Such Excitement

Spencer, my fractious little Corgi, has missed Han. Losing Han gives Spencer his first opportunity to live as the only dog, and not as one of two dogs. It hasn’t been easy. He’s found that the cat, Lulu, does not want to play tug-of-war over a stuffed dog toy. Luckily, I play with him.

Worried that Spencer is moping, I gave him more walks, however short they were, this week than he’s ever had any other week. Tonight Spencer had more fun than we both expected.

I just took him down the small dirt road in front of my place. It’s not a long walk, but if I get away from the  nearby major road I can take his leash off. Tonight he trotted along by me with a few mad dashes all about. Suddenly, nature occurred: a rabbit popped into view, ran across the dirt road, and up the hill.  Spencer, after a second of shock, took off after him.

I’m yelling at Spencer to stop, but he’s not listening. He’s on a mission. I feel a touch of panic as I think that Spencer will disappear up the hill and not return any time soon. Hah! Did I mention that Spencer is a Corgi? Speedy rabbit vs. a Corgi with three-inch legs — let’s just say that the poor little bunny had nothing to worry about. Spencer didn’t get very far before he lost sight of the rabbit. Spence happily returned to my side with a few backward glances at where he “almost” cornered the rabbit.

I think that Spencer is going to like taking these short walks on a regular basis. Such excitement to be had.

Getting There

The “There” I refer to is the completion of my five-week class.  Three units to go by Tuesday, and if all goes well I’ll wrap it up by tomorrow afternoon. Whoo hoo!

Um…I guess that means I should get back to it, doesn’t it? Darn.

Goodbye Han

Owning a pet is a wonderful experience, especially when you have a dog like Han. Han, with a huge, thick coat of yellow hair, and a disposition so sweet. Han who allows my niece and nephew to crawl all over him, Han who barks only when necessary, Han who allows smaller dogs to boss him around (poor thing, scared of my mom’s tiny Lhasa Apso — Han never gets to be top dog), Han who rests his head on my knee to let me know it’s petting time, and Han–named for Han Solo–who has been losing strength in his legs these last few years.

Today I had to put my sweet Han down.

Making that decision to take Han’s life has niggled at me this year. Han was over 13 years old, and sometimes he couldn’t walk very well. One night, several months ago, he couldn’t walk more than a few steps before falling down. The next day? He’s trotting beside me as we go for a walk.

I kept wondering would I know when the time is right. Yesterday, while at the vet with Spencer, I talked to Dr. Liz about Han. How do you know when an old, infirm, beloved dog needs to go? She gave me a good way to think of it — does he seem worn out or is the percentage of time when things are good much less than the percentage of the bad times? Han qualified for both.

So yesterday I made the decision that it was Han’s time. I looked at my calendar and decided that later next week would allow me plenty of time to give Han the “puppy love” that he needed before the end. I came home last night, looked at him, and told him I loved him (oh, and cried too). I also said, “Han, I hope this is right. If there’s something you can do to let me know I’m making the right decision it would make this easier.” An hour later he couldn’t walk anymore. See, isn’t he sweet? He made it easier for me, silly dog.

So, Han, I love you and thank the universe that you were part of my life. Goodbye, sweetpea.

Foxtails are Not Fun

Just got Spencer back from the vet. They had to put him under to pull a foxtail out of his ear. Jimminy crickets, what a pain — for Spencer and for me. I feel bad that I didn’t get him in over the weekend when I first noticed his head shaking, and Spencer feels bad because his eardrum ruptured. Yeesh.  The vets say it will heal, but I’m upset. Poor Spencer.  Mean foxtails.

Russian Sean Connery

Tonight’s movie on DVD is Hunt for Red October. There’s nothing like a noble acting, Scottish-accented, Russian sub commander. Sean Connery rules.  Alec Baldwin ain’t so bad either.

Space Geeks and Me

Time to take a break from homework and what is the best way to do that? Why show you more Second Life pictures!

My new passion for Second Life makes me wonder if starting a blog that is all Second Life all the time might not be a bad idea. I’ll continue to muse on that one. Meanwhile, you’re stuck with my obsession.

So yesterday, I attended a special event in Second Life: a space ship flyover held as part of a sci-fi expo. I wondered what to wear. Could I get away with the Star Trek uniform sitting in my clothing inventory or would I offend someone by wearing it? Do I dress futuristic? Do I go for a bold, alien look? My decision was for the bold, alien look:

My goodness! That dress, called Auntie Elsie and bought at Artilleri, just moves so nicely. Pictures can’t show you how things float and twirl. I’d purposely turn around just to watch my skirt twirl up and more petticoat show itself. Damn, I am a Barbie at heart!

My bold appearance did seem out of place with all the people in Star Trek uniforms, but I enjoyed wearing my summer frock to watch all kinds of ships fly around. Hey, I wonder how many other spectators got a personal tour of a Defiant-class starship by a handsome, young captain? Girly works.

