007 hour

What a marvelous time we had last night at La Scala during the 007 hour. Earlier yesterday morning I had received a communique that SMERSH might attempt to infiltrate the dance hour with designs on the ball. So I IM'd Q who assured me she would secure the ballroom. Hehe - what fun it was to play with that theme! 007 arrived a little late, but explained that he had thrown the agent who had been pursuing him into Lake Geneva. Unfortunately 007's Aston went into the water too! But we danced our fool heads off to the romantic music from the movies and promised to get together again next week. As M, I sent Agent Bond into space to attempt to foil yet another plot against Her Royal Majesty (did I say that right)? We can only hope he will be successful. Perhaps we need some more Agents as backups in case he fails...

Everyone who came out to this lovely ballroom was dressed to the teeth: lovely gowns and beautiful tuxedos and suits! Sometimes I think this is why I like this particular hour so much and sometimes I think I like it because I get to use all my very slow dances (of which I have a limited number) and dance to very romantic music. Last night I loved it because I actually got to play a little. I know SL is all about playing but I am not very clever or quick so playing and being witty is hard for me. But last night I really had fun thanks to Agent 007. Hehe - I am going to have to watch some Bond movies to keep up the play.

The set I started to dance with JamesLarkin a few hours later was interrupted when I lost electricity and did not regain it until some time after I went to bed. I hate when that happens! I missed Ot's set at Smooth too and she will be away for a week now. It is going to be a very quiet week for me.

Where to go?

Another Friday night looms over me, but for the next few weeks I will be missing both my little brother Tulsa and my favorite DJ Otawan Fouquet. Little brother has decided to spend some time OUT WORLD with his girl friend. Imagine that! And Ot is taking a mini vacation from DJing. So I will have to find a few different places to dance. Last night I discovered DJ Alfie at the SS Galaxy Pool Deck. Great music and lots of fun. I called my friends to join me and those who showed up agreed that he was worth visiting again. I saw a few faces last night that I hadn't seen in a while: Tori, Becky, Rainne and Rosalie. It was so good to catch up with old friends. However, it WAS Christmas Day and many people were off with family. Perhaps I will try to catch DJ Cord at La Scala tonight if I can get home in time. Having a RL job sort of interferes with SL; I never get home until about 3 SLT now... But it is nice to be able to pay bills again in RL. :-) By the way, I am looking for new DJs and new clubs to play at. IM me in world if you have a favorite place and want me to choreo for you and your friends.

50 out of 350 in the POE hunt

It has taken me two days, but i have managed to find the first 50 globes in the Peace on Earth gridwise hunt! (Hey, I am not a shopper.) What a challenge. But a few of us ended up helping each other - we seemed to tp in at the same time and when a globe was hard to spot, one of us would find it and tell the others. First, I don't have patience for walking through laggy stores. Second, I have no idea what is in the globes I collected. And third, I had just thinned my inventory down to below 11,000. So now I have all these unopened globes and it will take a while to open them and decide which to keep. I think I will make a list and if there are any decent men's items I will tell my little brother about them. He is notoriously cheap and hates spending lindens. Emyly Beaumont chuckles as she decides NOT to tell him where to find the globes.

Sad news

Bolton Rhiadra is gone. The sweet, gentle man behind the charming AV who touched my heart so deeply in the six weeks I knew him has traveled on to the Summerland. May his soul find what it needs to quickly return to this earth. I have thought of him often since he left SL and wondered how he was doing. He told me that he wanted SL to be just another chapter in his life, a preparation for the next part of his life and that people come into each other's life for a reason, no matter how briefly they remain. He helped me get back in touch with my spirituality and told me that I was a healer and that I had helped him heal. I am glad he thought that way; I would like to think I helped him prepare for the next adventure in his life. I think he was at peace, very accepting of what life had meted out to him at the end. So the news that he died did not devastate me as much as it might have done. And if you see me with a calla lily in my hair and wearing emerald, know that it is in honor of his passing that I dress so.

Building again!

When a friend heard that I needed some space in which to choreograph (my skybox is too tiny for "traveling" dances) she offered me her "back 40" in which to practice and set me up so I can build and even change the stream, if I need to! What a great friend she is. And I am taking full advantage of the build capacity by fixing my misaligned dance circle tonight. I have a new regular gig at La Scala starting this Friday night and I would like to have the circle realigned by then. I am such a terrible builder that it will take me forever! The hard part is aligning the 16 dance marks on the edge of the circle so that they all face exactly in to the center. I was given a "gridmajigger" texture and I have used that to align eight points on the circle so far, but now I need to figure out how to align the other eight. Maybe rotate the grid under the marks? hmmmm I really need to take some hands on building lessons. This taxes my brain too much!

YAY! rotating the grid under the circle of marks worked! I now have a circle that is much better aligned. Thank you Jim for the gridmajigger!

Automatic logout

Why me? In the middle of great music and great dance SL logs me out automatically - and then this hits the SL Grid Status Reports 10 minutes later.
***************************************************************************************
Logins failing and some Residents are being logged out automatically.

There is a widespread network issue. Our Ops team is working on resolving this issue as soon as possible. Logins are not working and about 9,000 regions have been afected to the point where anyone within them have been logged out of Second Life

We will update this blog as soon as we have any more details.
****************************************************************************************
Good thing I could call Bilbo and have him tell everyone to wear a stopall rose - otherwise they would all be dancing all night (with out me.) ARGGGH!

Starting Over Again

Yes, starting over - but as Emy and not with a new AV. I did start with a new AV, but a friend blew my cover, and I do not feel like setting up a new AV again, so I just started over again with Emy. What can I say? I missed the dance. I know, you have heard this before, but it is true. It is what I live for. I AM Dance.

So yesterday I revived my group and I am going to be aggressive about recruiting members this time. I recruited 2 new members last night at Fibbers and 2 more at Runaround Sue's tonight. These are, of course, players who raved about the dance. But I am up to 32 members, and I am very pleased about that because I had to set up the group from scratch (and memory.) I really burned my bridges when I deleted calling cards as well as friends from my list. But in all fairness, I did not expect to return to SL. I planned to make a fresh start and then decide whether to stay. But it is better this way. I am taking responsibility for my mistakes and will have to rebuild my bridges. And if people cannot forgive me, I will understand. The words from my "missing" friends have been very kind. I will let them decide whether or not to friend me and my friends list will be stronger for it.

The harder part will be obtaining employment, but I have discussed this with a new friend and I have a plan now. [OOC: It is odd how I am now employed in RL and not employed in SL. And like in RL, I can do this myself. I only hope it doesn't take 8 months in SL...]

