Gorean Tarn Takes Us For a Ride

I met up with Drax the other day and he had got something he had been interesting in getting for ages, a big black monster of a bird called a Tarn.  Tarn’s are part of the Gorean role play  and are used for carrying messages and things, as well as being used as fighting birds that you can ride, attacking your aggressors with the tarns sharp beak and claws.  We went to a building skybox to try to open the box containing the Tarn, but Drax had trouble there, probably SL playing up again, so he tp’d over to a sandbox to set the Tarn up there.

I tp’d over to Drax and there he was with the great black Tarn, it had a long vicious beak and sharp talons.  I jump up behind Drax for a ride and we took off, the bird twisting and turning as we held on tight.

I saw Hibiscus come on line and I sent her a message asking if she wanted to join us.  She came over and Drax showed her the magnificent black bird.  We all scrambled onto the Tarns back and took off once more.  Drax had done well up until then but suddenly the bird decided to ditch us and I found myself ejected off into the sea.  I caught up with Drax who had also been thrown off and Hib was still riding the tarn on her own, what a star!!   She did eventually fall off and joined me and Drax.  The only thing was that Hib still had the sitting pose, one of SL ’s wonderful bugs of course! and she thought she was standing but we had to tell her that we could both see her in the sitting pose.  She tried everything but nothing worked and she had to log off in the end to get back to her feet. 

I’ve seen lots of people lately gliding around as if they are sitting or laying down, they must think they are just walking on their own computers, you never really know with SL just what you do look like, at least I have kept my hair on lately!!!

Club Fun and Great AKK Ride

Christmas has been lovely in SL, I have been catching up with my friends between real life stuff and there has been lots of fun in the Underground Club.  Hibiscus and I know loads of people there now and we go over to dance quite a bit.  Last night the sim was packed out and I think it’s getting more popular all the time.

Hib went off for dinner and Drax came on line, I told him about the AKK Ranch where you could get a tour around the sim on one of their pretty horses, so we went over there.  It’s such a good invention, it’s a double saddle and you can sit together, usually I’m a lot slower than Drax on horseback and he goes charging off in the distance, so this was nice just to sit and the horse take us round the ranch which has some nice places to see.

We had a smashing time, we went back into the London sim after and met a few new people arriving.  Hib joined us again for a little while but I had to go as it was getting late.  It has been a nice Christmas in SL for me, I had a go at writing my first fiction for the Virtually London (Lite), a Christmas story, which you can read at http://sllondon.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-story.html 

I also posted a story on CNN last night although this is about Christmas in general in SL and about everyone meeting their friends from across the world, it’s at http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-169213  So I have been quite busy writing which I have enjoyed.

Happy Christmas!!!!

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a  Happy New Year!

Going Japanese In Costa Rica, and Conversation Went So Bad!!!

Hibiscus and I got an invitation a couple of days ago from Kirk Claymore and Maddox Dupont who were having a winter party in the Costa Rica sim and it was to be a Japanese theme.  Hib and I love their parties as they are always spectacular and the people who go always look so gorgeous and well dressed.  Hibiscus went off to buy an outfit and l looked through my many BareRose folders, as I love their Japanese designs and have bought many outfits over the time I have been in SL.  I picked one of my favourites, it’s a sort of female warrior type costume and I put it on while Hib shopped.  She returned with a beautiful bright red kimono which really suited her pale colouring.  Off we went and arrived at the prettiest winter landscape I have seen in SL so far.  There were steps leading down to the deep valley and it was a bit like walking in treacle as lag was so bad, but it was worth the effort.

We started to dance and as I looked around I could see all the fantastic costumes worn both by the women and the men.  Even the hairstyles with the gold combs and slides were just right for the occasion.  I felt a bit under dressed compared to all the kimonos, but I still liked my outfit as BareRose garments are so well made and different to anything else in SL.

There was a large crowd and everyone enjoyed themselves so much, Maddox and Kirk looked great, I loved Kirk’s outfit with the leather breastplate and hat, so much detail in his and Maddox’s costumes, it was so well done.

Thanks Kirk and Maddox for a lovely party and I wish them all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!!

