2 years old...

Saturday, Nov. 14 was my 2nd birthday inworld. Does that make me old? I
think in virtual terms I am no longer the spring chicken. It doesn't make
me a veteran either.
Last year, when I turned 1, I held a huge party at The Brick to celebrate
this milestone. I had 7 music performances scheduled, even though the first
on the schedule didn't show up...so I had 6 hours of great music provided by
some of Second Life's most talented artists.
This year, however, I didn't have a party, at least not like that first year,
and the reason being, I honestly didn't want to spend time and money on getting
the entertainment for the party set. After a busy RL day on my actual rez day,
I am glad I didn't. The plan, was not to have a party, but maybe just a few friends
over at The Brick with some funk music and dancing. No invites were sent, other than
when the time felt right to switch the stream did I decide to call on people.
I just started iming whoever was online. I wasn't disappointed in the turnout. I had 16 people show up...ok, so maybe 3 of them weren't on my invite list, they were people who just showed up at the club because, well, it is public. Still, it was great to not have one person complain about the music. They all danced, we all chatted with each other if not much, still, it was a social night.
About an hour and half into this little gathering, people started to fade out, and leave. I didn't mind it too much, because for an hour and half they stayed and "partied". It was a good time.
Later, my favorite person inworld showed up, and the night was made perfect by the 3 hours of dancing that followed.
Happy Rez day, indeed.

Chchchanges

Changes.
Some are good, some aren't so good.

Changes to the club, usually good.
Changes to friendships, usually not.
Changes in schedules, usually good.

My real life has taken a higher precedence in my schedule, so I'm not on SL as often as I used to be. Not only that, but there are other reasons why I choose, that's right, CHOOSE not to be inworld as often as before:

If I'm not online as often, I don't shop, therefore, I don't spend lindens.
If I don't spend my lindens, I don't have to struggle every week to pay for things I have to pay every week inworld.
If I'm not online as often, I find I am not as bored as I have been for months now. SL is simply not as fun as I found it to be the first year or so I was inworld. I find the less time I am on there, the more my absence is noted, and it makes those inworld friends want to chat you up the next time you are there.
If I'm not online as often, there isn't any drama to deal with, unless some stupid griefer decided to leave junk on my parcels.
If I'm not online as often, my friends actually miss me, and yes, I do miss them.

I expect that one change an affect the other. If I'm not online as often, I can see how some of my friendships could change. I would hope that if there are any changes to them, that they will be for the better. Absence makes the heart grow fonder?
We'll see.

I've cut down on shopping(ok, so I have the occasional splurge),how much land I own, and how many people I trust, it seems less is better.

Can it be I'm becoming boring in my 2 years inworld? Or has SL lost it's appeal..

The holidays are coming up...maybe that will put me in a better mood inworld, we'll see!

More updates!

Sorry for the lapse in posts. I've been busy inworld and off!
Funny, I know you're gonna laugh. The last post had to do with makeovers at the Brick, and today, I'm gonna sound like Polly the parrot.
I did it again, I renovated The Brick, and I do mean renovate!
I took the roof and top floor off the building. I then retextured walls and floors in adobe and brick. It looks a bit meditteranean! Added some plants, put some of the posters back, added a pavillion outside for more dance room, and added an exterior entry wall with gate. I'm quite pleased. I think I'm done renovating for a while.
Come and check it out.
As far as I go, I'm doing pretty good. I'm selling off land I don't need and cutting back on how much I spend on SL. I spend way too much.
Hanging out with the few friends I have on SL..that's what I look forward to going inworld.

Catching up....

Ok, maybe not totally "catching up" but I could try!
The Brick has been through a few renovations(I know, I know) in a few short months. I've changed the carpet and walls more than a couple of times, added lights, taken out lights, added more dances to the dance balls, added dance ball, chimeras, removed chimeras, etc. I think the people's heads are spinning from all the constant change. It isn't because I'm bored. Lately every Sunday we've been having a themed night to go along with Noma Falta's gig at The Brick every Sunday night. Some of the changes to the club are to go with the themes, other times it's just because I feel like something needs to be changed.
The themes themselves have been fun. We've had "fishing" theme once, and the last theme we had was "Football" night. People are getting into the spirit of dressing up and that makes it all worthwhile. We HAVE fun.
The Brick was moved back to the furthest wall to give way to more room in front. I have moved the building a few times in the year I've had the club there at Atlit. This time I decided that that nice sized area in back was really being wasted, although I did create a small garden back there that was originally intended to hold weddings(that idea quickly died when my first would-be client wasn't happy with the 98 prims I was allowing her to decorate with(after I had already decorated with pavillion, benches..and quite nicely, thank you)...so it was just a memorial garden of sorts with a pond for most of the remaining year. I moved the Brick back and opened up the front to add some of those flowers, and created photo stands to display some of my inworld portraits and photography. I've had a couple of friends admire my work and they encouraged me to do something about my work, so there it is. I'm still not sure if I want to do portraits full time. I don't want my time on SL to be completely about work, I am busy with The Brick as it is..but the club doesn't really earn money, and maybe my photography will.
Ah well. More soon, I promise.

Retro TV Star Night!!

