I have a doctor’s appointment this morning and am running late already. They say a pictures is worth a thousand words, so here’s 4000 words. The lighting is done in-world with a projector I will be putting on Marketplace soon.
Please don’t confuse Flower in My Attic with the books. This recent My Attic cycle is a celebration of beauty and the effervescent abundance of flowers. Is there anyone who is not moved by the sheer exuberance of flowers? Isn’t it wonderful that these plants have such a lovely, giving way to propagate? Of course, since I love pose props, I had to check out Whimsy Winx’s latest for My Attic and her attic does not disappoint, though really, someone should pick up once in a while. There are papers all over the floor. I was also playing around with a projector I am working on to sell on Marketplace. It’s not done yet because I am still thinking about whether I have the spacing right. Yes, it’s just 1 prim with a texture, but I can still have creative difficulties like a real creator, hahaha!!
This outfit is from Lacuna and is also for My Attic (the floral shorts could be considered a clue). Because it’s an extra special cool top, you get two versions. This top is peach and jade. The other is jade and peach. I had to add 2 notches to the gravity on my breasts to fit it, but perhaps I notched them up a bit for something else.
Sakide’s Delhi dress for Marquis Market is a real head-spinning confection. It comes with a hud filled with as many color options as an ice cream counter. The dresses remind me a bit of ice cream with their ombre colors coming from brilliant fresh scoops of color in 14 flavors. Add the classic summer cut and the great fit and, really, what more could you ask?
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I was asked to write an article remembering Squinternet. It is illustrated with her own photos. In Absence Is Physical, I wrote about what her absence feels like in contrast with how very present she was while she lived.
The Object of a Proposition spotlights The Chamber – a social club in Second Life for those who want to spice their life up considerably. It’s a far cry from the sex clubs of noobery.
It is a little intimidating to profile Bryn Oh. She’s well-known and has been written about in the New York Times and Vogue of France and many other places. The challenge was to find something new to say. I hope I succeeded in Oh, the Places You’ll Go.
In the Singularity of Imogen, I wrote about Bryn Oh’s current installation Imogen and the Pigeons and how it explores one of the vital questions of today’s society – the singularity and what it means for our world.
Every church I attended when I was growing up had the Gospel Hymnal with all the songs numbered to help people find them quickly. We all knew Number 60 was The Old Rugged Cross. Dad’s favorite was No. 234, Children of the Heavenly Father, a traditional Swedish hymn that he preferred to sing in Swedish. For Mom, it was Higher Ground and for some reason I cannot remember its number for certain, though I think it was 117. Mine was number 15 – In the Garden.
I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.
And he walks with me and he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.
That songs speaks to the ecstatic experience – which though associated with faith can be experienced by anyone in the presence of absolute beauty. I remember the first time I had such a moment. I was six and visiting my sister and her family. We were at the Falls and exploring this garden that had a floral clock and the mist rose up from the falls making everything and everyone fall away. It seemed I was a alone in a fog of flowers. I stopped still and remember wondering if it was real or if I were dreaming. It was a profound experience, a kind of joy born solely out of beauty. I remember feeling the same way when I was a senior in high school and sitting in the gardens of the Alhambra. I was resting alone in a gazebo made of bougainvillea, sketching the fountain in front of me and suddenly the sunlight struck the water drops in such a way they seemed like prisms, radiating color in the air. It took my breath away and I again felt that strange feeling of unreality, a sort of “pinch me, I must be dreaming” moment, except you would never want to pinch yourself out of such joy. Continue reading
No pictures in this post. I don’t want to associate anyone’s lovely work with my complaining grumpy post about the clear evidence that Linden Lab’s left hand has no idea what its right hand it doing – and vice versa.
The newest update to the viewer broke something for us Mac users. I did all the usual steps to fix it, clean install, etc. Since it was a new update to the viewer, I headed to he JIRA and searched to see if someone else had already reported it. There was nothing, so I wrote a short report.