Here’s some more shots of those space ships flying over. Can you tell what’s going on? Nah, neither can I.

Monday Blues

It’s not the blues from going to work; I don’t have to go to work today. The blues arise from sitting once more at my computer for 6 to 10 hours of completing homework for my five-week summer class. That class finishes next Monday and my blues will float away.

I’m tired of sitting at the computer, I’m tired of reading textbooks, and I’m tired of not enjoying any goof-off time due to guilt over the undone homework. Sigh.  Yes, I have goofed off, but I can’t wait until next week when only one class holds my focus and time expands to include doing nothing except goofing off.

Audrey Hepburn in Second Life

I couldn’t resist. I bought the dress as soon as I laid my eyes on it. Of course, how often will a gal get to wear a Givenchy gown designed for Audrey Hepburn? In Second Life it’s possible.

The movie Sabrina is one of my favorites. Audrey Hepburn is beautiful and charming in the film. I do recommend that you rent the movie–and not the 1995 remake with Harrison Ford (bah!). Natalia Zelmanov’s store in Second Life, Sirena Hair and Fashions, offers clothes and hair; the normal stuff. When I saw this gown, though, oh my, I had to have it. Here’s the original gown:

Oh to be that classy.

While at Natalia’s party last week (yes, I went to a party and did some dancing — it’s so easy in Second Life), I asked her about the gown. She’s also an Audrey Hepburn fan. We joked that not many avatars seem to go for the Audrey shape in Second Life. Natalia laughed, “The settings would have to be all zeros!”

I started thinking…a dangerous thing to do. The ability to change your appearance is possible in Second Life, so why couldn’t I look like Audrey Hepburn? Shoot, I even have the dress!

So, here I am wearing Natalia/Givenchy:

Designing a shape to fit the Sabrina theme was easy as far as the body goes. And yes, Audrey does have her sliders set at zero in a few places. I had set her at such a skinny shape that I didn’t think it was going to work, but when I put on the gown it looked perfect. As for Audrey’s face, jeez, that wasn’t so easy. She has a distinctive nose, but I never captured it perfectly. Trying to get her facial dimensions correct was an unsuccessful chore also — squashing the face made it too wide; stretching it didn’t match the way her face looks. I kept tweaking away, plus I tried a few different skins to see if there was one that would capture her eyebrows. Nope. This is the best that I got.

Here’s the fun in taking pictures. Here’s similar shots with changing sun settings (yep, you can make it high noon anytime you want in Second Life).

I had fun putting this look together even though I can’t quite capture the face the way that I want. Trying to find hair for the outfit was also a trick. In Sabrina Audrey Hepburn had short hair. I couldn’t find anything quite like that look, so I took a style that had bangs and a bun of hair and then I rearranged the hair to get an approximate look. You will notice that my camera shots only come in from a face front angle. The back of the hair is uuuuuuugly (so unAudrey-like).

Anyway, that’s the fun I’ve been having in Second Life. Let me leave you with one last picture before I go:

Surf’s Up review

I just posted my Surf’s Up review.  This is a movie worth seeing–I certainly enjoyed it.  Here’s my review.

Long Weekend with a Long Face

My new work schedule of four 10-hour days allows me to have a four-day weekend every other weekend. The problem is that it does make for less time for other things during the days that I do work. So here I sit enjoying a Friday off, but with that five-week class nipping at my heels, I’m forced to work on homework all day. I’ll be doing it tomorrow too…and Sunday, and Monday.

The bright side to the new work schedule? I will complete my horrid summer class in a week and a half. Then let’s talk about enjoying the long weekends.

14,000

Wow.  I just checked in (goofing off from work or taking a well-deserved break?).  My hit counter is at 14,000.  So, I’ve had people visit this blog 14,000 times since it began in March 2006. I just couldn’t help but notice — I love those round numbers.

Hate is a Powerful Word

But I must use it.

I. Hate. Homework.

Thank you. I needed to get that off my chest.

Explorations in Another Life

Second Life provides way too much fun for me. Why I can enjoy dressing up avatars and sending them off to explore Second Life is beyond me. I just get a kick out of it. So, here’s some pictures of my avatar exploring just a few places in Second Life.

Most of the places are rather cheesy and sleazy, with lots of stuff for sale, but some come out so clever. It’s fun to think that there are people who design and build these places for folks like me to explore. My first spot is near and dear to my geeky heart: Starfleet Command.

Isn’t that cute? The fish are named Kirk and Spock. Okay, I admit it–I loved it–hey, I’m a Star Trek freak. There’s a Star Trek Museum, and even better there’s George and Gracie, the whale exhibit:

You remember George and Gracie don’t you? Yes, the whales from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Obviously this is where the whales found a home.

I couldn’t resist. I had to buy it:

Lt. Commander Singh at your service!

