A Pleasantly Purple Moon

I finished the structural work and exterior of my space house aerial boat. It's ready to move my stuff in. Isobela helped me with some of the interior finishing, but I want to wait and move all of my stuff in before doing the rest. I want to have the transparent-from-the-interior walls, and figure they'll be too distracting as I try to arrange furniture.

Later on Isobela and I went out dancing at the Purple Moon, a new place for us. I had checked it out earlier and there was a god crowd there, but they had mostly left by the time we got there. We did ballroom and many other slow-dance styles. It had been too long since we'd done that. We danced and chatted for hours.

Of course one of the things we talked about was me moving, and that was complicated by the fact that Cheyenne had sent a notice earlier in the day that she would have places for her renters on the new island. I wish Cheyenne had done that before she mentioned moving in her blog, not over a week later, but on the other hand if I was getting my own island I'd be pretty jazzed and would likely be forgetting things left and right. In any case I was faced with deciding if I should stay with Pele or move to a sky house at Isobela's like I had been planning.

I was very conflicted. Pele is a beautiful place to live and I'm sure the new place will be just as nice if not nicer, and I don't like relying on the kindness of others. On the other hand I really don't spend too much time there; I did for a while when setting it up and Isobela has stopped by for a few long chat sessions and that train-ride adventure, but most days I'm there less than 5 minutes. I'm always rushing to work or to a club or wherever. The price is good for what you can do there, it is an excellent value, but I'm just not taking advantage of it.

I did alot of soul searching. I thought about exactly what I need in a place to live, and the answer was not much. I considered living in the alley behind Fibbers; that's actually better than some of the places I've been where I only had cold mud to lie down in. It seems this housing thing is done more to be socially-acceptable, and I started to wonder if I should become homeless on purpose just so that I wouldn't take myself too serious and run the risk of things around here not being fun any more.

I am lucky to have sought Isobela's wise counsel. She helped me understand the issues I was having with life, myself and the metaverse. I realized the fun I was having making my space house boat was really me trying to talk myself into thinking it was a good idea. I wouldn't be happy accepting charity, no matter how picayune or well-intentioned.


Everyone has been so nice, especially Isobela, but I think I'll stick around Pele for a little while more.

Housing and Urban Blight

This afternoon I worked on ideas for a house some more, plus I put some time in working on a surprise. For the house I had gotten a hold of some mega-tools that I thought might help me and played with them. The first iteration turned out to be a little larger that I wanted. After Isobela got home I popped over to her house to show her and the first thing she said was "Wow that's big". Several snide comments later she helped me finish up the surprise.

As we were there on her patio I heard this deep rumbling, the ground started shaking a bit and the air started smelling all sulphery. Isobela said "Look, the volcano is erupting!" Apparently this is a festive occasion for her because she was jumping up and down and pointing and having a grand old time. It made me kinda nervous.


After the eruption Isobela took me on a tour of the property for sale near her. As always, she wants more land. We saw several beach-front lots just down the hill from her place, plus one that was listed for sale in the directory but had no for sale sign and a house still on it.

Isobela wanted to "help me" work on my sky-house, so we headed back to hers and I set it up again. It had two levels, plus a roof-top patio. She started working on flooring and paneling for the upper floor while I decided to turn the lower level into an indoor swimming pool. I sealed everything up and filled it with water to a comfortable height, just below my chin.

Isobela came down to see how things were going and I noticed a potential issue with the pool; even though the water level was below my chin it was above her head, especially since she had kicked off her heels as she was laying tile. I held her above the water while I drained enough off to be below her chin.

She had done a very good job with the tile that I had picked out. It had a white background with blue in it and some black/brown highlights, named after some city in Mexico. For the paneling she had used what I had on hand, much better than bare walls but would have to be replaced in the long-term.

We took a break, sat back and looked at how things were progressing, and decided to start over. It was just too big. I hadn't had a chance to look over other skyboxes to see how they were done so I did that a bit, but didn't get any good ideas. I came back and we talked it over some; I figured I'd give my house in a tube another try, but a shortened version.

I was about to leave when Iso got a call; apparently there was some sort of riot at the Bushy Beard. Normally I would be up to go see what was going on, but I was exhausted and needed to get to sleep. I asked her if she went there to take pictures for me. I arrived home as Hy was calling me with the same message; I asked him, too, to take pictures. I wonder what in the world that was all about?

Arrows

I played some more with those giant metal tubes I had found yesterday. I found a way to turn the whole tube transparent when viewed from the inside! That provides a great view, but if you're up in the air it probably is a good idea to keep an opaque floor. I was having some problems with an interior wall so I called master builder Isobela for help and we ended up chit-chatting for hours.

My interest in aerial dwellings stems from some posts on my landlord's blog where she talks about selling her land and buying her own island. It would be so cool to have your own island, and I wish nothing but the best for the wonderful Chey and goddess Pele, but it does kinda leave me hanging about having a place to live.

