For The Vicereine

Most of the regular readers of this blog know me for what I am.  Among the words one might use to describe me would come "sentimental", "devoted", "friend", "silly".  So you won't be surprised by my expression of feelings having Kamilah Hauptmann as a friend in SL and RL.

Interestingly enough Kami and I had only a few interactions in world - and they were pleasant enough - prior to CaleCon in 2008.  We met there in person with a few of our other Caledonian friends.  It was a small con, but a grand time.  We had opportunity to talk and talk during that long weekend and discovered that we, in fact, made great friends.  Happily, we have kept that friendship up in world and have had occasion to visit with one another in the real world once again. 

 Eva, Kami, Otenth, Gabi at my CaleCon opening night Cocktail Party

 Lionsgate (Kamilah) and Loch Avie (Eva) at CaleCon dinner/dance/simulcast

Jaelle, Eva, and Kamilah in NYC (summer 2010)

I remain a bit sad not to be able to join her, Jaelle,  and several of our other friends at SteamCon again this year.  The west coast is oh-so-far-away at this time of year with my children in school and holiday choral events in full swing.  I'll get there some day (I hope. I hope.) and if I'm lucky, Kamilah and other friends will also be in attendance. 

For now, I would like to share with you the slide show from Kamilah's 5th Rez Day party on November 7th, and a poem I found, which seems to suit her very well (simply substitute the word "Vicereine" for "Queen" in this poem as she would be the first to remind you that Victoria is Queen).

A Queen

A Queen is proud of herself. She respects herself and others.
She is aware of who she is. She neither seeks definition from
the person she is with, or does she expect them to
read her mind. She is quite capable of
articulating her needs.

A Queen is hopeful. She is strong enough to make all her
dreams come true. She knows love, therefore she
gives love. She recognizes that her love has
great value and must be reciprocated.
 If her love is taken for granted,
it soon disappears.

A Queen has a dash of inspiration, a dabble of endurance.
She knows that she will, at times, have to inspire others
to reach the potential God gave them. A Queen knows
her past, understands her present and
moves toward the future.

A Queen knows the Creative Energy. She knows that with
this the world is her playground, but without she will just
be played. A Queen does not live in fear of the future
because of her past. Instead, she understands that
her life experiences are merely lessons, meant
to bring her closer to self knowledge
and unconditional self love.
Queen,


~Author Unknown~

A Rez Day Celebration of Viceregal Proportions

Year one, you are like you are ten.
Year two, you are like you are twenty-five.
Year three, you are like you are fifty.
Year four, you are like you are one hundred.
Year five, you were born in the dark ages of land extortionists,
malltards, bling was new, but the air was fresh and you could fly sim
to sim without falling apart at the seams, and there was no such thing
as a facelight, much less ten of them on one avatar.

Kamilah Hauptmann

You are all invited to my 4th Rez Day Party

Can hardly believe it is true: As of May 28th, I will have lived for 4 years in this place we call Second Life. Four years seems at once too long a measure as well as too short. We've experienced so much together. Time, they say, is experienced exponentially differently here. SL can be very intense creatively, emotionally, intelligently.

This little invitation I threw together tonight, shares a mere split-second of my existence here, though it shows several of the events and activities I've known. Most especially highlighted are my previous rez day parties. But you'll find hints of other parties, battles, fund-raising work, and just being with friends.

I do hope we can celebrate together on May 31st (which also happens to be my typist's birthday). Frequency Picnic was so fantabulous as to offer to play the music. I've not really chosen a theme, so just come as you are and let's have fun!

Slurls and other details will follow later.

What A Party!!

Memories of Santas & Shotguns



A Wicked Fun Time at Hotspur O'Toole's 3rd Rez Day party!! Many thanks to DJ Freq! for the fantastical playlist and to the Boys in the Backroom (Murakami and Huszar) for the Reindeer skeet shooting game. And thanks to everyone who join us for the silliness - you made the party what it was. :-D

MANY YEARS!

MANY YEARS!

Kate has taught me that "many years" is a traditional blessing that is given at the end of each Sunday service to those in her local Orthodox congregation who are celebrating birthdays. As I began thinking about writing this piece on our 3rd Rez Day celebration, I thought this was just the perfect thing to say avatars in SL. There are at least two reasons.

1)the desire to wish the person behind the avatar well, expressing the hope that their avatar will remain and flourish for years to come.
and 2) the recognition that every year in real life equals 6 years in SL. (Many years indeed.)

It felt good and right that Kate and I would celebrate our Rez Days together this year since we met on my very first day in world and have been fast friends ever since that time. Her real life has kept her out of SL a lot over the last year or so, but we do try our best to spend time together in world when the chance arises, plotting and planning good things for the Royal Society, or exploring, or simply just catching up.

