender, or age. In envisioning a better future, it makes sense to try to address this issue. In Second Life, people can push aside some of the obstacles that trouble them in real life and live, work, and develop relationships in a freer environment. It's the vision of a better future materialized in Second Life today. This is the magic of Second Life."

While I was viewing the build, I had the pleasure of meeting Mikati, whose avatar is just as bright, colourful and expressive as the build itself.

Judging from her creation at SL8B, I would not have expected her to be any other way :))

Visit "Together" at the SL8B celebration

188 of 365: The sun is setting on Lost Gardens of Apollo

2011-06-21T11:20:00.001-04:00

2.5 years ago, on a cold grey February day, I was sitting on the subway train when I happened to pick up a magazine on the empty seat next to me. I don't recall the exact magazine, some kind of PC gaming one. I leafed through the magazine because I was bored and some screenshots from a place I had never heard of called Second Life, caught my eye.

Those screenshots were from the Lost Gardens of Apollo.

Perhaps because it was winter, I was bored and not happy with my 9 to 5 job and daily routine, I made a mental note of this Second Life place, with intentions to check it out. The screenshots looked interesting, and it looked like a place I would rather be than in the cold and crowded city, heading to a job I was not happy with at the time. Life felt flat and uninspired, but in those screenshots, something called out to me that felt like...possibilities.

I don't usually get too attached to places in SL. Everything is really only temporary especially in the virtual world, and I would like to think that when one place disappears, another new and wonderful one will make a debut. Yes, I'm an eternal optimist, and maybe to my detriment, but oh well.

When I heard that Lost Gardens of Apollo was closing, I felt a little sad and nostalgic because like so many people, it holds some fond memories for me. It was where I made my very first friend in SL, Lace Jonstone, when I had impatiently left Orientation Island on my first day (because it was boring as hell) and I was wondering around lost and confused and wearing a box.

Good times.

This morning, on this summer solstice and longest day of the year, I headed over to Apollo to get a last look around and recall fond memories of times I spent with friends in this magical place.

Even though the sim will soon be gone, I will never forget how it was this place where my SL journey first began, 2.5 years ago, underground on a dull subway train in the middle of winter.

Visit Lost Gardens on Apollo, Second Life

187 of 365: Something that totally inspired me and fed my creative spirit

2011-06-20T12:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was Father's Day, and I spent a lovely day with my husband and children filling up at a brunch buffet and then going for a walk along the Humber River.

As we were walking, we noticed this man gathering rocks and balancing them to make sculptures:

I heard about him before in the news and I really admire his work and dedication to his art. If I had the time, I easily could have sat and watched him all afternoon as he delicately balanced river rocks to create his art. And no, he does not use glue to hold the rocks together.

You can read more about his work at the link below:

http://www.thestar.com/article/843240--humber-rock-art-mystery-solved

http://web.mac.com/prphotography/iWeb/Peter%20Riedel%20asks%20.../Rock%20Balancing%20Gallery.html

“There’s a centre of gravity, an invisible spine where it will stay in place. You just have to jiggle it around until it’s standing on its own,” he said. “Over time you get a really good feel for matching rock surfaces and counter balancing.”

It got me to thinking about the beauty and transient nature of art, how some of the most beautiful art is only temporary, and this very nature makes it even more special. I thought about how much physical labour, skill and hard work is involved in creating something that looks effortless and beautiful, and makes people FEEL.

It was a good day yesterday.

186 of 365: A place called Hope

2011-06-19T08:42:00.000-04:00

Visit Hope, Eternal Springs in Second Life