The Not So Tranquil Writer - So Go The Days Of Our Lives...sigh

All writerly struggles should be lessened with a good cup of latte and some serious thought. Or so I believed. Someone obviously slipped this writer too much decaf as my “Away” face had been kissing the table top all week long. I researched what other revered humor writers had said about the Winter holidays hoping to find some inspiration. Erma yearned to be a child again , Dave Barry offered a hysterical story about two old men and an owl . Hours passed and I became totally convinced that no one, save for Dennis Miller, had a light-hearted word to say about the holidays. “Santa is very jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live.” Thanks, Dennis.

Why the church bells in my brain should start ringing at the very moment a new face should arrive at the bar we will never know. Providential, I tell you. Jesss and I introduced ourselves and chatted amicably while scrutinizing the others' profiles.

“Ah,” I said. “I see you have discovered the more (ahem) erotic side of SL.” All the while I was wondering how Santa knew to stick a bad girl in my stocking.

“Oh that,” she replied. “I really should clean up my profile. No place really to put the past.”

Slipping immediately into my Value-Added Avatar role, I plied her with question after question about then, now, and tomorrow. She was an amazingly beautiful and poised woman – quite confident and candid about her enjoyment of the intimacies available inworld, and to what extent she availed herself thereupon and therein. Her story was rich, respectful, and intriguing. So much so I found myself sharing confidences I would have never divulged to anyone else. Her “past” had made it so, and did not deserve to be lost.

Thus I shall be preparing my New Year Proposal to Linden Labs to add the Past Life Tab to our profiles as soon as possible. And certainly as the dawn of 2009 approaches, I resolve to jolly well have a fascinating one!

So, on that note, for a good time call Mags....

Breezes Thoughts

Bree Darn it Get out of the fire!
Well I tried going to the ballet tonight, and that was disaster.
sl crashed me 2x and commentator kept hollering please sit down and take off face lite I guess I was to uggie to face another min. Told them I cannot move thank for asking. Grr plus place barely had anybody there. so came here to sit by the fire with crazy hair on crazy head and I guess the fire took a fancy to my gown, just glad it wasn't one of Dana's.
What a night!
Breezes babii
I am always searching for something

Spartin Parx Get in on the fun

On my journeys around this world of ours I meet many interesting people one of these was Spartin her studio was a delight to explore with many provocative pictures so i asked her to tell me about herself and how she got started, this is her story:
"I just moved to a sim I bought for some privacy and to figure out who I wanted to be in this game. You know, what I had to offer; the whole I' travel and figure out who I am thing (lol) So I'm on this sim alone with my best friend Jill Brimm and we were sitting around talking and I take a few "Snapshots" everyone uses this option as a scrap booking tool as I was too! Well I got irritated that I could not get the best angle so I took some more, then I got more picky.
Finally I do a search trusting I will obtain something to better my class of pics for me to share with my best friend.
We did alot of Avatar switching and we would buy crazy things like animals and insects, funny things to make each other crackup, mostly Jill was the one who would spend hours entertaining me, but I wanted wonderful pics of it.
So I'm searching and came across some items that really seemed to help sharpen my focus, enrich my shots.
Then Bam!!!
I was hooked, I bought a lil warehouse to lay out all my things neatly, and Jill became a tortured example of my need to perfect and reperfect.
I was pretty content then I walked into a REAL Photographers studio one day; man I was in it hook line and sinker! I felt like crap, I was desperate to make myself learn every thing I could to better my tool!
Finally I started just drawing folks in from dance clubs and Jill loved to scout. I just worked and worked, I gained another close friend in the meantime Jago Contantine, who was a naturalist, with his photography he taught me to respect not using alot of gadgets and additives to a pic, simplicity was his craft and still is, he was my Buddha of Photography! (lol) I use to think he felt that what I used to create my shots was a joke till the opening night of my gallery!
It was amazing! Truly a night of nights. Everyone I have worked for or dragged in front of my lens was there to support me. Reaching this point in Second life was never in my sights and look how far it has gotten me!
Am I a "ROCK STAR" hell no.
Am I good at what I love doing........You bet!
If it wasn't for sitting around kidding with Jill back then I would have maybe never found myself. Maybe I would have become something of a hobo! (lol) Had I not learned to respect the craft and what others do from Jago I may have turned out arrogant and a name dropper who appeared shallow and non responsive.
There is soooo much more I dream of learning, Im merely a baby crawling right now, I strive to become an an inspiration; like the small time avatar that stood in the great halls of a mass photography store dreaming of making pics like that!
Im so proud of my work, and Second Life has given me a opportunity to take what was always in me and dig really hard and deep to pull it out of the sand! I am forever in Jill Brimm and Jago Constintines debt. Sure hope one day to honor that!"