I figure as a temporary measure if I can make a small place that I can float way up out of sight of the ground I might be able to find some friends that would let me park it over their land. That would give me a chance to go house-hunting without the stress of a deadline looming over me.

That evening I met Isobela at Nightclub Echo Echo for the DJ Natallya and Hostess Padula show. curm was his usual hilarious self; he was teasing Ajay about making a move on her wall. I hadn't seen Padula at work since ages ago at the Blarney Stone and was again reminded of what a truly amazing hostess she is. DJ Natallya's music was it's usual rocking self, but the poor dear was just getting over a bug and sounded kinda rocky on the microphone.

After a while Isobela and I went back to her place to work on our projects. She had cut a hole in her roof and covered it with a piece or plywood. Right before my eyes she made and installed the most beautiful skylight over her bedroom! I helped test it to make sure it was safe by jumping up and down on it.

I also worked on my submarine / aerial dwelling project. I stumbled my way through the interior walls; and tested out a hot tub on the upper deck. This was especially cool with the transparent walls and roof. I eventually did about everything I could do for it besides maybe some new flooring and paneling on the lower deck.

As I sat back and looked at it I realized that a long narrow tube was not the best architectural shape to put living quarters in, so it's back to the drawing board. I've seen some vendors that sell things called SkyBoxes, I might look into one of those. I'd really like to build my own place, though, so I may just look around and see if there's any good ideas I can borrow.

Isobela had been tweaking her skylight, and wiping my muddy boot-prints off of it, so I went down to admire it again. Coolness. We talked some more about the issues that I had earlier with the interior walls, and with the patience of a saint the dear explained the process to me once again. Amazingly, this time I understood! She was able to knock the information into my block head! Woot Iso! Ya see, it all hinges on the arrows...

Shakin' it with Shayla!

I did some building experiments today; I had come across some giant metal tubes and spent some time trying to figure out what I could do with them. The largest were fully 34 feet in diameter. I knocked together some flooring to make two interior levels in it. I'm figuring I can fill in the void below the lower deck with Helium and make the whole thing float way up in the sky. If it leaks out it'll be dangerous, though. I'll need to make up some warning signs; "If you start talking funny, grab a parachute!"

Mack and Case are still having their transportation issues, so today's Rock and Roll Listening Party was cancelled. DJ Bill and Ajay stepped in, played some tunes and kept the place rocking.

Glam DJ Shayla and Glam Hostess Isobela were at the Glamshack later, so of course I was too. We were competing with DJ Hy at Echo Echo for an audience, but we had the better eye-candy. The girls were cute, too. (Just kidding ladies!)

DJ Shayla is a very good DJ. I think I had heard her before at the DJ Hangout, but this was the first time in a club setting and she did an excellent job. Good business sense, too; when I had asked for an obscure Bow Wow Wow title that she didn't have on hand she said that she would get it if I came to their show the following week! I plan to.


I had a very nice text message waiting for me when I got home today. I should have replied to it, or at least thanked the person who sent it when I saw them. I can be such a bonehead sometimes. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed.

SciFi

There was no Friendly Fire show tonight; Mack and Case are still having horrible transportation issues. I can't imagine being cut-off like that. I could always borrow a vehicle from my neighbors; but then I don't have the requirements to haul around all of that band equipment that they do either.

DJ Jocelyn and The Tracy played at Nightclub Echo Echo fir their usual Sunday Night Mayhem and Madness. The theme was Science Fiction and there were many wild and wooly creatures were about. I wore my surplus NASA space suit; Isobela had a Federation pilot's outfit it looked like. Argus had a NASA space suit too, but hers looked infinitely better on! We danced next to this friendly Klingon named Adrian most of the night.


The Tracy went through quite a few costume changes during the show, from Princess Leia to a nun. Eventually her true nature showed through.


Isobela and I closed the place down except for a few zombies left milling about. They might be worrisome in other places, but here they fit right in. Nightclub Echo Echo is just about the best great good place in the Metaverse.

UK Rock at the Shack

In the morning I went shopping with Isobela. She bought me a red suit with fluffy ruffles on it. I took her to see a Ringmaster suit I was considering; saw it was on sale for 50% off so I bough it, and the matching ladies one for her!

I found a weaponsmith that needed a little bit of help, in return for my time he gave me a katana, a polearm and a cool bow. I looked them over briefly and they are very involved; I'll need to spend some time getting used to and practicing with them.

The fantastic DJ Jocelyn was spinning UK Rock at the Glamshack in the evening. Her usual hostess Jenda was out with the flu so The Tracy filled in for her. Took a couple of clothing changes before I was really in theme - I ended up wearing the new red ruffle suit Isobela had bought me. Forgetful Tracy had a couple of costume changes, too.

Adrian was admiring the artwork on the wall while he danced and realized there were no pictures of him up! I looked around and noticed up in the front of the club there was a picture of him on the wall by the door next to Isobela. He was even wearing the same clothes in the picture that he was wearing in the club!


