Draxtor Despres is offering friendship; blog apps regress; pumpkin time

Friendship offers: several (good); Friendship offers from Draxtor Dupres: 1 (like, totes amazeballs); pumpkins pulled from inventory: infinite (bad); Blog app "upgrades": 2 (apalling)

Appears to be time for 6-monthly blog post, so here it is. Was startled this morning by friendship offer from Draxtor Dupres, who is a notable slebrity. Think this is because of attending the Digital... digital ... digital something sessions inconveniently scheduled at 10am SL time on Thursdays and convened by Tom Bukowski. Are inconvenient since 12 noon is of course VWER time, and need to have physical food break too. However, digital thingy sessions give oppportunity to utter self-obsessed statements about SL, universe and everything, so go when can (though searching through chat, first utterance at one of these events appears to have been @Eliza think I agree with that so also indulge in sycophantic yea-saying). 

In first pic I'm in digital thingy event looking v. cool with the shaggy hair and poncho vibe and there's Draxtor (in mustard coloured trousers), you can tell already that we're going to be great chums.

One change that has happened since last blogged is enforced changes to Blogger editing layout. This was advertised as " an improved web experience for Blogger" and perhaps is for some, but can only think of ways in which it has got worse e.g. 

- in HTML blogging mode, no longer puts in breaks if you do them in that mode, it all just scrunches up.
- takes two clicks to create new post when click on the "New post" in top bar
- Resizing pics after you inserted them is more fiddly 

But could be worse, what Wordpress have done to their editing interface is unfathomable. Have decided that without me realising Wordpress have stopped being somewhere that ordinary mortals/avatars can blog and turned into - ? possibly a suit of website apps. Only know that couldn't understand most of their "help" blog posts for last couple of months. 

Meanwhile things jog along in roughly same groove in SL. Am having to be at VWER every week and still getting more people coming along than pre-COVID. Am preparing for Global Media and Information Literacy week in SL (suppose should have blogging about that instead, oh well). Because of this am neglecting Halloween though managed to get a couple of Halloween-compliant costumes (see pic 2). Have resisted buying pumpkins so far because have so so many.

Or is this wrong. Broke off to see what had in Inventory when searched on "Pumpkin". 

This is just part of the result (above) and that's without the giant pumpkin trees that swallow you, the multipart Sway's pumpkin carving set, numerous small pumpkins that got lost in the grass, pumpkin lanterns and pumpkin-related food. 

Though realise that have dearth of green pumpkins, pale blue pumpkins and pumpkins in shape of animals other than cats. So permission to purchase more pumpkins granted!

I have 100 Friends

No of Friends: 100 (somewhat excessive)

Have made various jottings about sessions attended today, but in meantime will note major landmark. Today Friended 100th person. Was actually serendipity that found out, since haven't counted them for ages and didn't realise there were so many. And, to be honest, not sure I remember who some of them are, but there are 100 of them, so, hey, what does that matter.
Am shown about to Friend a new person after chatting to them at the post-conf party tonight.

Happy New Year

Calories consumed over festive period in SL: 0 (v. good); Calories consumed over festive period in RL: 1 trillion zillion (estimate) (v.v. bad); SL Friends met in RL: 1 (good)

Am struggling back into RL work mode after extended holiday us academics enjoy, as all uni buildings traditionally shut for c. 10 days and only those with strange experiments requiring constant access allowed to cross portals. Do not, though, (as some seem to think) only resume activity when students return and start making strange demands on ones time, namely lecturing, marking etc etc. Indeed Jan seems already month packed with various meetings, reports to be written etc etc, not to mention all stuff that was supposed to be done in 2007, ahem.

Have decided must make new year resolutions. This not normally something indulge in as generally reckon that if want to do something probably will and if don’t probably won’t. However this is doubtless defeatist attitude. One of resolutions will be to catch up on blog entries so will do a few of those whilst pondering remaining resolutions.

Although did not spend all festive SL time chasing freebie outfits (unlike Dimitrova) did pick up nice jewelery every day from Second Mirage, did a quick bit of treasure hunting in the Cherry Tokyo sim (my first garments were Cherry Tokyo kimonos so is nostalgia element here) and also dropped into House of Zen for fetching free Snowman kimono.

