Twenty Questions

The latest Strawberry Singh meme is a lot of questions! I'm taking a deep breath and jumping in.

Meme instructions: Answer the following 20 personal questions about your Second Life. Don’t forget to share a link to your post in the comments!

1. When and how did you discover Second Life? – I read an article in the New York Times about Second Life in early August 2007.
2. Did you know about virtual worlds before or was this your first experience with them? – I had no clue. I'd played the Sims a bit, but that was all.
3. Has Second Life met your expectations? – I don't recall what my expectations were. I do recall that SL was very complicated and I'm amazed I stuck to it. Thank you newbie mentors! When I attached a box of household goods to my body and asked how to remove them, the poor mentor had to deal with a newbie on a Mac who didn't even know how to right click.
4. If you could teleport back to the first ten minutes of your avatar’s slife, what would you tell yourself? – Hmm....I'd probably tell myself to forget most of the freebies and to invest in a decent skin. Oh, and to take off the dumb freebie nipple tattoos.
5. How long did it take you to master avatar flying and driving vehicles inworld? – Wait, we can FLY??? I'm still not good at it. And I can't drive in SL worth a darn.
6. Do you have a mystery alt? – No. I'm quick to tell my friends who I am on an alt. I get lonely otherwise!
7. Is your SL avatar a reflection of you, or someone you wished you could be? –Physically Dolly is a younger me with a better ass. Personality wise, it's just me unless I'm roleplaying, and even then it's an exploration of sides of myself.
8. Is there an individual you met in SL that inspired you in your RL? How? – Probably, though I can't think of anything specifically.
9. Do you feel it is easier to create stronger bonds/relationships with people you meet inworld as opposed to the real world? – Not stronger bonds, but I was surprised at how attached I became to my Second Life friends.
10. Did you ever imagine or believe people could fall in love with someone they never met before Second Life? – I never imagined it.
11. How has your perspective of dating changed (or not) since you started playing second life? – I don't really think my perspective has changed. But my dating life in Second Life has been wilder, because for the most part it's a safe place to explore sides of my sexuality that I wouldn't feel comfortable doing in RL.
12. How has your perspective of employment changed (or not) since you started playing second life? – I've always admired entrepreneurs, so not really.
13. Name three things in both your lives that overlap each other significantly. – I'm not sure I understand this question.
14. If you could live your life more immersively in a virtual world, would you? (Kind of like the Matrix) – No, SL is the wild west. It's a great place to visit, but I have to be able to turn off the computer.
15. How do you think behavior changes for people if they’re inworld vs in real world? Why do you think that is? – Not many people in my real life have looked me in the eye and acted like a troll, so I agree common courtesy suffers from anonymity. On the plus side anonymity can be freeing when respect for fellow residents is observed.
16. How has second life consumerism changed your perception of spending habits, the value of money, the need to be “bleeding edge” with fashion? – I do spend money in Second Life, but I can indulge myself for a lot less than it costs in real life, so I don't begrudge my shoes and hair. In real life I practically live in jeans.
17. Do you think virtual worlds like SL drive and redefine human interaction or do they narrow and limit it? – Human interaction is changing with or without SL. I text instead of talk on the phone these days just like everyone else.
18. If technology progressed tomorrow to allow you to send emotions to people the way you’d send text or voice messages, would it enrich your SL experience or infringe on it? – If you can write or speak you can send emotions. You just have to be willing to talk about them.
19. Name three skills you attribute to having learned or honed in second life alone. – Interior design and talking photos are skills I've honed in SL.
20. If your grand kids googled your Second Life Avatar’s name, would they be intrigued, disgusted, proud or something else? – The good news is that it seems grandchildren accept their grandparents more than those kids' parents do. At least that's my observation. They'd be curious, probably.

Credits:

Pure Poison - Pin - It Girl Wedges (at My Attic)
Tee*fy Laura Unbuttoned Knotted Shirt Check (at Collabor88)
Zaara Elina shorts navy (at FaMeshed)
LeLutka - AMANDA'S hair - StrawberryShortcake (New Release)

Purple Moon Coco Sunglasses in Cherry

Zenith Butterfly Ring (Silver)
Izzie's - Neva Skin rosy GB

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) - Mid
IKON Promise Eyes - Green (M) 

Mon Cheri "Falsies" Eyelash - Upper+Lower 

 

Friends List

I was lucky enough to catch Ayla Barzane online before she went to bed. She was kind enough to pose with me for Strawberry Singh's Friends List Meme. It's like old times! Which is why we went vintage - well, that and the fact that Collabor88 is so deliciously vintage this month.

Meme instructions: Grab a friend from your second life friends list (optional) pose with them and/or answer the following questions. Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in the comments and share your picture in the Blog Memes Flickr Group.

