December 1st —  time races toward the end of the year. I have been slacking on my Fast Five. I have been slacking everywhere it seems. My health has not been great these past few months, but I finally got health insurance approval for physical therapy, so things are looking up.

1. Let It Snow!  — Mokotana Boa has a delightful collage of Arcade gleanings with a fun little video perfect for December in the northern hemisphere.
2. LOTD #493 Snow — Carolina Sauterau is adorable with cutest little bear on her arm.
3. The Return of Harland Quinn – Season 2 of The Blackened Mirror — Prim Perfect updates us on the second season of the fabulous Second Life® serial mystery drama. Honour McMillan also wrote about this in A Good Kind of Drama.
4. Red Shoes — Inara Pey has a piece about a wonderful art project highlighting the murder of 800 plus women in Juarez over the last decade. Combining art and activism in RL and SL – this is an exciting project.
5. Away From the Keyboard — Whiskey Monday’s fabulous photographs are often featured in the Fast Five. Her last post announces a short hiatus while she works her way through a low period of depression. I admire her frank courage in writing clearly and honestly about depression. When my brother-in-law was in the grip of depression, I wish we had a better understanding of how it felt. If someone you know struggles with depression, this is worth reading for an insight into their experience. For another insight into that experience, check out Hyperbole and a Half’s Adventures in Depression.

I know I have been neglecting the Fast Five lately. I cannot even blame it on being busy because I have been slacking in every department. I have been dealing with more than my usual health issues. Still there have been some good articles I have read and some of them I even saved for when I got around to posting.

1. Furniture 101: Prim Saving  | Valena Vacano wrote a fabulous little tutorial that I plan to put into practice the first time I log in long enough to do it. Really, if you read nothing else, read this. It will save you prims and make your prims go farther.
2. Rising Up Toward You | Lilo Denimore posted this gorgeous outfit. I love her styling and most of all, I love the sultry look of her avatar. Can’t you see her in some old classic film with one of those bad boy stars like James Dean?
3. Tangled | Parker Droverson offers a nice mix of fashion and decor and it was the decor that really caught my eye. I love the leaves in the vase, so vibrant in contrast to the leaves behind the window. The sprinkbok and gazelle heads are striking accents. It also made me think of the contrast in how these heads feel compared to the hunting trophies from deer and elk hunting. I wonder if it’s that without the fur, it feels more like an artifact found naturally instead of a trophy.
4.  TOS Legal Panel Discussion | Inara Pey segments the legal presentation from Justitia and the SL Bar Association into manageable portions. This makes it easy to find particular sections you want to check out specifically. Related to this, there is also this. Second Life TOS News 2013 – 43 | Meanwhile, Nalates Urriah provides thoughtful, and responsible, context to the recent letter from LL PR.
5. Slurppp | Petra Messioptra has  incredible photos that are as spooky as anything you will see this Halloween season.

Some great articles for you to check out today. I need to do this fast as I have to choose my music for tonight’s set at The Velvet. It starts at 5:00 p.m. SLT – and goes for two hours in case you want to come by.

1. A Little Night Magic – Elle Couerblanc posted this a few days ago and I saved it because I love the mood and story told in her pictures.
2. Hunts, Freebies and Moochers – Deoridhe Quandry sheds some much needed light on the issues that plague hunts and have turned folks away from hunting.
3. Approval and Blurring Lives – River Pearl has wonderful photos of Wendigo Lake, an atmospheric setting that sets the mood for her discussion of SL as a place for dealing with grief. This caught my attention in part because my parent’s birthdays are coming tomorrow and the next day and I find myself each year going to sims that remind me of them. For some reason, I find their birthdays the time when I feel their loss most intensely.
4. 181 – Spotted Deer – Opal Lei takes Dim Sum off to Maria Lynn Falls – a place I might just spend time tomorrow – remembering my dad and deer hunting.
5. Liquid Mesh – Looking from All Sides – Inara Pey does her usual magnificent job of clarifying technical issues so that they make sense for us all.

 I know it has been ages since I posted a Fast Five. I have been incredibly busy organizing the Love Donna Flora event that I hope each and everyone of you will attend between July 25th and August 11th.

