Day 229 - She's not just decorative

Long, long day, but a very good one. :)

I was asked to fill in for the decor writer for Icon magazine for the next issue, which I happily said yes to. I currently write for Second Style, and I had a brief stint over at VR Style magazine, but pretty much all of my articles have been about fashion. Since furniture & decor is something I'm really starting to love in SL, this was something I was kind of excited about doing. I had started decorating a new room of my house yesterday before I was asked to fill in, so today I spent hours getting the rest of the room just right. It actually came out really nice, in my opinion. I'm not a decorator, at all, but the boho chic look I was going for came together pretty easily once I got started, thanks in large part to my plurk buddies. They are so so much better at knowing where all the good furniture shops are. Like I said, I'm still pretty new to the whole decorating thing [my idea of decorating was either to buy a set and put it all out like it was in the picture, or asking Sophia to do it for me] so learning new shops and learning how to put things together was super fun. I'll show other pics later, but this is all you get for now, because I'm exhausted and it's really time for bed.

Day 228 - Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

So okay. Before I get started here... today's "Dear God, What The Fuck?" award goes to Jezbell Nitely. I was amused by her "prim babbys" last year. And her "Braid Pitt" skin. But she's going beyond the beyonds now by calling her hair store "Redgrave Hair Salon." Really, Jezbell? Really?




I'm sorry, Ms. Jackson. She is for real.




Ya know, if she were Jezbell Redgrave, I might understand. Obviously there are other Redgraves in the world other than Emilia Redgrave of the Redgrave store. But no. Dear Jezbell is obviously trying to fool people into thinking she's part of all of that. Bad form, Jezbell. Bad form.

Oh. And bad hair. Yikes.

----------------------------------------------------

It rained today in my physical world. I'm not a huge fan of rain, but we did need it. The nice thing about the rain here is that I don't have to leave the house, and I can just sit here and think and not feel obligated to do anything. Sometimes, I really can't ask for more.

Day 227 - The look of judgey judging

I meant to do a lot of things for Sunday. Blogging, cleaning... I have plans to redecorate my physical world bedroom [soooo much easier to redecorate in SL!] but it's going to require quite a bit of cleaning and moving things around and quite frankly, I'm not down with it. But, instead, I spent time with my penguin, my wifey, and my chubby hubby.

Soph and I sat around on Callie's bobblehead that I picked up a long time ago [SL5B, if I'm not mistaken] and I'd left on her porch. I like to leave the Bluebonnet renters gifts from time to time. They usually make me take them back. I don't know why.




Ulaa and I headed out to do the Good Shit Hunt. Well, I'd done it already before she had logged in, but I went around with her again. When you do hunts, you usually run into the same people. This girl had clicky clacky shoes. We judge, yo. We judge.




Oh. I just realized I forgot to get pics of the chubhub. Sorry!

Ulaa just told me about a bag, so I'm off to go pick it up before I head to bed!

Day 226 - We need more than one partner box

Nice quiet Saturday night in SL. Spent some time dancing with my wifey and our chubby hubby. LOL!! No, don't worry, he knows I call him that. Like the ice cream! :)

Day 225 - At least I wasn't maimed by cheddar

Took a break tonight and hung out with some buddies. Aldwyn was um...tipsy...and we had an impromptu bikini beach party at his island.




Al was all up on Riq. Riq said it would be another 2 years before he left his home again.




And some super cuties!




Sometimes you just need to forget about things for a while and have some fun with some crazy friends. :)

Day 224 - Morph Monstah Will Eat Your Soul!

So yesterday, I showed you guys how you can win a photo contest. But there's something far far worse plaguing Flickr and profiles.

Morphs.

Oh my god, MORPHS.MOOOORRRRPPPHHHSSSS!!!! What's a morph? Basically it's an SL avatar's head on the body of a RL person. They are TRAGIC. They are worse than bling. Yes, I said it.

However, morphs get a lot of Flickr comments because apparently the majority of people have no taste. Heck, people are even winning modeling spots with morphs...which makes NO sense, but whatever.

You can, of course, pay big money to some loser photographer and they can create a morph for you. But it's fairly simple to do one yourself that is JUST as good as anything you see on Flickr.

So, this is me.




And this is Holly Madison.




Now, we need to get my face onto Holly's body. [I'm SO sorry, Holly Madison. Sooooo sorry.]

I took a picture of me without hair, threw it into Photoshop, used the lasso to cut out my face [don't worry if it's not perfect, you'll erase and blend later], and then dragged it onto Ms. Madison's head.

I resized and adjusted, and erased anything that was unnecessary. Like, my whole face. Just kidding.

You will have to do a little work to get the face to blend almost just right. I use this tutorial by Ryker Beck quite frequently when doing my own photos. I'll wait while you watch it. Or you can just watch it later. If you do photos in SL, it's a good tutorial to learn from.




Finished? Okay. So I used that, then I used the Orton technique, which I showed you guys the link for yesterday, to get soft and blurry. Apparently, blurry is your friend. You know what's also your friend? Your friends telling you "FUCKING STOP THE MORPHS."

Duplicate the layer to do a color burn, use the dodge and burn tools, and then lens flare because you know how that makes it all kinds of classy. I threw the picture into Photoscape to get the vignette and do some filters and other finishing work.