1. What is the number of contacts on your Second Life Friends List? (visible in firestorm viewer or your web profile) Seeing Berry's friends list makes me feel totally antisocial. My list is only 126.
2. Are you picky about who you add to your list or do you usually add most people? Apparently more picky than Berry. I never thought I was! One dirty little secret is that I have almost never turned down a friend request, but I've deleted a few the minute they've logged.
3. Who is your oldest contact? (check your calling cards) I couldn't figure out how to sort them by date. I'm guessing Malloc Rau. I've tried to delete my calling cards to reduce inventory because I never use them (it doesn't work, they always show back up).
4. Who is your newest contact? (check your calling cards) That one is easier. Winter Sorex.
5. Do you know every single person on your list? Almost all of them.
6. How many do you speak to on a daily (weekly) basis? Daily one or two. Weekly maybe three or four. I'm not nearly as social in SL as I used to be.
7. How many do you see/get together with in-world on a daily (weekly) basis? Two or three.
8. Who on your list do you have the closest relationship with? Clay Cowen, Ayla Barzane, and Aprilmae Devin.
9. Who do you wish you knew better? Berry, because I just adore her from a distance. She is so incredibly sweet and talented. And Cajsa Lilliehook because she is knowledgeable about progressive politics. I really admire her.
10. Who on your list is the funniest/most entertaining? The winner of the funniest person on my list is Friar Tyles.
11. How did you meet most of the people on your list? (work, parties, etc…) I used to meet loads of people through role play. Now it's mostly bloggers, creators and random folks I chat with when wandering the grid.
12. Do you ever clean out your list? Not often. I've done a couple of purges.
13. Do you have a crush on someone in your list? Clay Cowan and I have hung out together for years. Can that still be a crush? 
14. Is there anyone on your list that you would trust with your password? Yes, but it hasn't ever come up.

Credits:

(Left on Dolly)

Lamb Hair Cry Baby - Butterfinger (at Collabor88)
Tee*fy Laura Unbuttoned Knotted Shirt Tropical (at Collabor88)
Tee*fy Leah High-Waisted Skinny Jeans Used (at Collabor88)

Glam Affair - Vera - America 08 F

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands

(Right on Ayla)

TRUTH HAIR Thelma (at Collabor88)

e! Odette Top - (Floral Pink)
Tulip  Vintage Cut-Offs Abyss

MAGIC NOOK Lasso Hoop Earrings (Gold)
Glam Affair - Cleo - America - 06 D
 

flowey's original Shake My Milkshake / breakfast (at Collabor88)

 Standby Inc. - Jukebox (OakBlue) (at Collabor88)

The Loft - Gerzzo Chair and Table (at Collabor88)

floorplan. soda crate stack (at Collabor88)

What Next Cafe Clock

How Do I Look?

Here's another Pose Fair find, this time from Savoir Faire - The Dressing Room Prop. I dressed it up a bit with the Apple Fall coat and palm tree, and the Standby Inc birdcage. The prop has ten darling built in poses. This pose is just calling out, "How do I look?"

Credits:

Tee*fy Vanishing Clouds Skirt Sky
Tee*fy Vanishing Clouds Top Sky
Glam Affair - Vera - America 02 F
Argrace Hair - HARUKA - Cinnamon

Leverocci - Satin Wrap Heels Lavender
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) - Mid
Mon Cheri "Falsies" Eyelash - Upper+Lower
IKON Spectral Eyes - Amber

Flat Ebbe and Me

I've been waiting for Strawberry Singh to do this meme ever since she plurked about stalking meeting Linden Lab's new CEO a week or so ago. I had such fun with Flat Rodvik and I figured Flat Ebbe Linden would be a fun date. However, Berry thinks we should just lecture poor Ebbe about how to be a good CEO. Sorry, Ebbe, our date will have to wait.

Meme instructions: Pick up a copy of Flat Ebbe Linden from Berry's marketplace store for free and take him to one of your favorite places on the grid. Also, share at least three things that you’d like to tell Ebbe. Please remember to leave a link to your post in Berry's comments and share your Flat Ebbe picture in the Blog memes flickr group.

So Ebbe, as we pose for a pretty picture standing in the courtyard of Cory Edo's beautiful creation newly released at Collabor88, the Cortona Villas, here are my thoughts:

1. I really like what you have said about Second Life so far. You have inherited a passionate and creative user base who created everything interesting to see and do in SL, so we don't really see ourselves as customers of a product. We are creators and supporters of a surreal visionary world. We built it, we feel connected to it. I think you get that and I really appreciate that you do.
2. You're in a honeymoon phase, but eventually you will tick off one group or another in SL. While this ire will probably be a by-product of some benefit you want to introduce, it will happen and you will be tempted to withdraw from your current accessibility so you don't have to listen to a lot of - well - let's call it counterproductive trash talk. As a communications professional in another life, I can tell you that once you have opened the conversation with your customers as you have done, closing that conversation when things get challenging is a mistake that leads to bad feelings and loss of trust for the entire community - not just the ones who were ticked off in the first place. Have a communications strategy to deal with these issues as they arise. Appoint other Lindens to speak on the issues and keep the messages consistent and honest.
3. Advice for retaining new users - here's one little thing that seems to have been overlooked for years - the waddle-walk of a newbie. I'm not suggesting you need to fix the dorky stands (you're using one of them in the picture), but couldn't that waddle-walk be turned into something more graceful? A script in the shoe with a nice smooth female or male walk? Anything? The new starter avatars with mesh outfits and hair are a good beginning, but give a poor newbie a decent walk.