I've been encouraged to hold themed nights @ the club, so Sunday night was "Retro TV Star" night. Turnout for the event was great(full house). About 6-8 people, including myself dressed up for it. Great time was had. People stayed around an hour after it ended!
We'll have to see what we do next!

tired

It has been an emotionally draining day for me.
I am exhausted and ready for good dreams...

Whatever you do in life, think about those around you
Everyone wants to "matter"
No one wants to be last on a list

Circle

Maybe my stalker was right. My friends are falling off the list faster than I can say hey! Is it me? Is there something about me I'm failing to notice that chases people off, or is it them?
I don't get it.
The latest "casualty" is a long term friend. We've been through many phases in our SL lives, and I thought she was someone who I could always consider my friend..
last week she removed me from her list.
I know it has to do with the situation a couple of weeks ago involving her guy friends. She brought a few to come vote for me in the contest I later disqualified myself from, and a couple of those guy friends ended up on my friend list. One of them was pretty hunky for an avatar, and we occasionally chatted in the few days that followed meeting him.
Then I get an im from this longtime friend stating how she's hurt by my flirting with this one particular hunk...I can't believe she's saying this shit..so I send him an im letting him know that while it was nice getting to know him, that my friendship with this longterm friend was my priority..and said goodbye. Removed him, removed the other guy from my list. I guess one of them let her know what I was doing, and she asked me to stop..not nicely but to stop. So after I deleted those two, I stopped. I didn't talk to her again, and it was only 2 days ago I noticed she disappeared from my list. It's her choice.
For the record, I didn't have any interest in either of those guys. THEY were interested in ME, but our lifestyles just don't mesh. It was nice talking to them as potential friends, but that was all..and yes, I did mention this to the former friend, but what is done is done...and so my circle tightens smaller as the days go..

What I do when I'm angry

I throw on music on Project Playlist, and get creative in Paintshop Pro. Hey, at least it's something constructive. I don't claim to be Picasso, either. It's something to calm me down anyway.

Grrrr

No matter how hard I try, it just doesn't matter. One can be the nicest person inworld and still be shit on.
I've gotten to the point where I'm bored when I'm inworld. Maybe I've reached the point where the interest just isn't there to play. One can only spend so many linden, do the same things every week for a while. I don't "do" relationships anymore inworld, so what's the point? Hang out with "friends"? It has to be on their schedule.
I've always been very intune to what is going on around me. Just because I don't "know" most of the people behind their avatars, doesn't mean I don't get to know them. I get a feeling something's off or going on is not something I dismiss. It leaves me with an uneasy feeling. Other times I suspect something, and it's such a strong feeling, and if I am told by someone else something that supports my suspicions it makes me angry.
The last 3 days inworld have not been happy ones for me. Coupled with my RL stresses, it culminates into me being angry with certain people. I don't enjoy it, but it's just how it is.
I think I'm needing a break from SL. The fun has left the building, so why should I stay?
The Brick. So I can't completely leave.
Don't sign up for SL if you don't want the addiction.

Fresh off my Facebook Beach Bonanza win...

I foolishly decided to join another contest. Alli "and" Ali decided to have one. Their instructions were to take a picture with their hair, and then enter with that picture. There weren't too many rules listed. The prize was to be $500L and be the design model for the next released hair.
Sounds great, sounds easy, right? Well..
The first day the contest seemed fair and went well. The second day, obviously it became a competition between me and someone I'll refer to as Sleaze. Sleaze started to bring tons and tons of people in to vote for her. Later that day she bragged to me that her realty group had 800 clients. I think that was an intimidation thing, because it worked. I was now trying to think of all the people in my groups, and how I could get away with bugging every one of them to come vote for me so I could at least keep up.
Over the next few days I had some wonderful friends of mine show up everyday to vote. I had one friend who brought all her gorgeous man friends to vote too. I kept a relatively small distance behind Sleaze the leader.
The next day turned ugly. Ugly like Sleaze herself. The first time it happened I told her in open chat to not do it again. She acted like she didn't know what I was talking about. The next day, she did it again. She imed a friend who was clearly there for me, and asked them to vote for HER. The NERVE of Sleaze! So, again, I told her nicely in open chat to not do it again. The next day, she did it again. By then I had had enough. I told my friends present what she was doing and one of them went off on her on voice, after Sleaze said some horrid things on voice. I didn't hear any of that, as I don't use voice. It got really ugly, and someone let management know, and shortly after, they disabled voice.
Unfortunately, it didn't stop Sleaze. She resorted to creating new alts for more votes. She at one point was 100 votes ahead of me and yet she resorted to creating alts, trying to steal my votes from my friends, and it is also rumored that she was paying for people to vote for her. Pathetic!
To make a long story short, the contest was just not fair to anyone else in the competition. After a few days of drama and script issues, the managers decided, with my urging to disqualify both me and Sleaze. It was a move that I welcomed. I didn't really care to win, and I am not unhappy about losing. Now maybe the contest is fair to those left to compete!
Contests need to be arranged so there isn't any cheating involved. Right now can't be helped, but little adjustments to scripts can help.