And ta-da!! Morph!




Does it look awful? OF COURSE IT DOES. Morphs look like shit because SL faces were never meant to go onto RL bodies. I don't care how "hawt" you think your morph is, trust me, there's a big ol' group of people laughing at you because now you look like an idiot.

If you want to see more morphs, by people who both did it for a laugh and those who are completely serious about it, check out this Flickr group.

Just don't blame me for any nightmares.

Day 223 - Oh, I'll be a photo contest WINNER!

So at any given time, there are photo contests in SL going on. I was going through the Flickr of one that's going on right now and something struck me.

Almost all the contestants were in underwear or naked.

Wtf?

Is that the only way someone can win a contest? You have to put all your goodies out on display? After discussing it with some friends, I decided to come over here and help you guys out in how to win a photo contest.

First, you need THE LOOK. I've broken it down into 5 basic things.




Big hair, tan skin bordering on orange, super tall, bitch face that looks like you smelled something bad, and nipples. Nipples are probably the most important thing. Cat/elf ears and something random hanging out of your mouth just give you the extra edge. Always take the extra edge when you can!

Now that you're in lingerie or naked, you need a place to take your picture. Most people would do it in a bedroom or somewhere indoors. Not you. You see, if you want to be a winner, you'll have to haul your nipples outside. Preferably in a garden, forest, or some other kind of outdoor setting. Why? Well gosh, who doesn't just hang out in a park in lingerie and stiletto heels? Don't be a stupid. You have to be outside in your underwear. Don't believe me? Go look up the last 2 winners of the Blacklace photo contest.

When getting ready for the picture, you need a pose that has you sitting on the ground, crawling around, or looking "sexy." Don't use a basic or bright light setting. You have to use Windlight. Venture outside of the Sheer Surreality, though. That one is so so tired and old. If you don't have any fancy presets, make one. Put your random item in your mouth [extra edge!] and find a good angle. If you don't have a good angle, no one will take you seriously and everyone will think you're a stupid.




Are you finished? Oh honey, you're just getting started! Photo contests in SL are serious business and you will need to Photoshop the SHIT out of your picture. If you don't have Photoshop or Gimp or anything good, just give up now. Or pay someone.

First, use Liquify to smooth out any crazy angles. I had a big smear from my underpants going down my inner thigh like an episode of Pubes Gone Wild, so I had to use the clone stamp to paint over it, then blurred to make it blend in. After that, I used the Orton Effect to give it an all over softness. Pretty much all the best photographers use this but they won't tell you so! Remember - SERIOUS BUSINESS. Then I duplicated the layer and did a color burn. Burn, baby, BURN. Speaking of burn, I used the burn tool to start making shadows and stuff allll over my body and under me. It's all for the definition, and it makes my boobs look bigger. Dodge tool is used afterwards to lighten up things and give even MORE definition.

I don't know how to do a vignette in Photoshop [my skills are pretty minimal], so I took my super fabulous, not stupid at ALL, photo and went over to Photoscape. Photoscape is a free little program with lots of things like frames and filters and stuff. Nice little tool for finishing. I used a filter while I was there to give my body even more definition and make me look just a little more Snooki orange. It's all about the Jersey this year, you know.

Back to Photoshop for everyone's favorite - LENS FLARE! It's classy.

And the final result!




What do you think? Will I be a winner?

If you haven't been able to tell, this post is all tongue in cheek. :) But really, with the billions of ways you could style a photo, don't take the path of least resistance and just go naked or get in your underwear. I'm not against nudity, or underwear, but I am against people using it constantly because they have no other ideas.

But what do I know? All my pics end up looking like this.




Of course, that's kind of the way I like it.

Day 222 - Productivity

I feel kind of productive today. I didn't get to the gym, or begin getting my bedroom ready for some redecorating, but I did get my article for Second Style done, got proposed to by Cleverbot, threw some really lame griefers off of the island, did a post for the style blog, made spaghetti for dinner, increased a level in Frontierville, helped the cat find a rubber band, and got my ass smacked by Mr. Potato Head.




Oh, don't mind the ears. They're not permanent.

It's just now 10:30. I think I will now need to find something else to do.

Day 221 - Rezday parties & more from the inventory

Today was Gabby Panacek's 3rd rezday! Codie put together a nice little surprise party for her, and it was really fun!

The rezday girl, with Codie dancing nearby. :)




I so so apologize for the quality of the picture. I attended a taping of Paisley Beebe's show last night and had turned all my stuff down to attempt not to crash.

Gabby is one of those people that you cannot help but just adore the stuffings out of. Yes, she's gorgeous. Yes, she's smart. But more than that, she's genuinely kind. And that is something that you just have to admire. :)

I was really happy to see so many of my friends there, especially those that rarely make it to events these days.




I spent the day happily inventory deleting while I listened to/half watched movies on Hulu. I had a massive MASSIVE amount of textures from group notices, ads, and reader submissions for WTFug. After boxing everything up [because let's face it, I wasn't going to really go through them all today], I deleted almost 3000 textures. I've gone from 72k to under 66k in the past few days. There's still a LOT more to go through, but I am feeling way better now that I have a little more room to move around in there. I've also discovered a few things.