Credits:

Argrace Hair HARUKA - Cinnamon (Unrigged / resize)
Mutresse Guzla Shorts (at FaMeshed)
Tee*fy Sophie Cut-Out Ruffle Top Bloom (at Collabor88)
Ingenue Pandora Flats (Slink Feet Add-On) Sepia (Gacha item)
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) - Flat

Glam Affair - Vera - America 02 F
IKON Spectral Eyes - Amber

Bicycle and pose from What Next

 Trompe Loeil - Cortona Villas (at Collabor88)

Potted plants from Apple Fall and XED Designs

Smile, Skin Fair 2014 Is Coming

My new SLink Visage mesh head has given me an unexpected gift - a really nice smile. Another nice surprise is that the shadows that plague the faces of our normal av faces look much more natural. I attempted a high contrast windlight setting for these photos and was pleased with the result. Having lived with the mesh head since Saturday, I must say I like it a lot. I have a few requests, the most important being hair bases, but I am assured they're coming next week. The rest are more expressions since they're so fun to play with. Let's stick out our tongues!

I was lucky enough to get a preview of AE's (Adam N Eve) new releases for Skin Fair 2014. Ellie (above) can be worn with or without the SLink mesh heads, but I'm smiling pretty in my mesh head. The applier version has a HUD that allows for six lipsticks, six eye makeups, three eyebrow colors, blush choices, freckles or moles, and even a slightly sunburned nose.

Sachi Vixen, AE's creator, will also offer Amy (below), a lower priced skin and Visage applier HUD for Skin Fair with fewer makeup choices for avatars on a tighter budget.

Skin Fair 2014 begins on March 14th and runs through the 30th. There will be script limits, so strip down for lower lag shopping for all.

If you're loving my cute off the shoulder top, you can find it at Collabor88 from Tee*fy.

Credits:

AE Ellie Tone C Applier HUD for Slink Visage Head (top pic - at Skin Fair)

 AE Amy Genesis Tone C Basic Applier HUD for Slink Visage Head (bottom pic - at Skin Fair)
Slink Visage Mesh Head - Becky
IKON Spectral Eyes - Green
Tee*fy Marlene Blouse Sand/offShoulder (at Collabor88)
Tee*fy Marley Skirt Pull Shapes (at Collabor88)
TRUTH HAIR Electra

A Lesson in Truth

Truth Hair is the lesson. The first new Truth releases of 2014 are gorgeous! And remember when I told you there was so much more to blog for Collabor88? In the top photo the Belleza Skin, Yummy Accessories earrings, and The Secret Store blouse are all available at Collabor88.

In the second photo the dress is from Tee*fy, the clutch from Baiastice, and the black pearls from Maxi Gossamer. All at Collabor88!

Credits:

(Top Pic)

TRUTH HAIR Luella (New Release)

Yummy Pearl Wisp Earring - White (at Collabor88)

 The Secret Store - Mary Pleated Shirt - White Polka (at Collabor88)

Belleza - Ria Med 1 R (at Collabor88)

Mandala Simple Ears HUTUU

BeetleBones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

IKON Spectral Eyes - Amber

MIEL HIPSTER PEEPERS - tortoise shell

(Bottom Pic)

TRUTH HAIR Snow - Gingers (New Release)

Belleza - Ria Med 1 R (at Collabor88)

Belleza - Ria Med Freckles 1

Belleza- Ria Med Gloss Lip 4

Baiastice -Yara clutch-black (at Collabor88)

Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Knotted Shimmer Pearls (at Collabor88)

Maxi Gossamer - Ring - Royal Khadijah Estate - Large - SILVER

Yummy Pearl Wisp Earring - White (at Collabor88)

Tee*fy Julianna Fluffy Dress Classic (at Collabor88)

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands

MANDALA Simple Ears HUTUU

IKON Spectral Eyes - Amber

Hair Fix and other Addictions

There are a lot of great new things to talk about in this picture. First among them is that Truth is back to work *cracks her whip* and has released five new hairs! Plenty of you know about Truth Hair withdrawal. It's only been a few weeks that he hasn't released new hair, but it was a tough few weeks for me!

My new sort-of-schoolgirl vest, shirt and skirt is Tee*fy's new release for Collabor88. I had to get several color combinations and had the toughest time deciding what to show. The owl pendant is an Arcade Gacha item from Maxi Gossamer. Pretty cute, huh?

The new Maya skin, which I'm in love with, is also from The Arcade Gacha Event, a release from The Skinnery. It was the first time I'd tried any skin from that store and I was surprised how much I liked it. Do you ever try on a new skin and say, "Oh shit," because you were hoping it wouldn't appeal to you? I do it all the time, mostly because my skin choices keep getting bigger and bigger (and so does my inventory - don't ask). There's a realism to this skin that makes it different from some of my other favorites. Appliers for our SLink hands and feet are available at the Skinnery Mainstore. I'll be keeping my eye out for more skins from this store, and a full line of this particular skin.