I am taller and rounder and blonde and will dress as I see fit. I will not be a clown or a slut of course, but I will try not to take myself as seriously as I did in the past. And I no longer look as I did when I was 27 in RL, so it will be easier to divorce RL from SL. I am ready to go forward now and face my life.

Healing With Friends and Dance

I freely admit that I miss my dancing. So last night I came into SL, warmed up my dances and headed off to Linri's Palace to choreo to DJ Otawan Fouquet's Celtic set. I had IM'd a couple of friends to let them know I was in world for choreo and I was flattered that they came out to say hello. And almost everyone there told me they missed my dance. But not that they missed me. So I am still undecided as to whether I shall stay in SL. I have become defined by my choreography. It seems that is what everyone sees when they see me. No one noticed my new height or my more rounded figure. Oh, I received friendship offers from two men there who I did not know (accompanied by the words "beautiful") but that is nothing new for me. I turned them down. No one said "I would like to get to know you better", they just said how much fun the dance was.

But dancing was healing. I lost myself in the sound and the play of the routines with the music. I rarely know what Ot is going to play next, so I had to focus. I am serious about my dancing and perhaps this has gotten in the way of my being friendly. I cannot pay attention to chat, IMs and the dance at the same time. If you were to dance often enough with me you would know when my attention had wandered off the dance.

I have decided to reopen my blog to the public. I received complaints last night from people who couldn't read it and had forgotten their passwords or were not members. So I will do this much for my friends, but I will not put personal information on it, which was what I had planned to do...

An explanation

It seems that I have made myself persona non-grata with many people including someone I thought was a friend who wrote the following about me. "If they have emotional baggage they're carrying around and they feel the need to try to demean someone in order to make theirselves seem superior... End result is it makes me sad knowing how some people have such strict rules for themselves and others to follow...and aren't able to open their eyes to new possibilities and change." It seems that there are many people out there who share the same opinion and since I want to only bring joy to people when they dance, I cannot continue to dance. And last night Allan told me we would be doing no more sets together, for other reasons. I was so upset that I was physically ill and had to leave the show in the middle. Thank goodness Salena Streeter came in at that point. I asked her to carry on and I hope she did.

So I decided to leave SL for good this morning. I emptied the club of everything that was still in my name and gave them to Linri so she could put them back up. I abandoned my land and notified my group that I was leaving. And while I was doing these things, my friend Cas talked to me and kept me company. She did not exactly agree with what I was doing, but she was there to support me and I could not have managed so gracefully without her.

I hate it when people leave and don't say goodbye so I prepared notes for my group, the DJs and club owners I still had commitments with, and the few friends I kept on my list after deleting all the others. And after I sent out the notices and closed the group, I had one last dance with Sasha Watkins at Smooth (the place we met so long ago in August 2007) and said goodbye to him.

Part of me already regrets the decision. I miss not seeing the people I have become friends with over the last year and a half. (When I told Sasha that I only kept 12 out of the 125 on my list he reminded me that 12 new true friends in 18 months would be a very good number for RL.) And I have nothing to do with my spare time now!

The poem I wrote yesterday may turn out to be prophetic and perhaps a new AV will emulate the phoenix and rise from the ashes.

OOC: This is not Emy speaking

It has been years since I wrote anything so when I woke this morning with words in my head, I knew I had to write them down. I wrote 95% of it before I realized what I was describing. What a shock to have a title come so easily. Poetry is meant to be read so I have published it here.

Namaste


i am
standing
feet against the earth
hands outstretched to the sky
come together to a point
press the palms together and draw them down
graze the forehead
before my breasts
i bow

separate the hands and swing them wide
turn palms down to the earth
and raise
i begin to spin

slowly
my feet
burn the earth
faster now
the hole deepens
i begin to sink
spinning
down
into the ground

she accepts
i accept
we become
one

i am
remade
and emerge
waiting
for life
to touch me
again

What was I thinking?

I don't know what got into me, but I just promised to give Linri a list of dances that will work for a Country and Western dance ball and to make her some line dance sync balls. [Emyly Beaumont smacks her forehead with the flat of her hand.] But I DIDN'T promise to listen to the new C&W DJ. She can't make me!

A Rainy Day

I don't think I have any friends left. My disapproval of master/slave rp has had me lambasted up and down each side and I have inadvertently hurt a very good friend. And I was offered money by another friend when I took her performance spot and echoed her previously made comment about poor tips! I know she meant it as a kindness, but I DO have my pride! I may be starving in RL, but not in SL! Allan never even says hi except for performances. And I quarreled with Jim. Just Cas and Bridget left, and who knows what the day may bring. It is not over yet. I want to run away, but there is no place to go... Gamilia is gone.

I Am Tiny

Today I bought 25 dances designed for tinies and placed them in a dance ball. The process sounds so simple when I say it like that. But it took me a lot of time to decide which ones to buy and another hour to decide on a dance ball. I wanted one with a menu system so everyone would have lots of choices. And I had to make sure there were break dances for Johnni. Then I had to strip the ball of the existing dances. When I placed the new ones in the machine, I discovered that they all had to be renamed because the titles were longer than 24 characters. That took another 10 minutes. And then the darn thing reset itself each time I dragged a dance in! So loading it took another half hour! My HUD desn't take that long to load, so I was pretty disgusted by the time I got it finished. But I hung it up at Linri's and Johnni and I tested it out. He loved the break dances. Ever see a teddy bear dance on its head? Or a rock dance? Pretty silly looking but lots of fun.

Role Play in SL

SL is full of so many roles that are different from RL and I have often wrestled with the thought of why anyone would want to engage in slave/master or BDSM play. An old friend (male) told me his slaves call it the most liberating thing to totally trust one person and no other. But then, it IS role play and I expect it goes on in RL too. It is just not so open in RL - no one walks around wearing a collar or with a sign over their head "property of master so&so". Most SL role play is segregated to a sim where only that type of behavior is allowed. There is Wild West rp, medieval rp, Star Trek, merfolk, etc. I DO find slave/master rp uncomfortable to be around, and however dscreet the players are, some of the byplay is always noticeable. Unfortunately, two of the DJs I enjoy choreoing for are now into the slave/master rp and I am now feeling very uncomfortable working with them. And I don't know how my group will feel. Who I choose to work with is a direct reflection of who I am. I pride myself on only working with the best DJs. How can I call my group when I know some of them are totally against this sort of role play?