1. For some reason, I've collected an ungodly number of bunny ears in the past 2 and a half years. They're not part of any sexy outfits or anything. They're just...bunny ears. Sometimes they come with a tail, sometimes they don't, which is pretty weird.

2. There's a LOT of ugly jewelry in SL, and I apparently set out at some point to collect all of it. My Jewerly Expo 2008 folder was laughably bad. My Jewelry Expo 2009 folder was actually not all that much better.

3. Some people seriously need better friends, because I know most of my creator friends ask people before they release something, and I always give them an honest opinion on if it's crap or not. Obviously? Some creators have friends just yell "OMG IT'S AWESOME!" even when it's not.

I need to get back to deleting and getting some stuff done before bed. Goodnight!

Day 220 - Tiny

What a long day. A good one, though. I spent the day over at my parents' house for Father's Day. My dad is 72, and doesn't always have the best memory for holidays, so he was very nicely surprised by my visit and my gifts.

The attack on my massive inventory continues. I have finally gotten under 70k. At least, I'm assuming I have. My inventory has problems loading fully, no matter which viewer I use. I'm pretty sure it did tonight, and I deleted over 1000 items. But while I was hitting up one of the hunt folders, I found the cutest avatar. And that's it for tonight, because I'm pretty sleepy.

Day 219 - Introversion

A couple of things first...

If you were in the BBBC, or if you just followed along, head over to New World Notes and post any of your favorite blog posts from the challenge. :)

Oh, and before I forget! Is there anyone out there that is good at reading blueprints and building? A friend of mine wants his RL house recreated in SL. He wants to be able to mod it and change paint colors and such so he gets an idea of how to redecorate his own home. IM me in world if you're interested in this project.

--------------------------------------------------

So can I talk for a bit? This is probably going to be rambly, but that's my brain tonight.

Recently I've come across the word "ambivert," meaning someone who enjoys being social but also loves time to themselves. I suppose I might fall closer to that category, but I lean towards the more introverted side. I'm an introvert by nature. It's not something I really knew much about, or accepted about myself, until a couple of years ago. I'd been told my whole life that it wasn't the right way to be. Like most Latinas, I come from a loud family. Family reunions always made me want earplugs because if you didn't talk loud enough, you weren't heard. There's a part of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding that always has me in stitches because if you change the "Greek" to "Mexican," you have my family.

And my whole family is big and loud. And everybody is in each other's lives and business. All the time! Like, you never just have a minute alone, just to think, 'cause we're always together, just eating, eating, eating! The only other people we know are Greeks, 'cause Greeks marry Greeks to breed more Greeks, to be loud breeding Greek eaters!

As I've gotten older, I've recognized that my dad is an introvert. Daddy is perfectly content to sit by himself for hours, watching tv and drinking Cokes, and not saying a word. My Aunt Hope, the youngest of my mother's sisters, is also an introvert - which has been the tragedy of the family for as long as I can remember. The other 5 sisters are loud, and bossy, and have to be talking all the time. They draw strength from being around each other, or at least talking on the phone several times a week. They do not understand introverts.

Introverts are not energized by other people. In fact, others usually drain us. Not that we hate people or are antisocial. Not at all. But we need time to ourselves to recharge. Lately, I can feel myself grasping for even just a few moments to myself. You know how sometimes your cell phone battery drains, but you're busy and you still need it, so you just recharge it a little bit and head out the door? Then as the day or week goes on, you keep snatching bits of recharging time here and there, but as time goes on, the battery drains more and more quickly in between recharges? I feel like that battery right now.

I know when things are getting bad. I'm tired all of the time. I don't want anyone to touch me. I'm shopping in the real world way, way too much. I spend most of my day asking people, "What do you need? What do you want? What can I do?"

So bringing this back to SL, it probably makes people wonder what introverts are doing in such a social platform. But that's just it. I can be here, in SL, in my home, and be alone. I can deal with people in IM as they come, but I don't have to really see anyone for days if I don't feel like it. Do you guys have any idea how completely freeing that is for me? To know that it's okay if I'm alone here. I can sit alone, thinking to myself, and it's okay. Most of the time, because I know it's okay, that makes me able to handle people better. It makes me like being around people more. And I am grateful that my close friends know that even if I am quiet, I am still there for them.

Day 218 - Vanity

Sophia, having recently moved back to Bluebonnet, was setting up her new place today. But um, I think she got sidetracked by the mirror.

But you know, that's okay. I can't pass a mirror without looking at myself either.

The BBBC 2010 Wrap Up

Well everyone, we did it! We reached the end of another challenge. Some people asked why it's only 6 days. My answer is... Did you really want to write on a Saturday? :-p Except for the NZ bloggers, who did have to end on Saturday since my Sunday is their Monday. Time zones. Such silly things. Some people are continuing to go because they want to complete all 6 topics but weren't able to post every day, and that's cool, too!

I wanted to thank all of the bloggers who participated. We ended with 97 blogs on the blogroll, which is wildly impressive to me! There were 25 bloggers in 2008, and 67 in 2009. We just keep growing as a blog community and I think that is an excellent thing. Your contributions to the SL community are outstanding as bloggers, never never think they are not. I was so happy that so many participated this year! People wrote outside of their comfort zone, they found that they DO have something to say, and they fell back in love with writing. It's amazing to me when someone who came into this kind of just to do it comes to me and says, "I didn't realize I had so much to say! I'm going to keep blogging!" I seriously could not ask for more than that.