Credits:

Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Truth Owl - HotPink (at The Arcade)

Maxi Gossamer - Ring - Hampton Boho

Tee*fy Edela Buttoned Skirt Beige (at Collabor88)

Tee*fy Elan Wool Vest Shirt  Pink/White (at Collabor88)

TRUTH HAIR Althea (New Release)

 Fashionably Dead Knee High Mesh Socks (Bubblegum)

Mutresse Sneja Boots (at FaMeshed)

the Skinnery Maya 13 (honey) BB CL1 (at The Arcade)

BeetleBones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

IKON Spectral Eyes - Blue (at FaMeshed)

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands

Winter Is Coming

The point of today's post is Strawberry Singh's weekly meme. This week we're going to talk about the winter season. I just turned our home sim to winter (surprise April and Ayla!) with the help of Alex Bader's gorgeous Studio Skye textures and landscaping so taking a photo was easy. On to the challenge.

Meme Instructions: Take a wintery picture and/or answer the following questions about the season. Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in Berry's comments and share your picture in the Blog Memes Flickr Group.

1. What is the December/Winter season like where you live? – I live in Ohio bordering Kentucky. We get snow most years, but not like they do further north. People transplanted from snowier climates snicker at how panicked we get when we're expecting a snowstorm. They all claim we don't know how to drive in the snow which may be true. But those superior northern snow drivers are used to driving on snow where roads lie flat. We're a city of hills, some quite steep. Go ahead Chicagoans! Stop at that red light at the bottom of Ravine Street and hope the bus behind you manages to stop, too!
2. When you think of winter, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? – When I think about it it's romantic. Soft sweaters, cuddling under down comforters, hot chocolate with marshmallows, that sort of thing. Reality is different. Scraping car windows, shoveling sidewalks, hoping the ice storm doesn't break limbs off of trees and knock down power lines.
3. Have you ever played any extreme winter sports? – When my two sons were little I decided we would all learn how to ski. We needed some outdoor activity for the winter. I'm glad I made that decision. The boys are pretty good skiers - one has also taken up snowboarding - while I have always been happy making my way slowly down the green slopes. So to answer the question - no. My biggest goal in skiing was to make sure I knew how to slow down and stop.
4. What do you like most about this season? – After December I must admit I'm kind of ready for Spring. I like the holidays and I like wearing the cozy sweaters. Hot chocolate is pretty cool, too.
5. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hannukkah, Kwanzaa or another holiday during this time of year? – We're a multicultural family through marriage so we celebrate Christmas and Hannukkah with love and respect for both traditions.

Credits:

FATEplay Scarf - Evans
ISON - oversized wool coat (green)
LeeZu! Yukatan Pants and boots /olive
Tee*fy Turtle Neck Basic Sweater Grey 
TRUTH HAIR Dylan

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
Belleza - Leila Med 4 R

Happy HallowMeme!

I'm ready for Halloween. I've been blogging possible Halloween costumes for several days, but for Strawberry Singh's HallowMeme I'm happy to do another picture and show off my awesome new Lelutka hair.

Meme Instructions: Share a picture of your Halloween Costume in Second Life and/or answer the following questions about Halloween. Don’t forget to share a link to your post in Berry's comments and if you share a picture, feel free to add it to the Blog Memes Flickr Group.

1. Did you go trick or treating as a child? Yes, I wrote about those mean scary cowboys in THIS POST.
2. What was the best Halloween costume you ever saw or wore yourself? I met a young woman right after college whose fiance dumped her almost at the altar. Rather than moping, she wore her wedding dress to a big block party on Halloween and won first prize!
3. What is your most vivid memory about Halloween? It's back to those nasty scary cowboys. But second to that was one of my friends who got so excited about getting dressed up to go trick or treating that she threw up before we even left the house. My tummy aches always came afterwards when I stuffed myself with candy.
4. What is the scariest movie you have ever seen? "The Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock. My sister and I saw it on TV when we were kids and were creeped out by birds for months and months.
5. Do you ever get nightmares after watching a scary movie? Not for years. However, when I started watching "The Walking Dead" on NetFlix this past spring I had nightmares after the first two episodes.
6. Are you superstitious? If so, name at least one superstition of yours. I'm not really, but I do get influenced by other people's superstitions. My mother-in-law, for example was constantly knocking on wood to ward off jinxes when she would say something hopeful. I find myself doing that at times and explaining my action to myself by thinking "it can't hurt."
7. What will you be doing for Halloween this year, if anything, in SL and RL? In my real life I'll probably be passing out candy and trying to keep my dog from being freaked out by excited children dressed like pumpkins and bumblebees. I'm not sure about what I'll do in Second Life.

Credits:

Tee*fy Dakota Corset Gown

Yummy Faceted Solitaire Earring
DECO - MESH Marilyn Pearls (Licorice)

LeLutka - SERENA Hair and Tiara - AuburnHaze (New Release)
Belleza - Leila Med R 2

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Deep Honey Hazel, w3)
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands

!bang - masquerade mask and pose

I Googled Myself for Strawberry Singh!

Strawberry Singh's meme/challenge for this week is a mash-up of questions she wrote and questions from the new-to-me and very entertaining blog called SLTimeWellWasted. My title for this blog is what the meme is about - Googling ourselves and seeing what happens. You know what? I'm old enough that "googling myself" still sounds vaguely naughty. ;-p

Meme instructions: Google your SL name and answer the following questions. Don’t forget to leave a comment [on Berry's post] with a link to your post so we can all drop by, read and be nosy. Optional: click over to Emily’s blog and do her Google challenge as well. Don’t forget to leave a comment in her post if you end up doing it, so she can come stalk you guys too!

