In Memory of Kipper

My sweet boy died today. It was sudden and unexpected. He will be terribly missed.

He was just pure love.

Goodbye, my sweet sweet boy.

Happy Birthday Crighton!

Sometimes it's not about me. Shock huh?! And today was one of those days. Today was my friend Crighton's RL birthday. It was about him today. YAY Big C! *hugs* Happy Birthday!

If I have one character flaw I really see stopping me from being the best me I can be, it's my sensitivity. It makes me get into a real "poor me" place that sux. lol So I have to remember it's not always about me (rarely even!) and getting my feelings hurt over some imagined or real hurt is being totally selfish and self-centered. Yuck!

So to any of you I have been this way with, I apologize. I hope you didn't get any on you! LOL

Isn't it fun growing up in front of people!? :P

Hugs !!

...and happy birthday, C. Hope you had a blast! <3

Texas Music Jam with SL Musicians

Live Stream:

Sunday, Oct. 25:

Place: Warung

tp there to see your fave SL musician play live. Also, click below to
got to the stream. It will ALMOST feel like being there!


http://www.ustream.tv/channel/dallas-texas-jam

Here is the lineup for sunday:

7am - Maylo Lilliehook
8am - Norris Shepherd
9am - Maximillion Kleene
10am - Illegal Meskin
11am - Ric Rembrandt
12pm - Morton Shamen
1pm - Strummer Vultee
2 pm - Dinner
3 pm - surprise performance by Skye Galaxy--he will be performing his Sunday spot with BS's direct from the TX Musician Jam
4pm - Dallas Horsefly
5pm - Mimi Carpenter
6pm - TallGuy Kidd
7pm - Kim Siefert
8pm - Phiona Ember
9pm - Raspbury Rearwin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weekend is the SL Musicians Live in Dallas, Texas. You can view it live at BS's. The schedule is:

A huge lineup this weekend no one wants to miss.

BS's "Bring A Friend & Stay Awhile" was honored with the opportunity to be designated the back up venue for the:

SL TX MUSICIANS JAM

Many of your favorite artists are gathered in Dallas, TX to perform. Have you always wondered about the people behind the voices that we have come to love, this is your opportunity.

Two large 4 sim venues will carry the bulk, and BS's will carry the over flow. What does this mean to you---LESS LAG--SAME GREAT SHOW--AND THE REAL TIME LIVE VIDEO OF OUR FAVORITES PERFORMING IN REAL LIFE.

BS's will be closed from 2:30-3:30 on Saturday for a private wedding reception.

Here is the line-up:

On October 24th, a full day of streaming live music from Texas, and the SL residents will also be able to see them in rl in video streams at BS's "Bring A Friend and Stay Awhile".

Here is the lineup for Saturday:

7:00 am Dakota Pluto
8:00 am LadyScarlet Gears
9:00 am Sonny Trenchcoat
10:00 am Avatar Quinzet
11:00 am Ictus Belford
12:00 noon EvaMoon Ember
1:00 pm Zachariah Loon
2:00 pm Dinner
3:00 pm Dinner
4:00 pm Capos Calderwood
5:00 pm Damien Carbenell
6:00 pm Silas Scarborough
7:00 pm Bosco Constantine
8:00 pm Morton Shamen
9:00 pm Strummer Vultee

On October 25th, a full day of streaming live music from Texas, and the SL residents will also be able to see them in rl in video streams at BS's "Bring A Friend and Stay Awhile".

Here is the lineup for sunday:

7am - Maylo Lilliehook
8am - Norris Shepherd
9am - Maximillion Kleene
10am - Illegal Meskin
11am - Ric Rembrandt
12pm - Morton Shamen
1pm - Strummer Vultee
2 pm - Dinner
3 pm - surprise performance by Skye Galaxy--he will be performing his Sunday spot with BS's direct from the TX Musician Jam
4pm - Dallas Horsefly
5pm - Mimi Carpenter
6pm - TallGuy Kidd
7pm - Kim Siefert
8pm - Phiona Ember
9pm - Raspbury Rearwin

So come on down--Turn on your Media to watch the big screens.