Spartin Parx
Gallery/studio for all who are interested in a more provocative look at SL.
Get in on the fun!!!
Spartin's Island, Sparkys Parx (93, 99, 30)
Contact Spartin Parx for more information

The NOT SO Tranquil Writer - They Will Love Ur Longer Pole!

Today's column is a bit on the shorter side. With the Winter Solstice rapidly approaching, it seemed fitting to forego wordiness -- particularly for Northern Hemisphere readers all bundled up in muffs and blankets. Solstice is celebrated in a variety of exciting ways around the globe. In fact at one point in history, celebrations got so rowdy the Roman Empire just plopped Christmas over top of it on the calendar to restore order. Fine with me. Go Romans! All the more to celebrate.

"They Will Frolic Around Your Burning Log"

Your Yule one, that is. Set aflame with the remains from the previous year's log, it creates a sense of "that's okay, I'll keep you warm," for those with the shorter pole.
Although no one can argue that the Germanic peoples have the best drinking games, my particular Wintertime favorites are the thirteen Yule Lads from Iceland. Number 9, Bjúgnakrækir, prevails during the traditional Solstice and Christmas period December 20 - January 3. He lurks in the attic until you are sleeping. Then he snatches your smoking sausage. No doubt that will lead to The Epiphany!

"Give Her A Gift That Is As Long As Your Arm!"

Whatever we celebrate...and however we celebrate it, a common thread exists. It is a time of hope, renewal, protective, peaceful intentions, great merriment, and of course, gifting. Rich or poor, often our greatest gift to each other is simply to offer the other arm.

Happy Holidays, All. Oh! And to you Southern Hemisphere folks who have been on some strange berry diet for the last few weeks: we hate you in your bikinis. But just remember, we'll see you again on the flip side.

by Mags,

An Interview with Author Isabel Runningbear

By Nazz Lane

The internationally celebrated author Isabel Losada, known in second life as Isabel Runningbear, had graciously accepted my invitation to meet and be interviewed. Ms Losada has published five books in her distinguished career and had recently returned to second life when she appeared on the SLCN TV broadcast, "Meet an Author Show" with Adele Ward. We met at my office to chat about second life, her work and plans.

"Hello Isabel." I called out as she rezzed into the courtyard at the headquarters of this newspaper. SL was being a little quirky and it took her a few minutes to rezz complete and move the short distance to the office. "Please, have a seat." I said.

"Hello Nazz, thank you, lovely office by the way." She said and then clicked on a chair to sit.

"What bought you into second life?" I asked after taking my seat.

"I came into SL nearly a year ago originally. Friends who work at a university, they have some innovative approaches to teaching and wanted to show me." She replied and then added. "They've done some marvelous work with teenagers ... disaffected youngsters. I've found that some of the best aspects of SL have been in the education field." She replied.

"When we talked briefly before, you'd mentioned not having 'played' SL much, even though your avatar has been around for nearly a year, why were you away from SL?" I asked her.

"I was attempting at having a first life. It was my friends who'd mentioned my having been an author and having an SL account. That resulted in my being invited into the Written Word group, and then the appearance with Adele." Isabel replied.

"Who has been the most extraordinary resident of SL you've met so far?" I asked.

"My friend Elsa, she's a builder at the university She does some amazing things and she works so hard there." She responded.

"Is there anyone in SL you'd love to meet and why?"

"No one in particular, I don't feel the need to meet any of the Lindens for example ... I would however like meeting anyone who is in a publishing house and is in SL and from the UK. I'm reminded of a having met someone from an editing house once who had said why bother with the internet. That was years ago. I would have liked to have met someone with imagination then."

"I saw your appearance on the 'Meet Author Show' it was highly entertaining and I enjoyed it greatly, was that your first promotional appearance in SL?"

"I did a talk at the university at the invitation of my friends there. I had a difficulty doing a talk from SL, I missed the audience connection."

"In your book 'Men' you set out with question 'Where are all the interesting and available men' are you thinking of asking that question in second life?"

"No, because I wouldn't imagine ... extending it into SL. A man of fifty will go out with a woman of thirty. Women in their forties who have reached the height of the careers and are single … ask where the available men are. We've all heard horror stories about internet dating, the risk of projecting what you want onto them without knowing it. What's missing is the personal chemistry of a relationship."