A close up of the uniform:

I wanted to purchase the uniform from the original series, but skirts fit funny in Second Life, so stuck with the Next Generation version.

Speaking of skirts, I’m wearing a cute little number here:

See? Skirts can be a problem. I kept trying to adjust the skirt to fit my body, then I’d try to adjust my body to fit the skirt, but can’t seem to make it look right. Wearing my new outfit, I explored Linden Village. The Lindens are the creators of Second Life. For more information, and another blogger talking about Linden Village read about Natalia’s visit.

Here I am at the welcoming square on Linden Village:

Hmmm….do I look a little trampy in that outfit in that pose? Naaaaaaah.

I came across Magellan’s crash site on Columbia. I gather Magellan was the original explorer who first set off from the mainland to find new continents. Magellan found land alright:

I was rather shaken up at the sight:

Okay, this post is getting very long, but there are two more places I must mention. Due to Natalia’s post about the Virtual Starry Night I had to go visit. Oh my god. What a beautiful exhibit. All Van Gogh paintings should be seen this way.

That’s me standing on the bridge that is depicted in the picture that I’m looking at. And yes, it is raining, just as it is in the picture. So totally cool.

That’s not all, not only can you view the pictures, you can enter them. Check this out:

I’m in Van Gogh’s “The Night Cafe.” Isn’t it gorgeous? I visited the exhibit store where they were selling t-shirts with images of Van Gogh’s paintings. They also had flower bouquets based on his still-lifes (yes, I had to buy some). I loved the whole exhibit and surroundings so much that I didn’t want to leave. I sat myself down and just enjoyed the outdoor cafe based on another Van Gogh painting. I even had me some shrimp cocktail:

I did leave the Starry Night exhibit and then headed off to another place that I heard was gorgeous: The Lost Gardens of Apollo. Oh my. That place is something. I love the way you can take a tour of all the sites on a magic carpet, and that when you do teleport someplace you sit in a chair that zooms to the location. Very clever. I don’t think any pictures could do it justice, but here’s just one that I snapped:

Well, I’ll have too much to do this week in my First Life to really do more travelling in Second Life, but I’ll see what other fun shots I can take if I do stumble upon something neat. I’m just having too much fun in this whole other Life.

Nancy Drew Screwed

I’m sorry. You don’t mess with my childhood memories of my favorite girl detective. She was smart, pretty, and could figure out the mystery of a moss-covered mansion, solve a curse of a black orchid, or find the secret in an old attic. I so wanted to be Nancy Drew. My dad was a defense attorney just like Nancy’s but I never seemed to stumble into mysterious goings-on (it was always handy that Nancy’s dad, Carson Drew, seemed to have a case or a trip that would take Nancy and her friends to where they needed to go to solve the mysteries).

I just got back from the Nancy Drew movie. The filmmakers so messed with Nancy that it would take a very clever and good movie to make me forgive how they treat her. It’s not a clever and good movie.  Where did they get the idea that Nancy was a Martha Stewart type? The prissy quality is unbelievable. Plus, they make her a fish out of water who seems stuck in time. Oh please.

I still have some Nancy Drew books on my bookshelf. I have such fond memories of reading them. Some of the books were printed in the 1940s; the rest in the 1960s. I wanted to see that Nancy: spunky, outgoing, athletic, and always able to notice something mysterious.

Cobbling Away in Second Life

So, I’ve been using Natalia’s instructions on how to make shoes, and let’s just say that I’m still in a learning curve. I wasn’t happy with my first go at the Heeled Pump, so tried it again.  Here’s how it turned out:

These came out better than my first try.  I used one of the textures and rotated and repeated the pattern to get a subtle dot effect.  By the way, notice the shape of the foot?  A post at the Mean Girl Guides to Second Life has a few words about how the feet, and don’t forget the ankles, appear in Second Life. Here’s another shot of the shoe from the side.  I couldn’t get the invisibility prim to work properly and struggled trying to fix it.  Sure enough, I find out the next day that some things weren’t working properly. Anyway, here’s the side view:

Yeah, a good chunk of the heel isn’t showing.  Sigh.

I decided to branch out and make a pair of shoes all on my own.  I wanted something with a heel and a bit of platform, but nothing tricky.  I came up with something like this (now don’t laugh):

Here’s another creation that I’ll probably never wear, but it did get me playing with shapes:

Yes, a black belt with silver buckle.  Hey, it’s a start!

By the way, I’ve taken classes in Second Life (as if I don’t have enough classwork in my real life).  Here’s a shot of several people taking a class at the Rockcliffe University.  I think this was the PRM 106 class (the blocks are part of the class materials we manipulate).  I’ve done eight of the building classes at Rockcliffe and have learned a lot. Now I just have to learn how to make things look nice!

I’ll have another post soon of some of my explorations.  Can you say Star Fleet Command?  Geek heaven, baby!