The audio will also be on if you have issues with media

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Stay%20Awhile/117/209/22

Fave songs by Frou Frou

1. Holding on for a Hero - Frou Frou



Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream of what I need

(Chorus)
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet

(Chorus)

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I would swear that there's someone somewhere
Watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach
Like a fire in my blood

(Chorus)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. Dumbing Down of Love - Frou Frou



Well painted passion
You rightly suspect
Impersonation
The dumbing down of love
Jaded in anger
Love underwhelms you
No box of chocolates
Whichever way you fall
And if I tell you
Lover alone without love
What will happen
Lover alone without love
Will you miss him?
Lover alone without--without love
No, no I'll get this
I want to treat you
You're still not famous
And you haven't struck it rich
Underachieving
'Cause no one's receiving
This tunnel vision
It's turning out all wrong
And if I tell you
Lover alone without love
What will happen
Lover alone without love
Will you miss him?
Love alone without, without love
Music is worthless, unless it can
Make a complete stranger
Break down and cry
And if I tell you
Lover alone without love
And what will happen
Lover alone without love
And will you listen
Lover alone without, without love
Without love
Without love

Introspection

Three years in SL is a long time. Not nearly as long as the people who were in SL when I got here. But when you look at a person's life...it's a long time.

I have seen many changes in my 3 years. Some better some not so much. I remember when the number of avs in SL at one time was around 6000 - 8000. It quickly increased. I was part of the great influx. I guess you could call it the Baby Boomer generation of SL.

I've been thinking a lot about Second Life and Joonie's time there. It was so much fun in the beginning. A group of us that rezzed around the same time all hung out and had a lot of fun. Most of those people are not in SL anymore. I have met some awesome people that I call my friends. But there is nothing like the people who made up the first few memorable moments in SL. I love my new friends, but I miss the old ones a LOT!

I recently cleaned up my inventory. It was around 48,000, maybe a little bit more. Now I have it down to 28,000!! It took me forever! lol

Recently I have been thinking back to the beginning of my time in SL and I've been doing a bit of evaluating of my time in SL and of how things are different.

The biggest change I have noticed is the way other avs treated me when I was a noob and how people seem to be now. When I rezzed, people seemed more jazzed about being there. Excited about being a part of this phenomenal place. People were willing to help all the time. It felt like a community of awesome, helpful avs that were somehow invested in your time there and wanted it to be a positive experience...whatever that was for you.

I'm not saying it isn't like that now. It just doesn't feel the same. Maybe I've changed and that's why. Maybe SL got too big? Whatever the reason, I liked it better when I rezzed. It was less commercial and less about the money....and more about the people. Maybe I'm just romanticizing the whole thing. I'm not sure. But I miss my humble beginning. ;)

I think it might be me. When I first rezzed I was so happy that I had finally found a magical place that I thought only lived in my imagination. There was so much to learn and to do! I'd always had an interest in Buddhism. I meditated and read books by Alan Watts. In SL I discovered there were Buddhist monks and places where you could learn more about it. One of the first places I went was Support for Healing. I met the most awesome people there. I visited it today and felt a little bit sad, but grateful it was still there.

After sitting there a while, I realized that it was ME that changed. At first, I searched out places and people that were creative, spiritual, and seem to help me along the path to being a better person. Because I was seeking that out, I think it naturally came my way. So what happened? If I knew that I'd write a book about it.
But I'm not sure.

Clues I have, maybe. I just think over time, my ego took over. There was a lot of male attention, which I never anticipated in SL. I know...but I really had no clue. (still don't) but there it was. I've gone over that part of my SL many times already, but I think things changed, my focus changed, once I had an SL relationship. The focus was on him and us and me looking good for him and blah blah blah. I rarely went to spiritual places, I stopped being involved in art in SL. Music, which I love, was so we could dance. It became all about the romance. Not that there's anything at all wrong with romance..lol. But in SL, how real is it? SL is all about the romance industry. You know it's true.

Sooo...shopping! YAY! What girl doesn't like shopping. And this was so easy...run in click, buy...tp home. I love that! And if I didn't know for sure what to wear, the fashion blogs helped with that. At that time, there weren't 8000 million fashion blogs. Linden Lifestyle was a good one. And there was another but I've forgotten the name of it. Then the other blogs ... SL Fashion was my fave at the time. Some days, esp. after a bad time with my SL relationship, I would spend hours shopping! And of course, what kind of boyfriend doesn't buy you stuff? How else do you think I got to 48,000 items in my inventory?