The blogroll will be up until tomorrow, and then left here for the rest of the year, although under my normal blogroll and of course not as expanded as it is now. The 2008 & 2009 blogrolls are also still here, but they'll be moved around. I encourage all of you to check out all the blogs on the list at least once. There are blogs that were in the challenge this year that I had never heard of before, but I think they'll be finding their way into my regular blog reading. We have such a blend of writers in our blog world, with so many different ideas and experiences. It's simply wonderful.

Will I do this again next year? Oh God, you bet I will. I will continue doing the challenge every June until I'm no longer a blogger. You all give me so much inspiration, I couldn't imagine NOT doing it.

So that's my final post on the BBBC 2010. Life goes back to normal now. Well, as normal as things get. ;) I love you, bloggers and readers! ♥

Day 217 - Oh honey, no.

If you're looking for the final challenge topic, it's over here.


I'm pretty sure my inventory could be on the show Hoarders. I have a hard time throwing things away. Some things, I barely looked at, or wore once and forgot about, and they're just sitting there. Some things I feel like I need to keep because friends gave it to me or made it for me. Some things I kind of spent too much on and would feel like it was a total waste of money if I threw it away. Some things just hold memories. But unfortunately, my sentimentality has jacked me up to a 72k inventory. Well, sentimentality and fatpacks and massive copies of this and that. But I'm trying to bring the number down

Tonight I got down under 70k! I also hit my Skins folder. See, back in 2008, I tried to keep myself organized, so I put together some folders, as one tends to do. But...once I put my skins in that folder, I never touched it again.

Um, yeah. Remind me not to do that again, should I ever get organized.

BBBC Final Topic!

Yeahhhh! Final topic! We pretty much do the same final topic each year, but honestly, I think it's a great one. The question is the same for both the SL and the non-SL bloggers, but choose the one that is for you.

If this is your first BBBC... What did you get out of your experience? Do you think it will change the way you blog in the future?


If you're a veteran.... Did you find this year to be harder or easier than previous years? Did you have fun? What did you get out of it this time around? Do you think you'd do it again?

Words & Thoughts

What's on my mind today...

I'm really worn out today. Again. I suppose I'll make a doctor's appointment for next week because honestly? Two weeks of barely making it through the day is starting to get a little ridiculous. I'm moody and tired and I can't sleep and I haven't been to the gym in over a week because of all of this. Ree-dic-yoo-lous.

Ulaa and I were talking and she had the idea of a "dig it out" challenge, where we don't shop for a week and just make outfits using what we can dig out of our inventories. I think it sounds like fun. Last night we were standing around inventory sorting [well, more like inventory deleting] and I was finding all these boxes that have never been opened. Of course, then I got the guilt, because a lot of these were review copies. Damn.

I hate to admit it, but I miss having someone to snuggle with in SL at night.

For some reason, I have the song "Karma Police" in my head at the moment. Gotta say, not a fan of the song. I'd almost rather have "Karma Chameleon" in my head.

I wonder if it's okay if I go lay down in bed and play Angry Birds. But with my luck, I'd be almost done with a hard level and the phone would ring.

Sophia just text messaged me to see if I want to go with her to find a new house. Prefab shopping? And she has to ASK?

I need a shower.

I really need something to blog for the style blog. I wanted to do a style post a day for the challenge, but I didn't realize the challenge would take up so much time this year since we have almost 100 bloggers. I can't believe so many people wanted to do it this year. I'm so so happy about it. This challenge is my baby, and the fact that others want to participate makes me so happy.

Ooh, I wonder if Pretty Little Liars is on Hulu yet.

I wonder if the whole Lindex thingy is going to affect tier next month. I wonder if it does, if other land owners are going to up the rent. I'd hate to do that to my renters, but I could see other land owners doing it.

Hm, I should remember to tell the Bluebonnet residents that we'll be switching over to a beach terrain in a couple of weeks. I guess if they read this, they now know.

I'm starving. I don't want another bowl of boring like I had last night. I think I need to figure out something better to make tonight for dinner.

Shower...food...Oh snap, Pretty Little Liars IS on Hulu!

Topic #5 & a party pic!

Huge thanks to everyone who came out tonight to the party! It was SO SO fun!!!





As we've done in years past, Topic #5 is an easy one! At least, easy for me. ;)


Topic #5 - Blogger's choice! Write about anything that's on your mind!


Eeeee! We're almost done! :-D

The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.

If you're looking for the sign up post, it's over here.

Don't forget - Tonight is a big Hump Day/Blogger Challenge party!! 7pm SLT in my party ball! My parcel will be closed except for Bluebonnet residents and selected others while I make sure all the stuff is placed properly.


I kind of skipped over the whole relationship topic for myself. Like I've said before, you never need to use a topic for the challenge if you don't want to. Those of us doing the 365 day project could just continue doing what we've been doing, you know? I have adored reading some of the posts on the topic, though. Everyone's experiences have been so different for the most part.

But, the age topic is one that interests me, and I figured I'd go ahead and get my day 4 post out of the way while I have time to write.