"What were your impressions of "Isabel" being represented by an avatar?"

"I like my avatar … I had an experienced person sitting beside me when I created her. I'm curious though about the psychology of designing an avatar to look to like you in RL or not. However I do like my ears and tail."

"Do you think SL a viable platform for marketing and promotions?" I asked.

"I don't know … I don't have a sense of the potential. But I suppose it would depend on what your book is about. If I chose to enter into it, there is a group of writers here ... a community. I would like to know them in RL, it would be strange for me having a community that is only virtual." She replied

"In the "about you" page on Bloomsbury.com, one of your five favorite books was "Three Sisters" a play by Chekov. Your commentary said 'This is a play but in my former incarnation as an actress I was once Olga and actually lived there. I still remember my life as Olga and the longing to get to Moscow. "What are the similarities between 'Isobel' and 'Olga'? I asked.

"In many ways my life has been easier then Olga ... She had two sisters and all are unhappy. Olga is the oldest and feels the responsibilities. She lives in a small town and feels trapped … despair I suppose ... fatalism ... Chekov portrays. She is limited by circumstance. I don't feel trapped the way Olga felt ... I can make choices ... even if I chose to make my life as an author ... so the similarities ... I would like things to be different then how they are." She replied.

The (Not So) Tranquil Writer #3 - "Oh, Horse Yang!

Oh, Horse Yang!

I usually start my morning with a steamy latte, ponder the global, national, and local news, read some good blog material, and cap it off with a detailed study of my horoscope -- from two trust sources – so I'll know how to adjust my perspective to all that news. Lately I have felt, well, conflicted. This morning, the epiphany descended. In RL I am a Cancer. But in SL...I am, of all things, a Pisces!

“That's it!” I exclaimed out loud to no one, realizing immediately that I needed to mull both facets of my astrological influences. Not as easy as it sounds. According to the standard Tropical astrology crew, I really should get along quite well with myself. Cancerians, being of the “I Feel” ilk, pair well with Pisceans on the “I Believe” track. All touchy-feely watery people. Both oozing with empathy and sympathy; likely to be carrying tissues, aspirins, fairy dust, and calming teas to accommodate and soothe a variety of savage beasts. No conflict there.

Epiphany Two! What about my Vedic signs? After all, I couldn't rely on Ptolemy as the absolute authority to guide me on my morning quests. Using the sidereal approach, I discovered that the RL me is a Gemini. My SL me? Aquarius! The confluence of those signs can only be described as “Head Girl On 'Roids”. RL Me yelling, “I Think”. SL me screaming back, “I Know”.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Jaw set, I knew the dawn of understanding approached. Some combination of “I think I know” and “I feel I believe” or “I know I believe” and “I think I feel.” Clear as mud.

Determined to leave no stone unturned, I plunged deeper. Bring in the Chinese, please. Ahh, beginning to make a bit more sense. As a Tropical Sheep-Rabbit I reveled in the delightful woolliness of my birth rights in both worlds. Soft, warm, Yin-Yin-ish – albeit a bit aimless at times.

Sidereally speaking, though, it appears I entered the world as a Tiger-Horse, 100% Yang, and probably determined to either eat or trample my Sheep-Rabbit self. I quickly reached for some comfort within the Trines. One of me was born in the year of the Ox, the other in the year of the Pig. Result: All is lost unless I partner with someone in both worlds from the year of the Dog.

The sun has finally set – the world spinning swimmingly through yet another day and me without a definitive answer on how to feel about it. Not to be undone by this, after headlines tomorrow, I shall invite the entire zoo inworld and we will settle all of this via a robust competition of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Author's Note: Thank you to Stellata Primrose for submitting the L$1,000 winning words and punctuation used in today's column.

Mags

Playing Una at Woodlin

I didn’t expect to write another story about my Woodlin buddies so soon again. But what happened this weekend, I felt it just *had* to be told.

Many Second Life residents know about the board games here, such as SLopoly, a Monopoly spinoff poking fun at SL. Well, one of my neighbors got Una, a SL version of Uno, a card game in real-life. He thought it would be a great way to get everyone together, notably Dax Loon who's been working like crazy on her next big build.

I had never played Uno in real life, but the rules seemed simple enough. The object of the game is to play all your cards, ending up with none. A card can be played only if it’s the same color or number or a wild card. Besides the wild, there are special cards which call for the next player to be skipped over, the direction of play suddenly reversed, the next player to draw two extra cards, etc. Gameplay needed the players to sit at the table and get an HUD from clicking the stool.

