A Dream Coming True

Last night Tori invited me to see the remainder of a choreographed dance production by La Performance and I fell in love with it! So I screwed up my courage and asked about how to join. I interviewed with the leader, Jie Loon, tonight and she accepted me. So she will be teaching a class in the basics and I will be learning, and if I can master the movement, she will use me for 2-3 dances in the next performance! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. I am listed with the staff on the website and I guess I will need to get a good head shot done so Jie can post it on the site:-) WOO HOO!!!

RIP Gucissa Crimson

I usually love checking email in the morning. It is a morning chore that I can do while I sip my tea and wake up gently. But this morning I received news that a friend had lost her battle with cancer. I never met this friend in any place other than a virtual world, but the spirit and courage that she exhibited will always inspire me. Sleep well Guci. You will not be forgotten by those who knew you in this world.

Regrets

I did a foolish thing the other day when I was angry and hurt. I hurt someone I dearly love. There are times when my temper gets the better of me and I lash out blindly without thinking the consequences through. It all comes down to a lack of communication. I have always been afraid to speak up to someone when I think they have hurt me, and I guess I still refrain from confrontation. But I need to stop viewing it as confrontation; it is merely communication, discussion, not argument. I have begged forgiveness, but only time will tell if the hurt is so strong that it will outweigh every other emotion. I pray that it isn't.

Role Play: In search of food

Fae Emy was starving when she met Jordon, who was also in need of food, and Deodar in the village, where she had gone to search for food. The village wives had gotten wary and there were no pies in sight on any of the windowsills so they headed up to the tavern. Deodar pointed out some pie makings on a table alongside the bar, but Emy didn't know how to make pies, She became angry and vowed to curdle the milk supply if she wasn't fed soon. Deodar suggested that they try a drow's cave where he thought there might be some food. Emy was against this idea until Jordon and Deodar both reminded her that they would be there to protect her. Deodar, who had ranged all over the realm, led them directly to a dark, underground cave where they noticed a fire, but after listening, decided that no one was around. Deodar wrestled the hidden door open and they entered the room silently. Jordon and Deodar both partook of the meat on the platter that the drow had carelessly left out, but Emy shook her head. Her beliefs precluded her from eating anything that had once been living. Fortunately Jordon managed to drag out a basket of apples from his purse just before Emy perished from starvation. While they were eating the three fae curiously looked around the room. They decided it was cold and not very nice. Being careful to remove all traces of their having been there, they silently slipped out and made their way back to the village square.

Breakfast with Chester

What a pleasant surprise when an old friend I rarely see was in world when I logged on this morning. We danced and chatted and shopped for freebies and chatted some more. I ate my oatmeal mostly cold because I was so caught up in talking with him. I was waiting for some important RL news and he kept me company and encouraged me at the same time. And we finally shared a few details of our very different Real Lives. We have known each other over a year and a half and had never shared specifics, just generalities. And our guesses about each other were correct. It pays to take time to get to know each other. Friends in SL are so supportive.

[7:53] Chester Tarber: If someone told you that you had 3 years left to live, what would you do with that time?
[7:54] Emyly Beaumont: I would walk more
[7:54] Chester Tarber: (and you can't let anyone else you know be aware of your expiration date)
[7:56] Chester Tarber: go on though...
[7:56] Emyly Beaumont: lessee
[7:56] Emyly Beaumont: I would grow flowers
[7:56] Emyly Beaumont: and learn to sing
[7:56] Emyly Beaumont: how is that?
[7:56] Emyly Beaumont: oh - and spend every available dime traveling
[7:57] Chester Tarber: c'est ca? Walk, coven, flowers, sing, and travel?
[7:57] Emyly Beaumont: yep
[7:57] Chester Tarber: can i share with you what i'd do?
[7:57] Emyly Beaumont: yes, please
[7:57] Chester Tarber: exactly what i'm doing now :)
[7:57] Emyly Beaumont: which is?
[7:57] Chester Tarber: trying to be a veterinarian
[7:58] Emyly Beaumont: hmmmm
[7:58] Emyly Beaumont: You make me sound like I should be doing something different right this minute
[7:58] Chester Tarber: ;-)
[7:59] Chester Tarber: walk, travel, plant some flowers, find a group, learn to sing... you can all do these in some form of small doses... why not do them?
[7:59] Emyly Beaumont: How are you so wise at your age?
[8:00] Chester Tarber: It's what you do with your years... a 75 year old may sit around and watch TV all day whilst a 12 year old may encounter and deal with different situations each day... so you tell me who is more wise?
[8:00] Chester Tarber: I've just been through a lot over my years
[8:01] Emyly Beaumont: when I log off a little later I think I SHALL walk
[8:01] Emyly Beaumont: and I will buy flowers for my flower boxes with my first paycheck
[8:02] Chester Tarber: Doesn't that even feel good just saying that?
[8:02] Emyly Beaumont smiles: yes it does, oh wise one
[8:02] Chester Tarber: You've always got to be working towards something... that's life