Here are Berry's questions:

1. Google your Second Life name in “quotations” and share your results. About 10,100 results
2. What is the first link that comes up? My blog.
3. Which link were you surprised to see? Apparently I was the victim of a vampire in 2008. Funny, I never felt a thing! 
4. Click on the “Image” tab and tell us where the first 5 pictures listed are from. The first two pictures are my photos on Google+. The third and fourth pictures are from other blogs that mention me, and the fifth is a RL Dolly Baroque dress! 
5. Click on the “more” tab and then click “news” and share your results. Dolly's just not newsworthy, I guess.

Here are Emily's questions about comparing our SL and RL digital footprints:

1. How did the two digital footprints compare, and did that surprise you? Dolly is much more popular on the web than the real life me and that's just fine by me! I used to be a corporate spokesperson and most of my real life entries are just quotes in articles about boring business stuff.
2. Does anyone interesting share your name? Not my real name or my SL name either. I guess both of my names are rather uncommon.
3. Are you happy with the size of your digital footprint, or do you wish either one was larger/smaller? Oh I'm fine with the footprint I have in both worlds.
4. If you woke up/ logged in one morning to discover over night you had suddenly gained rock-star status, and everybody knew who you were and wanted to know what you were doing… what would you do? Hey, talking about shareholder meetings and quarterly earnings isn't rock star stuff? Dolly would be a much better rock star and she would love it for the first ten minutes. The other five minutes of fame would just be a pain.

Finally, back to our regularly scheduled program, PXL Creations has a specialty skin for its VIP group. A new version of the gorgeous skin called Jade in Halloween makeup inspired me to dye my hair to look like a very pretty witch.

Credit:

PXL Creations Skins JADE PA Halloween VIP DEB C2

Yummy Waxing Moon Enchantment Earring - Silver

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (True Grey, w3)

Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Dew Encrusted Teardrop - Short - SILVER

Tee*fy Dakota Corset Dress Black (at Collabor88)

TRUTH HAIR Anessa

Projector from Pretense Poses

Pose from Marukin

After I Log Off the Fun Begins

Strawberry Singh has given us two ideas for this week's meme/challenge. The first one captured my imagination enough to ponder it for awhile so I had to peek in at Dolly's offline life. The second requires me to grab one of my friends for a picture, so I might try that later this week.

Meme Suggested by Mr. Winter Jefferson: “What does your avatar get up to after you log out?”
Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in [Berry's] comments and if you decide to do any pictures with this challenge, please share them in the Blog Memes flickr group.

To be totally honest, Dolly manages to go her own way at times even when I'm logged on, so I wasn't particularly surprised to catch her primping for her next day's photo shoots and role play. She is vain and at times overly dramatic so I expect some sulking over this picture. I caught her rocking out to Billy Joel's "You May Be Right," and singing into her hairbrush!

Credits:

Bliensen + MaiTai - Moonchild - Earrings - Dark Silver (at We Love Roleplay)
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
Slink Mesh eyelids (alpha) (photo prop)
Tee*fy Aurora  Nightdress Little Hearts (Gatcha Item)
Tiny Bird - Sodom South Georgia - Copper Brown (no longer available)
-Belleza- Leila Med 4 R
!bang - Hairbrush Microphone pose

Dutchie's bathroom sink

Surrealism and Second Life

Strawberry Singh's surrealism challenge made me smile. Surrealism and Second Life are like peanut butter and jelly - made for each other. Many of my favorite Second Life artists are innate surrealists. See the Flickr streams of Orsini Dive, Whiskey Monday, Patricie, and Alles Klaar, among others. Berry did a great job on her picture, capturing the essential topsy turvy surprise of surrealism with her challenge to the rules of physics. I would have loved to see what the early surrealists would have done if they had such a medium to work with, wouldn't you? Here's Berry's instructions for the challenge:
  
Create an image in Second Life that has a surreal feel to you. Don’t forget to share your link in Berry's comments and add your picture to the Blog Memes flickr group.

In Second Life it is as easy as can be to walk on water with a cat on your head. And when you can live on water and air, then it only stands to reason that you'd put up your umbrella when the boulder rains come (and matching your hair to the pink sky - well - that's a given). I was all excited about the Designers United Event so this challenge is the perfect opportunity to blog a few more of my purchases. Here's your SLurl to Designers United.

Credits:

 

Ohmai: Mochi Kitten (Pet Ver - Head) (at Designers United)
Fashionably Dead Swept Away Hair - Pastel 1 (at Designers United)

Tee*fy Vanishing Clouds Skirt Sky (at Designers United)
Tee*fy Vanishing Clouds Top Sky (at Designers United)
Belleza- Leila Med 4 R

Slink Enhancement Hands and Feet

LISP - Rainy Days Umbrella (pose prop)

Berry's Windlight Settings Challenge

I like this challenge, one of Strawberry Singh's Monday memes/challenges. We're talking windlight settings this week. You can feel sorry for me if you want, because I can't take pictures in Firestorm. It crashes me every darn time I push up my graphics settings and try to take a snapshot. I use the Second Life official viewer because - for my Mac laptop at least - it's the most reliable viewer with the least lag and crashing. Messing with windlight settings in the official viewer is a drag, but it's better than crashing.

