Hot tubs. Time. Change/ no change.

Blogs disappearing beyond recall: about 20 (v. bad)
Sudden panic has driven me back to Yoshikawa blogland. Have class where force students to create team blogs, and yesterday found that team blogs from 2011 had suddenly gone phut, they were ex-blogs. Blogger sounded v. calm when told me each time that there was no such blog, but was v. upsetting. Think it is because students created them using uni email accounts which since expired, so are not active bloggers. However, idea of Adventures going phut too awful for words. Decided needed to Keep Blog Active.

So, surprisingly, here are a few random thoughts of the day.
1) Hot tubs, changing yet changeless. Hot tubs were amongst early purchases in 2007, in fact venerable examples still inhabit inventory as throw v. little away. This hot tub is in some ways an advance (it has curves, water goes in and out, there are 6 poses in each corner, it is not very many prims). On the other hand, it still looks pretty much like a hot tub circa 2007 in essential i.e. has wooden bit on outside, watery bit on inside, a few folderolls like candles and think those are meant to be rose petals although they look more like mishapen saucers, you sit in it, end of story.

2) On the other hand, seems to have been great advances in gym equipment. Look, am evidently strongest avatar in universe since can lift heavy weights with one arm. This was in a shop the name of which escapes me (no change there, then) where I ended up carrying off a punch bag and some bongos. And possibly something else. Did I buy that fireguard? Think not. Was one of those shops with lots of things at 300 Linden plus, so when you come across something cute at 90 Linden you immediately snap it up. Punch bag has v. amusing set of animations and bongos have both sound and silent options whilst you play them, so can practice without annoying neighbours. Since bought them and then forgot had bought them do not yet have pics.

3)World's End Gardens continues photogenic. Saw in someone's blog that WEG is about to go phut, too. So thought should visit it a last time. Bought a clump of blue roses and did a lot of posing with some balloon animations that discovered in inventory. Arty or what.

4) Eyes and cats are go.
 Kittycats are still darlings of my SL, and the animations just get cuter and cuter (hold! follow! make random inane remarks!). However sometimes the kitties go a bit odd, with part of the body sitting up (for example) whilst the rest of the kittycat body stays put. Had particularly disconcerting moment when Marl's eyes stayed where they were whilst rest of head was lowered. This brings together two of my most popular tags i.e. eyes and cats.

Think this is possibly Art. Question is: who created it, me or the kittycat? Still, since Linden Lab now owns everything created by anybody in SL, is rather meaningless to ponder on this.

Watermelon addiction

No of watermelons gathered: 36 (bad); Melon shops hunted: one (good)
Potential addiction to fishing currently obliterated by mindless watermelon "Slice of Summer" hunt. Idea is you find watermelon in shop A which contains gift plus landmark to shop B (etc etc up to 100 and something).

So that SL Friends do not realise this (other than readers of this blog, obviously) have sent Dimitrova to do main hunting and here she is collapsed on a sofa (one of the gifts) surrounded by latest batch of boxes. Kept thinking "will just go to one more shop" and there one is, X hours later with a pile of stuff of mixed interest.
Are far too many short skirts, however is also good stuff, in particular v. cute birdcage necklace and earrings from Ginza Kohime and COMPLETE watermelon shop, with male and female watermelon-eating animations and pile of watermelons that tumble to ground when clicked.


With Dimitrova having done groundwork, went and just plucked good stuff. Whilst at K's Shop (source of watermelon ensemble) camped for 10 mins to get rustic bench with nap animation (see 2nd pic), and also snagged a free table and chair set and a sort of digging animation (with fork) from two of the lucky boards.

3rd pic shows watermelon shop temporarily installed next to Ishbel & Nigl's office, by the common room and underneath the 7 Pillars of information literacy bird flu exhibit. In front of shop is a bath/watermelon cooler that was a camping item (15 mins) from OBF (am bathing in it) last year. Was going to say that always knew it would come in useful, but "useful" might be questionable word here.

However, could be just the thing when people have been seriously examining information literacy exhibits and want to be refreshed by a slice of melon, and then, since watermelon is pretty sticky, an even more refreshing bathe.

Daily dose

Items received from DSN: 15? 20? (who knows); Ratio of interesting to uninteresting items: 1:1 (not bad)
Have continued to log in eagerly to Accept the items from the Designers Showcase Network (see prvious post). Boxes of free stuff rattle into my inventory like rain onto ... onto land that is pretty damp already. However, present are always good, in my view.
On a serious note (to get that over with) I hope this is still going when I bring in students next academic year, since I could "persuade" them to sign up and it would give them regular practice in opening boxes and learning how to tell what you are supposed to do with stuff (wear, drag to ground, contemplate in wonder, send to trash). Also they could get some decent clothes out of it, because the stuff that is otherwise genuinely ok to pass round full permissions looks a bit dated in terms of textures and prim work.

You see here booty from a couple of days ago: a waterful complete with rocks and plants, a rose bush in a pot, a vase of flowers, and a little brazier. This was actually the box that the real present came in, but I thought the box was more interesting than the contents.

If asked who produced them, I'm afraid that all I can tell you is that the fire-thing came from a designer with the word Phoenix in their name, and the waterfall was from Perfect Prefabs. I know this as it is the first designer where I have gone and looked at their stuff, and I was sorely tempted by their Waterfull Cave grottos. I may yet indulge in another waterfall, though goodness knows I have enough of them already in my inventory. This was a good example of a designer I've visited some time ago, and it was useful to be reminded to go and look for new stuff.