ARC & Animations Stores

Immediately following Samhain Fae Fest this Sunday will be a pagan rite which involves much drumming, a fertility dance between the Virgin Huntress and the King Stag and all ritual sacrifice. I have finally selected 12 dances for them. My intent is to put them into a singles dance machine and let them select the dances in the appropriate order as they feel "ready" for them. However, only 5 of the dances I selected are copy, which means I will deprive my Huddles if I transfer them to the other machine. Soooo, I will have to buy duplicates of the 7 I need and, unfortunately, 6 of them are from Sine Wave, the laggiest dance animations store in all of SL. How do I get myself into these situations? I guess I will just strip down to pants and shirt, my lowest prim hair and no AO. Wonder how low I can go?

Halloween Fun

So what did I do today? Well, I spent 4 hours adapting a medieval "ghost" story for presentation at the weekly Fireside Storytelling in Erebos. This tale was first written down by Gervase of Tilbury in the early 13th century. Gervase was one of the first to travel and "collect" local folklore and this particular tale was from a country called Arles. I have adapted the story a bit to fit the occasion, but it IS folklore and so probably had many forms. I added some emotes for my character, as well as memories she has of her granny telling the tale. And of course, the wording was changed a bit to fit the "chat" method of presentation. But if you want to hear it, you will have to come and sit by the fireside...

I did a bit of freebie shopping as well. I think this year's Halloween freebies are of much better quality than last year's. I need a different costume for each show I do this week and tonight's "Ghoul 2 Ghoul" theme had me baffled until I snagged 3 great freebies that, combined with a couple of things in my inventory, will yield a perfectly ghoulish outfit that fits MY style and the Funk theme. Look for me tonight at Linri's with my little brother Tulsa Sheridan, who is back from his 6 week vacation. I hope he hasn't had a chance to buy bubblegum yet...

OOC: Family

Sometimes a loss can make you realize exactly what strengths you have. I "lost" my father this week and just came back from the funeral. In actuality I deliberately chose to lose him many many years ago when I moved 600 miles away. Along the way, I lost the greater part of my family. We are spread out over 15 years, so by the time I left the house at 18, I never had the chance to get to know my baby brother at all. There are 5 of us now because we lost a brother about 10 years ago. We only seem to have family reunions for weddings & funerals, but this get together was the best I have ever had.

We are united in our desire to protect Mom and keep her happy & safe. Mom had a stroke a few years back and sustained a bit of brain damage. She cannot cook or remember certain things, but the bright light that made her such a wonderful woman and beloved by all who know her still shone through. And the sparkle that I was afraid Dad had managed to obliterate returned when she realized that all her children were surrounding her. My oldest brother (who is actually a year younger) and I sparred like we always do. He rested his elbow on my head and I punched him (not hard) in the stomach. He sang "short people" and I tugged on his scraggly, red beard and Mom said "Will you two stop it?" We just grinned and hugged each other. I sat on the couch, sipped my tea and realized what a deep well Mom had to draw from: I know enough about trusts and estates so that the brother and sister who are executors will be able to ask me how to proceed and I can offer advice. Al is a farmer and crew chief for Habitat for Humanity and my other brother has his own very successful painting business. My son was able to assist him by accessing my Dad's internet accounts (Steve is quickly learning about computer technology). One of my sisters is head dietitian/nutritionist with a large regional hospital, so she will be able to keep an eye on Mom at the assisted living place she helped locate for her. And the remaining sister has lots of love in her heart and will be able to support where it is needed.

But best of all, I realized that now there is nothing keeping me from returning to live close to family (except the weather, haha). At any rate, I will now make up a family email list and send weekly updates. With Mom moving out of the place where we all used to catch up with other, we will need a "center" to keep us all informed about each other even if it is virtual. And I think I can convince the rest of my brothers and sisters to keep in touch by email now that they see how fast and easy it is (and cheaper than phone calls). Most of us have Dad's penury...

OOC: Be Careful

I am a member of a group that meets about twice a month to draw pictures, eat snacks & chat up a storm. We envision ourselves as Medieval Illuminators and Calligraphers and call our group a "Scriptorium." (And before you get the wrong idea, I will tell you right away that I am NOT an artist. I can fake it with the best of intent by using a light table, a french curve and a straight edge.) Most of what we do involves going through gorgeous period art books and internet museum sites and saying "oooooh I want to do that!" After we find an exemplar, we decide whether to reproduce it or just let it serve as inspiration. Because we mostly do borders for award scrolls, we usually choose to let the artwork serve as inspiration. I am NOT good at sketching so I always need a lot of encouragement from the others before I even attempt to think about drawing figures or cute little beasties and I usually get it! Yesterday, I had begun to gild a mid 15th century border I had prepared at an earlier session when I upset the gilding glue onto the card stock! This is not the first time I have spilled something on my scrolls: I am an impatient person and rarely take the time to carefully set up my work area. Needless to say, the paper was ruined and very very sticky. The glue dries a bit slowly and sometimes it never completely dries out. Fortunately, the border was a simple geometric that I had planned to gild, paint and then apply white work onto so I have spent a few hours this morning recreating my work onto another piece of card stock.