I went into SL London today (changing the subject) and got accosted by a newbie who had only been born yesterday.  He came straight up to me, and no messing blew a kiss and said the following:

[2008/12/22 6:55]  Rafa : howv much for a quickie?
[2008/12/22 6:55]  Janey Bracken: quickie what?
[2008/12/22 6:55]  Rafa : yes
[2008/12/22 6:55]  Rafa :
[2008/12/22 6:55]  Janey Bracken: what’s a quickie?
[2008/12/22 6:55]  Janey Bracken: you gone all quiet
He flew off without another word but in his desperate attempt to get away, crashed into all the buildings until he managed to fly down the road to the next sim, I gave chase seeing exactly where he was on the map and landed right next to him, I said

[2008/12/22 6:57]  Janey Bracken: so why are you asking me that?
[2008/12/22 6:57]  Janey Bracken: this is a pg sim
[2008/12/22 6:57]  Rafa : just testing you …
[2008/12/22 6:57]  Janey Bracken: well go and test somewhere else and respect people here

I usually think these people are hilarious, but after you get the same stuff time after time, Hib got a very rude one yesterday!! you just feel like booting them out of the sim, it was funny seeing him bouncing off the buildings in Knightsbridge trying to make his escape though!!!

Great Party at the Underground Club and SL Showcase News

I got a call from the lovely Jura Shepherd, singer Winston Ackland’s Publicist, she had sent me an advert for a job in a great magazine and wondered if I would be interested in applying.  While I was chatting to her she asked me if I had seen that my article on fantastic singer Winston had got a mention on the Second Life showcase page of Second Life.com.  Well it was news to me, and all I can say is that I am delighted and so glad that Jura told me, I had posted Winston’s story about him being signed with 20th Century Fox at  the wrong time on CNN really, as they were in the throws of the US elections, so political stories had taken priority, but this is smashing news that SL has acknowledged how well Winston has done.  It’s at http://secondlife.com/showcase/music/ halfway down on the left of the page.

Last night was the Christmas Party at the London Underground Club, and I had given the ‘do’ as much publicity as I could on the Virtually London (Lite) blog and it certainly paid off, the sim was packed out.   I got there early and the party was well under way, they had the SL Go Go’s appearing and they were really good.

I saw my friend Drax come on line and met him in the street as the lag was so bad inside, I left Hibiscus dancing and enjoying herself.  I told Drax about the party and he went off to change before joining us for a while and we had a lovely time. 

The club had more than 40 people in the beginning dropping to 28 as it got late for the UK then up again to 48 people as our other friends from abroad came on line, so it was a great success all through the evening and night.  Congrats to the DJs, hosts and SL Go Go’s it was a brilliant night!!!

Popular CNN, Win L$4000 and Funny Robot

There has been a lot going on at CNN over the past week, what with reporter Henry Hanks publishing his story on relationships and Nicole has been spreading the meetings across the day trying to fit into people’s time zones.  I thought maybe this would bring less people to the 2pm slt meeting but I was surprised, as by the end of it, it was really busy, so I am pleased that it worked out for them.

After the meeting I went back over to London, it was late, but I didn’t feel like logging off straight away.  I went to Knightsbridge to watch the newbies playing.  It’s getting a proper hot spot there now, the newbies all treat it as a base and you are beginning to see the same names appearing although lots of them look the same.  I was talking to Hibiscus last night too, about what the newbies say, and it seems that a lot of the guys go up to girls and ask them if they want to go for a walk, she told me she had noticed this as well.  We can only assume that if the girls go for a walk the guys feel more confident to tell them what they are really after!!!  Perhaps me or Hib should go with one to record the conversation and see if  its funny, it might be boring though, perhaps they just want to show the girls their battleships or Buzzlightyear dolls.

I saw a robot av along the road brandishing a large gun so I went over for a chat and told him London wasn’t the place to get his gun out.  He seemed to be strugging with it trying to fire it, but of course it wouldn’t work there anyway!!  He did get chatting and told me he had come to London to see if he could meet people from the UK, particulary from the Preston area.  I told him to contact one of the managers who may put out a notice for him, you never know lots of people drop into SL London from all over the UK, so he might be lucky.  With that he took his gun and left in a cloud of smoke (hope his gun didn’t explode!!)