Help me out here. Are my feelings unreasonable? How do you feel about this? And how would you handle this?

Blues and Dreams

What a wonderful day I had yesterday. I have been working on tonight's late theme show at Linri's - blues. The DJ sent me a play list on Thursday because I had expressed some worries about pulling together a dance list. Hehe - everyone is in for a wonderful time. His choice of songs varies from slow and sultry to, as he puts it, "fast jump blues." But just to be on the safe side of slow and sultry I went out to Sine Wave. I have a love/hate relationship with that place; it is lag city and the dances are scattered all over the entire sim. Thank goodness I have most of the older dances already and only needed to check out the NEW section. Right away I found 4 new dances perfect for blues and a faster one for rock. Last night I introduced all 5 into my set with DJ Allan, but Ariel and Rainne only noticed one each.

Yesterday afternoon, Jim caught up with me while I was getting ready to review the dances and make a list for the notecard. So I invited myself over to his beach house and I danced him while I prepped for the show. I had spent some time making a play list of some of the songs for tonight, so I listened to them while I ransacked my dances to choose ones that would match. So there we were - dancing on the deck while he worked on whatever it was he does and I entered dance names on The List. It was a nice feeling to just know someone else was there. I usually do this alone and I felt like I was sharing, even if what I was dancing did not match the muisc Jim heard. And when I finally finished and turned off my iTunes, I realized that there was no stream on the sim! So Jim had been dancng to silence (unless he had iTunes playing, too.)

Jim is so handsome and sweet and fun. He teases me in open chat while there are others around and I love it. He asked me to be Mrs Claus while he is Santa and to ride with him in his sleigh while he drops presents on sims! Hehe, I wonder what everyone will make of my acceptance! And I hinted that I wanted to see his etchings (as long as they weren't really tatoos.) Goodness, what has gotten into me? I love coming into SL and watching or waiting for him to come on. My favorite words in SL are now: Jim Wheeling is Online. Even if we don't catch up with each other, I get a warm feeling just knowing he is online at the same time. And I have only felt this way about one other person in SL so, yes, it is very special for me. And last night when I used the word "you" he corrected me with "us". So now I am dreaming about a fire in the fireplace and us warm and cuddled on the sofa sipping wine while it snows outside. Lol. Silly dream.

I Love My Life

Sure, I keep pretty busy, what with working, and finding the right costume for work, and making up lists of dances to fit "theme" nights. But last night, I got to do something really special for my friends Bilbo & Starr. I was prepping for Otawan Fouquet's set just before we started when my mystitool got whiff of their imminent approach. I instantly IM'd Ot to let her know that they had gotten married that afternoon (in RL) and told her what their special song was. And she turned the evening into a Wedding Reception for them! Lots of beautiful, romantic songs that made your heart sing. Linri put out wedding cake and champagne on the sushi bar and I sent out a notice that we were having a reception for Bilbo and Starr. Starr looked lovely in her beautiful white wedding gown and veil and Bilbo looked his normal, goodlooking self in his old Lincoln frock coat. The attention was focused on them and they are very special people who deserve it! I know it was selfish of me, but I felt so proud to be able to do something special for them. After all, I couldn't make it North for their wedding so this was a way to show them I loved them; choreographing for their SL reception!

And right after that, I got to dance to Donagh Dougall's Latin Rhythms set. Hehe - we all looked great in red; the ladies wore red dresses and the men wore red suits or jackets. Lovely... And the dancing was fun and challenging - exactly the way I like it. But I made a very quick costume change and it wasn't until after the set was over and I had a chance to actually see my feet that I realized I was still wearing the mauve shoes from the prior set's costume! OMG! What a fashion faux-pas. I hope no one noticed. I had such great flamenco shoes in my inventory, too!

I didn't finish until Cinderella time, but I still needed 20 minutes to settle down after the set. I usually can't go to sleep until I have unwound, and it takes about that long for the adrenaline to stop running. So I asked a friend to help me unwind (by dancing and chatting of course). I had checked out Entwined Hearts earlier yesterday because the last time I had tried to dance there, the stream was gone and so were most of the dance balls. But I am happy to report that it is back in operation and just as lovely and romantic as ever, a very peaceful place to calm down after a show. And I love being with this friend because he is funny and smart and handsome and talented and makes me feel very special. I am so grateful for the time we do get to spend together and that he considers me one of his friends.

Lazy Sunday morning

So what does Emy do on lazy Sunday mornings? Well, this morning I showed Bridget my tree house, got a tour of Bridget's new house (which is being constructed from half a dozen free ones from her inventory) and went swimming in her HUGE new pool. Then I forced Bridget to play Spanish guitar music while I raked through my dance hud, testing dances and putting together a list of Latin dances for tonight's show with Donagh Dougall. Bridget started to build a giant lily pad in the center of the pool but then got distracted in her inventory. All the time we talked about the men in (and out) of our SL lives and had a good gossip while I danced Bridget to my new list of latin dances. Bridget makes me laugh at myself and I can never take myself too seriously when I am around her. And that is good, because now I have to call Bilbo & Starr and congratulate them on their marriage (in RL) I never thought my ex would get married again, but he has really done it! And if he had not come into SL, he never would have met the girl of his dreams. wtg Bilbo!

If you haven't been tagged yet, I TAG YOU NOW!!!!!

Cas tagged me , so here it is:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share 6 non-important/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

My non-important habits/quirks:
1. I consider my bed a nest so I never make it up unless I change the sheets
2. I like to sit in my car at noontime and let the sun shine on my face
3. I love the smell of vanilla and once had perfume that smelled of it
4. I sleep with a light on because I do not like the dark
5. I can feel the rain before it comes and I love the smell of it on the pavement
6. I sketch simple medieval style borders and then like to watch the color come alive on them as I paint.

My links: Ariel Gia Johnni (when I can find 3 more, I will add them)

Farewell Halloween. Hello Normality

I had so much fun this week with Halloween. Linri encouraged us all to wear Halloween attire for the entire week! And I had a ball scrambling through my inventory every day to find a casual outfit AND at least one (if not two) fancier costumes for shows. My outfits got increasingly less Emy-like as the week progressed and I was runnning pretty thin by the time Friday rolled around. For my 80's set I dressed as a "Madonna Wannabe" with a little fashion advice from my good friend Cas. The outfit was Cute and Out Of Character(it showed a lot of Emy), but Momma Ot had decreed "scary costume" for her Celtic Samhain set so I needed a second costume for the day. I started out very Victorian, with hair piled on my head, a lace choker and a lovely purple and black gown. Cute but not scary. Then I remembered a knee length Goth dress buried deep in my closet. What could be scarier than Goth Emy? So I found some platform boots and bought a milk white Goth skin to go with it! And when my friend showed up as The Crow with absolutely gorgeous black wings, I felt that I had made the right choice. We got to dance for all of 10 minutes before I had to go on to choreo. But we looked great together for those 10 minutes.