Beach Bonanza contest

So August 3 I won the Beach Bonanza photo contest on Facebook. I had to get my facebook friends to "like" the picture to win. That's how it was voted on. I passed up the guy with the shark attack picture and stayed in the lead until the contest was over. I won 10k lindens from SLX.
I gave 2k to my friend Cen because she is the one who egged me on. She even had her FB friends vote for me. So 2k was for her-
I saved 4200k to pay for Ganjo's gig that week. That's one less thing I had to use USD for this week.
The rest I spent by going shopping for hair and some clothes.
It was a great thing..I admit it felt great to win.
Hey, the picture was worth it!

The CD we've been waiting for..

My best friend on SL released a RL CD this Tuesday. It's been a year in the making, and I'm sooooo excited to get it. Ganjo recorded it in his home studio. His website has samples of the music on the cds(yes, he had released one before, and yes, I own that one too), and hearing the preview, I know I'm gonna love it. It's very cool to be here in SL and hear him performing the songs live and streaming to SL..I love going to his gigs and hearing him perform. Knowing some of the songs he sings in SL are going to be on the CD make it even moe exciting to be receiving one soon.
I can't wait!

Please Don't Stop the Music

Last year I rented a stream from someone I talk to on occasion. I used Winamp at first to load up music to, and I found that I had a hard time staying connected to the Shoutcast stream with Winamp, so I ended up using Virtual DJ instead. I streamed music to my club on the occasion that I felt like having a party, and used Voice on SL to announce what song was next.
See, when I was growing up I wanted to be a radio deejay. I don't know when I stopped dreaming of becoming one, but my love for music, and playing what I wanted on command really never ceased.
Anyways, all was going fine, until a former acquaintenance wanted me to join her on Skype so I could chat with her and someone else I used to chat with on SL. Skype really messed things up. Second Life didn't want to load up, so I had to do a restore on my computer. When I did that, not only did it wipe out Skype, but Virtual DJ as well. When that happened, I didn't bother with keeping the stream because I didn't want to go back to Winamp and I was pretty sure I lost VDJ on the computer.
It has been almost a year(I think)since I had the stream and was playing my music into the club, but I'm doing it again. I'm also using Winamp, and no problems. Not sure what was the issue last year, but it seems to be gone.
I've got a nice music collection and I've played a few hours in the last 2 weeks that I've had the stream, and have gotten a great response from it from my patrons. So I think I'm gonna stick with once or twice a weekend. Play my songs and turn on the lights baby...cos tonight we're gonna dance

Lights! Camera! Action!

Oh, ok, no camera or action, but I couldn't resist.

I spent a few frustrating days looking for lights for the club, because, according to a certain someone told me that lights looked "cool" while at an event at a friend's venue last week. When I first opened The Brick I tried out lights. Over the course of time, I tried several different kinds. I finally just decided on NO lights because no matter what kind they were, they all seemed to get in the way of clicking on something you needed to click, whether it be a dance ball, pose ball or tip jar.
So, it was with a renewed hope and encouragement that I set out to look for lights that would do the job I wanted(make the club look "cooler(although in my humble opinion the club already looks "cool")". I spent 3 days shopping, I wasted a few linden on lights that were nice looking, but when I put them in the club they just didn't fit what I wanted, or I ended up with the same problem I had originally.
I compromised. I found a few things that light up the venue. It still isn't exactly what I wanted, but until someone creates what I want, or I stumble across it while shopping for other things, it will stay mostly lightfree in my venue.
Who needs lights anyways?

Good Grief!!

One of the most unpleasant things about life on SL, aside from egotists and the like, are griefers. Griefers are annoying. I think most of them are men in their mid 30s with nothing better to do aside from acting like a 13 year old geek. You think it's cool? It's not. I think this is their outlet, their way of trying to ease their pain of being rejected time and time again. Yeah, that's what griefers are. REJECTS.
So my private land got hit by one sometime earlier today. I hadn't been "home" most of today and I come home to tuck my avi in and I see over 400 objects raining down on my parcels.
It would be funny only these scripted items really lag up the place.
You ever are so tired you just want to go to bed, and if you're held up by something very annoying, it makes you a bit grumpy?
Ok, then you understand how I'm feeling about this. I want to go to bed, but I would really love the mess cleaned up, and I can't do it myself. I've done what I can, but this stupid griefer not only hit my parcel, but some of the other ones nearby, and therefore I can't clean up that mess.
So, I submitted a ticket, and hope Linden will have it cleaned up by morning..and that annoying griefer who thinks he's just the coolest thing, who in reality is a joke will get his due.
For now, I'm signing out.

Closet Cleaning

My inventory is enormous. This is what happens when you sign up on Second Life and no one tells you to organize from day one, and to throw out what you will not use, or wear twice. My closet has grown to over 80k items and I have managed to shrink it down below 78k a few times, but here it is again over 80k and SOMETHING has to be done.
So, the first step I took was my notecard collection. I threw out everything that I absolutely didn't need, including old notes from friends who no longer are friends and ex SL lovers and the like. It not only made my inventory feel 2.5k items smaller, but I felt better too.. Letting go of people who don't deserve to be part of my SL life, even if it's just in my SL closet.
The only person who deserves to be boxed up is Z.B. Everyone else that was in my closet, met the shredder.
Next, the same thing happens with pictures.