There have certainly been times in the last 3 years that I have seriously considered giving Second Life up all together. I need not recount the reasons or dramas here, but I will say that there have been many lessons-learned.

What has kept me here?
Good friends are the first and foremost reason.

The outlet for creativity - expressed both in world and in this blog as well as others. The sheer joy of discovery that happens when one goes, for instance to visit AM Radio and his latest work of art.

The humor and silliness that can also happen are truly draws as well. It's good to be able to let one's hair down at times and just laugh and play.

I should also say that as someone who's human works full time in her professional field and is raising two fabulous children that one should not diminish the feeling of stress relief that can be gained by a friendly (or not so friendly) match on the tournament sands, the fencing piste, or behind the cannon of an ironclad. :) Sometimes you just can't top battles or blowing things up!

The STEAMY party itself was great fun! Thanks to all of you who attended. We went an hour over the scheduled time because we were all just having too much fun for it to end. And during that time as people came and went, we maintained about 35 or so guests. The dancing and conversation were fabulous, and the music provided by Gabrielle Riel was perfect! Once again, my dear cousin created a play list for us that was spot on.

Thanks also for all the good thoughts and well wishes; for presents and private notes. I will cherish these things - and do.

Much love & many years, my friends!

Getting Steamy for the party

The Rez Day Girls party on with friends.
(seen in this shot, Otenth Paderborn, Klaus Wulfenbach, Gabrielle Riela & Azul Draken)

JJ Drinkwater and TotalLunar Eclipse

Kate and Eva

Steam dancing

Roy Smashcan

Nabila Nadir

Crowd early in the evening.
We were blessed to have friends from Winterfell, Caledon, Steelhead, New Babbage, and other varied sims.

Icarus Ghost dances with Frequency Picnic as Jed Dagger looks on.

My favorite feline: Kamilah Hauptmann

Martini Discovolante
(also seen in this shot: Miss Lumina & Mr. Squirrel Zuhal)

Eva and Kami

Squirrel Zuhal

Serra Anansi, Otenth Paderborn, Klaus Wulfenbach, Kate Nicholas, Eva Bellambi

Icarus Ghost, Hotspur O'Toole, and a lovely couple of ladies from Winterfell.
(one looked very familiar :p)

Klaus and Kate

Frequency Picnic and MissLily Nightfire

Duchess dancing. :)

Lunar and Roberto with many others in the background.

Present to us both from Lord Bardhaven in his absence.

A most excellent bird! Thanks, Vee!

New Steampunk Boots, new ring, and new flight ao. :)

Rez Day Party Location Announcement

Well - due to some technical difficulties at the super sekrit location of the party for Kate and me, the soiree will be held high in the sky over my island. Despite some initial disappointment on my part, it is all coming together very nicely.

So - we'll see you tomorrow night from 6:30pm-9:30pm SLT at Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne.

Please tp to the exterior of the castle where you will find the long range teleportation device to the party platform.

See you there!

Pray DO Save the Date - May 28th 6:30p-9:30p SLT

Far more details to follow, my friends. Far more. But here, at least, is the basic invitation.

Kate Nicholas and I look forward to hosting you this time as we celebrate 3 years on the grid. Our theme is STEAMY. So begin to think Steampunk (obviously), burlesque (likely), and hot (definitely). Everyone is welcome! Join in the fun of the theme or come as you are.

And yes, I know that the place for the party is not yet announced. Those details are under tight security at the moment. :) I will let you know.

Looking forward to having fun with you next Sunday!!



The Honourable Kate Nicholas: Rezzed 5-24-06
The Lady of Skye, Eva Bellambi: Rezzed 5-28-06
Lady Eva's typist: Born 5-31-69 (yep - turning 40!)

A Rez Day party of epic proportions

Gads! Put Exrex, Calli, and me on the case of a great Rez Day party and what do you get?

Avatars filling the Oceanside venue at Artificial Isle (Thanks again, Zatz!), folks from Caledon, Steelhead, Babbage, Anitquity, Winterfell, and several other sims. Hobos, NPIRL artists, Vicereines (who seem to enjoy caging Duchesses while they are away and moving them onto the stage with intent to orbit, but the stage did not cooperate- Hmph!), several Wrath Fleet members, and many others.

We had mud wrestling, water slides, swimming, dancing, fencing, joke telling, capture the flag (boats), and all around revelry. After the main party ended, there were enough folks who wanted to continue the fun that it was moved to Steelhead for another hour or so.

Thanks to all who assisted, and particularly Therese Slade and her wonderful music!

Happy 2nd Rez Day, Hotspur!

For My Favorite Librarian

Happy 2nd Rez Day, Mr. JJ Drinkwater!