Today I have put on a simple blue dress and I almost feel as if I have lost a part of me. The wild elation I felt Thursday and Friday has settled down. I liked experimenting with different looks. Maybe I will occasionally dress a little differently in the future...

Generous, talented people

This should have been posted Monday, 10/27

The generosity of Second Lifers never ceases to amaze me. A week ago Saturday, I was in the Bliss Couture main store when I was addressed by a woman who wanted to tp me to a store (where she worked) which sold beautiful dresses, skins & jewelry. When I communicated my thought that it seemed a little unethical to solicit customers in someone else's shop, she moved on to another customer. So I reported the conversation to Amutey Decuir, the owner of Bliss Couture. I figured, hey, wouldn't I want to know if someone was solicting my customers? To my surprise, Amutey responded with a thank you and a gift of her "Goddness Collection" - 7 very cute dresses. I am only commenting now because I am cleaning inventory...

And I have very clever friends, too. A while back, I contracted with Cas for a hat box to use as a tip vehicle and she responded with very cute striped hat boxes that she did not put bows on because she is so fussy she had not seen anything she liked. Well, yesterday she surprised me with another hat box and a new striped one - and they both have bows. YAY!!! my task today is to move my tip script to the hat boxes so I can use them rather than the ugly one I have been using for months.

The other night I told another friend that I had been looking for just the right Japanese benches for Linri's for months, he offered to make one for me! It is perfect - a simple Japanese Zen bench. The seat is gently curved, as if it has been used for a long time and looks so comfy. Only 3 prims and perms so I can tint the bench as need be. How generous he is.

I sometimes wish there was some way I could thank these wonderful people in a very special way, but I am neither creative nor artistic. So I will just have to offer sincere thank yous.

On Cloud Nine

I hate when misunderstandings happen, but I love it when they are worked out. Yes - my friend accepted my friendship offer. We spent time last night just dancing next to each other. I like the way he looks next to me: tall and handsome and smiling. And then I did the Cinderella thing. But I left too soon. Cas is right; I need to wait until everyone says goodbye, 'cause I missed his hug. (Found it in email this morning) Darn it!

Broken hearted again

This was in my email this morning. "Hi Emyly I understand how you feel now that I was just a guy to dance with. Sorry to have troubled you, I did not pick up on the signs that you did not want to be friends. I'll be more careful next time. take care of yourself." This is from a man who was already ON my friends list and chose to remove himself last night. My heart gets broken all the time so I try not to get too close to people and I didn't realize how much he truly meant to me until just now. I don't make friends lightly and I am very hurt and crying right now that I am losing another very special friend. Funny, intelligent men who actually LIKE me are very few and far between. How did he ever get the idea that I didn't care for him? Was he looking for a more intimate relationship and chose this way to "gracefully" bow out. I don't know and I probably never will. Why did I ever let my heart get involved?

OK- I get it now. He read my blog titled "Sex, Food & Money" and thought that "dancing companionship" meant "just a guy to dance with." But why couldn't he just talk to me in person. Am I that scary to talk to?

Profiles snippets

PATRONS AT FRANK'S SAY:

I have a nice wife thank you. Just an enjoyable chat and a loving dance. Only IM me if you can carry a conversation.

"ToolsRMe" is not a sexual reference. I like RL tools. Things like saws, drills, etc. It's a name I use on some forums (e.g. plumbing, electrical) and I decided to use the name here. [There are 9 women listed as profile picks, and himself as the first]

Im immature and just bumming around here in SL!! happy to meet and chat to normal, sane ppl... if only to see what its like. I want to be a ladies sex toy.

Spanish stripper guy. Dance is my passion. I like to make dream, imagine, feel... I´m funny, romantic and sweet. ... If you are close to me, be careful, very hot latin blood, 100% full of energy and passion.

MY FRIENDS LIST IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. ALL NEW REQUESTS WILL BE DECLINED. I just don't need the hassle.

Don't ask me about RL. I hardly ever go there, now. :-)

Sex, food (beer) & money

Yes, I am grumpy this morning. So when I logged in to Second life only to see a message from a club owner advertising his "fully equipped beach houses for rent, $400 a week with animated beds, hot tubs all you will need in a house and 50 extra prims" I was disgusted. There is more to this world than sex and bikinis! And how can you decorate on 50 prims? Then I recalled something I was told by a man, that men think of only 3 things: sex, food & beer (at least I think that was the third thing). So why should this world be any different? Granted, I have met a few men here who profess to be content with friendship but they are few and far between and tend to drift away when all I am willing to offer is a dancing companionship. Seems it takes sex to keep men interested... Ah well, a man will have to be very special to get through this grumpiness.

I am so grumpy that I think I will go to Frank's and read profiles. Maybe I can find a laugh there.

n.b. added 10/20. I remember now that is sex, food (which includes beer) & money that are the three things.. hehe

Finding a tiny

We have had a couple of tinies tp in to Linri's Palace, so Linri thought we should have a tinies dance ball. I told her I was up to the challenge. So I went in search of a tiny AV this morning. What a hunt that was. There are many, many different tinies out there and finding the perfect one to represent Emy was very difficult. Hippo, giraffe, lioness, greenie and various anime characters were all discarded in the search for the perfect tiny Emy. And then, I saw it, a cute grey kitten - very sweet. But she came naked! So then I had to buy outfits - all pink, of course. And they come complete with charming hats and little shoes! So now I am all set to look for tinies dances. I hope I can find a good variety - can you see me choreographing for tinies? lol.

Wheelchair Dancing

Years ago, at a Square Dance Convention in New England, I saw square dancing done by a group of adults in wheelchairs. The memory has never left me. And now that I am choreographing in SL, I want to choreograph for wheelchair users as well as those AVs with two usable legs. So I spent some time this afternoon searching for dances written specifically for wheelchair users. The regular dances don't work of course because they are written for standing AVs. Anyway, I found 2 dances, but they were in a dance machine at a club called Wheelies. The creator didn't have a shop, so I have contacted one of the owners to see if she knows how I can acquire the dances. But 2 dances is not enough for any variety. I wonder if my dragon anims will work? Hmmm I will have to try them next.