1. Hydrangea: River Pearl/Pearl Grey at Million Happy Endings has gorgeous photos from the sim Hydrangea and says it’s impossible to take a bad picture. She certainly didn’t. 
2. Challenge Gallery 46: Pot – Whiskey Monday over at Single Frame Stories posted the entries for pot and, of course, that word was interpreted in more than one way. For the fun and fabulous photos – head over to Single Frame Stories.
3. Malibu Inspiration Open House: You won’t want to miss Editorial Clarity-Flux’s open house. It ends Sunday, so hurry. The details are on the Love to Decorate blog.
4. Yes, I Know, I’ve Been Missing In Action: Wise Sandalwood catches us up a few really tough months and posts another inimitable photo in that style that is distinctly her own.  Hop on over and give her a virtual hug, or a friend comment.
5. From Here to Ipernity: Frustrated by Flickr’s recent changes and that awful Yahoo bar? Well, Cieran Laval has switched to an alternative and does a comprehensive explanation of the pros and cons.

This will be quick. I am a bit (a lot) under the weather today. I even passed the stream over to the next DJ just 45 minutes into my set because I just didn’t feel well enough to finish it. But, I  already picked some great posts for you and wanted to be sure you saw them. Sorry if the descriptions are terse.

1. More than friends: I love the casual easiness of these photos from Kaelyn Alecto. 
2. The Blackened Mirror: I missed this Treet.TV series when it happened, but thanks to 1AngelCares Writer plurking about it I watched it yesterday. Fun, worth watching. Not your usual SL movie.
3. Delayed: Elle Couerblanc’s heartbreaking entry for the Single Frame Stories challenge.
4. Drax Files Episode 8: MadPea Games: An inteview with the creator behind Madpea Games, the immersive storytelling experiences that enrich SL.
5. Connecting 354 Lives – Don Mill: One of the more innovative entries in this series. Don speaks to Donald. And Happy Anniversary!

Why did I wake up at 5 AM when my cat didn’t even wake me? Clearly, he has so effectively trained me to wake at 5, he doesn’t even have to bother standing on my face any more. You would think waking up so early would mean getting more done. Why doesn’t that happen?

1. Liberty and Justice for ALL: Vaki Zenovka celebrates the marriage decisions handed down from the Supreme Court yesterday with a brilliant photo replicating the iconic V-J Day kiss with Lady Liberty and Justice. I love it. 
2. The Top Ten Innovations That Have Shaped the Face of Second Life Fashion Over Ten Years. SL10B finds Iris Ophelia reflecting on the history of SL fashion and choosing what the thinks are the key innovations. See if you agree.
3. Dust in the Wind: Luna Daines in a sweet outfit with two lovely photos. I kind of love the falling leaves, even though they fall suspiciously neatly.
4. The Impish One: Serene Fairey is so well styled I want to rush out and buy everything.  I love Art Deco and she does it very well.
5. Violin: I love the sweet romanticism in this ethereal photo from Liv Haalan for her blog.

Today’s Fast Five include a loving tribute to an SL® original who died recently. That reminds me that it may be worthwhile to make advance arrangements such as disposing of virtual assets in your will and providing instructions to Linden Lab to inform your friends.

1. Cecilia Delacroix – A Tribute: Melusina Parkin has written and photographed a loving memorial to the work of Cecelia Delacroix in Second Life. Her contributions to art in SL were many and she will be widely missed. Please read the post and follow the SLurls so you can appreciate much of what she has given to the community. 
2. Stripped: Kitty Wytchwood noticed that she is wearing fewer and fewer clothes recently and contemplates the nature of nudity in Second Life®. The photo are great, too. but you will want to stick around for the writing.
3. Historical Maps of Second Life Birthdays – Daniel Voyager collected maps of the the SL birthday sims from the 4th through the 10th. It’s far cooler than it sounds! I am so glad he thought of the idea, because it is fun to changes from year to year.
4. LOTD 19.06.13 – Kere Millar styled an adorable Lolita look that is original and unique and beautifully done. I am not into Lolita for myself, but that doesn’t mean I cannot admire someone styling that look to perfection.
5. Weird Questions Meme – Harlow Heslop tackles another of Berry’s memes, but the real star in this post is the profile picture. The hair is stunning and the eye shadow and liner are a perfect choice for that hair as are the earrings. Then to make it even better, her top brings everything together. It’s just so well-styled that it’s a show stopper.