This could go on and on but let me try to tie this all up with a cute little bow.

I made decisions based on what I thought I wanted at the time. Ego is about as far away from Buddhism as possible. And so is hanging on with clinched hands when something you thought belonged to you no longer does. I am not good at letting go of attachments, whether it's friendship, boyfriends, or any material thing. But I wanted to learn. By the time my second rez day rolled around, I was deep into ego, boys, clothes, and all the other "stuff" SL has to offer. I was so far away from anything spiritual or good for me. Only the music kept me sane at times.

And, to make matters worse, my disappointment in myself made me angry. Angry at myself for getting so caught up in things I didn't really value. Clothes? Makeup? Hair? boys? I mean, I love to look good...I love feeling sexy in RL. But it isn't my entire existence. Why was shopping my number 1 activity? I love shopping, but it gets boring after a while. (did i say that outloud) AND I think we've become so much little followers that we jump on the bandwagon of what "this blog" and "that blog" and "that fashionista" and all her friends say is in...that there are too many things that look alike and too many blogs ooohing and awwwing over the same thing.
Blech!

So the anger at myself turned into anger at other things. I became critical of other people and of myself. It just took a real downward spiral. I made some bad decisions and there are always consequences of any action. Today, Joonie is living those consequences.


I'd like to blame it on something, but I don't know what it would be. I started off being true to myself. Somehow, I ended up being true to who "you" thought I should be. "Look like this, act like this, talk like this, and like these things." No one ever said that to me, but it's what I heard. And instead of being centered in myself and who I am, what I believe, and what I want my SL to be about, I jumped on the stupid bandwagon.

I spent today visting old places and haunts that were an important part of my SL in the beginning. Did some thinking, and realized Joonie's time in SL is limited. I'm not leaving SL, but Joonie will be taking a little siesta. Until she wakes again, I'll probably be on the grid as an alt. I'm curious to see if you can really start over in SL and not get caught up in the game play. I want to focus on those things that are important to me like friendship, meeting interesting people, and learning more about the things that interest me. Wish me luck! I'll update what the new me is up to.

Sweet dreams, Joonie. Hope you return soon. Until then, be nice, you never know where I'll be...or who!

Thanks for reading!
JJ

My 3 year Rez Day!

I could go on and on about my 3 yrs in SL, but if you've read my blog at all, you know I go on and on about it in almost every post. So instead, I'll just share a little bit about the last few days or so.

This morning, I hung out with a few of my friends. That's what SL is all about for me these days...friendship. And I have the best! You might think you do, but ya don't. I do.

This is Aeryn. One of my best and oldest (sorry) friend in SL. I love her dearly. And she's crazy, which makes me feel better. ;-)

My other bff, Pinky. She's trying to tell my fortune to see what the next year will bring...looks a bit fuzzy. *peers in closer*

Ask again later. Signs point to yes. Reply hazy, try again. Concentrate and ask
again. Cannot predict now. Yes. It is decidedly so. Most likely. My
sources say no. Outlook good. Outlook not so good. You may rely on it. Without a
doubt. As I see it, yes. Better not tell you now. Very doubtful. Yes,
definitely. It is certain. Most likely. My reply is no. Don't count on it.

Yep, those answers apply to most of my SLife!

And last but not least, just to prove I have wonderful and supportive friends...this.

Rez day wishes from my friend, Eva. LMAO! Right back atcha!
I might write something a bit more introspective and "wise" but let's hope not!
Here's to .... not 3 more but maybe one more year.
*mwah*

SLoth & Other Things

I have a few things on my mind, so of course, I'm going to blog them. But I'm not sure how to wrap them all together in a cohesive post.

I'll start with SLoth. As some of you know, I quit my job a few months ago. I was really excited about the opportunities this gave me. I had visions of finally putting my studio together and painting into the wee hours of the night. I looked forward to working out again in the mornings and getting back in touch with me RL. I wanted to read more books, catch up on people, play with my dogs again, and just live my life...the real one, the one in meatspace.