I started by measuring out the "frame" that will surround the calligraphy. The border is very simple geometric design with 1/4" edges surrounding a 3/4" center. I left white space of 1" surrounding the sides and top of this design and a 1 1/2" white space at the bottom edge so that the scroll can be matted by the recipient if he/she so desires. In the center of the bottom design is a 1 5/8" circle which I will leave unpainted so I can fill in the appropriate badge at a later date. In the center of the top and sides is an "X" made by the crossing of the two 1/4" edges. This gives a little interest to the design and is actually the way the exemplar looks. The small edges of the border will be gilded and the space enclosed by the gold edges will be painted bold colors of ultramarine, crimson and green. These larger rectangles will then be painted on top with what is called "white work."

After I measured out and sketched the design in pencil, I "inked in" the outline so I can see it better when I paint. And no matter how carefully I draw with the pen, I always make a mistake. Then the trick is to hide the error! So now I have a 9 x 12 sheet of bristol board with the outlines drawn in pen and a big mistake where I forgot to draw in the top "X." Now I must make a decision whether to draw up the design again or just work the error into the design. /me gets up to blog about being careful...

A new home for Tori & Emy

Tori is building us a new home; it is a Greek Villa and will include a kitchen & bathroom. The house is white stucco of course, with two patios on the first floor and a balcony on the second that overlooks the island. The floors are tiled with a rich brown ceramic that looks very much like the tiles that surrounded the hearth in one of the houses I owned in my Real Life. I have already set out an arbor for us to sit in and the wooden table & chairs from the old house. I can't wait til Tori locks the whole thing down and I can begin to furnish it.

I am in charge of the meadow he wants around it. I have been shopping around all morning and have located some really terrific 1 and 2 prim landscaping items, but they are not cheap! I have noticed that the best meadows are built with grasses & plants, so I purchased a plot of wild daisies that change color on touch and some meadow grass. I already have a butterfly emitter, so that will make a total of 3 prim for a great piece of meadow... But now I have all these other ideas, such as, how can you have a meadow that isn't surrounded by trees? and we need a path down to the dance floor so I can find it, and Tori you need to flatten the land and remove the pond and your pillows so you can flatten the land and I can set up a really great meadow!

Anyone still reading me?

I know it's been a while since my last blog. I can make lots of excuses: new computer and haven't figured out how to crop pics yet; busy RL for a change; nothing noteworthy to blog about. The truth is I sort of fell into a sadness and got lazy.

So what's new? Well, Tori has a fabulous new skin that has turned him into a heartthrob. He always had terrific cheekbones and a great craggy face but now I am carrying around a big stick to fight off the women who will want to make a play for him when they see him. Hands off, ladies! He's Mine!!!

I have gradually been getting more bold with my role play and actually talk to others within a role play when Cas isn't present. Nothing drastic - simple subjects, but I am working on my reactions to keep them within my faery character.

I filled my circle this Sunday during Party Funk for the first time in months. I have gotten close several times, but this week I made it. I love Linri's Palace; it is my second home. The people are all so friendly and caring. I always feel welcome and loved. And I especially like being able to dance there with Tulsa Sheridan. His music is upbeat and feel good. Until Tulsa proposed our getting together and doing a show, I had never heard of funk music - but I have to say I love it.

I am still doing Blues on the Beach with Winston Zaius at Linri's Palace. I choreograph couples and he plays fun blues. Sometimes he really challenges me. Choreography for couples is so different than choreo for singles. For one thing, I change dances for singles much more often, about every 15-30 seconds and use about 12-18 animations per song. In couples, I often let the dances cycle more than once; the nature of couples dance is (usually) relaxed. Even so, I only have 50 couples anims as opposed to about 125 active anims for singles. And this can make choice challenging. I am very fussy about the animations I use. I refuse to use awkward, jerky anims; I much prefer motion capture dances. While some of these are very dramatic and a bit overdone, they are far smoother and much more realistic. And, like I said, I am very fussy.

Tulsa is taking a 6 week vacation in RL half way around the world and he might not be able to stream while he is away. I will miss our shows very much, so if you are someplace and want to share a great DJ with me, please call me. And I will keep my calendar as up to date as I can. I have posted a link to it on the left side of my blog. Please note that it is in EST rather than SLT, so be careful to translate the show times to your own schedule.

Take care all, let me know if you are still reading me and keep on dancing. I love you!!!

Faery Things

Cas gave me a line on some really cute faery outfits yesterday so I indulged myself and bought a couple. They are really adorable with the prim roses all over them!