Shortly after, I was informed that it was a duplicate of BUG-3848 and the issue was closed. Unfortunately, the staff person did not provide a link to BUG-3848 so I could check if there was a work-around or see how much they were going to prioritize fixing it. I tried searching for it by number but that was forbidden. Browsing the 15,000 plus returns for the word snapshot also revealed nothing. Don’t worry, I am not insane, I sorted alphabetically so I did not actually look at every heading. I finally found a link to it via Google, but it turns out I did not have permission to see it. I bet you don’t either.
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This is full of stuff from Collabor88, including the sign from floorplan. and the dress from League.
There is a saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Well, when it comes to suicide, many times prevention is everything because there is no cure after death. Today is Suicide Prevention Day around the world and I wanted to take a moment to highlight a group in Second Life® that is doing their best to support people who are contemplating or have attempted suicide by connecting them to real world therapy and resources as well as providing information and support in-world. The Survivors of Suicide is a group of about 400 people who maintain an information center and informal drop-in center with group support meetings on Sundays and Mondays.
As you can see there is a lot of information. I dropped in to look around and there’s a room for folks to hang out, a game room and even a little shop to raise money to support the group’s land fees, etc. There were about a half dozen folks hanging out, all very friendly and welcoming even though I was just stopping by for a peek for the blog. I suppose we all know someone who has committed suicide. It has happened in my family. One brother-in-law shot himself when he became so sick with cancer, emphysema and cirrhosis that he could not live with it any more. Another brother-in-law drowned himself when the umpteenth different drug trial failed to treat his depression and his insurance company informed him that he has reached his lifetime maximum benefit and he would no longer be covered by insurance for anything. That is a cruelty of the health care system that will be eliminated by Obamacare on January 1st. The aftermath of suicide is a horrible trauma for families, one that is not really eased that much by understanding the motives and decisions. So this group is doing important work. You should check them out and be aware of what to look for and how to help family and friends who are in despair.
Decoy Top from August Collabor88 paired with Yse skirt from Baistice for FaMESHed
I shot these pictures earlier this month, before Collabor88 closed and re-opened with the new September collection so many items are from the August Collabor88 session. You can look for them at the stores. I have had a hard time just starting this blog post and it will probably be short.
I have done very little since I received that e-mail early Wednesday morning telling me that Squinternet had reached the end of her journey. I posted an announcement in her groups and on the Love Donna Flora blog and crawled into bed for a good cry. Crying can be so cleansing. Unfortunately, it upset my cat who proceeded to demonstrate loudly and longly that he can cry harder and louder than me. This touch of the ridiculous made me laugh.
Grief is like a cloud, fogging my brain. But one thing I know, I am not alone in my grief. Squinternet (Giulia) was widely admired and literally hundreds of people have been touched by her artistry and her kindness and they all feel her absence. I hope those who loved her find comfort in the knowledge that she was well and widely loved and that thanks to the generosity and openhearted spirit of the Second Life community, she got to see that before she died. In many ways, Love Donna Flora! was a memorial – one that she attended. People shared their hopes, best wishes and their love for her at the event and on the blog with blog posts, messages and open-hearted generosity. And she got to see it for herself.
This is my favorite cycle of Collabor88 ever. While celebrating their 2nd anniversary, they are also celebrating the vibrant and daring fashions of the 1920s. While some designers stayed solidly in the era, others brought 1920’s sensibilities and details into 2013. Azure Electricteeth of Tee*fy gave us an updated, modern version of the 20s bringing the loose fit, the dropped waist and art deco details on the belt forward with a decidedly modern pair of separates.
Gidge sparked discussion the other day when she asked “Whyfor bloggest thou?” The general consensus is that people blog because they like it. That’s my reason for blogging, too. That’s also the obvious answer. Why would people spend hours on an unpaid hobby if they didn’t like it? However, I thought I might dig a little deeper and ask why I like it. Where are the rewards that make it worthwhile and pleasurable.
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