But nooooo. I would wake up with the best of intentions. And do part of my list above. But then my laptop would call to me. No really...it called my name.....Jooooooonie, come plaaaay. So I vowed to not get on the computer till after chores and meditation and doggies and stuff were done. I even closed the laptop and closed the door to the office.

But my meditations were about SL and then nothing got done. I would log in under the pretense of just checking ims and notecards, but once I was there, my day was shot. SLoth, plain and simple. It's like drinking, I'm okay as long as I don't take that first drink...but after that...it's all or nothing. One drink is too many and a milllion drinks isn't enough.

Emerald Wynn wrote an interesting post on her blog, Emerald's Eyes, where she talked about taking a break from logging in. She obviously isn't as SLothful as me. Does anyone else have this problem? You would think, after 3 years, I would have weaned myself by now. I admit, I'm not as compulsive as I used to be. No more 3am nights. I do remember to eat now. LOL That's why I need to workout! Do you feel like a loser being in SL a lot? Or are you having the time of your SLife?

The other topic I want to talk about...I think I'll save for another day. It's more important to me and deserves its own post.

Thanks for reading! =)

New (to me) Music

I'm in the Tunes in SLgroup, so I received this msg from the group creator, Crap Mariner. It read:

Saw this in a Tweet by Jura Shepherd... Kafka Dinzeo aka MicRocka is one of the few Hip-Hop performers in SL, has free CD available at http://microcka.com/ ... check it out, folks. Thanks, -ls/cm

Since I always do what Crap says, I immediately went to the site. I'm glad I did. Hope to see him in SL live soon. Until then, check out the cool vid! And if you haven't joined Tunes inSL, I suggest you do so NOW! Also, if you haven't been to TRAX yet, get yourselves over there. Awesome way to find new musicians and your faves and listen to a bit of their music, join their group, or learn more about them through facebook, twitter, or their own website.

Enjoy! =) (oh, and turn the music off at the bottom of this page first!)

Littlest Things (Remix) from Aenea Nori on Vimeo.

http://microcka.com/

Go and Sin No More

After my last post, I decided it was best if Joonie went ahead and joined a convent.

She found a place where she could atone for her many sins of lust and desire....erm love and devotion.

She knew she would miss all the se....fun. And she couldn't help but wonder "why me?"

But she knew it was best for everyone involved and her faith would help her resist boys and stop them from getting close with her "Talk to the Nun" hand.

Sister Joonie wondered what she had done that was so wrong. She tried to remember what it was.

And she did. But was it wrong to lust...erm love? She looked longingly at her den of sin...her bed.

She knew she would never need it again. She would have to...um...take care of things all by herself. *sigh*

She vowed to be a good nun...as long as she could still wear her Aoharu shoes and Dutch Touch skin. A girl needed something to get her through the long lonely nights!

Please keep Sister Joonie in your prayers and meditations. ;-)


Sister Joonie is wearing:

Nun Habit: ::Bombard:: Nuns Habit

Lingerie: Insolence - Alice in Black

Shoes: Canimal - Shock Value Stilettos in Black

Shoes: Aoharu - Flat Gladiator Sandal in Black

Earrings: (Yummy) Beaded Hoops (not available)

Skin: ::Dutch Touch::. :River: Summer in Olive

Hair: Lelutka - Petra in Beach Blonde
MMS(Lelutka) - Venessa in Beach Blonde

Eyes: Poetic Colors - Blue Autumn Freebie

Dilemma

It's late and I need to go to sleep soon. But I've had this topic rumbling around in my head for a few days. Well, not a topic exactly but more like ideas or perplexities.

In my earlier post found here, I shared that I was feeling pulled into feelings I didn't want to feel. And that is true. But I'm torn. I have made a vow to myself and joined a convent in SL, so no more bois for me. But I have never felt so overwhelmingly in love as I have in SL. Now I know some of you are saying it's not love, it's limerance. And that's fine....call it what you want. But I am saying that I have never felt more connected to another human being than I have in SL. A connection so strong, so powerful, that I would have done anything to maintain that connection.

At least that's what I thought. But when push came to shove, I just couldn't do it. I chose my RL. I'm grateful I still had one to return to. Some of us are not that lucky.