Finally I had met Nik my boss yesterday and we decided to set up a competition for the SL London residents for the best Christmas decorated home in London and he generously made L$4000 as the prize.  I have seen quite a few nicely decorated places so I am hoping for a good response.  I have asked Saffia Widdershins from Prim Perfect Magazine if she would judge the contest and she said yes, which is lovely.  She also suggested another lady from another Magazine as well, so I am waiting to hear if the other lady agrees, but it will be great to have them both on board as they are experts on design and homes and gardens in SL. (By the way Saffia has been nominated for SL entrepreneur of the year which is really well deserved, for those wanting to vote nip across and do so at http://www.slentre.com/vote-here-for-the-2008-slentrepreneur-of-the-year-award-winner-announced-dec-20th/#comment-5907)  If you decide you want to move to SL London or already live there you can find out more about the contest at http://www.virtuallylondonlite.com/

Gigs and CNN’s New Blog

Drax and I have been travelling around a bit lately looking at live gigs.  It all started the other night when I decided to look down the live events list and saw an Eagles Tribute Band playing, shame though we only caught the last ten minutes of that one, but it was packed out with avatars and looked like it had been a good night.   Since then we have looked down the list and picked musicians at random, some really fantastic and some not so good, but at least they are making the effort and good luck to them all.  One singer I really enjoyed as Garth Lannock who put on a really good live show, I would go back to see him again, it was a great night.

I got a message from Henry Hanks the CNN reporter saying that they have started a new blog page and are picking weekly themes for the ireports, unfortunately I couldn’t make the first consignment where a celebrity was coming in-world for the sltv as the time zone difference made it in the middle of the night for me, but hopefully there will be many others that CNN can throw our way.   They do still want stories about SL romances though and they have a picture of Ruby and Stef’s wedding on the blog page. http://www.ireport.com/blogs/ireport-blog/2008/12/12/second-life-weekly-assignments

Weddings Make Top Story on CNN.com Living

I’ve enjoyed interviewing some happy couples in SL lately and CNN reporter Henry Hanks has written an article about all the wonderful romances, and it’s the top story on CNN.com Living today. Henry has written a fantastic report and he mentions Hibiscus and I, thank you Henry!!!  (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/12/second.life.relationship.irpt/index.html    Picture above by courtesy of Brie Janick

Great time with Monet

Hibiscus and I went over to see Monet last night.  Monet Fitzgerald owns the Waverley Yacht Club and is such a talented friend and such good company.  When I say talented, Monet is touching on genius, she has been inventing things in SL that are fantastic.  We arrived at her club and she showed us a submarine that goes across land as well as under the sea, and it’s not one you rez  and ride, it’s one you wear so there is no problems crossing sims and it was such fun travelling under the water in them, they looked like cute little beetles.

We then went scuba diving and it was lovely, the underwater world with the plants and things looked really pretty, I’ve never tried it before and I really enjoyed swimming with Monet and Hibiscus.

As I said before, Monet is a great inventor in SL and she has invented something amazing for people who have no home or can’t afford to pay rent.  She has invented a house that you create by wearing it, therefore you can put up your home wherever you like and not only that, you can invite people in  there with you, so you can all sit round and have a cosy chat in sumptuous surroundings.  She even has books that you can click on in the house and you can read the book from the notecards it creates.  There are drinks, a radio and all sorts, it’s such a lovely idea.  She also has an island that goes along with the same theme, you create the island and can have your friends join you there too.

We had a really nice time with Monet last night and she is just amazing, so creative!!!  I will be writing more about Monet’s fabulous inventions and wonderful work over the next couple of days.

Visiting Elizabetta and CNN Island

As you probably know Hibiscus and I are neighbours in our Chelsea apartments and we often see Elizabetta Westland who lives upstairs to Hib and shout ‘hello’.  Yesterday we all got together and Liz showed us her lovely apartment, she has decked it out with a lot of pinks and whites and it looks really pretty plus she has her Christmas decorations which added to the great look.  It turned out that Liz is from Canada, the same as Hib, and another neighbour upstairs is also from there, so Hib has some fellow Canadians in the block which is really nice.  We sat chatting for quite a while before I had to go back to real life.

Later on last night I went over to the CNN meeting and Hib joined me.   Not too many of us were there last night, but Nicole and Henry the CNN reporters turned it into a lively debate.  They are still trying out new things for the CNN Island and Henry told us that he had found a cave, so me and Hib joined him to have a look.  It looks like a very large tree trunk shape from the outside and inside it has glowing embers in the floor and exotic plants growing.   It looked like something out of the Rupert Bear stories, quite magical.  They are making the island look very nice, but I think to draw more people there they need a partial copy of their Atlantic Offices from real life as I’m sure people would be more interested to get a snapshot of the studios and offices they work in and keep only part of the island for the cave etc for the garden.  They are going to celebrate their first year in SL by having a party soon, so that should be nice to look forward to. (CNN iReport Island 63, 130, 24)