Inevitable Post about Second Life…with Pictures

I can’t resist it. Even though my time in Second Life remains limited I still find time to buy items, try on clothes, and have a grand time. I’ve taken photos and loaded them to my Flickr account, but haven’t shared them with you. Some of you may have felt very lucky about this lack of Second Life ego tripping. Well, guess what? I’m forcing my pics on you whether you like them or not.

New sweater, hair, and glasses had me out on the side deck taking pictures:

The next one is me dressing up. I didn’t go anywhere, other than my photo studio to take pictures. I then had to come up with a background in GIMP. Not perfect, but I like the effect:

The last is a pic of two different looks. One is me in my more serious, got to get some work done mode; the other is silly party girl. I even decided to go out dancing in my red outfit and ended up at a dance advertised as “Best in Red.” Well, I was certainly wearing red. To my surprise, the dance was at a BDSM club. Let’s just say that I was out of place:

Neither look really fits into the leather and chains world do they? Yes, definitely out of place.

Happy Leap Day

What a magical day is Leap Day, that event that happens every four years. For all of you who are born on February 29, let me wish you a splendiferous birthday today. I love the illogic of calculating birthdays for those born on this day. It makes me think of poor Frederic in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, forced to fulfill out his indenturehood as a pirate due to the issue of having a birthday that comes around every four years. Why, it’s a paradox for him:

You know what is especially amazing on this February 29? Paid every other week I average two checks a month, but every year there are two months where I receive three paychecks. My third paycheck of the month came today..in February. What are the odds?

Reading Time…

…Or is time to read? I finished up one of my two classes that I’m taking this semester. It was a seven-week class and quite intense. I still have the other class, which I have to catch up in, but it feels so nice to have some time where I can goof off. So, what am I going to do now that I don’t have to do all that class reading? Why, read of course!

Having too much fun with my Kindle, I’ve ordered some books that I would not normally pick up at the bookstore. I’ve also downloaded various old favorites from http://manybooks.net. So the other day I finished up a wonderful book called Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides. As I lay in bed yesterday suffering through the remnants of this cold/flu I opened up an old favorite: Persuasion by Jane Austen. I also purchased His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis (I enjoyed his Founding Brothers), Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia.

With all that waiting for me to read you would think I’d be one satisfied reader. Nope. I want more! Tonight I followed up on some other books for my Kindle, and they are all free. Baen Books has free downloads of some of the books in their library. Their free library has some old books, some books that start a series, and many books I’ve never read. I did download several of the James Schmitz books. I’ve been a fan of his since I first stumbled upon a Telzey Amberdon collection. And now I have it downloaded to my Kindle to reread whenever I want. I picked up On Basilisk Station by David Weber, the first in the Honor Harrington series. My paperback copy is crumbling, so downloading to my Kindle gives me another option for reading the book. Baen also offered a short story or novella by one of my favorite writers: Lois McMaster Bujold. I picked up The Mountains of Mourning. It’s a beautiful addition to Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan novels. I also picked up a few books that I’ve never read. What a concept.

If you’re a fan of the Firefly TV series and you like Steven Brust’s writing there is another freebie to pick up. You can read My Own Kind of Freedom: A Firefly Novel on your computer, but I sent it to Amazon to be ‘Kindle-ized’ and it’s now waiting for me to read…at my convenience.

So, how do I like my Kindle? I like it! I love the ability to carry multiple books with me, and open whatever I’m in the mood for, and it opens to wherever I left off. I’m trying to load up different types of books just because I can have this variety on hand. I can open an old favorite to read about familiar characters such as Telzey Amberdon; Anne Elliott and Captain Wentworth; Miles Vorkosigan; Honor Harrington; Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy; and Ozma of Oz. Even with all these characters and all these books the Kindle doesn’t load my book bag down at all.

I do think that I have one problem with my Kindle. My battery doesn’t seem to keep a charge as long as promised. That seems to be the one bug that some Kindles have. I’ll contact Amazon, but I’m still trying to figure out how long the charge does last depending on whether it’s on or in sleep mode or I’m reading. Other than that issue — and I just have to work with Amazon to get it fixed or replaced…or charge it all the time — I’m a happy Kindle user.

So what do I read tonight?

In the Dark

I just watched the director’s cut of Donnie Darko. I will say that it is an interesting movie. Good characters, interesting plot, confusing ending…what’s not to love? Still, I’m not sure that I’m ready to join the cult of fans who adore this film.

Whew

Just submitted the final paper in my one class. I can breathe again.

Okay, not breathe so much as goof off without guilt.

Jane Austen as Film Heroine

I’m watching Becoming Jane, a movie about Jane Austen’s romance with Tom Lefroy. It’s a pleasant film, and anything about Jane Austen catches my interest. I just wish that in romance, Jane had a “happily ever after.”