A few months ago, I participated in a study about people and their relationships with their SL avatars. The professor conducting the study asked me once, "How old is Alicia?" My answer was, "She's 32." Because I'm 32, so it just stood to reason that my avatar was too, as she is me.

But since then, I've realized that while I don't really set an age to my avatar, she is very much like I was in my late teens/early 20s. Quiet, but usually always up for a party. Scared, but never too scared to do something new. In love with life, and love, and fashion, and meeting new people.

So really, if I HAD to place an age on my avatar, I think she'd be around 19-21 most of the time.

Except for tier time. Then she's all old and responsible. :-p

The funny thing is - I really enjoy being in my 30s. My best friend is about to turn 30 next month, and she was moaning to me on Monday that she can't believe it's happening to her. I told her that I felt the same way, right up until my 30th birthday. I was SO happy to reach 30! And even through all the mess and the daily stuff I have to deal with, I LOVE being in my 30s. It's so much more fun. I don't feel 32. I feel younger than I did back in my 20s when I was trying to be sooo adult. I hope that never changes, because I really like myself now, and I sure didn't back then.

Aging is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength.
-Betty Friedan

Day 215 - Stuck

We keep cats, babies, and men all penned up on Bluebonnet.

BBBC Topic #4 - What's my age again?

If you're looking for the sign up list, it's over here.

Hey, we're halfway done! I hope you guys are having as good of a time with it as I am! It's been awesome reading your blogs! I'm still working on why a few of them are not updating correctly on the blogroll. If any of you have ideas, shoot them at me. I never said I was technical. :)

And don't forget, tomorrow there is a Hump Day Party going on at 7pm SLT! We'll be in the happy party ball, but there's not really a theme. Just dress however you want and come up to have some fun. I'll have the SLurl tomorrow, since I'm not in world at the moment to get it for you guys.

Okay! Topic number four!

SL Bloggers - Is your avatar more or less your current biological age? Do you portray a younger avatar, or older? Why is this?

RL Bloggers - Do you lie about your age? Do you think you act your age? Are you where you thought you'd be at your current age?

Day 214 - I love your chocolate!

Come over to this post if you want to sign up for the challenge.

If you're looking for Topic #3, it's over here.


So earlier, I was out with Sophia, Ulaa, and one of Sophia's old old SL friends when we encountered what could only be...an SL midget.




She wasn't a kid avatar, because she had breasts and makeup and an adult face. But uh... Yeah, I don't know.

I'm so so tired right now and tomorrow is a gym day. Zzzzzz...

Topic #3 - Relationships

If you are looking for the sign up post, it's right here.

Just as a reminder, we have a big Hump Day party coming up on Wednesday at 7pm SLT. I know, I know, it's really bad timing for some of the challengers that aren't over here on my side of the world, but we're going to try to get one going on the weekend at a better time for you guys.

Okay, this topic was one that we touched on back in 2008, but I think it's a great one, so here we go. :) And remember, you can choose either one to write about, or squish them together, or you don't need to write about this topic at all if you don't want to. It's just there if you need it.

SL Bloggers - How hard do you think it is to find a relationship in SL? If you have an SL relationship, have you met in the physical world? Would you meet them? Do you think it would change your SL relationship if you met?

RL Bloggers - Would you start a relationship with someone you met online? Would you have a problem telling people that's where you met? Do you think it's easier to meet someone online rather than at work or at a club?

Keep it positive

If you're looking for the challenge sign up post, it's right here.

If you're looking for the topic of the day, it's over here.



Today's topic came easily to me. It was one that was in my head long before the Linden layoffs, before 2.0, before I had the date set down for the challenge. It was one that I knew would be included because every night when I go to bed, it's one that I attempt to answer in my head before I go to sleep. Three positive things. There has to be three positive things in my life. If there aren't, then obviously I am doing something wrong. Yes, ME. In those moments, I do not put the blame on anyone else if I am unhappy. Oh, I could. Anyone could find something or someone to blame for all the mess in their life if they think about it. But in those moments before I fall asleep, and so often I do fall asleep thinking about it, it's only about me.

I hear the grumblings all the time. Second Life sucks, Lindens are morons, people are stupid... But it makes no sense to me. Why stay? Second Life, unlike our physical world, is not something that anyone is forcing you to do. The last I heard, no one put a gun to anyone's head and said, "Log in."

[Although, that sounds like a great idea for a show. Being forced to be an avatar against your will. Shop and dance or you die!]

So obviously if you are still logging in, there is a reason. A GOOD reason. A POSITIVE reason.

Three positive things going on in my SL right now...

1. I feel really creative there lately. I go through phases, as I think we all do, of just not doing much of anything. I log in, stand around, flip through some clothes, IM once in a while, and go. But right now, I have ideas and thoughts and I'm decorating and re-texturing my house, and thinking about projects in the future, and coming up with photo ideas in my head that probably will never happen, but just the fact that I'm thinking about them makes me happy!

2. I haven't had to worry about the island in a while. Not last summer, but the summer before, I was really really struggling at this time because I had a renter go MIA and still being new to the whole land thing, I let it lapse far longer than I should have. [Anything for a friend, right?] And then last year, I was having kind of a high turnover rate with a few smaller plots, and it was starting to get to me. But for months now, I haven't had to really worry about empty plots or late tiers. I'm so so happy with the island and my friends who live there. They are the ones who make the island beautiful. If it were just me there, it would probably look like a hot mess.