Sales alert!! Attention Moody shoppers!

40% off sale going on at Stiletto Moody's store. Sale lasts until tonight, midnight. Sale doesn't include fatpacks(colorsets) or new items.

Hey, just thought I'd share this with you. Moody's has some great shoes, and 40% off is 40% off.

(wo)Man in the Mirror~words to live by

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place
To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With
Me

I can't control your destiny, I can only control mine.

I'm asking you to change your ways
And no message couldn't be any clearer
if you want to make the world a better place
take a look at yourself and then make that
CHANGE

Just Lift Yourself
You Know
You've Got To Stop It
Yourself

shake my money maker

I am NOT in the SL money making business. I own a dance club. That should say it all, LOL. Looking on past blogs it almost seems a contradiction to my past rants.
I've been lookin at how I advertise for my club, and I must say, I just want to be different. I don't need big crowds in my club to be happy. I built that thing for ME. So if I'm happy with it, that's really all that matters. Sure, it's great others enjoy it, that's a bonus! I'm glad to hear others are getting some pleasure hanging out at my club.
I don't need a voting booth,high traffic numbers or constant praise from patrons coming to the club to know that there are those who truly enjoy The Brick. I surely will not post the comments people have said to me regarding my club here to fluff my own feathers or feel good about what I'm doing. I don't NEED that. It's great to hear it, but I just don't NEED it like others I know that don't feel vindicated without it.
What a strange calm that has come over me, a weight has been lifted and I feel like I can now live and play on SL like everyone else does.
I'm just having fun now, and I hope you will too.

Imitation is Flattery, Mari

Imitation is flattery.

I need to repeat that every time I'm asked about where I get my dances, or items used in my club or whatever I'm wearing.

Imitation is flattery :)

Copied, but never duplicated.
There is only one Brick, and only one Mari.

It feels good to be unique.

The best hair in SL

Props to Bishwear, Shy is consistent in making the best hair on SL. I don't know how long she's been in the hair business, but she does a great job creating it.
She also makes some very stylish and sexy clothes, an all around talent she is.
Check out her store, but make sure you take some linden, it's rare to walk in there and not come out with a purchase!

Boyfriend of the week

Hahaha. There isn't one. I've found that having a steady SL bf is basically a waste of time, and a quick way of ruining a perfectly good friendship, potential real friendship, albeit an online one.
I seem to misunderstand why some of those relationships work so well. I'm sure not all of them have run so smoothly without a glitch here and there. Somehow some just survive. Not sure why.
I have had a few SL relationships. They don't last because of one reason or another. It's ok though, it is meant to be that way. I have found, the best way to get over a failed SLR is to be angry. That isn't hard to do. No matter who is doing the breaking up(and it's USUALLY me, although yes, this butterfly has been dumped a couple of times, and yes, there is that real hurt that is felt), or why, there is that feeling of either failure or rejection. Neither one is easy to deal with, unless you are a unforgiving, unfeeling asshole(and I've met a couple of those too). It must suck to not have feelings, but that's a whole other blog.
I think it's quite funny that my SL relationships are followed so closely by a select few. Does it feel good to watch me "fail"? It's only a perception, because, the feeling of failure only lasts a short time. SL relationships are fleeting.
I'm back up on my feet again in no time, and the more time I spend on SL, the more I appreciate that I'm once again, single. Sorry to disappoint you, those who do not like me, I get back up as quickly as I've been knocked down. Fortunately, there are many, many fish in the sea that is SL. I learn from those I've spent time with. Very few do I remain friends with(I won't mention those), and only after a period of disliking them, because that is how I roll. I don't regret most of my liasons, because they all have taught me something, as I move forward in SL.

Independence Day

I did something quite funny today...I googled myself, and came across an exerpt of a blog about me, by my ex dj, I.B., and NO, I am not going to give his blog the attention I'm sure he would love to get if I was to post the link, but I'm not going to do that for you. Yes, I addressed him in IM about removing information about me on the blog, and his response was "sorry, but you brought it on yourself with your diatribe, blah blah blah", so here is my final response to it all.
I.B. and I were "friends" until he decided to pursue his own dream of opening up his own club(October 2008). No, I didn't react to that news in the way he wanted, and since then, the drama has escalated. I admit, I said enough crap to him in the ensuing months, especially when he's gotten a little too personal, and when he decided to post stuff about my SL life in his club blog. It's uncalled for, really. It's a bit strange, too, knowing he's so obsessed, verging on stalking. He not only has some of his friends coming into my club pretending to enjoy being in my venue(and eavesdropping, spying on me). The guy looked up personal information about my deceased mother to get personal information about the REAL me. Yet he uses me as his "case study" on his blog. Unstable? Who's the unstable one?
Today I declare independence from all his drama and such. I refuse to look at his nightclub blog, and I'll make sure not to bother looking at it when I see it under google search for my name.
I really don't care, I've had enough of the crazy drama he instills and encourages his "friends" to participate in(turnabout is 100%), and this is the last I will post on this subject, or any of HIS subjects. I have fun on SL. Yes, I go through SL boyfriends like I do SL underwear, but I am having fun while I'm on SL. Do you really care who I'm with and who is my friend, and who isn't? Come on now.
Suddenly, I feel free, and it feels good!

