Waiting; Tolerating; Curating

Years since last blog post: 1 (bad); Exquisite outfits bought since last post: innumerable (good); New rentals since last post: none (good).

Had "can't remember when last blogged, hope not so long ago blog disappears" moment. Turns out was a year ago and evidently at that point had grand plans to post detailed account of moving in to Ahiru. Well, moved in and have moving-in pics somewhere but probably on other computer so moving on. 

Was on VWEC duty today which involves standing or sitting about on the VWEC welcome platform (see pics 1 and 2), and then if anyone appears offering to help induct them into the wonderful educator's paradise that is Second Life. Have chosen slot at 9am Friday my time, which is 1am SL time, and after ??? months of duty only meaningful interaction has been with European educator I already know, who happened to have a holiday and so was mooching around in SL, as you do.

 Nearest apart from that was someone who rezzed and stood motionless for half an hour or so not responding to helpful chat and IM, turns out they were waiting for someone, so had to mean they already had communication and wayfinding skills but hadn't learned how to turn on BUSY so they could block out irritating IMs from busybodies "trying to help".

Will see that in 1st pic am wearing cute Chinese outfit, which spotted on Spectacledchic's Flickr feed and snapped up as soon as Kustom9 opened. Oodles of colour options for different bits, but ended up with blue, because, blue is best, and then homed in on these great boots when finally got into Fameshed. Fameshed was delayed by about a day as SL was having a Moment, or rather a moment lasting several hours whilst its servers fell over and they had to Roll Back to Previous Version a couple of times which meant the work people had done in setting up their booths had disappeared. 

Wasn't all the servers, and in fact the point at which realised that it wasn't just me not able to get to the sims I wanted was when saw chat on the Fameshed group inworld with people complaining they'd been waiting 3 hours for event to open and Fameshed people explaining the situation. As sidenote, is annoying when the place you want to loginto is vapour, and it sends you to one of the ghastly Welcome Hubs instead. With  mesh bodies, you just get used to lots of people initially rezzing naked before all the clothing bits cludge together. However if you happen to have been rezzed at an adult Hub, the point comes where you realise I AM IN FACT SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WITH NO OR SCANTY CLOTHES THERE IS NO MORE TO REZ think they are aiming at the target market of those who have read media slurs about SL being all about sex. 

Hope don't have this happen when am doing demo for colleagues about SL, as would feed into stereotype, though of course last paragraph demonstrates that stereotype has some foundation. Am putting together lovingly curated link of annotated links about life in SL for this demo, though is possible that only person who'll read them all is me. Always have to remember although think SL and all its paratexts are entrancing, awesome, rich, creative etc. etc. etc. for some it is dull / weird/ childish etc etc.  

One of things am entranced by is self so here to finish is a pic of me in the Ahiru home, worshipping my otaku-themed PC, snug in the kotatsu. So much cuteness! I could look at it for hours.

Multicoloured musings

Hunts toyed with: 2 (good); Papers on SL delivered in RL: 1 (excellent, Naturally); No. of people attending talk: 7 (4 more than one of the other speakers; so, good)

Seem to be writing blog posts here circa once a month. Have speculated before on sad fall-off in Adventuresofyoshikawa productivity. One factor is still 52 weeks of colour challenge which has reached week thirty-something, so might as well mention that have blogged clothes in mauve, electric blue (see 1st pic), celadon, lemon and patriarch since last post here.

Some of these are colours that didn't know existed before 52 Weeks challenge, so am engaging actively in lifelong learning. Other skills for 52 weeks challenge include shopping, buying more linden so can do more shopping, spending hours trying on different virtual clothes, playing with lighting so look more exquisite in photo shoots and fiddling with photoshop to add final touch to exquisiteness. However, most of these are skills had mastered already, esp. shopping.