I wanted to show you my sail boat, too. It is only 3 prim and very easy to handle. The blue poseball is a swimming animation. I used it to swim all over Erebos yesterday.

The Garden of Da Vinci (part 3)

Remember the curious structure in the picture of us hugging on the island? Well, it was a rocket ship. Yes, you heard me: a rocket ship. This IS the Garden of Da Vinci after all. It was a rocket ship to Mars, so we took it. Saying goodbye to earth, we set off for the skies once again to explore the red planet.


We tooled around the planet in the cutest little land rover, and then after making sure we had a landmark so we could return to this remarkable place, we took the ship back home.


I remember seeing a Jules Verne like submarine on the ocean floor, so I am sure we will be back very soon to visit this amazing place.

The Garden of Da Vinci (part 2)

After a very peaceful ride (I didn't end up in the water once, thanks to Tori's unusually careful handling of the boat) we arrived safely at a tropical island where we hugged for a few minutes and watched a whale cavort in the waves. Look over our heads for a glimpse of the whale. Note the curious structure in the left background. I will talk about that a little later.


Then we took a magic carpet ride way up into the clouds where we discovered a fabulous desert oasis with a huge tent that contained four smaller pavilions with curtains that could be drawn closed for privacy. You could change the radio to any one of several Middle Eastern stations and refreshments consisting of beer and green tea were available. Outside the tent was a snake that you could charm and another magic carpet which I tried to pilot. What fun that was!

The Garden of Da Vinci (part 1)

I knew I was in for either trouble or a great time when Tori started changing clothes. I mean, he donned a purple tee shirt and green sweat pants with black & orange engineer boots AND a checkered hat with a teapot pouring tea! I immediately insisted he changed the boots. Then he challenged me to dress wacky! So I put on a fluffy green mini skirt, an orange blouse, purple tights and red engineer boots. I had a matching hat, so I wore that too. Then he said: To the Zoo! Imagine our disappointment to find the zoo closed. We were all dressed up with no place to go. Not to worry, he had Plan B ready. "Dress Renaissance" he said. But then he put on a lovely 17th century baroque outfit complete with powdered wig. Not to be outdone, I matched him (I just love picking up random bargains) and donned my own curled and powdered wig. The carriage he sent for me arrived at a fantastic castle in the Garden of Da Vinci. What an amazing build. Be careful when you traverse the drawbridge! It can land you in the moat or the dungeon! The castle itself has three stories and lots of famous tapestries including parts of the Bayeux tapestry and several with the lion and unicorn on them which pleased Tori, of course.


After a few unsuccessful attempts to rez a working barge, Tori found a gondola in the lower depths of the castle and took me a boat ride. Along the way we saw primitive cave drawings and lovely scenery.

Busy Sunday (part 2)

Before the wedding festivities were over, I hurried home to Eirini and shape-shifted back to human. A friend of Tori had asked us to produce a video of her and her boy friend dancing to "The Way You Look Tonight." I spent about an hour on Saturday picking just the right dances to match the soft quiet mood of the song and was pleased with what I had chosen. Tori spent some time with her On Sunday morning choosing the right atmosphere, changing the texture on my dance floor (which was wood so I could practice on it) and generally cleaning up the area. He even made the flower pot into a "dance anywhere" remote so nothing ugly would intrude on the mood. Then the big problem was where would I put my dance ball (he said in the ground and I said NO WAY) and where I would stand so I would be out of the way as I drove the dances. I finally placed the dance ball on the patio where it would be safe and stood down on the beach which ws close enough for me to cam on the couple as they danced. Two and a half hours later (yeah, I was tired, but Tori was probably exhausted) he had enough footage to make a video. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. I had a peek at the first 42 seconds he made - and it is so romantic I had tears streaming down my face. And I know his friend was happy because she told me about it! This is a cropped screen shot from raw video footage.


After the filming was over, Tori and I went to our favorite dance place to be alone and talk for about 30 minutes before he logged off and then I logged off to nap until my evening performance.

Busy Sunday (part 1)

I can remember when my Sundays were days to laze around, reading books and waiting for Tori to meet me and for my evening show. Well, yesterday was one of the busiest, but most rewarding, days of my life. It began with a wedding at 10 AM SLT. Another small fae and I were flower girls. Our job was to scatter white petals from our flower baskets and try to stay out of trouble. Which we mostly managed to do, but we were pretty bored at rehearsal on Saturday and I almost fell asleep. The bride was a beautiful fairy in white and her groom was a very handsome elf. It was an inter-racial marriage, but the only person who seemed to be unhappy about it was Linwe, the elf race leader. I personally have a preference for a male elf, so I am hoping Linwe doesn't find out and get upset with me. (I just love the shiny thing my elf gave me to wear. He says it is a human custom.) Anyway, the fae and elf race leaders both spoke at the wedding and addressed the couple. Linwe wrote the most beautiful poem for them. (She is a bard.) And the minstrel Swith (who had found a dress to wear instead of the rags she usually has on) played on her lute. Of course, I just had to dance 'cause Swith plays such beautiful music, so I invited everyone to join me. The cake was beautiful too, my piece was full of blue butterflies. Here is a picture of me in my flower girl dress. Xavia and I were so cute!