So...I dunno. There's more to this story. It's not as easy as that. There were many sad days and nights...lots of tears and lots of pain involved. Why? Because I was unable to separate my feelings in SL from my feelings in RL. They spill over for me. And I had no intention of that happening. It just did.

SL is an awesome, beautiful, creative place. We make of it what we will. I have many awesome memories of people I have met, loved, lost. And I would give anything for that one moment...that one brief moment that scared me to death. That moment of connection that is so real. So intense, so beautiful.

For me, that will never happen again. But I am grateful for that moment and will never forget. That moment will always be with me. I miss moments like that. But I don't want to hurt anyone else. So that part of SL is not part of my experience there. And that's okay. I'm finding lots of other things to occupy my time. But it isn't nearly as intense.

signed:
A Hopeless Romantic Blogger ;-)

Step Up! November 5

What do You Know About Content Theft?

I received a kiosk the other day that explained an initiative to increase awareness about Content Theft. I remember thinking it was cool, but it was a over a month away and I hoped I would remember. And then I promptly forgot about it. Luckily, there was an email from The League of Muses group, reminding it's members to Step Up. I encourage you to do the same. Below is information about this campaign. I hope you will participate. Feel free to IM me for a free Kiosk and on details about this very important initiative to protect Creators and consumers alike from content theft.

Step UP! is a campaign centred on a special day of action that everyone can
become involved with, and that can empower and inform people about the
problem
of content theft, and what they can do about it..


What
is content theft?
Content theft is when the work of a creator is stolen and
either sold or even given away without the creator's agreement.

Content
could be anything in Second Life. It could be hair, clothes, skins, houses,
furniture, transport. All of these have been stolen in Second Life. And much,
much more.

Content theft hurts creators. It takes away the income and
the credit that should be theirs.
Content theft hurts YOU - because it
discourages creators from creating the rich and valuable content that makes up
the world we love.

So step up against content theft - join with us in
saying "NO!" to content theft, and in supporting honest and honorable content
creators! Don't buy stolen content!

Wear the orange ribbon from now till
Step Up! Day on November 5th 2009. Organise a party or event for Step Up! Day -
or just ask the owner of your favourite club or location how they are planning
to celebrate Step Up! Day.

How to spot content theft:
Many owners
will give away examples of their products in their stores. And there are stores
that have low-cost and even free content to help newbies.
But there are
discount stores and free markets that may contain stolen items.
If the store
claims to be selling goods by well-known content creators at fantastically cheap
prices, with full permissions (to modify it, to copy it and to transfer it to
someone else), then it may well be stolen.
If price seems too good to be
true, it probably is!
Use the Edit menu to check. Right Click on the object
for sale, and see if the creator's name matches the name associated with the
product. It doesn't? This could be stolen!
Check to see if a shop is selling
mixed styles that look to be made by more than one creator. Right-click on a
couple of the products that seem wildly different. Do they have the same
creator? It could be stolen!
Look at the creator's profile. Did they start
Second Life last week - and yet they're already making fantastic clothes or
skins or hair? That content could be stolen - using alts is a popular trick for
the thieves!

What to do if you think something has been stolen:
NEVER confront the thief yourself.
Content creators appreciate your
support and your loyalty, but this will only put you at risk for being Abuse
Reported and cause the thief to switch locations and accounts making him / her
more difficult for the content creator to track. Creators need that time to
investigate and gather information to file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright
Act).
So - if you recognize an item that you suspect may be stolen property,
please take a snap shot of the item, save a Landmark to the location and include
these in a notecard to the creator you believe originated the item.
If you
think content in a location may be stolen, but you don't know where it
originally came from, contact the CCA at cca.report@gmail.com and they will
investigate quietly.

Get to know your favourite content creators
Drop them a notecard saying how much you love their work - they'll really
appreciate it! And building up a good relationship with the people you buy from
is an excellent way of protecting you - and them - against being the victim of
thieves.
Because when you buy stolen content - you're a victim of the thief
too!

As an artist, I feel very strongly about this issue. In RL, artists have protections under the law. Not so in SL. LL does not care. Please get involved. Content creators work hard to make us all look and live a beautiful SL. Help them continue to do so without fear of having everything they've worked so hard to create for us stolen from them. I know for some, this might seem like a petty issue. But theft is wrong no matter where it occurs.