3. And who can have a positive SL without friends? Sophia came back to SL, much to my joy. Even if we don't get a chance to see each other, just knowing she's around makes me feel a whole lot better. I've also gotten close to people that I never expected I would. I think we spend a lot of time looking at people on the outside, never really talking to them, and thinking "Oh, she's a snob, he's a jerk, she's this and he's that..." When you actually TALK to someone, you discover a lot more than you ever realized. You discover that they are just as silly as you are, that they have the same fears, the same thoughts. You kick away those false impressions and you actually make a friend. There's really not a lot more positive than that.




I can't wait to read about the positive things you guys come up with! :)

BBBC Topic #2 - Being Positive!

If you want to sign up for the challenge, please go to this post.

Also, all challengers have their blog on the blogroll to the left. If you don't see your blog, PLEASE tell me. With 60+ blogs, I might have missed someone and I don't want to! A few of the blogs aren't feeding in/updating correctly, but don't worry, you're still listed and I'm working on fixing it. :) We also have some "real world" bloggers joining us this year, so we'll have the topics modified for the SL and the RL bloggers. You are, of course, welcome to choose from either. Or you can just write about whatever you'd like. :)

Now for the topic!

It's really easy to be negative in your life - first or second. Sometimes we get so bogged down by the things that are bad, we forget to remember all that is good.

SL Bloggers - Write about three positive things going on in your Second Life.

RL Bloggers - Write about three positive things going on in your life.

Day 213 - Ball Kickers

If you're looking for the challenge sign up post, it's over here.


When you were little and would have to play sports, do you remember the kid that wasn't really into it? The one that was way more interested in the butterflies flying around, or the little flowers, or spinning in circles?

That kid was totally me.




Tymmerie found a soccer field over in Zindra and we were out there kicking balls earlier. Those are pink balls, not poseballs. It was actually fun! Others came to join us, too. But of course, Zindra being a little on the laggy side, we would also just go running off the field too. I just don't think we're World Cup material quite yet!

The Written Word

If you're looking for the sign up post for the challenge, it's right here. That's also where the first topic is as well, if you need that. :)


It's kind of humbling when people like an idea you've had. The first year that we did the challenge, I was almost positive that it was going to be me and Cen and that was about it. Last year, I knew I had a few others who wanted to do it again, but I wasn't prepared for as many as we had do it. This year we've already got 50 blogs on the list. It makes me feel completely honored that people still WANT to do this. That they have ideas, that they're dusting off blogs that have been silent for months, that they are excited about what started off as something that just sprung out of my head one day after being bored that no one was posting.

I have always been a writer. From the time I COULD write, I have written. Of course, as a child, I wasn't particularly careful with my things [I was kind of clumsy] and I don't have most of the notebooks and diaries anymore, which makes me sad. My mom and I actually used to get in fights because my nose was always stuck in a book or I was writing, and I'm fairly sure some of those papers and books ended up in the trash. I know, who gets mad at their kid for reading and writing? But, it was the way it was.

When I was 15, I got my first computer. Oh at last! I could keep a journal ON the computer! And it would be safe! Forever! Um, yeah, I didn't know squat about computers. At some point it simply broke, and we threw it out - along with my journal of 3 years inside. The funny part is that I can still remember bits and pieces of almost every entry I wrote. The unfunny part is that someone may have ended up finding my hard drive and my journal and laughed themselves into a heart attack reading about how my first boyfriend French kissed me on the walk home from school and I didn't swallow or open my mouth until I got home and spit and brushed my teeth 3 times. It was my first French kiss! I wasn't prepared for his tongue in my mouth! Three days later, I was totally ready!

Anyway... I have always written, I have always documented my life. Not for anyone else. Even now in SL, I don't really write for anyone else. [Except for the style blog, but even that, it's really more for me.] I always write for me. If someone enjoys what I have to say, then that's wonderful. If they don't, then you know, you just can't please everyone. Right now I also have two "real life" journals. One does not get much attention anymore, the other one is a little more personal and is just me talking about things I'm going through regarding weight loss. I have a paper journal as well, but it really does not receive much attention anymore.

Writing to me is like breathing. It's never occurred to me to NOT write. Whether I'm writing a journal, a blog post, a poem, a short story, whatever it is...I write. It keeps me sane. It makes me happy. It is my therapy and my hobby and my love all at once. And when you find something that you love that much, you really should stick with it. At least, that's what I think.

The Big Bad Blogger 2010 Sign Up & Kick Off Post!!!

Welcome to the start of the Big Bad Blogger Challenge 2010!! If you're a challenge veteran, welcome back! If this is your first challenge, you're going to love it!!

The BBBC started in 2008 as a way to give SL bloggers a little kickstart, and give people something to read. But it turned into a great sharing opportunity! We've really had a fun time the past couple of years! Just to save my fingers [yet again!], I'll copy & paste most of the previous years' rules. :)


The Big Bad Blogger Challenge for June: Update your blog every day for one week starting June 13th, and the last challenge post will be June 18th.

Now don't get scared! I can hear the thoughts racing now.

"I can't update every day!" Sure, you can!!

"I don't have time!" You do. I see some of you in world for hours at a time, and not for business reasons.