A day in the life of a fae

Ever wonder what faeries do in the morning? I usually start out by thinking. Sometimes I sit on the top of a well.


Sometimes I sit on a mushroom.


And sometimes I sit in the eagles nest.


But those nests are pretty dirty, so then I have to take a bath.


After that, I like to fly around in the forest. But you have to be careful of the wild animals such as this boar.



You need to be quick because the deer like to chase you and knock into you.


But I sometimes meet up with friends, such as Etoile Soulstar. She is the cutest faun I know and likes to giggle and be silly as much as I do.


All that thinking and flitting and playing makes me very hungry so I look for something sweet to eat. The tavern always has fresh fruit and respberry pie. Doesn't it look yummy?


Of course, eating so much food makes me very sleepy so I look for my favorite flower and take a nap til lunchtime!

Mellow Blues

Tulsa's girl Feenix was online last night, so I gave him the night off. He brought her out to Blues on the Beach anyway, and it was great to see and hear him enjoying himself with her. I have spoken with her a couple of times and her humour is a perfect foil for his. I like her a lot. I sent out my usual "I need a date" notice, with the result that I have a partner for Thursday night dances (and I think he will be a regular, I will have to check.) But last night I danced with the DJ! I got lost in the music a few times and kept forgetting to switch dances (/me makes sad face here) but I had a lovely time. Winston's mix seemed to be a little more evenly balanced between slow and mid tempo this week and that suited me just fine. I love his selection of blues - in fact I have been "following" him for a long time, even trying to go out and dance/listen to him when he did sets at The Pink Rose. He is West Coast, so his sets tend to be late for me. Last night was no exception. With a little encouragement he can be induced to run over and it was 12.30 AM EST before I logged off with the result that I am very tired but happy. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I rarely remember to take photos when I am working. If you have never been to one of Winston's blues sets, I advise you to try. They are perfect for mellowing out....

SL Woes

I have been struggling with serious SL troubles over the last couple of weeks. In most sims, everything I type in OC or IM is doubled. Whenever I pay for anything, the transaction occurs twice. Group notices are sent out double, too. When I try to rez anything that is copy, it rezzes twice. Dressing is nearly impossible. System clothes (shirt, pants, skirt, undergarment layers) usually do not load until I relog. Prim clothes either try to load twice - or not at all, in which case I have to choose each piece individually. To make things worse, my home sim is one of the sims that is affected. Fortunately, Linri has been allowing me to dress in her bridal house. And let's not talk about duplicate menus dropping down when I choose dances. SL is quickly becoming NO FUN at all. I really will be glad when LL has discovered what the problem is. As of this blog they are monitoring my av again. We have tried numerous things at my end of the connection and nothing seems to help. I even called the ISP and had them reset the connection at their end, with no improvement. And of course, they are clueless. OK Rant over....

Fireworks on Capital Hill

Yesterday was Independence Day and Tori and I went in search of fireworks. I searched and found an entry in Showcase: Celebrate the 4th of July, Canada Day or any special occasion with friends and a firework show in Second Life. What a disappointment to find this was a shop and there were no samples or demonstrations to be had. We then tp'd to another club advertising the existence of fireworks, but the fireworks machine appeared to be broken. Finally, Tori located a place called the Capitol Hill South with a promise of continual fireworks. We arrived on a vast green lawn that reminded me of the park my parents always took us to so we could watch the fireworks show on the Fourth of July. We located some folding chairs, settled in and proceeded to see some amazing particles. And the timing was perfect; just as we settled in I began to hear the boom from my RL city's celebration! I remembered to take some pictures. I hope you enjoy them.




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Party Funk at Linri's Palace

The set last night with Tulsa was an unqualified success. He is a very professional announcer and I love his voice - upbeat and happy. His jingle tells a little bit about him: it tantalizes and teases about where he lives. His choices of music ranged from lively to ballads, but he didn't take requests, so it stayed strictly within theme which was great for me! True, I like variety, but usually i can handle the DJ's choices. It is patrons who want Metallica in the middle of a Broadway themed set who drive me nuts! Or ask for a rap in the middle of a romance set. /me shakes her head.

Attendance was not bad for a DJ with no true following yet. And I think Linri would like us back, so I will have to do PR like crazy to announce the show. Most of my followers are EU or EST and 6-8 is a bit late for them. Wish we could do a 4-6 on Sunday at Linri's, but I think that slot is taken. So, plan on joining us next Sunday at 6-8 for another great show. Tulsa can present the music and I can make you dance, but it is your chatter and laughter that complete the circle.