Noooo - the dragon dances bend the body into the dragon AV shape, so they won't do. Phooey.

New Directions

One of my less fun jobs at Linri's is posting pictures of the talent. I mean, it is fun, but I am still a rudimentary builder (I am learning on an "OMG! I Need To Know This" basis) and rearranging all the posters every time we get a new picture is very time consuming. It is sooo hard to line up 6 posters so they are all perpendicular to the floor and the edges match each other. And then yesterday I discovered that I can use numbers to help me position them! Very cool. And I am sure you are all saying: well.. DUH! Any way, there are now 18 posters hanging on the "wall" at Linri's and I am very proud of them. Over the tip jar area are the posters for DJs that play more than once a week or mic during the set. Hehe - and I am there too. Yesterday I spent some time taking pictures of me dancing on the beach with surf crashing behind me and managed to get a decent one to use for a poster. But I want a professional one with a border and letters that say Symmetry In Motion and Miss Emyly Beaumont. Yes, I know the term "Miss " is old-fashioned, but I am old-fashioned, so it fits me perfectly.

I choreoed at another private party last night. I had met with the woman who hired me earlier in the day and we discussed her dance floor, which was beautiful and exciting but flashed on and off and had these arrows that moved. What a wonderful surprise awaited me when I arrived. She had expanded an area beside the dance floor into a really great, black floor where I could put out my yellow dance formations - and they looked WOW! There were far more than 40 people at the party last night, and I am amazed that we didn't crash, but I had my hands full. Lag was awful, of course, but not as bad as the La Scala gig. And I heard 3 new acts, all live singers. It was fun and challenging and that is a mix I like. Doing the same old thing gets stale pretty fast, and sometimes my dancing is affected. Every time I dance at a new place I learn so much about myself and meet so many great people. I want to break into the party and wedding reception scene, but offers have been limited so far. Perhaps I need to work on an advertising notecard and drop them on some party & wedding planners...

Dancing news

First, I need to tell you that there is a new pairs slow dance version 8. If you haven't seen it yet, come to Linri's Palace and try it out. I had Johnni put it in the Couples Dance Machine yesterday morning. This dance is lots of fun, incorporating some sexy tango steps and a hand being kissed! It goes well with slow jazz or blues.

Next, I now have a professional resume. I am always approached by club owners in the middle of a show and it is difficult to IM while paying attention to the music, especially under severe lag conditions when I have to anticipate tempo changes by as many as 3 seconds. The exercise of creating a resume also helped me realize exactly what it is that I do. I feel so good about this now....

Third, I have a new booking. Next Friday from 2-4 I will be at La Scala choreographing dances for DJ Cordova Decosta. La Scala is a very elegant ballroom. I checked it out this morning. It is large and open with nice wide camera angles. I have yet to check out the DJ, but I will be doing that as soon as I can. First gigs can be difficult if you are not familiar with a DJ's style or music. I hope to avoid any awkwardness on my part by eliminating as much of the unknown as possible. So I will be off to visit Blackhearts Cafe. Cordova apparently plays heavier stuff there, but I can at least get a feel for style.

Tree House at Agara

I realized today that I never stay inside my beautiful American Foursquare. Perhaps that is why I never furnished it. I mean, I have lovely furniture and carpets for it. I have bookshelves and a piano. But I much prefer to tai chi on the beach or sit on the rockers on the porch while I listen to the birds and the windchimes. SO today I bit the bullet and replaced my brick house with a tree house. It has lots of balconies that are open to the air and a bathing pool in the tree top. I went to Pillow Talk and bought the apple tree I fell in love with a month ago at Gamilia. Now I am so excited! I can see bookshelves and the piano in the room on the ground. The tree house came with a charming cuddle couch which I put inside the "house", which is really nothing more than a room with a door. But there are so many balconies and a rope net which is crying out for a few poses. I know I will have to shop for a fairy swing. Oh what fun I will have!

Emy was stumped

I love Tuesdays - my busiest day, of course, with three sets but I get to dance with Maggie McArdle at the end of the night. And she actually stumped me last night. It was Broadway Night - lots of great music and fun dancing. Then Le Tango de Roxanne did me in. I literally could not call up the right routines. I felt ridiculous and embarassed. And Maggie was so apologetic that she actually switched to another song right away! I told her she should have been proud of herself - no one has ever done that before (not even DJ Otawan Fouquet.)

I have been downloading songs like crazy - trying to make up for lost time. I haven't choreoed songs in ages but I did two songs yesterday morning and it felt so good. I have so many songs on my to do list now, but I am back! I even found Phantom of the Opera - Nightwish. Allan couldn't find it yesterday morning. But I have What a Feeling, Forever Young and By Heart (Laura Creamer). Hehe - Gerrit's Abba Mix is next, though; 8.19 minutes - long mixes are the bane of my existence. I have to use so many dances in each one in order not to repeat. Tunes are easier - I remember most of the songs so I can anticipate the changes, but mixes are a DJ's creation and while fun, are challenging. They contain bits and pieces of songs and I never have any idea of tempo or lyric changes. I choreo to the lyrics or the melody instead of the bpm (beats per minute.) It makes scoring a song a little more challenging, but much more fun. Bpm can get boring - imagine nothing but techno - uggggh!

Johnni Twine just came in to Linri's and gave me the most wonderful thing - a Wormwood Potion. I drank it and it gave me back my humanity from that unauthorized vampire bite I sustained a month ago and erased the hit that is credited to Carles Oyen. Johnni is my hero!

Friends and friendships

I think I am at peace again with my friend. We talked and he made me realize that all "our" problems were really "mine". Now that I reflect on this, I am not sure that is entirely true, but I will say that he opened my mind to a few ideas to try so I could "get along" with others. It seems my RL issues were spilling over to SL and affecting my relationships. And when I popped over to his gig last night I felt very calm and peaceful (course that could have been because I had just finished a set with DJ Ot). But that feeling permeated my dance and how I approached others, so he was not entirely wrong either.

I have been "hanging out" with a very nice man I met a few weeks ago. No, not a boyfriend or a lover, just someone who makes me feel very special and warm inside. He makes me laugh because he smiles a lot and is a bit formal with a delightfully old-fashioned manner. I am very comfortable with him and I do not usually feel this way with SL men. I wish I knew what I could do so his remaining time will be special for him. He has told me he will be leaving SL in a few weeks; RL circumstances will prevent him from returning. I only know I will miss him and never forget him. So the time I spend with him is bittersweet.