Thus am shown in first pic in Cherry Tokyo’s winter wonderland before unpacking goodies and in Second pic am on one of my properties, post unpacking, sporting Second Mirage jewelry plus the C Tokyo parasol and said wintertime kimono.

Suppose will have to start Taking Xmas trees, sparkly lights, skates etc. into inventory soon, but will wait for 12th night before doing so.
One interesting RL event was meeting Marilena, when she was visiting London. All v. exciting esp. as she treated me to tea in Liberty’s, one of my favourite shops in the RL world. This did not exactly decrease calorie intake, but Christmas comes but once a year, probably just as well.

Errant animals

Rabbits escaping: 1 (bad); No. of rabbits found in pond: 1 (good, unexpectedly); No. of antelope in office: 1 (good)

Got new idea for water feature, namely underwater animals. Had left rabbit animating to itself on new house at top of hill. When returned next day, bunny no longer there. Expected that would find it in Lost and Found inventory (together with the 3 giant birds that had tried to rez in Abo Akademi without success. Evidently was same problem I had ie lack of prim space, so when freed up the birds presumably whooshed into life and then whooshed into Lost and Found. Must have been pretty startling for someone when the things actually appeared.)

Anyway, went down hill to admire pool and lo! the rabbit was hopping about at the bottom, quite content under water. As pool quite deep the rabbit couldn't get out and after teasing it for a bit decided that was where it could stay. Tried putting antelope in as well but that just lay on side looking reproachful so TOOK it (or more precisely tried to TAKE it and TOOK the water it was in instead and had to manoeuvre same back into position and then felt less compunction about putting it out of its misery i.e. DELETE).

Also seen here is a picture of me playing with animated creatures in office. Mitsy the cat was not impressed. Left antelope there with Mitsy but in end am having to tell it to stay immobile as when set antelope to WANDER it inevitably ends up scrabbling in a corner and then off the land altogether.

Have visions of wild rabbits, antelope and chocabos running free in the new island. Rabbits don't exactly run, in fact, more hobble in circles. Except Pool Rabbit must have run down that hill.

Had late night visit from Citril and Ishbel which was nice, though with all those seats we still ended up chatting standing outside the house, as you do.

A meeting in SL

Updates to SL: 1 (worrying); Conversations: 2 (good)

Obliged to download new version of SL interface (v. 1.16.0) Appear to have new version about once every couple of weeks, which won't suit university computing people I fear. New version has many exciting improvement e.g

- Improved muting of particle systems

- No-copy objects that fail to rez now reappear in inventory

- Sculpted Prims

Sculpted prims sound v. alarming. Obviously still have v. large amount to learn about SL. However feel superior as spot typo in information panel, vis

- "Fixed sitting avatar standing up when close are dragged onto the avatar"

think "close" should read "clothes". Does not compensate for vast sea of ignorance revealed, though.

Go in world to discover AF and MB (my Friends) are both online. Have felt bit guilty that after anxiety about AF friendship offer made no attempt to contact AF once Friendship Accepted. Can remedy this now!

[15 minutes later] Exciting times. AF whizzed over to Secret Cave on Eduserv Island and had conversation (see pic). AF agreed can probably launch new RL Research centre on Island, v. cool. Reminded me about educators' conference in/on SL tomorrow which alas will miss as on RL holiday. Also complimented on new kimono, as did RL friend via RL blog (this gets complicated) Bonus was that while waiting for AF to fly over did quick IM session with MB. Was able to tell him that RL friend (now HD in SL) had admired Bedfordia.

I have a friend

Friendships accepted: 1 (good) Items marked in RL: 2. Items marked in RL and mistakenly put in waste basket at home: 1 (bad)

AF has accepted friendship! Received email from SL this morning. Not sure about next move. In fact don't really need new friends since old friends in RL seem to spend all their time complaining I don't contact them. Obvious danger of being dysfunctional in 2 worlds in friends department.

Big decision today is whether to attend opening reception for San Jose University campus, site of unfortunate Lost Textures incident. Big minus is that it starts 6pm SL time which is 2am here. Plus factor would be showing off new kimono, and getting free virtual drinks. Biggest plus of all is ability to teleport away from dull conversations, unlike RL . Way in which people's names hover over their heads in SL also enormous advantage. Having people's names hover them in RL at conferences would be a Lesson Learned from SL IMHO.

PHOTO: An old one of me on Info Island.