Anodyne

don't forget to brush after you read this. . .

I have the sweetest sweetie EVER. Like seriously. I don't know how I got this lucky. I have to work today but he doesn't, so he decided to put on a little show I could listen to at work.

Here's the event description - stop by and keep him some company while he does a good deed!


Come on down to Timeless Underground for a very special show dedicated to the one and only Moxie Grumby! Moxie has the misfortune of being stuck in RL work on Christmas Eve, but we'll help her pass the time with a combination of techno, trance, hard rock, and just about anything else you can think of!

Everyone's welcome, so come on down to Timeless Underground--where the music never dies, but YOU could!     10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. SLT

Pop Chi

So what do you do when you've taken a couple of days off to try and sort your head out?

If you're very lucky, like me, you end up in a ginormous marble structure, doing tai chi, having heavy conversations in a rainstorm of popcorn.

Hween!

I'm not particularly fond of Halloween out there in RL. My costume concepts have traditionally been to whack to pull off, plus for the past few years we've been required to dress up for the day at work. Our department as the Blue Man Group was great in concept, crusty and uncomfortable in execution.
Thus it was a little surprising to me to find that this year Halloween in SL made me full of glee rather than wanting to roll my eyes. I had way too many costumes, but managed to wear each one to something or other.
We also had a night of pumpkin carving at Timeless Underground.  Well, it  was more like attaching than carving, but it worked. It was so sweet to see those pumpkins grouped together when everyone was done.

But it was these matching Ketchup and Mustard costumes that were my absolute favorite. We couldn't stop laughing, they were just so kyooot, especially when we danced. We decided it was photo op time since it just so happens there's a Sim called FOOD, and the weinermobile lives there!

You mean everyone's not doing it?

Ok, so I'll admit it, I tend to look at other people's profiles. Often. Frequently. If I've spoken to you, it's highly likely I've scoped out your profile. I heard some describe it as perving on profiles once, and that's kinda what it is. You never know what you'll find, and I'm fascinated by the ways in which people choose to represent themselves. Plus, it's that very activity that led me to Timeless Underground for the first time, and thus opened up a giant box of wonderful.

Thus, it was surprising to me to figure out recently that a lot of our friends hadn't noticed that Rane and I have "partnered", because we did so way back on September 9th. To be fair, we didn't make a big deal out if it. I just kinda figured people had noticed by now. We met at an event in Caledon, and started chatting after we both exclaimed over a song Gabi played. We became fast friends, and Rane has been a bright spot in my already awesome SL existence. I don't think there'll be a ceremony, and there absolutely, certainly, will not be any prim babies.

This partner box is a funny thing, it can mean so many things to people. For some it denotes a close friendship, and some people go to great lengths to have elaborate weddings. For us, it just makes sense, if we're both online we can generally be found in the same spot doing something silly.

or sweet.

I found an ace that I could keep.

You don't need to adjust your sets, that is the building fading away as we look on. We're closing Spotlight. We tried it on, it didn't fit, and so we are moving on. It was great fun, and lots of stress and work, and I know I learned a lot. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the people we did.

Never fear, the good vibes that were here are alive and well at Timeless Underground, which is going strong. That's where you'll find us.

This is how RavKom rolls.

    I won't insult your intelligence by pretending that the following is not a plug, and therefore we can go ahead and avoid any shame. It's one I fully endorse. There's a really good opportunity on the table that people deserve to know about.

For the next couple of weeks, when you attend events at Timeless Underground, you may enter (for free) for a chance to win a free 512 plot on RavKom with the first month's tier paid by Ravenous Dingo. The winner will be announced on September 29, 2007.

Why is this cool? A few reasons.

Here's the deal, Ravenous Dingo did not take his marbles and go home when gambling was outlawed in SL, he decided to adapt and move on. His success depends on renting out RavKom in full, and I would like him to succeed because I would like Timeless Spotlight and Timeless Underground to succeed, located, as they are, on RavKom. If you've been to any of our events, you know that we are not after making tons of L, just enough to keep the good times going. My boss/friend/mentor Timeless is all about helping people succeed in their dreams, and I'd like to continue helping him to do that.

I live in my awesomely fantastic Mailbox on RavKom, and I love living there. It's a class 5 sim paired with Timeless and Jiminy's build which makes for an incredibly smooth running sim. There are already some very cool people living there, doing very cool things, but not so cool that they won't say hello or offer some advice if you happen to wander by. This is exactly the sort of neighborhood I've always wanted to live in IRL. Fun spontaneous things tend to happen there.

The rates are very reasonable from what I see, and Rav is a reliable person to do business with. He's also incredibly responsive to any issues the sim might have.

Hence, this is an exciting opportunity, I think especially for someone just starting out.

We have a heckuva weekend planned!
Tonight DJ Lain Messmer will be spinning and live mixing progressive/trance at Timeless Underground from 4-6 pm SLT.  He's back again Saturday from 1-3 pm SLT.
Sunday we'll have another comedienne,  Salamander Maroon,  doing her show live and using voice at Timeless Spotlight from 3-4 pm SLT. Directly following we'll have The Rane Man with his unpredictable but always fun Night Shift back at Timeless Underground.

hooo!