So many names on my friends list. And how many are really friends? Well, that depends on your definition of "friend". Someone who you can IM after not speaking for months and it is as if you have never parted. Someone who doesn't care if you bring drama. Someone who loves you in spite of all your faults. And the reverse side - how many do I feel the same way about. Hmmm ...I think that leaves 5?

To blog or not to blog...

Yes, I guess I have gotten out of the habit of blogging. Apologies to those of you who read me. But I don't like to blog when I am unhappy - and I am unhappy. An old friend (at least I hope he is still a friend) and I seem to be at odds. I am not exactly sure what has happened between us, but I would like to fix it. However, I am not sure he wants to fix it, and that is why I am sad. He is on the defensive almost every time I make a comment, whether it is a joke or about having a serious talk. And this has been affecting my dancing. I do not like who I have become lately...

Linri's palace still keeps me busy, but not as much. I feel sort of lost without something definite to do. I should score some more dances, but my printer doesn't work so I have no lyrics to work with. And the joy has gone out of my choreography. Yes, I still lose myself in dance, but I do not always feel the same exhilaration any more. No, I will not stop dancing. It is an addiction, to lose your being in the sound and movement. I am enthralled by a force bigger than I am. I work with 4 DJs on a regular basis and their approach to music is entirely different. So, then, is my dancing for them. But I do not like who I am with one of them; the set has taken on an entirely different cast.

Linri's Palace is oficially open

The opening for Linri's Palace was a huge success. Allan and I opened for the club at noon and I must say, he was awesome, announcing the day's scheduled activities and full of congratulations for Linri. Our act was followed by the Arakawa Geisha Schhol who treated us to jokes from the Okaasan (who slightly intimidated me in our talks, sort of like a Mother Superior) story telling from a maiko and insight into the Flower and Willow World from a very talanted geisha. All of this was accompanied by muisc played by one of the maiko-in-training. It was a fascinating glimpse into the Geisha world. Later in the day we were treated to a demonstration and explanation of the japanese tea ceremony. I hope Linri will be able to work out presenting this delightfult entertainment on a regular basis.

Linri glowed all day - literally. She had gone to the beauty parlor the day before and now has gorgeous long blonde hair. She looks every pixel like a successful club owner. And I think she was really happy. I know I am glad that all the settling in is finally over. Phew! Now I have some time to explore all the LMs I was given during the las month and to score some of the new songs I have been hearing.

Pina Bausch

OMG I am in heaven. Someone in SL mentioned Pina Bausch to me today and I remember my grandmother calling her "one of those modern choreographers." My grandmother was NOT fond of the modern movement in dance, although she did hire a woman to teach modern in her studio. So I researched Ms Bausch on the internet and found several videos. I just had to share my favorite; it is very primal and I immediately thought of my favorite DJ (the one who likes drums.) I am sorry I don't know how to post this as a link - but you can cut and paste. Wait out the first couple of minutes, it is worth it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0_uOWJapDA

Catsup

For the record: No, I am not an owner of Linri's Palace. When I set up the group for Linri's Best I made Linri Jewell an owner of the group. Her tag says Linri's Palace Owner so that is also a tag that registers for me. I am one of many live artists that perform at Linri's Palace so I also have a tag that says Linri's Palace Artist. And as a member of the group I am one of Linri's Best. I have been helping Linri out by meeting with the builder because of time zone differences. It is the least I can do for Linri: she has been a good friend and is a gentle person. I wear the Owner tag only when it is necessary for me to return objects or to build. Emyly Beaumont sighs because she is wearing too many hats right now.

When Linri unofficially opened the club, I set down some Chinese low boys just to fill in so we wouldn't look so empty. And one of the DJs mentioned that there were Chinese items in a Japanese build. Sheesh! Give us some time, please. So now I am looking for Japanese chests to replace the low boys and some sort of Japanese thingie to replace the glass tip jars we have been using. I thought of vases or lanterns or teacups to replace the fishbowls, but almost everything in the shops is labeled Asian or Oriental as opposed to Japanese and I don't know enough to tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Thai or even Vietnamese. I need to find help...

I did manage to find something very wonderful for the tea house - a fully scripted Japanese Tea Ceremony. I brought Linri out to see it last night, and she was as charmed by it as I was. It is very expensive, so I told her to think about it, but it would make an excellent draw.

Krise set out some truly great palms on the beach last night - they have shadows and one has a sit in the trunk. I am hoping for stairs to the upper level of the mall and the pond to arrive today. And the tea house, of course. I have done some research on Japanese gardens and at least I now know the elements that should be contained within them :)

Ketchup

It turned out I didn't need to sell my land after all. My parents sent me a check for my birthday and I used it to help buy dances for my HUD. But the sim owner thought I still wanted to sell my land, so she sold it for me and someone else moved into my acre on Adele. So we went shopping for another piece of land and I found Agara. It is high on a cliff and has the look of Northern Maine. There is sandy beach at the foot of the cliffs and the surf that rolls in is that awesome stuff that Kurt first showed me a few days ago. I have set up the small American Foursquare that a friend built for me. It faces west of course and has two rockers on the porch. I also bought a security system for the first time in SL. My SL neighbors are overly friendly and when I do go home I do not want to be disturbed by people landing on my lawn. Of course, the system is more complex than the poster said it was, so I had to have a friend show me how to use it and set it up, but now it is working and removing unauthorized persons. I will leave the island with its "untamed' look. I find it very relaxing.

Choreography

Choreography is not a trade secret. It is similar to DJing or singing or playing a musical instrument. The mechanics can be taught to and learned by anyone. But like any art, it requires practice and dedication and a passion for dance and music. I learned to choreograph the hard way, on my own, making many costly mistakes; buying imperfect and inappropriate dances and inadequate equipment. But I never viewed any of these setbacks as a reason to stop figuring out how to choreograph dance. I can't dance in RL due to a physical problem and SL was the only way I could fill the hole in my heart. So I practiced with my HUD in various clubs, inviting only one or two friends to accompany me, learned how to use the equipment and learned the tempo of the 35 or so dances that I owned. I quickly learned that creators who use motion capture technology produce the smoothest, most realistic dances. Many of the routines out there are jerky or employ unrealistic movements. And I want everyone who dances with me to feel the same exhilaration I feel when I danced in RL. I am careful when I purchase dances; I employ the "Max" test. While I am testing the animation, I try to picture one of my male friends, Maxfly Nadeau, dancing it. And if I can't, then I don't buy the routine. This keeps me from buying too many of the "female" dances. I have learned to warm up my dances after each time I clear my cache; there is nothing worse than touching a button and waiting 3-4 seconds for the dance to start. These are some of the tricks I have learned to keep performances smooth and I gladly share them with anyone who asks. I also share the fact that I switch the routines every 15-3o seconds and am glued to my desk chair for the entire time I have dancers attached to my Hud. But choreographing dance on the fly (or in advance for difficult rhythms) is so much fun for me and makes it all worthwhile. I want everyone who loves to dance as much as I do to know how to choreograph, too. So I offer "training" about the HUD to anyone who wants. Choreography is not a trade secret.