Foot in Mouth Syndrome

Yeah yeah...I've heard it over and over


So and so is great because they did this or that....
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

Why am I nothing ? Nothing in real life, nothing on SL. Can you not hear me?

So I can't stay and listen...and I wonder. What did I do wrong?

This is how I feel..and I'm tired of it.

To Tip or Not to Tip...

I own a venue. I pay my tier, I purchased almost everything that is in that club. I run it on my own.
I have live musicians on SL who perform at my club twice a week. They don't perform for free. Usually, I pay for their fee week by week. Very rare do I get a sponsor to cover it for me. Not complaining. If I was in SL to make money I would be in the wrong business, unless I added strippers and dancers and had deejays there...but that's not what I had in mind for the club, so I don't make money.
I don't have a problem with the performers themselves. I do enjoy having them in my venue. I enjoy their music, and THEY DO make money. They get their fee, on top of most of the tips. Why? Because of the patrons. The patrons tip the performers more than they do the venue, if anything at all. I am truly grateful to those who do spend a little linden in donation or tip to my venue. They are who give me reason to keep the club going. They show their appreciation for me having the venue, and for the live music for them to come and enjoy.
Unfortunately, it is the ones who have no problem tipping the performers, but do not tip the venue. If it wasn't for the venues these performers wouldn't have a place to do their music, and what would you do then? Why are you only tipping the performer? Is the venue not good enough to receive a tip too?
Do you really think I don't notice you don't tip my club? It's almost like a slap in my face. I'm here enjoying something you paid for but I'm not going to tip you. You didn't do anything after all...hmm?
So, what I am doing now, is tipping the venues more than I will the performers. There's got to be some fairness in it all. The venues don't make much money, I bet their tips don't even cover the performers fees!
Bleh.

It's Like This

I am, for the most part, friendly and tolerant of a lot of things. One thing I am NOT tolerant of, on Second Life, is my supposed friends(and acquaintances) thinking it's ok to think I'm a doormat for them to walk all over and then think it's ok to do so.
Those guilty parties know who I'm talking about.

I won't miss you. I've discovered that not having you in my SL is actually less stressful and I feel relieved.

I am not a huge fan of DJs in my club either. I was reminded why the other day. If I want to dj in my club, I'll do it myself, and I won't have to wear a tacky disco suit and afro to do it either, AND I'll be reliable and considerate to the person who hired me. Oh wait. That's me.

And you can befriend my nemesis again. Go ahead! You're free to do so. Go ahead, if it makes you feel better about yourself. I never really trusted you anyway. Did you think I shared my deepest secrets with YOU? Think again. You really don't know anything dear to me.

Fashion Show

So a couple of weeks ago I was at a store I favored for beautiful dresses and gowns(just because I felt like it and I had a little linden to spend on myself) and while I was there, I was approached through IM from someone who was looking for models for their bridal show and would I be interested?
I've done some "modeling"- on SL that usually means working as a customer service rep for a store. They give you the items they want you to "model", usually new releases they want to fly off their "shelves". I've done some of this kind of "modeling", but never the runway type.
Rather disinterested, because I figured maybe it wasn't what it seemed, I replied "sure" to her, and she sent the info to me. The notecard she sent had a little information for me, but mostly it was for me to fill out and return to her. An application, basically. She told me she'd get back to me fairly shortly.
So I did hear from her, and last week we had a meeting to discuss exactly what we would be modeling, etc. There were 7 of us who were "hired". After checking out the runway we would use, and discussing the assigned designs to be worn, we planned for practice throughout the week before the show, which was set up for today, May 23rd.
There were 7 of us, but there might as well have been only 1. One of the 7 felt because she had modeled on runways on SL many times that she was the expert. She felt it was ok to talk down to the rest of us, including the person who was guiding and for the most part, organizing this event alone(since the other person involved was unable to access the internet). It came down to a catfight the day before the show, because one of the other 7 decided she needed more time on the runway..whereas the rest of us took our 20 second posing at the end of the runway, she needed a minute or close to it for her two turns. It may seem petty, but when the rest of us are given a short amount to stay at the runway, well, it should be the same for everyone else...
It resulted in a huge catfight where egos were challenged, names were called, and it felt that things were falling apart. Fortunately our guide showed up and tried to smooth everything over. It was clear we were not all working as a team. That was evident when the ability to practice one last run with everyone present for once was shot down by Mrs. Diva and Mrs.limelight decided to leave because they felt no more practice was needed. The rest of us did what we could without the missing pieces and it went well, no more drama.
My sl bf Carson and my bffs Ganjo and Noma said they would come to the show. It meant alot to me that all 3 showed up.
I find it slightly funny that after arriving to the event and getting dressed in my first outfit, which was a tea length wedding gown, that I felt nervous. NERVOUS. I think I was more afraid of missing my queue.
The show went out as planned. The announcer's voice was too loud but at least we had some decent music to walk to. It went by very quickly. The show was over within 30 mins. After all of us had our turns we all lined up on the catwalk for everyone to see. Then we all walked back behind the curtain and got dressed. Funny, I made sure I made outfits for quick changes for the show itself, but neglected to make one for AFTER the show? LOL. So I had to find something to wear quick.
After the show I went out and greeted my 3 bffs who were so kind to make me feel like I did a great job.
It was fun, despite the drama...and it looks like I'll be doing another show in a few months. I'll keep you posted!