Not a rotten tomato in sight.

    Last night we had our first event at Timeless Spotlight. Comedienne Lauren Weyland performed live, using voice. I am just about certain that that is a first for Second Life. Regardless, it was a great time. We had a great (and huge) crowd, and Timeless did an awesome job of warming them up and setting up the mood. We'd set up a notecard with some sound gestures beforehand so folks played around with those. Also, for me anyway, it was a first being in a room with so many voice enabled avvies. It was not the cacophony I'd thought it might be. And, most importantly? The technology worked like it was supposed to.

And then of course Lauren. I knew she had some great material, and using voice she took off and ran with it. Handling hecklers and people talking back from the audience, she killed. I know I wasn't the only one actually LOLing, and that was damned cool. This is just the beginning for her.

Here's Lauren's blog , if you'd like to read her take on things or get to know more about her.

Tao Takashi took some amazing photos of the event, even if I am embarassingly ruthed in them.

Two turntables and a microphone.

    A couple of Saturdays ago,  through a series of events, I had to scramble to cover a DJ's event at Timeless Underground.  It was already posted, and it was to be directly following another DJ, so there would already be people there. I was able to get the second hour covered pretty easily, but that left an hour in between. Since I had the know how, and a playlist almost set up, I decided to DJ for that hour. I'd known that I might have to cover sooner or later, and my philosophy at the moment is to give everything a try.
    The fifteen minutes before I actually played were some of the most stressful and exhilarating I've had in a very long time. I accidentally borked my unsaved playlist at almost the same moment that the DJ we were covering for announced they were able to play, and proceded to get very upset that we already had plans to cover their time. I had to go deep to find a calm place, and I did.
    I played, and managed to keep the crowd we already had for the next DJ. It rocked. It's an incredible ego boost to be sharing music that is personal to you with other people and having them like it.

    Since then I've played a few times. I played at TU again to a very small crowd and got heckled even. It doesn't feel quite right to be playing there because my job is to manage and to promote, and doing that for myself seems wrong. I will remain ready to DJ there if need be, but I will always put myself at the bottom of the list of possible fill-ins.

    I'm less selfless than I sound, as my spinning at Underground got me a regular job at another place called The Diffuse Lounge. Every Saturday night I'll be following DJ Lain Messmer for a couple of hours. The first time was just this past weekend, and for serious, there's nothing like feeling those nerves turn into exhilaration.

    My very good friend Ela is back after a long absence.  I met Ela way way back in The Sims Online Beta. I was a true nub, and she took me under her wing.  Without the experiences we had there at Hap'penstance  I might not have been so suited to doing what I am doing in SL now. We rarely get a chance to measure the flowing stream that is our self, but Ela's comeback has made me sit back and say "oh my stars and little garters!". I've come a long way, and gained a lot of confidence. I'm grateful for reminders like this,  and to take the time to notice that these are the good old days.

    I love living on Ravkom. There's almost always someone interesting and fun around. I usually sign on inside my mailbox. I putz for a bit (answer offline IMs), fluff my hair, and then tumble out to the ground. I love falling. I can tell from there if there are people at Timeless Underground. Then, even though I know it's perverse, maybe even because it is, I walk to work. It would be faster and simpler to fly, but I like taking the time to look around the sim, and get my head in the right space.

    Then I make the mistake of thinking I know what to expect when I walk through the door. Last night CJ needed a Tralsa fix, which meant we all benefitted, and as he played Timeless was scripting new particle effects to go along with the energy of the music. I freely admit to being a particle fiend,  and I was completely mesmerized. The following pictures do not do justice to the magic that was happening. There were moments when it seemed like the room was a glow with liquid metal, like we  were walking on jewels.

    What you want to do now, is make note of the date September 8th, 2007, and hope that you'll be free.

Layer Cake of Win.

    There just aren't words to describe the fantabulousness of yesterday, or pictures either really, because as  Nobody Fugazi pointed out, the place is always in motion. DoubleDown Tandino has some great pix of early on in the event. Plus a snap of our special surprise guest.

    I thought that maybe I'd feel like one does a day after Christmas or a birthday. That particular let down feeling after you've been looking forward to something for so long. Instead, it was such a good experience that I am still up on cloud nine. Everything we hoped would happen did, and then went beyond my own wildest expectations. Everyone worked hard, and we made a great team, and I can't wait til the next one.

    Which will happen, at some random point in the nearish future. Fear not if you missed out on yesterday. In the meantime, we'll continue to have fantastic live DJ events of all sorts.

One super awesome side effect of yesterday, and some in-world t-shirts that Tommy Dragonash made, is that you can buy and wear in your very real life, a Timeless Underground T-shirt from Cafe Press (starting again soon - once we work out the design VS. copyright). I'll be getting one, even though it won't say Miss Cupcake on the back like my SL one does. :D