Hungry SL

SL must have been hungry yesterday morning because it ate my entire dance HUD complete with all my dances. I was rezzing on my own land, I had checked the Grid Status to be sure there weren't any problems and when I took the HUD back into inventory, it disappeared into a black hole. I submitted a ticket immediately, of course, but I have yet to hear from LL. What is worse is that I had a guest who was also rezzing her HUD and she lost hers, too. I promised to replace her HUD and her dances, and I will, but I was sick; a pit in my stomach for hours. I had over 160 dances that I had been collecting since January. It will take about 50,000 lindens to replace them all, even if I can remember where I bought them. I have listed my 1/4 sim for sale and hope it sells quickly.

Last night I went to Sine Wave, Henmations and Animazoo to replace some of the dances I lost. I purchased about 63, trying to concentrate on the ones I used most. And when I woke up this morning, I realized I had better consult my notebook of scored dances. Sure enough, the ones I had decided not to buy are ones I used more frequently than I thought. Ah well, today I will have to hit Owenimations. And then I will be flat broke until I sell my land. Thank goodness I have no bookings until Saturday. I will have time to set up a new HUD. The HUD is all-purpose, it even had my walks, sits, standing and landing AOs in it. Not that those are my biggest losses; it is just that I feel crippled and naked without my HUD!

Linri's Palace

What a day yesterday turned out to be! Linri Jewell, the heart and soul of the Blue Moon, resigned. And half an hour later Solenoid Torok leveled the club. I mean, there I was, taking down my dance ball, and suddenly I was in water up to my knees. The club was full of patrons, too. Pfft! Poof! Gone; all of us standing around in the water and feeling very uncomfortable. Things happen so quickly here in Second Life. And just as quickly, Linri bought up the property and promised to rebuild as Linri's Palace. Since everyone was still standing around, I formed a group called Linri's Best and invited everyone that I could see to join. Offers of support for Linri poured in to me (I have no idea why they chose me) and I was 6 deep in IMs before I knew it. I was overwhelmed, so I can only imagine what Linri must have been feeling. She had been worrying earlier that day if anyone would follow her if she ever had a club of her own. It is obvious to her now that everyone values her and loves her just as much as I do.

It will take a few days for Grimz to build; he is a methodical builder and Linri has hinted at an oriental theme. But she will be keeping the beach. My job is finding dances for her new Intan couples ball. Hehe what fun. Now to snag a man for a partner...

A sedate waltz anyone?

I dance in jazz clubs that prefer semi-formal or formal attire. And I don't mind that at all because I love dressing up. But I hate to see my knees poking through my prim skirts when I dance, so I always look for outfits that include system skirts; I think of them as slips. I am in love with the gorgeous gowns at Bliss Couture. I just purchased one on sale for $380 in order to test it. And I wish it had a system skirt. But when I dance, the prim skirt flows behind me and my knobby knees emerge first, clad in pants! What a waste of money that was. The dress will be fine for waltzes, but I never waltz. I seldom dance on couples balls and when I do, I prefer v6 or v7. So many gowns, not enough partners...

Small packages

I am standing on my pose stand again, attempting to alter the Eowyn White Wool Gown I just purchased, and wishing I weren't quite so comfortable with my petite size. I measure 5'5" without the 4" heels I usually wear and have a very natural shape (almost no bosoms) and I LOVE the way I look. But, gosh darn it, nothing I buy ever fits! Prim skirts drag beneath the floor for at least 3-6" and the "waists" of the skirts are always too wide for my hips. Collars snuggle up against my ears. And don't even get me started on hair! It is frequently too voluminous and cannot be resized SMALLER to fit my size 40 head. Sculptie shoes make my feet look HUGE. My hands are size 15 and all my rings have to be resized. In RL I am 5'1' and I always have to cut 6" off my skirts before I can wear them, but I mean, c'mon, designers - this is second life. Can't you make outfits in more than one size? My grandma always told me that the best things come in small packages (she was 4'11"), but I am not sure about that anymore....

LIVE with Martini in the Morning

WOO HOO!!!! Sol is letting me choreo today when Martini in the Morning broadcasts live from the Blue Moon. Well, there goes the tree house hunt for House Zephirus (which is lots of fun). OMG I have no idea what to wear! Bridget says sophisticated; I think sweet. This will be so exciting, especially if they plug me on air!!! Emyly Beaumont gently shakes her hands while breathing slowly...

Cease Fire

Will wonders never cease.. I can't believe I choreographed a set for Gerrit Reitman! His regular choreographer was not on line, so being the softie I am, I volunteered to choreo; I will do anything for the Blue Moon and to help Linri out. I learned two things from this encounter with my old flame: first, that I can actually survive helping him out and second, that I still love his taste in music. As I recall, his love of dance and music were two of the things that attracted me to him in the beginning. Ah well, water over the dam. At least I no longer feel like we are at war...

I think I have finally managed to beat this cold into submission. I have never spent so little time in SL as I did this weekend; I came in world only to dress, set up for the shows and perform. And I should not have even done that much, but dancing is one of the things that feeds my ego and makes me happy. I need my daily dancing fix.

Paradise at the Blue Moon

Last night I was at the Blue Moon dancing with the Funky Feats and Lulu was leading. And then, Hevy Malibu popped in to dance with the Funky Feats. Now, Hevy is a man who loves dancing (possibly more than I do) and is one of the founders of the Funky Feats; he is a legend. He and NYNan Nishi are the choreographers who showed me how wonderful dancing in Second Life COULD be; they were my inspiration. It was a lucky chance that put me in Caribbean Breezes one memorable night in July 2007.

I seem to have caught one of these disgusting summer colds, and was feeling miserable, so I was worried about how quickly I would be able to react to the music changes during my set with Ot which was due to start immediately following. The qualities that make her set so much fun also make it a bit challenging for me to choose dances when I am able to concentrate, let alone feeling under the weather. Then, Hevy decided to stay for our show. OMG I was terrified and sooo nervous. Then I focused on the music and the dance with the intent of not letting Hevy be disappointed and completely forgot how sick I was... He said it was like being at the Paradise all over again. Wow. Thank you Hevy.