Helping those who can't..or won't help themselves

There's a growing anti-noob movement going on in SL.
Fortunately, I am not part of it. Ok, to be honest, I'm taking a little break from it. Over the past year or so that I've been on SL I have done my part to help a noob, and the occasional not-so-new noob with things like, showing them where to get free stuff, signing them up to a freebie group, instructing them on how to do this or that within SL. As I started putting USD into game I on occasion would buy noob x a shape, or skin, depending on how much I had, and how generous I was feeling at that time. I did this without expecting anything back, and I usually didn't get anything back.
Later, I started doing makeovers. I didn't charge. As long as they had the linden to pay for the stuff, all I did was use my time to show them what to get, and help them get the look they thought I could help them with attaining. I didn't have one client who wasn't happy with what they got.
I haven't done much of that lately. I have found that no matter how much you help someone out, they will eventually forget who you are and you never hear from them again. I find that quite rude, but in the end, is probably the best thing because why do you want an ungrateful mooch to be your friend anyway? You can do so much for people. Tell them how to do this or that, to improve on their avi, and whether they listen to you or not, is up to them.
On the flipside, there are still a lot of generous people on SL. It isn't so much that they are throwing money at noobs to help them out. It's the little things, whether it be sending a gift certificate to someone who is clearly new to help them out, or giving someone at random a little linden love. It's the person who let you live rent free for weeks when you first started(Thanks Lix!). Pay it forward when I can, but now I'm just a little more choosy on who I help...and I still don't expect anything back..knowing you help someone out just because it makes you feel good is the gift that comes back to you.

FUNKY

It's 10:54 pm SLT(Pacific) and I'm sitting here..sitting, not dancing like I usually would- to the funkalicous sounds coming from Mr. Funky himself, Ganjo Mokeev. The man to me, sounds a lot like Lou Rawls on certain songs, other times, he sounds like Ganjo..either way, he sounds really good.
One of these days I'll figure out how to record him singing on SL so ya'll who aren't on SL can hear him..this guy is definitely talented...what do you expect for a guy who's been in the music business for 30+ years?
Keep on funkin' us out Ganjo!

Everybody wants to own a club...

Edited from original post.
The growing trend it seems, as far as some of my SL "friends" go towards, is to open a club on SL.
Ivan my ex dj, ex friend did it..
Minnow my first SL bf and his current woman did it..
countless others have done it too.

It isn't that they opened their clubs that pissed me off. It was the way they did it. Minnow's situation didn't bother me. Neither does most of the "others"..but the way Ivan went about it, and here again, is someone I THOUGHT was a friend(a repeating factor here), has now done the same thing.
I'm supposed to be happy for them. Maybe it's a petty thing, but nonetheless, it's there.
My reasons for not being happy for them:
It means they will not come to my club anymore, because they will have their own club to go to.
It means their friends who came with them to my club will more than likely follow them. More lost patrons.

My reasons for being happy for them:
maybe they will find within their own club what they couldnt or didn't think existed in mine.
All I can say to them now, is:
Good luck.

What to wear?!!!!

I sign in to SL every morning, after I do my morning round of Facebook(and the applications on there, i.e., Farmtown, Fashion Wars,etc), Twitter and Gmail. I do those things first because once I sign onto SL I stay on it for a few hours, depending on what is going on there that day.
When I log in, my avi is usually in pjs or a casual version of what I was wearing the night before, when I logged off. I "wake" up...and my dilemma of what I will wear that day begins.
I have more clothes in SL than I will ever use. Some of the clothing is very detailed and beautiful, others are very plain and just boring(usually freebie stuff I got when I first started). They all are crammed in my bulging inventory and I have to sort through them to decide how my avi will look that day. Do I want to wear a pantset for most of the day, or do I want to wear a dress? What kind of dress?
It's a very exhausting thing..imagine going to a store with all these clothes, and having to pick just one. You try them on, and by the 4th or 5th outfit you are tired, like you would be in real life, and then it gets to the point where you are just thinking..ok, this is what I want..who has this sort of thing. I have some clothes in folders by designer. That usually helps.
I will put something on, then accessorize(very little accessorizing) and find a hairstyle that will go well with the outfit. Shoes are never a problem, as I have my favorite shoes to go with certain looks. Every once in a while I will change midday or right around dinnertime if I'm going to an event or I decide I really don't want to wear that outfit for the full time I'm on SL. I might've not liked that outfit as much as when I put it on, or just wore the outfit to be able to say I wore it(especially if I spent linden on it), then it goes in a box if I didn't like it.
Some of my stuff gets repeat wears..those are the ones I really like.
I have spent enough linden on my avi to make sure she looks great, and she does.
I am a fashion diva.