OOC: Don't read if you want sugar coated Emy

I am Jonesing for my Tori fix. Between my busy RL weekend and his RL schedule, not to mention living 5 time zones apart, we haven't met up in the last few days and the IM we shared was not very satisfactory. It seemed to me that the friends I spoke with the last few days were cranky, but now that I think about it, I am sure that was just my reaction.

crank⋅y /{krang-kee] : ill-tempered; grouchy; cross: I'm always cranky when I don't get enough sleep.

I haven't been getting enough sleep at night because I wake up at 2.30 AM with a brain that worries about my lack of income. And I wake up cold at 4.00 AM. And I had some upsetting news two days ago when my son announced that he was seriously considering entering the military!

I don't think wars are merited. I know friends who never returned from Vietnam, and I was married briefly to a Vietnam vet. Later, I was married for a long time to a Navy man. I have a few Vietnam vets numbered amongst my friends today as well as peacetime military retirees, too. So I understand the need for enforcement. But there has to be a better way to settle differences than people killing each other. And I thought my son believed the same thing. I feel as if I am being betrayed, but perhaps I should be grateful that he can make his own decisions in an intelligent matter. He is a very smart young man and I am inordinately proud of him. He tested with the highest mark on the aptitude tests and has recruiters calling him so he will be able to pick and choose. But I still hope he choose a different course.

And now, back to Emy.

Hot Water!

I woke up in Eirini this morning to discover that Tori had installed Solar panels on the roof of the villa. They will heat the water so it will be hot and we can finally have running hot water! I won't have to heat the bath water in buckets over the campfire. What a luxury! Now all we need is a shower...



I spent the better part of two hours looking for an acceptable Macarena dance. I had put off getting this dance because it is like "thriller" and the "time warp"; everyone wants the whole song to be nothing but that dance, and I am too stubborn to dance that way. I went to at least 6 shops before I ended up at Abranimations. The prices ranged from L$50 to L$200 and the quality ranged from -1 to 8.5 (on a scale of 0 to 10.) It is amazing how different the animations were. A couple of them were based on the original jerky freebie (which I could not locate), some of them were too slow and one was a copy of one of the others, although it put me slightly canted forward instead of straight up. And that was the one selling for L$200! /me shakes her head in disgust. Abranimations animations are not my favorite dances. I am not exactly sure why 'cause I can't seem to put my finger on it, but the dances seem slightly off to my eye. So I am very careful when I buy a dance there. But I think I found the best of them....

Hot and Cold (and Hot Again)

Last night Tori and I traveled. We started out in Africa, looking at the fauna: giraffe, elephants, pelican, zebras, hippos and even a fly-eating frog! Then we found some inner tubes floating in the river and jumped in.

We said hello to the zebras but avoided the hippos. We stopped to take a shower under a waterfall and then continued on down the river. We found a cave under another waterfall, but oddly enough, we had to stand around while inside it. There were no sits that we could see. We ended our visit with a dance in a red tent. Much to our surprise, that tent proved to be a very busy location! People popped in and out every two minutes. We had been discussing the weather, so Tori found an ice hotel and he tp'd me over.

I had never heard of an ice hotel, but apparently they DO exist outside of SL. The entire structure is made of ice, with ice chandeliers and ice beds, which are covered in furs. It sounds truly unique and a fun mini-vacation. And the Ice Hotel in SL is unique too. There is even an animation for slipping on the ice as you enter. It makes one wonder if this is a common occurrence in the RL hotel. We saw deer out side and lovely, lovely scenery. Then we spotted a kick sled and I just had to take a ride!.

Tori obliged and we had a lovely time moving about the sim until Tori ended us up in the water as usual (did I ever tell you about his boat rides?) We quickly abandoned sled and then headed for the beach at home where we donned bikinis and warmed up in the sun.

Mars Exists

Can you believe that I have been in SL over two years and have never been to visit the greenies? Well, Tori took me there Saturday! And what fun I had. I had so much fun I forgot to take pictures! I kissed a frog, but he must have been the wrong kind 'cause he sure didn't turn into a prince. And I got into a snowball fight with Tori in the freezer. Oh!! Didn't I tell you that Greenies are very very tiny aliens who like to make trouble? They will cook green eggs and ham on your stove and spill the soda and sugar all over the counter top! They let mice out of mouse traps too. And then we found the greenie outfits and joined the greenies in their mayhem. We tp'd over to Linri's in all our green splendor and danced. And the DJ said something about asparagus (or was that broccoli, I really wasn't paying attention,) but he obviously didn't understand aliens at all. Then we went to Mars. And yes, it is very, very red, but has been developed by man, which is a pity. It's carmine red color is absolutely lovely and should have been left alone by mankind.

Exciting new show!