Ot will be gone for the next couple of weekends and I will miss her tremendously. Sigh. I will just have to drown my sorrows with dance...

Salsa Night

Maggie McArdles is another DJ I have a lot of fun with. Every Tuesday night at the Blue Moon she does a set with a theme. Her music selections keep to the theme and we always dress to match the theme. I have danced Broadway, 50's and 60's in the last month. Tonight was Salsa Night. What a challenge. I searched the HUD for all the dances that could possibly fit with Latin music and then added a few of the (very poor) Salsa freebies that are available. I managed to find a grand total of 62 - barely enough to keep variety in two hours of dancing. And Salsa is not my strong point. Cuka Carter is sooo good at it. She knows the dances so well that she can compensate for poorly scripted endings on the freebie dances. I only had a day to practice, but I managed. And I had a blast. All the ladies wore beautiful Salsa dresses and the men tried their hardest to match us. Hehe. I am tired, but happy, so tonight I have fulfilled the goal listed in my profile: dance every night and go to sleep with a smile on my face. Good night everyone.

Drow and Zombies

Last night's Fae Fest was well attended. The High King and Queen made an appearance. And many other kinds of fae and some humans showed up too. Early on we had some Drow in attendance, but they left. And after I was told about Drow (they eat fae, humans and even other Drow if hungry enough) I am glad they did not stay. Two members of my dance group were there and had a great time. They are planning to return next week. And Chester showed up too! He said he was late because he had to find something to replace his hat (it wasn't period) and it took him forever. I don't think he likes his hair... At midnight I took him to the caves to show him how lovely they were and on the top level, guarding the tp to the secret garden, was a zombie! It hurt me, but Chester, my hero, killed it! Chester is a very handy guy to have around.

Choices, choices, choices

Gamilia is back courtesy of Linden Labs. LL waved it's magic wand and all the wonder is back, completely, as if it had never been gone at all. I was going to visit there last night but I also wanted to pop over to Ot's set at Smooth. And then I got an IM from a friend. Friends are important and deserve my full attention (which I cannot give them when I am switching dances every 15-30 seconds.) So I went home to sit on my porch and watch the sun set as I caught up with old and new friends.

One of the best things about SL is the friends you make. I must have over 100 names on my list. Some of these names belong to people I never see anymore, who seem to have left SL forever. But I cannot bring myself to delete them. They were such good friends. Suppose they come back and find no one left on their friends list? I would be devastated if that happened to me. And ever since someone told me that deleting a friend is like killing them I have never done that except twice (and one of those friends I invited back with profuse apologies.)

I think I am going to hang out a shingle. You know, Dear Emy rather than Dear Abby. I must get consulted on love affairs gone awry once or twice a day. I try not to offer advice, but you know how it is. I love people and hate seeing them unhappy. So I just share my experiences with them and let them make their own decisions. They will proceed as they see best anyway. But this is such a perfect world in so many ways that people expect perfect behavior from each other. And no one is perfect. Love is accepting each other's imperfections and moving forward. Just like RL, SL relationships entail commitment, respect and the willingness to work together toward a goal. OK, I will get off the soapbox, and go to my favorite world for a while. Now, what will I wear to the Blue Moon's formal Goth(ic) night? Short and sassy or long and sweet? hmmmm

Great DJs

I just finished choreographing a set with DJ Otawan Fouquet and am still on an entertainer's high. I used to go to Smooth every time I could to dance to her exciting, eclectic mix of big band, swing & other favorites. It became my dream to choreograph and make an entire club dance to her music, but I was too shy to suggest it to the management of Smooth, so my dream remained just that for months. Two weeks ago I dragged one of the Managers from the Blue Moon (my favorite club) out to hear her. She was on his "list" of DJs to check out and I wanted to be sure he heard her. I confided my dream to him - and he made it happen. Ot now plays on a regular basis for the club I work with and I have the time of my life dancing all my friends and the club's patrons to her wild, fun mix of music (and it is not all swing.) Ot's passion in life is music and you know this because the love she has for music shines through second life and onto all of us who hear her in real life. She is enthusiastic and serious about what she does. It is a good thing, as Martha would say. And we are terrific together!!!

DJ Allan Jeffries will always be special to me. It was he who first came up with the idea of us working together to make people happy and forget their real life cares for just a little while by enjoying both music and dance. Allan is a truly talented man, satisfying one of his real life passions by being a DJ in second life. His mix is eclectic and his vocal & chat banter is awesome. He loves music too, of course, and that love comes across with his choice of songs. He has helped me satisfy my passion by encouraging me to become the "dance" in his Dance and Romance set. He had more faith in me than I did and, from the very beginning, made me push my limits. I will always be grateful to him and I will always be there to choreograph for him when he needs me.

Great DJs are very hard to come by, but I have been blessed by being able to dance with two of the best in Second Life.

Devastation in Second Life

Gamilia is gone. The land is there - but just about everything else is gone, destroyed by a hacker, the bane of SL's existence. I am sad and worried. Gamilia was such a lovely place, built with love by people who cared: wondrous caves, a beautiful secret fairy garden, a charming medieval village and a very special apple tree. These are some of the places that linger in my mind. Will the owners be able to build with such heart again?

My favorite club was destroyed last night, too. Grimz & Helene are rebuilding the club and the beach now, as best they can. The owner is on RL vacation for another week or so. I know that The Blue Moon will be up and running in time for the performers today, but this is a small area, not an entire island like Gamilia.

What possesses people that makes them feel the need to destroy the work of others? Was this random violence? Was it revenge for a slight? How do hackers and griefers choose their victims? Do they get off on the power they feel as they destroy and harass? I wish I knew...

Footloose Fae Fest

What a great time we had last night at the first weekly Fae Fest! Unfortunately, Second Life was acting up and would not allow anyone to teleport in or out, so the company was limited to just a few. And I had six non role-players ready to teleport in and see how much fun we have... Oh pooh! But His Majesty, King Creag, officially declared me Choreographer to the Court. Hehe - House Zephirus will literally rock forever.

House Zephirus is currently the Primary Household of the Fae Court. Duchess Casandra and I worked very hard to complete the First Challenge! Hehe - my biggest hurdle was finding a man to join me in some fun poses so I could send pictures to the King...

It looks like Gamilia is beginning to wake up. I like most of the people I have met here and new role-players are starting to get some assistance so I do not feel quite so lost as I did for the prior month.