Friends

The more I'm on SL the more I am really questioning the "friends" I have on there. I had stated on my profile that I had 5 that I could count on as being good friends, but it seems like that number is, unfortunately dropping.
I can count 4 people that I'm friends with on SL. People that have been more than just acquaintances within the last year or so.
Piper left SL for personal reasons(technically she's still my friend, just not on SL anymore),and I miss her.. which leaves me with 3. I'm happy with these 3. None of them have done anything to piss me off or betray me. Shania may not be on much these days as RL has become more important(as it should)as of late.. I'll always love Noma, not only does she have a good ear, but we both feel comfortable about talking about most things. It's the same thing with Ganjo. Ganjo will try to make me laugh(and usually does)if I'm not having a good day, or just need to laugh. All three have stood by me in my darkest RL days and know how to lift me up..and for that, I'll always be grateful to them. LOVE YOU GUYS!

Wall of Fame(Shame) part 2

Actually, this was the first WOF ..the first one I posted the 2nd one 1st...anyway..
In this picture, more contributors, more betrayals...I remain "friendly" with maybe 5of the people in this picture, including Minnow

Wall of Fame

I started this "Wall of Fame" idea with the intention of spotlighting contributors to the club as well as regulars, but it seems like a curse now.
I'm no longer friends with Hankk, or Mercury. Dominic just went his merry way and Piper is no longer on SL(unfortunately).
Coming up, the other Wall of Fame attempt...

The problem with inventory

One of the first lessons that SHOULD be given when you first sign up for Second Life, that isn't is "control your inventory before it gets out of hand".
I didn't get that lesson. I've been on SL for a year and a half and my inventory count is absurd. It is standing at a little over 81k and I have been boxing up non-important items(houses, objects I'm not using, for example) and that in itself is a lot of work...time consuming too.
I can't just toss stuff away either because most of this stuff I know I spent linden on. Linden is Second Life version of money. I don't have a job on SL that pays me to fund all my purchases. I don't have a RL job that does that either. Fortunately I have a RL husband who gives me an allowance to spend on SL. Mind you the allowance covers my tier(land fee and membership fee to own mainland), but I usually get a few dollars extra converted to linden to fund my live performer fees(for the club) as well as extras, like clothes, shoes, hair...my obsessions.
Anyway...my obsessions result in a bulging, ready to explode inventory closet. It also results in lag..meaning my avatar walks a little slower, everything on SL takes longer than usual to get done. So. If you're gonna join SL, let me pass this little tip...control your inventory. Forget freebies. They will mulitply like bunnies and unless you know you're gonna wear them then toss them out right after, don't bother with them.
The positive result from my bulging inventory is..
I look great.

Waiting for A Star To Fall

Both my RL and SL avatars love this song..can't get enough of it. My SL avatar because she feels this way about someone else on SL, and my RL avi loves it because it is such a feel good song. George, Shannon, I can't imagine anyone else singing it!
http://www.boymeetsgirlmusic.com/
Waiting For a Star To Fall
Boy Meets Girl
(George Merrill / Shannon Rubicam)
©1987 Irving Music, Inc. / Boy Meets Girl Music (BMI)

I hear your name whispered on the wind
It's a sound that makes me cry
I hear a sound blow again and again through my mind
And I don't know why
I wish I didn't feel so strong about you
Like happiness and love revolve around you
Trying to catch your heart is like
Trying to catch a star
So many people love you baby
That must be what you are

Chorus:
Waiting for a star to fall
And carry your heart into my arms
That's where you belong in my arms baby, yeah
(repeat once)

I learned to feel what i cannot see
but with you i lose that vision
i dont know how to dream your dream
so im all caught up in superstition
I wanna reach out and pull you to me
Who says I should let a wild one go free

Trying to catch your heart is like
Trying to catch a star
I can't love you this much baby
And love you from this far


Chorus x2

Waiting(however long)
i dont like waiting(I'll wait for you)
its so hard waiting(don't be too long)
seems like waiting makes me love you even more

Chorus until fades

Have SL, will travel.

IRL I do not travel well. I dislike plane rides, I absolutely do not like large bodies of ocean so cruises or boating is out of the question. I've never been on a train, but I've travelled by car..and by bus. Needless to say, I am not worldly. I have stepped outside of the USA once, and that was a brief jaunt over to Juarez when my cousin needed to get some bridesmaids dresses done and we all had to go with her, me being a bridesmaid.
On SL, it is a different story. I have travelled to Hawaii,New York, Scotland, Italy, and Israel. I have visited the SL version of the USS Arizona Memorial. There are so many places to "see" on SL. Yes, so they aren't the real life versions, but this is probably the closest I will ever get to see or be in these places.
The magic of Second Life.

My obsessions

The Second Life world is your oyster.

You can make your avatar anything or anyone you want them to be. You can create your avi to look the way you want it to look.

My inventory is proof of this. Currently it moans and groans at 81k items. Most of those items are clothes, and HAIR. I have maybe 10 skins I alternate every few months if I'm not buying a new one. I love the skins I have. Most of them are pretty realistic. Barbie has nothing on me.
The stuff that people create on SL to make our SL lives nicer is just amazing.