Party Funk is the name, and it will be presented by Tulsa Sheridan (my little brother) and me next Sunday night from 6-8 at Linri's Palace. I have heard much of his mix and love, love, love it! I am very excited about Tulsa doing his own thing (it's about time in my estimation) and am overjoyed to be dancing to his funky music selections. If you know Tulsa at all, you will have to agree that he would never play an ordinary set of music. Some of it is that funky jazz which I love so much! Wonderful Linri, who loves to help out new DJs, agreed to let us give it a try. I don't know whether this will be a single shot deal or if it will work into something bigger. (he may not like being a DJ.) Tulsa insisted that we be marketed as the team that we are. So last night after I left Linri's, we caught up with each other and discussed things like tip jars and what to wear. Hehe - a brother and sister act - what fun! And will I give him a hard time? Come and find out!

BBBC #6 - FINAL

What did you get out of your experience? Do you think it will change the way you blog in the future?

/me muses. I think this experience has made me realize that I am NOT a dedicated blogger. Yes, I like to share my experiences with others, but only when I truly have something to share. I don't think this experience will change how I blog. I work best at my own pace and my current frequency and manner of blogging is best for me. But I have found several new blogs to follow, if only because they they write from the heart, about things that matter to them. And, in that respect, this challenge has been rewarding.

Keep on blogging, all of you, as often or as infrequently as you desire. Just be sure you actually have something to say!

BBBC #4 - Trading Places

If there was someone you could trade places with for one day in Second Life, who would it be and why? Bonus points if you find this person and snap a picture with them!

Hmmmm, there are so many people I admire in SL that that I am not able to pick one to trade places with. Instead I will list attributes of each one and build my own persona. This is by no means a complete list, but merely the ones that came quickly to mind...

Rebbecca Riggles = Derring-do
Casandra Shilova = Style
Tori Liebling = Gentle, easy going manner
Adrianna Biziou = Grace and beauty
Bridget Menczel = Ability to build
Gucissa Crimson = Unflappable spirits
Chester Tarber = Charm
Tulsa Sheridan = Steadfastness
Linri Jewell = Determination

Phew! I hope tomorrow's assignment is easier

BBBC #3 - A Sim of My Own

You've been given a sim of your very own to use for free for one year. However, there are 3 rules. It cannot be residential, it cannot be commercial, and it has to be open to the public. What do you do with it?

I loved the first Chania build that Tori did, so I would have him rebuild it, but I would incorporate a few changes. I would leave the harbor and the buildings as they were with the Blue Cafe opening onto the market square. One of the buildings would house paintings and photographs of Crete for everyone to see. The harbor would not only have boats at anchor, but also boats that could be sailed around the island. The music would be themed throughout the day and gradually change from fast and lively during the day to slow and romantic at night.

I would invite street performers to entertain in the square and story tellers to tell tales. The Blue Cafe would offer wines (from the island vineyard) and coffee to everyone who came to listen to the stories and to dance. There would be dancing 24/7. Anyone who wanted could go to the Blue Cafe and learn to choreo. And there would also be space available for choreographers to practice alone if they so desired.

An area would be set aside for musicians to practice using the stream. This would be by reservation only and they could invite friends to listen to them and provide feedback.

Another area behind hills would be left natural, with no music except the sounds of crickets, birds and the distant howl of an animal. Deer would roam the forest, birds would fly in the trees, butterflies and sprites would flit through the forest. It would rain: random rains of differing strengths. and this rain would randomly traverse the entire sim, not just the woods. Plenty of cuddle spots, trees to climb, waterfalls and ponds to swim in, and lots of childish pleasures would lie hidden in woodsy places.

Chania would be a haven for everyone - a bit of peace and a welcome for all.

BBBC #2 - The Perfect SL Day

Describe what your perfect Second Life day would be like.

I am not sure I could describe the perfect SL day. I like them all, imperfect and different as each of them are. I catch up with different friends every day and that gives me a variety of interests. Sometimes I freebie shop and sometimes I shop for new dances. Sometimes I look for a new place to explore with Tori on those special nights when we have more than an hour to spend to gether. And I am always planning for the next special event.

I CAN tell you the perfect ending for my SL day however: a dancing gig of two hours duration with $1000 in tips so I can buy at least 1 new dance and still have enough left over to save towards tier. I don't want to get rich, but I would like to meet my SL expenses comfortably. Sometimes it would be fun to actually be able to CHOOSE and BUY a new dress instead of taking freebie offerings. This set would be followed by time with Tori. We would dance and talk and share our days, just the two of us, holding and loving each other.

I no longer do as many singles dances as I once did. Clubs much prefer their hostesses to dance the patrons, and of course, the hostesses love the tips. I do not like to hostess and choreo at the same time because I make so many changes in the animations that I have to pay attention to the music and the dance. And I tip the hostesses in accordance with how helpful they are by announcing how to use the dance system and asking for tips for me. Couples choreo is a bit more relaxing for me because I tend to let the dances cycle more than once, but usually no more than twice. In singles, I try to never repeat an animation in any one song. But I have trouble answering IMs and Open Chat because I am so busy. I love it when Tori is beside me for the dance: singles or couples, it does not matter. I just look at him and feel calmed by his presence. We do not chat in IM as much as most people assume we do. Instead I am busy with the dance and I am fortunate that he is so understanding of this and doesn't mind.