In my photos above, the only change is the windlight settings. Typically I do more post processing with layers and colors, but these close-to-raw pics show the windlight settings as they appear in world. The big one on the left is one I made and named Friar, because I made it for my friend Friar's pic when I blogged him for another meme. I made color adjustments to his photo ultimately because Redgrave men's skins can be kind of orange. Then from top to bottom on the right are Annan Adored's Light Explosion (moody sky and sharp contrasts), Gogo's Davos Midday (very soft shadows and a lovely sky color), and Berry's Sapphire (awesome in the studio, shadows somewhere between the sharp and soft shadows of the other two). To view a larger version of this photo to see better what I mean, go to my Flickr photo.

Meme instructions: Answer the following questions about windlight settings and share some that you’ve created yourself. Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in Berry's comments (and mine if you like).

1. Do you use windlight while taking pictures? If not, why not? Oh yeah, of course I do! I experiment all the time with windlight settings. I've practically forgotten what Second Life looked like pre-windlight.
2. When taking a closeup snapshot for a profile picture, which windlight preset do you use most often? Since I don't have all those wonderful Firestorm settings, I've downloaded several kind peoples' settings and made a few of my own. The settings I use most often are probably Strawberry Singh's Sapphire or Amethyst settings, or Gogo's Davos Midday setting.
3. Which windlight presets do you use for full body portraits? Hmm... I still do a lot of experimenting with various settings in a photo shoot and choose the pic that works the best for the particular shot. I love Annan Adore's Dusty and Light Explosion settings if I'm in a sim setting. Against a backdrop my favorites are probably the ones I downloaded from Berry.
4. If you do landscape photography, which windlights do you use for that most often? I find that the windlight settings that work best on my avatar's face are not necessarily great for objects. While the face needs a relatively flat lighting, objects benefit from stronger contrasts. When I take a picture of a room or outdoor setting I love Chic Aeon's Places windlight settings. Sand and Pathfinder are particular favorites. 
5. Do you have any tricks or tips that you could share for using windlight effectively? Well, once I find settings I like, I use them a lot, changing the east/west position for shots. I do play with settings and when I really like one I've changed a lot, I save it as one of my own.
6. Have you created any windlights that you would be willing to share with us? I'd be happy to share mine if anyone wanted them AND if I had a clue how to do it! If someone wants to teach me, I'm all yours.

Speaking of sharing, thank you Berry for sharing your latest windlight settings! I'll be downloading and experimenting with them as soon as I finish this post. Annan Adored's settings have a link from Berry's page, so I'll just add a link to Gogo's JuicyBomb.com settings.

Credits:

Tee*fy Aurora  Nightdress Sky (at the Arcade Gacha Event) 

LeLutka Hair- SEIKO hair - AuburnHaze (New Release)

League Dipped Feather Earring Silver
Slink Mesh Hands (av)
Glam Affair - Cleo - America - 06 F

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Summer Shore, w3)

Besties

Ayla and I shopped at FaMeshed this morning. We're both wearing tops we bought. Ayla, on the right, is wearing the Baiastice top, I'm in the Valentina E on the left. April, in the middle, picked up her tunic sweater at TeeFy at the Fifty Linden Friday event. Because we all looked so fabulous I asked to take a photo. We all hopped on a cute girly threesome from Rack Poses that I've had in my inventory for awhile and voila!
 
We three met through roleplaying and we're excited to try again. We've decided to play sisters at Wendigo Lake which is still in beta. It's a lovely small town sim and worth a visit. If you're a roleplayer, stop over and visit us on the boardwalk. We'll tell your fortune if the spirits move us.

Love Donna Flora - It's About Style

The Love Donna Flora! event begins July 25th and runs through August 11th. I wrote about it earlier in THIS POST. This event brings creators and shoppers together to support one of Second Life's most beloved creators, Squinternet Larnia, in her time of great challenge as she fights cancer. Here's a glimpse at one generous creator's lovely peacock inspired furniture grouping specifically for the event, the Donna Flora Pavone set by Kaerri. My jewelry is, of course, Donna Flora. Remember, you don't have to wait for the event to show your love to Donna Flora. Shop at her new store location today.

Credits:

PXL Creations skin JADE NAT PleaseMe Lips MEB C2 (FR) (Just Released!)
PXL Creations JADE NAT Pink Eyes (tattoo)

PXL Creations JADE NAT Eyebrows: Red (tattoo)
Donna Flora RAVESC earrings blush
Donna Flora RAVESC necklace blush
Donna Flora RAVESC ring blush
ISON - Leighton Hair (at Hair Fair)
Maitreya Mini Skirt * Vivid Leather Seashell
Tee*fy Ana Slouchy Satin Tank Teal
Slink Classic Pointed Pumps Black
Slink Mesh Feet (Av) Toes
Slink Mesh Hands (av)

Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Aged Bronze, w3)
Mandala Simple Ears Hutuu
Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

Pose by Alterior Motions (not yet released)

Let's Go Into the Dark Forest

With all the fun movie posters floating around because of Strawberry Singh's totally rocking challenge, I picture this woodsy photo in terms of a movie. "Come on," says clueless bimbo. "Let's go deep into the dark forest and mess around!" We all know what happens next. At the very least she sprains her ankle in her heels and the mosquitoes attack with a vengeance.