For Librarians

Imagine you can consider all ideas
And images represented by all words
And numbers in all libraries worldwide.
Open the book of this consideration.
Touch the paper. See the illustration
Of you, reading, when you were ten
In your local library. Turn
Several pages. Now read how you
And that other person ignited romance
In, of all places, the stacks, third floor,
In quite a different library. Snowflakes
Brushed against dark glass as you two
Stood between PQ and PR.

Now go to the index. Find “possibility.”
Look up from the book. The librarian
Who looks away was watching you.
She knows how to phrase the question
You want answered.

Librarians know where wisdom’s stored.
They catalogue the countless forms
Of silence and tell people what they
Didn’t know they wanted to know.
They treat the mentally fractured
As if they’re whole, the dull as if they’re
Sharp, Winter as if it’s Summer.

A band of sunlight angles through high
Windows, brightens shoes of a librarian,
Who knows the patron in the gray enormous
Coat will steal a book about sex or wiccans.
She knows some Christians will steal books
Deemed Satanic, ignoring a commandment
And the homeless person sleeping in a chair.
She knows some atheists treat Library as
Church, so when she moves into shadows,
She does so quietly. She worries for books.

For the librarian knows books are easily burned,
Recycled, or digitized, reduced to oxygen, carbon,
Silicon, and such basic elements as hate and
Budgetary cuts. She wishes presidents of
The United States would consult librarians
Before going to war. It would save so much time,
So many lives. She knows exactly which references
Know how badly any war will go and how soon
Citizens come to loathe their leaders. She knows
How to find stories about all the libraries
Wiped out by war. She knows patrons who’ve
Been harmed by war. Sometimes they set off alarms.
Someone asks her, “Can you help me find out
If I’m related to Napoleon? ” Yes, ” she answers,
“Come with me, please.”

All libraries may now gather inside invisible
Electrons. After closing time, books in Sweden
Send emails to maps in Chile. A librarian in Topeka
Posts a reply to one in Tokyo, adding to a blue thread
Wrapped around the globe.

As sincerely as librarians worry for books, for shelves,
For catalogues, buildings, and best practices,
So should we worry for librarians, for images and ideas.

At a table in a library, a circle of light
Lies on a book. The hand not writing turns
The page, and something important happens.

Hans Ostrom

*for all librarians - regardless of gender

JJ celebrated his 2nd Rez Day twice yesterday. Once during the afternoon SLT with friends from Europe and other places across the globe, and once during the evening SLT with (mostly) American-based friends. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend for a while last night. I made a private call to the gentleman and inquired as to any theme for the night. He requested Midsummers Night.

The Færie of the Red Rose

I happily complied as did many others. Still others arrived as they were when the invitation went out over the ISC. We had a lovely time in Lady Edwina's sim on Hoy. Thank you, Eds, for the hospitality.

The Rez Day boy....er...Lion dances with Miss Serra and other friends

Spiral Walcher's excellent cake

Shaunathan Sprocket

Miss Cornelia Rothschild

Hawk's eye view

Hotspur O'Toole

Gabrielle Riel

Mr. Aldo and Mrs. Betty Stern

The færie dances in the dew.

Many more happy days to you, Dear JJ. Many more!

Midsummer Naughty and Nice

Quite a few social activities this past weekend here in this little corner of the Metaverse.

Friday night found me in Steelhead for the Lord of the Rings themed dance followed by a great time in Winterfell at The Green Fairy dancing with Miss Serra and many other friends. (There was also a very interesting trivia quiz. *smiles wickedly* Alas I have no pictures from those events. I have no excuse really...I just didn't take any. I did, however, get a few shots in my Shieldmaiden of Rohan look (minus the blond hair) whilst trying out my newest airship (try not to be too jealous) - a gift from Lady Kate Nicholas. This sweet thing is full mod and I look forward to personalizing the ship to suit my adventurous desires.

Flying along the coastline in Loch Avie

The gang-plank of the airship. In my Eowyn costume.

Saturday was a very busy time in RL, but I was able to pop into the Midsummer Rave in Shengri-La. I had not been there in some time, and it was nice to see a few friends from IBM as well as Shenlei and Rez.

The view from the skies. So beautiful.

Eva, the Blue Færie

Our hostess, Shenlei Flasheart

Dancing in the garden with Lady Kate Nicholas

And finally last night after a very happy and successful Father's Day celebration in RL, I attended the fabulous naughty and nice Rez Day celebration of Miss Lumina of Steelhead. Grand good fun!

The Rez Day girl

Part of the crowd early in the evening enjoying the music and the gorgeous setting

Two of the 4 or 5 Radio Riel staff present. Gabrielle and Red (Red DJ'd the evening)

Silhouetted Dancers

Is this Hugh Wulfenbach?