The Brick

The Brick was created out of the desire to have a place to dance, hear great music, meet and chat with others, and have FUN!
The Brick was opened March 6, 2008. I opened with my then sl bf Minnow. Unfortunately Minnow and I didn't last, but the club is still open and doing well!
I originally named it Just Another Brick in The Wall, after the Pink Floyd song. The name changed late 2008 to just THE BRICK. It is an 80s themed dance club, although I don't just have 80s music playing 24/7.
I have 2 regular live performers weekly, Ganjo Mokeev and Noma Falta. They are RL musicians who perform on SL as well.
I originally opened the club on the private region of Salonika2, the club remained there until I moved it to mainland late 2008. Since the move, it has done much better. Traffic is up. On Salonika2 I may have had 1 person visiting a day, at times no one visited the club in a 24 hour period, maybe more. Since the move, the club averages anywhere from 15-30 people a day. More when we have a party or event going on. So it definitely was a good move.
It's been a few months but The Brick underwent a cosmetic makeover. I had eyed a building sometime ago as one to use in the future, and the future is now. I had gotten so tired of the original build and it's imperfections and one day just took that down and replaced it with what it is now. I've had nothing but positive feedback! Woot, I did something right!

SL "love"

So yes, people who play on SL can and do fall "in love". Not just on SL, but the feelings do transfer onto real life. I know at least one person I know as an avatar, and got to know their real life self through other online sources that have gone that route. My first major SL boyfriend, Minnow, is now engaged IRL to the woman his avatar started dating 1 week after our avis broke up.
I think that's wonderful, but it's not what I am on SL for.
Sure, it's great to feel adored by someone else. It sometimes gets me through some rough spots in my RL marriage. Me myself, would never leave my RL husband for anyone on SL. That being said, I can elaborate on the relationships I have had with men on SL.
My first long term SL bf was Minnow. I had met him at a dance club called Blackhearts and we both hung out at the offshoot of that club, "C&C". He didn't talk much to me. I thought he was a bit snobby. Then, a month or so after I joined SL, C&C closed down. It was a GREAT club, but it was gone. I was a bit lost. I hung out at Blackhearts here and there but it didn't have the same feel as C&C, but it was there that I connected with Minnow. At the time I was dating a guy named Beowulf, who I worked with. The problem Beo and I had was that he was hardly on SL for us to nuture our relationship. Anyway, I owned a portrait studio and invited Minnow to come have some portraits done. He came, he took some rather dashing pictures, and I took a few with him in my "maiden" outfit..and sparks flew.
A few days later, Beo and I split. One or two days after that, Minnow and I were a couple. It was a great partnership. Minnow lived on the same sim I did. After a month or so he moved in with me on my parcel. After a short time our discussions started to revolve around opening up a club, similar to C&C. We both missed that club. The corner parcel next to mine was abandoned and Minnow purchased it. For me.
One or two days later, rather spontaneously, I started building..what would become what is known on SL as "The Brick".
Needless to say, Minnow and I lasted 3 months. We celebrated our 3 month anniversary, but weeks of resentment about financial issues related to the cost of maintaining the club wore on me, and I broke it off that same day. He wasn't surprised, and he wasn't that heartbroken. After all, he had already met his future RL love.
He started dating her shortly after our breakup. I had thought there would be a reconciliation but once I found out about her(she was someone I had met and befriended weeks before), it was done. I didn't speak to either of them for 4 or 5 months, I felt so betrayed. Today, I am civil with them both.

1 year, 6 months, 1 week

Since I was born on SL. In that year, I have:
met some wonderful people, who I remain friends with
met some wonderful people who turned out to be assholes, who I am no longer friends with
had SL boyfriends, some serious, some that weren't
been partnered twice and "married" once
have had my avi heart crushed more times than I can count
argued with friends about their SL lives
been dropped for another woman avi
been dropped from friend list for no reason
been assaulted more than once
have been given a lot of money as a gift
opened a dance club(it is still open!)
gone on hunts and realized I hate hunts
danced for long hours(can't do that in real life!)
built furniture, items, buildings
planted a memorial garden for my RL mother
built a free wedding area for avi's to get married at no cost
changed my hairstyle and clothes and skins too many times to count
watched a movie or two within SL
have a pet dog and had a cat
....the list will continue

So I figured...why not...everyone else is doin it..

I'm referring to blogging, of course. Just for your information, no, I wouldn't jump off a bridge just because everyone else is doing it.
But anyway....
So, yeah, I figured, I should blog about my second life. My second life is way more exciting than my first. I'm not complaining. I'm glad my first life isn't anything like my second, and vice versa. Too complicated.
If you're a second life citizen, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Most of us on Second Life are here to escape, or at least pretend for a little while. Some of us take playing on SL seriously, some of us don't. Some of us are able to separate(as in, when we log off, we're not really thinking of SL at all), some of us can't.
Regardless, I think most of us on SL have fun while we are here.
So, I hope to entertain you with my avi's various thoughts here. It will be my avi's thoughts..not really "mine". I'm one of those who can separate SL from RL...for the most part anyway. Hypocritical? Contradictory? You bet.