OK, back to fashion. I went to The Dressing Room Fusion and immediately loved the shorty short skirt from Baiastice. Bless her, she even made built in undies for the skirt! It comes in three versions, and I recommend picking up all of them. At $70L a piece it's a true bargain.

I took my alt Callie to pick up the skirt, too, and the Kungler necklace. I honestly couldn't decide which picture to show, so I showed both. And what do you know, we're both in the same pose, one of a free gift pack for June from Diesel Works, and sporting everybody's favorite new Truth hair, Candy!

Credits:

(top pic)

Baiastice Summer Mini Skirt-denim blue (at The Dressing Room Fusion)

 Tee*fy Rachel Ruffle Sweater Coral Long

Hucci Embessa Leather Sandals - Collection
Slink Mesh Feet (Av) Toes
Slink Mesh Hands (av)
TRUTH HAIR Candy - Gingers02Fade
Glam Affair - Cleo - America - Clean F

(bottom pic)

Kunglers Extra TDRF #014 - Necklace - Golden (at The Dressing Room Fusion)
Baiastice Summer Mini Skirt-black leather & print (at The Dressing Room Fusion)
Baiastice_Aida top-print-black
Slink Mesh Hands (av)
TRUTH HAIR Candy - Blondes03
Glam Affair - Lulu 03 BL

Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Twilight Steel Shadow, w3)

What's in a Name? A Strawberry Singh Meme

I get excited about Mondays now for just one reason.  Strawberry Singh publishes her meme blog.  It has been a lot of fun to participate, and I love reading what everyone has to say.  Today's meme is about our Second Life names.

1. What’s your SL name? Dolly Baroque
2. What made you choose this name? At the time I was thinking of my avatar as a doll as opposed to an extension of me, and Dolly seemed to be a quite obvious first name.  I scrolled through last names and settled quickly on Baroque because I had gone to a music conservatory in real life. Although I'm more of a Mozart gal, I sang a lot of Handel so Baroque worked for me. 
3. What’s your SL nickname, or what do most people call you? (if applicable) Not many people call me anything but Dolly.  Doll and Dollykins are some affectionate nicknames, and Doolally when Ayla wants to call me crazy.
4. What’s your SL display name? Why do you choose to have one? (if applicable) I've never changed Dolly's display name.  I like that we can though, for roleplay reasons or SL marriages.
5. Do you like your SL name? I loved my name since the first person who said hello to me laughed and broke out into song.  Sing it, Louis!
6. If you could change your SL name, what would it be? ummmm... I guess since I haven't changed my display name I wouldn't.  
7. What’s the craziest/funniest SL name you’ve ever seen? I never remember.  I just snicker and forget.
8. What’s the coolest (your favorite) SL name you’ve ever seen? Dyss Gruntled, a hysterically funny roleplayer who totally lived up to his name.

Credits:

Tee*fy Lovisa Ruffle Mini Skirt Splash (at Collabor88)
Tee*fy Skyla Ruffle Sleeve Tank Chilli
Tram  C407 hair / maroon
Tuli Claire / powder (red) :: 07

Tuli Parted lips 1 (free!)

erratic / owl bracelet / silver

Slink Mesh Hands
Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Teal Hazel, w3)
Pure Poison - MeiMei Opal Earrings (at l'Accessoiries)

Adorkable Pose and Cell Phone prop

 Paint brush (mine)

Dolly's 10 SL Firsts Meme

Oh that Strawberry Singh is a nosy parker with her Monday memes!  I love that phrase, nosy parker.  It's so old fashioned, something my grandmother would say.  What she'd say if she ever discovered Second Life, I can't imagine.  It's so easy to be a nosy parker just by following these memes.  On to the agonizing Q and A (agonizing to write mine, quite fun to read everyone elses)!