"I won't have anything to write about!" Yes, you will. Every night before I go to bed, I'll throw out a question that you can answer in your blog if you choose to answer it. If not, just write about what you did that day in SL, or what you saw, or what topics interest you.

Your blog posts do NOT have to be well thought out and constructed professional posts, they don't have to be very long at all, and I think a lot of you are overthinking your blogs, which is why you do not update. Believe it or not, people enjoy reading just little personal things. I personally would LOVE to get to know some of you better through your blogging. Think of this as a writing exercise, like the busy work that your English or Creative Writing teacher may have given you, or like NaNoWriMo. There's no prize at the end, except for knowing you took on a challenge that really may be a challenge for some of you. And if for some reason you can't complete the challenge, at least you gave it a try!

So there you have it, The Big Bad Blogger Challenge. Are you up for it?

If so, please sign up to this post with your blog URL so I can add it to the special BBBC Blogroll!! If you don't sign up on this post, I will get confused and I want all of the challengers to be added to the blogroll, which stays up on my blog for the rest of the year.

Remember, you can always use your own topics to write about, but if you're stumped, here is your first topic. Since last year we had a few RL bloggers join in [you are always welcome to!], the first topic won't be completely Second Life related.


Today's Topic: Why did you become a blogger? How has it enriched your life?


BBBC 2010!! Ready...set...GO!!!!

Day 212 - Oh so glamorous

I'm actually super super flattered whenever someone comments that they like my pictures. Photography and Photoshop are not things that come naturally to me, and there are so many incredible artists in SL that do wonderful work, it's always awesome to me that some people like my work too. But that's not what this photo is about. See, I've had people tell me that I always look so amazing in my photos, or in world. That I'm very put together and everything.

Yeah, um...that's all in the editing. When I was doing my style post for today, I had on flip flops under my long dress, and in one pose, I took one off just because it was in the shot. This is basically what I looked like when I wasn't on the posestand.




Oh, how terribly glamorous.

Earlier this week, I took a bunch of really bouncy, hoppy, overly cute poses and made a new Annoying AO. I kinda love it. I hop around, I kick, I swish my arms out when I walk, I run like a total goofball. But it makes me happy. People I'm around probably wonder why I'm bouncing around, but I think it's cute.

I don't have my ass in anyone's face, though. So you know, there's that.

Day 211- When you gotta go...

You know how they say girls always go to the bathroom together? Earlier tonight Ulaa and I totally went to the bathroom together.




What?

I had just moved all the bathroom stuff in there last night, so she was checking it out and somehow we just stayed in there for a while.




You never bring a pencil in the bathroom when you go? Pfft.

Later, we were at Mudshake and Garrett IMed me because he wanted us to see how hot he is.

Hotttttt!




That's not actually the hair he showed up in, but I didn't get a pic of the first one.

I'm tired now.

Day 210 - Drooping

It's been one of those weeks. Moody, weepy, bitchy week. I've recently started at the local gym and I'm exhausted and sore pretty much 99% of the day. Family stuff has been going on, and while not horrible and unfixable, I'm woken up every morning to the latest drama, which keeps me pretty tense most of the time.

But, nothing really in SL has bothered me. Luckily I have some pretty terrific friends, and they've let me be moody and be snarky and be overly emotional this week. If anything, they've helped keep me sane. They've made me laugh when I wanted to cry and sometimes I cried because I was laughing so hard. So you know...it's good to know even when I'm not really myself, I have them. :)

Also, one of my friends was totally awesome and bought me a unicorn. Who doesn't love a unicorn??




I'm dragging my exhausted, sore body to bed. It's gym day tomorrow and I really don't know how I'm going to get through it. But, I will, because I must. ♥

The BBBC 2010 Is Coming Up!!

So mark your calendars! The Big Bad Blogger Challenge 2010 is coming up!!

What is the BBBC? Well, let me tell you. Beginning in 2008, the BBBC started as a way to get people to stop overthinking their blog posts and just write. All challengers do one post a day for the week. Heck, do more if you want, but at least one. And don't worry, you don't really get thrown blindly out there. The night before, I give everyone a question to answer in their blog. How much you write and if you add pictures or not, that's completely up to you. But you have to write SOMETHING.

The challenge is really tons of fun, and I keep a blogroll here of all the bloggers participating. We all get to know our fellow bloggers better and it's like summer camp in a way. By the time the week is over, everyone is excited and happy to have gone through it together. Plus, we have a big mid-challenge party! It's always so so much fun!! This year we may end up having a second party on the weekend since there are some who can't make the mid-challenge party because of time zones.

So! Sunday the 13th, I'll have the official kick off post and question, and everyone who is participating will need to comment to that post with the link to your blog. If you don't comment to that post, I won't know to add you to the official BBBC Blogroll, so be sure you comment!

If for some reason you don't finish, we won't hold it against you. :) Sometimes things just come up. But as long as you try, you'll have fun!

Keep your eyes open on Sunday for the post!!

Day 209 - The Great Duck Caper

Something horrible happened today.

My Nigel was taken by terrorists.




But, only one man in SL would call himself a handsome terrorist, so I knew exactly where my duck would be.




I quickly used all my ninja skills and got my Nigel out of his cage. There wasn't even any water in there!




We paddled like hell and made it home. Whew!