Have also acquired numerous freebies from Hunts, including bed with cotton bunny draped nostalgically over rail (see 2nd pic), boat, and supercute house with shutters that make creaking sound when open and close (also in 2nd pic). Stash of not-free-but-cheap includes 2 starry night skydomes, zen massage platform with parrots and urban rooftop garden. Could now have whole islands themed with different types of building e.g. think have at least 3 different stables and 3 different spa/massage sets, so could already create either equine paradise or health/spa resort.

Meanwhile, am dazzling RL friends with news that am researching how to do research in SL. Actually for "dazzling" could substitute "inducing glazed eyes and sudden realisation that they have urgent appointment elsewhere".




Have got v. interested in research on documentary photography & its application to SL, and whole issue of documenting and presenting research about SL. This is what paper at RL conference was about, and am sure that after hearing topic of presentation, readers will be wondering why audience was not 20 deep and queuing down the corridor rather than being confined to 7 people, one of whom was chairing session.

However must be said were only about 40 people at conference and at that point were 4 parallel sessions, so did not feel too bad about it. Also had attended previous session where were just 2 of us plus chair, so felt relieved were as many as 7.
Presentation included numerous pics (e.g. "spot the difference" ones above) and 2 videos, one of which is on Youtube and is linked below. As predicted, acquiring fraps recording software has been ... come to think of it, yet another reason why am not blogging here.

Shopaholic

Dresses bought: 6 or it might be 7, or 8 or ... (v.bad, although 3 of them were free); Shoes bought: 2 pairs (3 if you count the slippers: bad); Bracelets bought: 2 (bad); Fans bought: 1 (bad); Necklaces bought: 1 (I suppose that's not SO bad); Pairs of earrings bought: 2 (bad); Computer crashes: 2 (bad); Hours spent trying on new outfits: 3 (v.v.bad); Hours spent managing inventory: 1 (good)

Have developed dreadful shopping habit. Spent hours flitting between emporia, flying up and down in front of placards deciding whether frocks would look as good on me as on model.
Fear have left Boxes (in which clothes come packed) strewn across landscape in mad drive to Open and try on booty. Have to remember to Take boxes after contents have zoomed into inventory but easily distracted by sight of new bodices, underskirts, waving ribbons, veils etc waiting to be Worn.

Wonder whether there is already sanctuary for shopaholics in SL where Residents can be discouraged from Retail Therapy. All above in fact only cost circa £6, but still that is £6 for which have nothing to show except a few photos uploaded to flickr.
On whole shopping hassle free experience. Only incident was someone trying to sell me hair. Have decided that will keep hair as identifying feature. In RL have had long hair since age 12 and intend to keep it thus, so short blue hair is novelty. Have also realised that arms have tattoos on, a fact hitherto concealed by prediliction for kimono with long sleeves. As tattoos also something not aspired to in RL will keep for present.

Photos display some of new purchases which am attempting to mix and match although this takes some care as clothes not bought together tend to interact in very odd ways.

Shoes biggest disappointment since with current graphics card simply make feet look deformed and crumbling. However still prefer long skirts so worst is concealed. Best buy is Diamond Dress which cost only $1 Linden on discard pile in fancy store, since flouncy black skirt from this can be combined with top from another outfit and a feathery thing from one of my possible mistakes (a red number) to give v. classy effect. (see 2nd pic sitting in office).

Some pleated skirts also nice (3rd pic, the traditional Flying Shot), but disconcertingly disappear into chair when sit down. This effect is shown in first pic (meditating on some mountain or other) where looks OK I think.


With new stuff raining into Inventory decided must do some Personal Information Management and discovered that key to this is Create New Window which gives you copy of Inventory and enables movement of items between folders (not possible, as far as can see, when only 1 copy of inventory open).
Create various subfolders, mostly for types of clothing (surprise) and all looks much neater now, plus have deleted various objects the function of which remained obscure but had held on to them just in case.

As well as considering and rejecting new Hair, also tried some new Eyes (see final pic) but frankly not worth it, especially as eyes are almost totally obscured by fringe.