Indictment Friday

My congressman got indicted today. You know what? It’s a good day.

Not So Bad

That’s how I’m feeling right now: not so bad. I managed to get another paper turned in to my class, the mildewy smell from when my hot water heater decided to leak all over the floor has diminished, and the headaches and nausea that kept me down for part of the weekend are gone (due to the mildew or due to writing that paper?). Anyway, feeling better and I return to work tomorrow. So, now I treat myself to more episodes of Grey’s Anatomy before heading to bed. Yeah, I’m feeling not so bad.

These Boots are Made…

I don’t get into Second Life much lately due to my lame attempts to be a good student in Real Life. When I do get in it’s not for social events — I so miss Dancing Liberally and Virtually Speaking and the other fun stuff. So when I do go in it’s for more solitary pursuits like trying on clothes and hair, and of course, shopping.

I went on a boot buying spree a week or so ago and love my purchases. In real life I have about 10 pairs of shoes. In Second Life I have over 20 pairs of boots — I shudder to think what my total shoe count is in my inventory. Anyway, here are some of the boots I picked up in my massive linden redistribution scheme:

The top two pairs are from J’s. They’re the Vintage Short Boots and the Western Boots in brown. The bottom two boots come with two options. The Cheetah boots from Bax Coen Designs come with regular calf-length or over-the-knee options. J’s (yes I really redistributed my lindens at this shop) Loose Fit boots comes with a buckle option.

I loved my new boots so much that I had to try various outfits on. Here’s what I came up with in my effort to play Barbie in Boots:

The hair is Armidi’s Poynter and the skin is PXL’s Linda with the fashion eyes and coffee lips. The clothes are a mish-mash of items from my inventory. The boots? Well, they’re made for walkin’.

Ava’s Earrings

I’ve put in the DVD of Night of the Iguana. I had seen it years ago on TV. I think it was so long ago that I was in grade school. I doubt I got some of the not-so-subtext (a sentence referring to dykes and calling a woman “Butch” probably went right by me).

I’m enjoying the movie, but a nagging sense of familiarity gnawed at me as I watched Ava Gardner. Then it dawned on me why I keep gazing at her as she plays the brash and lusty Maxine. It’s her earrings. Giant hoops hanging from her ears seem so familiar to me. I think I fell in love with her character so many years ago and fell in love with her look, including her loose-fitting, wide-necked blouse and capri pants. I always want to dress this way.

Hoop earrings? I rarely wear anything but hoops in my ears, though much smaller than Ava’s large, dangling earrings. I don’t wear capris and blouses like Ava, but then again, it’s snowing here in Flagstaff. Still, if I could dress like this, I would. Hey, if I could look like Ava Gardner while dressed this way I wouldn’t even care about the snow.

I don’t know what people think about the movie, but if nothing else,  I do know that watching it those many years ago,  it set my fashion taste, especially in earrings.

Meet the Spartans review

Yes, I had the misfortune to have to review Meet the Spartans. Here’s the review.

Ah, Romance!

It must be Valentine’s Day tomorrow. I saw men buying wine and flowers…and food. Yes, I was at the grocery store. Hey, I guess we should give these guys credit for making an effort, but grocery store flowers?

Yes He Can…Um…Really?

You’ve all seen this video by will.i.am taking Obama’s speech and making a beautiful video?

Well, just hold your horses a moment. Another candidate — my senator, John McCain — gets the solemn music video treatment too and his message deserves getting out there to a larger audience:

Alive and Cranky

I realized that I haven’t posted since Tuesday. I’m on hard working mode trying to be a good student. Unfortunately, I go through bad student mode before I buckle down to good student mode. Lots of work done today and I’m now able to relax. I put a silly movie in the DVD player (Analyze This) and I’m now surfing the web checking up on the political goings on today. Still, I feel pretty grumpy about being a student who can’t lounge in bed all day reading something more entertaining than textbooks and journal articles. Damn college classes.

Voted

Went for my regular visit to the polling place and said hi to one of my old co-workers. I see her every election as she is in charge of the voting operation every election. I usually vote early, but am usually volunteering to pick up tear sheets and other activities for the county democratic party. It was weird to just go in and vote.

It looks like the turnout for my precinct place is higher than normal. Last time it was 305 votes for the whole day. I went in about noon and I was number 329.

I can’t wait to see what the results look like tonight. Has Obama got the momentum? Can Clinton succeed? It should be interesting.

Oh, and I just loved hearing what my 5-year old nephew calls Obama. When looking at Obama on the cover of a magazine he was asked if he could name the person. Sure, it was that guy running for president, Racky Banani! Poor Barack Obama, it can’t be easy to have a name like his, can it?

By the way, Mr. Banani got my vote.