What an adventure that was!

But now...payback time.

Day 208 - Honey, I'm home!

Oh, it's fun when you have a man to come home to!




I guess this is payback for putting a censor bar over his naked lady's boobs.

I was going to do the post for the Big Bad Blogger Challenge tonight, but I'm really pretty much exhausted and stuff.

Day 207 - Buttercups and Lollipops

I love hanging with my girls.






You know, it's really funny. There's this thing called Tiny Chat, and you can go into a room and voice or text chat, and use your webcam or share your computer screen. I didn't like it at first. lol But people kept kind of pushing me in there, and you know...I am SO glad they did. The people in there are people that I didn't know very well in SL, and I think a bunch of us had a ton of misconceptions about each other. But now? Oh my gosh. I can't believe I've gone this long without them. Chatting with them all evening while I sort inventory or blog or do anything... well, we all agree. Tiny Chat made us closer friends, cleared away any strange misconceptions we had about each other, and has definitely made us a lot less lonely. If you're on plurk and you see us say that we're tinychatting, take the plunge and come in with us. You might have fun. :)

Tomorrow - news about the Big Bad Blogger Challenge 2010!

Day 206 - So...yeah.

I love love my new little camera from Boom!




Also? It's fun when you're taking a pic and your friend TPs in on you. Photobomb!




I'm so sorry my blogs have been kind of blah lately. My SLife is anything but blah, but I get so caught up in other things, I just throw a pic down for the 365 day project and go. Doesn't make for interesting blogs...but it will all balance out soon, I'm sure.

[And I started writing this at like, 10pm. It's 3am. I totally forgot i was blogging. Yikes, what is going ON?]

Day 205 - Heads

I had a training session today and I am BEAT. My muscles feel like jelly. So I'm taking it easy tonight...and standing on heads.

Day 204 - Nuts

Another busy night. I am so so blessed to have become better friends with some people over the past couple of weeks. I kinda wonder where they've been hiding all of my SLife. I'm really tired, it's almost 5am and I have an 11am training session, so I'm skipping off to bed, still laughing over everything that happened late tonight. Goodnight!

Day 203 - Big Head

Tired and I'm doing stuff. So like, here is Ulaa and me and a big head. Goodnight!

Day 202 - We'd be so fantastical

I almost got in a fight with Lady GaGa today.

So earlier this evening, I got to be an extra in one of GnomeAir Halostar's machinimas.




This was something I'd been wanting to do for a while, so I'm happy I was online when he wanted to shoot. [Or she... I'm not exactly sure if GnomeAir is male or female, but since I believe he's male, we'll go with that.]

When the call went out for extras in the actor group, someone asked what we were supposed to wear. GnomeAir said that if we had vampire stuff, cool, and if not, just come as we were. I happened to be already wearing one of my favorite dresses from Mischief, so I figured it was good enough. I was a little surprised at the girl who decided to come in .... well, I don't know what that lingerie mess was supposed to be. Or how it related to the story. Oh, pay close attention to the other blonde girl in the ugly black dress.




The woman in the pink hair is Ravenelle, and she was to be like Willy Wonka's great granddaughter because for some reason, this "Twilight" inspired story [Breaking Dawn, actually] took place in Wonka's chocolate factory. I don't know either, but like GnomeAir said, it's all in the editing.

So. We get in there and we're on bikes and we're supposed to be flipping and jumping all over the place while GnomeAir as Bella gives birth. And that's when I get IMed.

[18:46] LadyGaGa V----: why are you copying me?

Remember how I said to pay attention to the girl in the ugly black dress? Yeah. That's Lady GaGa. Why am I copying HER - even though SHE couldn't come up with ANYTHING more original than Lady Freakin' GaGa? Yeahhh.

[18:46] Alicia Chenaux: copying what? i'm laggeed out, i barely see anyone.
[18:46] LadyGaGa V----: please change your outfit]

C'mon y'all, say it with me. "Bitch, please."

[18:47] Alicia Chenaux: Uh, no?
[18:47] LadyGaGa V----: please
[18:47] Alicia Chenaux: Nope.
[18:48] LadyGaGa V----: we wont be able to tell each other apart in the movie
[18:48] Alicia Chenaux: Trust me, I always know what I look like. YOU change if you have such an issue with it.
[18:48] LadyGaGa V----: ugh


What kind of person IMs someone in the middle of a REALLY lagged out filming area and asks them to change? I'll tell you what kind. The attention whore kind.

[18:49] LadyGaGa V----: i will be bella
[18:50] GnomeAir Halostar: whatthe frik im bella

It got worse.

[18:51] GnomeAir Halostar: anybody close to edward to change me?
[18:51] LadyGaGa V----: il be edward-gaga

I guess to shut her up, she got to be Edward. And so she could figure out who she was, she took her skirt off. Yes. This is the girl who thinks she looks SO much like me, she won't be able to figure out who she is in the movie.




Anyway, it was really a lot of fun, and I was totally happy to do it. Here's a pic of the cast at the end. The video should be posted on Sunday evening, so I'll post it here when it is.




After that fun, Ulaa and I went to be models for Evie. Evie will have much better pics, but I snapped this one of us and, as I like to do, overprocessed it to death. :-p But it's going to be a beautiful ad. :)