But one thing the designers didn’t count on was what happens when close to a dozen easily amused guys and girls sit down to play.

It didn’t take much to get some of us chuckling, and when one did, we all joined in, either in voice, which most used, or chat. And with our emotes, funny noises and audio lines from film clips, the hilarity just fed on itself. If a player ran into a setback, it was enough to use a long “NOOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOooooooooo....” emote. Then there was when a player would be hit with a “draw four card,” “Oh my Gawd. You pawned me! (laughter) I’m going to get you for that. (more laughter),” pretending to be mad at the dealer. And when one of the skunkfolk made that remark, I jokingly asked if I should get clothespins and tomato juice, which got more chuckles. Emotes of sound clips of funny web films and movies, emotes of funny sound effects. It continued on and on, and some people supposedly were laughing so hard, they were crying in real-life. Then there was the game’s ending animation, when the cards would explode outward, then all converge on the winner just in front of the chest. When it was a girl, there were jokes about the deck ending up in the cleavage.

Some told they hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time.

We’re going to have to do it again soon.

Bixyl Shuftan

Breezes Thoughts

Bree In a Tree, was certainly a chore getting up here on this limb.
Climbing is not one of my best ways of looking at life. Perched up here, with the birds and the bees I gaze o'er the land and what do I see, what do I feel?
It is hard to describe, the wind blowing through my tresses , clearing my visions of cloudy skies. The eagles soaring by, searching for twigs to comfort his nest, waiting for his mate is what it is all about.
Splashing waters behind me, delights me Oh how I love the streams rushing by.
Making me want to wade to the end of time. Life is bred amongst the rocks, the stones and neath the waters hides silt and maybe a sliver of silver or gold.
Seek and turn the stones and find your treasure, you never know what lies under your feet or ahead on the path. Take a chance, look around maybe try and follow the butterfly floating around. reach out and try to grasp a piece of this earth.
I am not much for getting my life in order, but,sitting here makes me see the beauty of this gods made world, for but who else can make scenery as He.
Smiles are within me, I hope all can see and feel the gift of our lives.
In the SL life has bought such happiness, oh yes, is like real life, it is not always wonderful, but in its own way truly an experience not to be missed.
Breezes

I am always searching for something.

Will PutOutOrGetOut Oswobodowskystein Please Report To The BlehW00t Nfo Firedesk?

There are a scant few times in our lives when we can easily re-christen ourselves. Over the course of years, I have sat with many a wigged out parent who have dropped children on my doorstep wearing their “Do Not Return To Sender” T-shirts. I quickly reassure the children that we always have plenty of porridge. And I take a moment at the door to ask Mum and Dad to glance back one last time and remember the day they chose a name for their Blessed Bundle. Frequently reconnecting oatmeal-hating children and teary-eyed parents is accomplished in short order.

Then they grow up. All of them. And they can choose their Own Names, thank you.

Most readers know I sit in OChills Bar & Grill drinking latte all day. Chatting with the various visitors and pondering where their minds must have been as they were “born” into SL. Think back now. Wasn't easy was it? Picking a name that would chase you through all time and eternity. Establishing your own unique sobriquet – either to reveal or conceal the Old You. Quite a bit like vanity plates for your auto.

“So what,” you say. “I can always dump the Old New Me and get a Newer Improved Me, right?”

Wrong. All of a sudden you have Friends. You have non-transferable favorite pink sheep slippers and Big Hair of enormous nostalgic proportions.. Someone has given you a pet who will follow you devotedly to the grave. Your groups think you are cooler than Ice-T. You've bought a custom made George Clooney or Brittany Spears skin. Worst yet you may have grown rich and famous!

“Got the fix,” you counter. “I will add a Bright Yellow Text Tag Of Reason to my head explaining where said head was when I named myself!”

“Brilliant!” I say with my custom pixel brows aloft. My no-transfer latte extended Northward by my "Proust!" gesture.

The winning tag to date: “My former soul mate dragged me kicking and screaming into this crazy place and I just typed 'IBelong2Roxie' to please her. I really wanted to name myself after my dream car.” Fortunately we have good seating at the Bar for disclaimers taller than the average visitor.

Got a name like that? It's okay. C'mon over, grab some porridge and latte and I'll call your parents. Oh...and your kids too if you wish.
Mags