The 2nd pic shows me peeking out from behind yesterday's boxes before I unpacked them, then using a couple of them: a corridor "set" (mainly aimed at fashion bloggers), another plant, the hat with flowers & a veil (cool, I think), a heart-emitting cookie (in my mouth) and the pose itself.
The final set of pictures are from Friday: longing in front of the boxes and then using the sofa. The reason I couldn't use the sofa to start with was that when I clicked to Sit on it, it gave the message "no place to sit", which is not the kind of feedback you expect from a chair.
In the end I found a place to click that allowed me to sit, but I would say I have identified a design fault.

Water garden

Water gardens created: 1 (good); Visitors to water garden: 1 (good); No of creatures in water garden: 8 (good)

Have spent some time finding right seating for water garden and this seems to be it. Plump cushions with exotic feel and straightforward poses that would not give Wrong Impression to colleagues (e.g. by animating them in dubious fashion).

Water garden inspired by mangrove swamp area of Brisbane (Australia) Botanical gardens, though obviously v. different not least through fact that that is real and this garden isn't. Have good swathe of Decking plus variety of plants including two actual Mangroves which appear to be New Line at Heart Garden Centre (and one mangrove has dreaded Large Prim so may be confiscated by irate Lindens).
Also bought v. nice marble wall fountain which have installed on own property, what with there being a lack of water features (not).

Had gratifying visit from fellow educator/research North Lamar who liked island so could bask in appreciation for short while before returning to rigours of Academic Life.

Have been shamed by jolly blog recounting progress of educational island, at http://internationalschoolsisland.blogspot.com/. This gives all manner of useful info. However, they do not seem to have had to create whole island quickly like self, so have excuse. Have decided that was unconsciously striving for (non existent) prize of Prettiest Sim Created By One Person in Under 3 Weeks.

BTW: creatures in water garden are: frog (croaks); heron (stands enigmatically still); 3 butterflies (flutter); Duck (moves to and fro, to and fro); 2 small birds of indeterminate breed (swoop about and twitter).

Cats again

No. of days with no SL access: 8 (bad); No. of PAGES of emails received from SL Educators list whilst away with sick relative: 15 (v. bad); Fragments of virtual cat discovered underwater: many (v.v.bad)

Have been away suffering SL deprivation. Realise that am addicted, but have decided to embrace SL addiction in positive and welcoming spirit so celebrated by buying land, houses etc. of which more in future posts.

However will start this post with next episode in Odd Creatures saga. Overshot CILR office and plunged into neighbouring sea on return, and whilst admiring Art's underwater gardening (plants and I think fish) noticed strange small round object that when clicked had Sheila Yoshikawa as owner.

As got closer realised round object had catty eyes and nose and indeed was possibly emitted mewing sound. Yes, it was a fragment of Mitsy and when walked further from land saw that were numerous dismembered Mitsys floating about in manner than can only be described as Spooky.

Evidently when she escapes from the office she falls to her doom in the sea.

Deleted some of them but not all as decided that Harumi and Ishbel might find sight curious and interesting. Not in ghoulish way at all, naturally.

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.

Waterslides

Computer crashes: 2 (bad); Emails received from Group Members: 4 (good); trips down waterslide: 2 (good).

Log into Gmail account and find 3 Group members have replied to IM. Am v. pleased, as 4th Group member (HD) had replied to RL email albeit somewhat cryptically, not surprisingly since HD still in limbo on Orientation Island and RL version of HD cannot access SL until techies come to connect new cool Mac Powerbook. Meeting with 2 members of group next week looks possibility. All getting rather serious.

Celebrate with trip to waterslide in Bedfordia, admire effect of new kimono wooshing into water, also pose beside Bird of Pardise flowers, v. colourful yet cool (see pic). Have spent longer than intended since one of the earlier computer crashes appears to have locked self out of University server where all files are stored. This means cannot finish urgent and important tasks before morrow, should benefit by claiming early night, but instead drawn into more procrastinating in SL.

Decide to visit Cybrary Island where had unfortunate grey lumpy naked avatar experience when meeting PB. All now normal as v. few people about. Visit UCD library, watch Sky News (same nonsense as on RL news), fill in questionnaire. Am asked when visit SL. Does not have option "Whenever require displacement activity to avoid difficult and boring tasks" (i.e. v. often), so click "ignore question". Also visit Special Libraries House, a little sparsely furnished. Find grander building and pose in armchair (see pic)

My favourite university so far

Items marked in RL: 8 (good); Hours spent in SL: 1 (fairly good); Waterslides experienced: 1 (good); All good! a first.

Travelled to Bedfordia (University of Bedford) as per RL email of MB. Decided that prefer University of Bedford to University of Hertfordshire as latter looked just like a late 20th century university building with no people in it, and former has palm trees, sun logia, swimming pool and waterslide. No contest, frankly. Only point of criticism was possible overuse of decking.

PB has accepted friendship and possible meeting in SL may follow tomorrow. Think will need good night's sleep to cope with excitement of meeting up with person from RL. Pondered today how have gone into SL and immediately seem to be recreating 1st life. Not sure whether this is good thing.

PHOTOS: the delights of Bedfordia.