Big Bad Blogger Challenge Post #1

The Big Bad Blogger Challenge for June: Update your blog every day for one week starting June 14th, and the last challenge post will be June 19th.

How long have you been a blogger?

I have been blogging here since August 2008, just after the first Fae Fest that I choreographed. In the beginning it was not hard for me to blog daily because I had so much to say and plenty of time in which to compose it. It was fun to put my thoughts and feelings out for anyone to see, even though I have so few readers. And then the blog developed into a way for me to explain how dancing fills a hole in my heart. And to explain the process to everyone else who asks me how to do it. It is no secret, but I get so lost in the movement and the music that I have little time to chat or talk in IM. So I can use this place to communicate.


How has it enriched your life?

This is my Second Life blog - they are Emy's feelings and hopes and failings. But a blog, by its nature, is not a diary with a lock to which you only have the key. It is public and I should expect a readership. I made mistakes and let my feelings hang out on occasion and the feedback was not always pretty. So I have learned (I hope) to keep my stronger feelings in check and now I only blog when life is good.

Rez Day Party

I finally have a few pictures from the rez day party that Tori and I shared last Saturday. I was having so much fun that I never got around to taking pictures. The food table was full of food, the dance floor was full of dancers and my heart was full of love. My friends gave me some superb pictures, but they aren't full perm, so I can't take them out world and show them here. I went back this morning to take a few pictures of the Pavilion in Vanity Fayre where we held the party. It is so romantic and belongs to a friend of mine who was gracious enough to allow us to use it.





Last night Cas sent me some pictures via email and I will show my two faves here. This is her dancing with my brother. The theme colour was lilac and Cas' dress was perfect with it's pretty lace petticoat.


And this is the picture I like best. I have so few that show Tori's craggy good looks. And those pants are fabulous on him! I think that is Gucissa in the corner, but I only have eyes for Tori.

Celtic Gods & Goddesses

I love doing themed events, but they always leave me so exhausted. The prep starts with being sure I have appropriate dances. Since the gig was Celtic, and I have danced with Ot before, this was a simple matter. Then, I need to be sure I am dressed in character. I googled "Celtic goddess" to search for one that would suit me and stumbled upon Airmid, one of the lesser known goddesses of healing. But Airmid was an interesting woman on her own: a druid, a healer and a strong woman. Learn her story here.
Not having any idea what a Celtic goddess would wear, I decided it should be green because that is color for healing. I remembered a dress I have that is close to 14th century and found a druid's staff in my inventory. I found the "Greek goddess" hair I wore over a year ago to another theme party at the original Blue Cafe and tinted a veil green. I thought I looked stunning, but I think Tori would prefer me as I normally am.


Gucissa took this picture of my Celtic god tonight and I wanted to share it with you. I wait all day to see him and the time we spend together is never enough. He left early tonight and I was hoping to spend time with him. When I choreo, I have little time to IM and speak with anyone, and tonight was no exception, dealing with a delay in dances of up to 6 seconds and an unresponsive HUD. I will be away in RL tomorrow and won't be on until well after he has logged off. I miss him already and my heart is aching...

Stalking the lucky chair

I must be crazy. Yesterday I spent about two hours standing in front of a 20 minute lucky chair waiting for "E" to come up. I went back today and spent three and a half hours more in front of that chair. While I was there I bought a beautiful skin but I was beginning to think I would never get the crimson dress. It was worth it though. I can't wear the dress for singles dancing, but it should be okay for couples. I think I will wear it tonight!

Mer Dances

I promised I would list all the mer dances I had in my HUD in case any of you had others. I am looking for as many as I can find, so if you have others, please let me know the name and the creator so I can find them. Any help you can give me would be awesome!



dancing with the fishies
MerAffectionDance
MerArabesque
MerBackflip1
MerBackflip2
MerBackFlip3
Merbasictwirl
MerDanceDoubleSpin
MerDanceF
MerDanceG
MerDanceTurn
MerFlip
MerHula1
MerHula2
MerJumpforJoy
MerlDanceRondo
MerlDanceSpin1
MerlDanceSpin2
MermaidDance
MerTwirl
Sea Angel
Somersault1
somersault2
Sway Dance
Flowy Mermaid Dance
Gj-Merdance-3
MerDance1Chim
MerDance2Chim
MerDanceBall8B-32708
MerdanceBall9A2-32808
MerClubClap
MerClubHop
MerClubSideBySide
MerClubWaggle
MerClubWiggle
Tail Whip
MerWiggleSpinDanc

Cuddles with Tori

Tori and I found this really charming place to dance the other day. It is called The Love Bugg Club and while it didn't have any Volkswagens there, it did have a dance ball full of very fun standing cuddles and dances. Here are a few samples.











































































And before you ask, no, Tori did not propose. He invited me to a romantic dinner for two. :-)