1. First SL Friend: There were two, and I don't remember who was first.  Arana Boa who still pops in occasionally, and Malloc Rau who has left SL but not my heart.
2. First SL Kiss: Oh god, who can remember?
3. First SLex time/place/partner: I'm going to go with the first one who wasn't simply an experiment in poseball hopping, and that would be with Malloc.  I'd need his help in remembering where.  He was always sentimental about stuff like that and kept the landmarks.
4. First SL Partner/Girlfriend/Boyfriend/Wife/Husband: The Malloc theme continues.  We really hit it off right away.  I knew he was a keeper when he went home to help out his mom (in RL) when she had surgery.  He kept in touch with me in SL through a dial up modem for a week.  We learned so many things about Second Life together.  I introduced him to prim hair, for example (which he never changed again, ever - men).  After a year of being together we partnered with a ring (which I always forgot to wear which probably annoyed him).  We stayed partnered until RL got too busy for him and he left SL.  He did pop onto SL during this past Christmas holiday to catch up a bit. I so wanted to take him shopping and update his avatar, but he always hated shopping.  We had a nice chat and I showed him mesh trees.
5. First SL Job: ummmm... like for pay?  LOL  SL is a total money pit for me.  Even though I had a store for awhile it was more of a hobby than a money making venture.  I think I covered my monthly expenditures 10% of the time.
6. First SL Creation: This one makes me laugh.  I bought a cute little log cabin about my second month in SL.  It had a front porch and needed a step from the ground to the porch.  I had no concept of building things, and neither did Malloc.  A simple rectangular prim would have done the trick, but I shopped for one.  I finally learned a little about building from Ayla's RL husband and then some more from Malloc (who was a natural once we learned how to set down a prim).  To be honest, though, I can't recall what my first build was.  I do recall one of the early builds was deco style pub chair of which I was quite proud at the time.
7. First Encounter with a Linden:  I met Guy Linden when he was trying to tidy up those little pieces of abandoned mainland.  He sold me everything that abutted my property and showed me the new sims for premium members before they went live.  I still haven't claimed one.  I gave him one of my builds and the whole meeting was very nice.  I do wish Lindens interacted with us residents more. 
8. First Encounter with a SLebrity:  I'm not sure I know any because I'm not clear on what makes someone a SLebrity.  Every subgroup in SL has its rockstars I think.  Maybe it was when I met Van Auster of Post.  We were on the same sim for my first Home & Garden Relay for Life Expo.  I was already a huge fan of his work, and he said something positive about my work that made me weak in the knees.  Then there's Sylva Petrov, who makes all those naughty animations for Sylva's Animation Factory.  We used to roleplay together occasionally, and she even named a naughty animation for me, inspired by roleplay (I'm not telling which one.  Figure it out).  I'd definitely count Strawberry Singh if we'd ever actually met face to face in SL, but we haven't.  I'd better invite her over to tea.
9. First SL Sim you fell in love with: Aside from the little piece of mainland that I owned for a long time, Claiming Beauty sim was the first I fell in love with.  It was a well designed and attractive medieval immersive roleplay sim (for the time, anyway).  It has changed hands and name since then, but I still live in that digital spot.
10. First SL Blog Post:  Here is my first solo post HERE.  It wasn't so long ago.  I think my photography has improved since then, but it did make it to Cajsa Lilliehook's What I Like column which was very kind of her and gratifying to me.   

This meme came up just as April Collabor88 started.  My early faves are clearly the Tee*fy sweater and the PXL Creations skin.

Credits:

Tee*fy Rachel Ruffle Sweater Pink Floral  Long (at Collabor88)
[LeLutka]-VIBRATO hair - Praline
{mon tissu} Cuffed Denim Shorts ~ Classic Wash

PXL Creations skin - JADE NAT Berry Makeup {C88 Edition} (at Collabor88)

Poetic Colors eyes - classic gen4 - snow light - medium bright

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Slink Aussie Thongs Rigged Female White
Slink Mesh Feet (Av) Flat
Slink Mesh Hands (av) 

The Traveler

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life."

Jack Kerouac

I was looking for a profound quote about traveling because I'm feeling a little romantic about subject.  My romanticism stems from this amazing Gypsy Caravan by Zigana at The Arcade Gacha Event.  It put me in the mood to travel the vast wilderness - as long as it's not too cold in the vast wilderness, and there are no bears, snakes, tics, mosquitoes or motorcycle gangs.  Bathroom facilities nearby would be nice as well.  Well, in Second Life I can just teleport to a nice hot shower.
  

The accessories were from The Arcade Gacha Event as well - musical instruments from Balaclava!, Wizard of Oz themed items from HandVerk,  a table and tea goodies from Tres Blah.  Just because I'm camping out shouldn't mean I can't throw a nice tea party.

I also love the romantic rosebud skirt and tops from Tee*fy in the March round of Collabor88.  They match my teapot!  The wispy D!va hair is perfection with it.

Wearing:

D!va Hair "Flora" (Type B)(Red amber) 
Tee*fy Elyse Wrapped Tucked Tank  Floral
Tee*fy Estelle Fluffy Skirt Floral
-Belleza- Ava Med Red 0
Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Spring Field, w3)
Slink Mesh Hands 

Pink and Hearts for Girlie Girls

Yesterday I mused in my blog about whether I could do a hearts theme between now and Valentine's Day on the 14th.  I have no idea, but I thought I'd give it a try.  I loved the Teefy sweatshirt dress in pink polka dot and it went great with the snood.  See the hearts?  Both are available at FaMeshed for the entire month of February.  For good measure I added a heart-shaped pendant watch from Maxi Gossamer. 

Credits:

Tee*fy Collar Snood FlutterHearts
Tee*fy Olga  Sweatshirt Dress PolkaDot Pink
Truth Hair Dolly w/Roots - pumpkinpie
Maxi Gossamer Necklace - Patience - Heart Watch Pendant - Long - SILVER
-Belleza- Ava Med Red 0

-Belleza- Ava Med Light Gloss Lips 5
MANDALA Simple Ears Hutuu
Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

Poetic Colors eyes - classic gen4 - snow light - medium bright