Isobela and I ended up shutting the Glamshack down as usual. We talked about plans for St. Patrick's day, and planned a shopping trip for me to get another kilt, this time in my tartan of County Westmeath. Shopping with Iso is such a blast!

Prim-Reduction Technology

After a long and hectic work day I was only able to pass by the Glamshack to dance for too short a time with Isobela while we listened to DJ Hy. His hostess was The Tracy of couse, and Misprint was there in rare form with her mysterious prim reduction technology. Isobela and I ended up closing the place down.

Gina in the Gallery

After work I made it to the Experience Italy gallery to catch the last half of Gina's presentation of her new work. Totally amazing group shots of people; she said it took about an hours to get them all positioned just right. I would have loved to be a part of it!

There were a bunch of other news professionals around interviewing her. I was able to get a question in here and there and she gave very courteous, intelligent answers. There was also a tree-person in attendance. I had heard rumors of them, but had never actually seen one myself. Cool, but all the falling leaves sure made a mess.

After a bit I left and stopped by her studio to see if there's a group to join or other ways to get announcements ahead of time so that I could participate in any future shoots. She has some nice art on the walls, including one amazing three-picture set that I would love to have. It was priced well, but I just don't have any more walls to hang pictures on in my tropical paradise - it's all windows with a few doors.

While I was there she came back to her office. We chatted for a while and she invited me to join her group. She doesn't have any immediate plans for another shoot, but said inspiration could strike at any moment. She also gave me directions to a few other galleries that are showing her work, this is high on my to-do list.

Later on Friendly Fire played in the glittering, swirling dome of Club Casa Blanco. Their usual fantastic selves amplified by the usual eclectic atmosphere of Casa Blanco makes for a great time. Case made up an off-the cuff song dedicated to Sofia and MiaSnow! Mack is getting better but continues to have trouble with her poofer; she triple-triggers it still sometimes. I'm thinking of researching remedial education resources for her.

In the evening Iso and I went to the Experience Italy gallery to view Gina's work, and to her studio to see her other work there. She is simply amazing. It was cool bringing Iso to these places and experiencing her fresh perspective on the works that I had already seen. By then it was very late, so we didn't have a chance to see her work in any of the other galleries. Something to look forward to for another day. Another wonderful day.

Jocelyn on Journey Island

This afternoon DJ Jocelyn was playing at Journey Island! She wasn't playing strictly Journey songs of course, just the same old fantastic Rock that we're used to with her. She would play a three-song set and have the audience guess a theme she had made up based on those three songs. The way she works a crowd is awesome; greeting newcomers, calling everyone out by name every once in a while; the general chit-chat and the group participation things like this theme contest guarantee a fun time at all of her shows.

Virtuoso Journey fans like Rosie won most of the contests and were able to choose a Journey song as their prize! I won the last one, though; and let Jocelyn pick the song. She picked Stone in Love! After I had told Joce to go ahead and pick JrnyVal had shouted out some suggestions to me. That made me feel a little bad; if I had asked JrnyVal to pick a Journey song to play it would likely have been a big deal for her. But Joce seemed happy to be a able to pick a song, too.

They've made a few changes to the Escape club; there is a second grand piano but most of all they added a special male dance enhancer! It's a real draw; there were more guys than girls there which is unusual in a place like that. It was so popular many of the girls were using it too! I still think they should add a couple of couches or chairs along the back wall, though. Sometimes these old bones get tired and need a break.

After the DJ Jocelyn / Journey Rock Island extravaganza I went home and worked on my bar stools some more. I thought I had them done but a problem has cropped up; they don't swivel like they should. I was sure that I had that working! I'll need to tear one down and see what needs to be fixed.

Later I went to Isobela's place to watch her do some more masonry work on her house. She is so incredibly multi-talented. I took my bar stools over to work on too, and we had a nice time working and chatting together. I think I have my problem fixed, just need a little more testing.

After saying our goodbyes I headed home, arriving just in time to see a bright flash in the sky. I tuned to the news and We Got It In One! "At approximately 10:26 p.m. EST, Feb. 20, a U.S. Navy AEGIS warship, USS Lake Erie (CG-70), fired a single modified tactical Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) hitting the satellite approximately 133 nautical miles over the Pacific Ocean as it traveled in space at more than 17,000 mph." Hmmm, another space story. That makes two this week. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Silken Glamshack

This evening I stopped by the Glamshack for the DJ Tkid and Isobela show. The theme was Silks and Thongs, so I decided to defy convention as usual and danced in black Silks. A few of Isobela's neighbors that I had met stopped by, but none of them could stay long. JrnyVal popped in for just a bit, too; as did Franse, Dlanor, Annak, Aaronson, Havuliregua, Jhonan, Bulldog, Kirin, Nigel, Danni, Chayna and DebraWinters.

Ajay showed up and brought a cute little Chihuahua-5000 with her. Mack and Case stopped by after their show at Minni's Beach Bum. Joce called and we chatted for a bit; I tried to entice her to come to the Glamshack by mentioning that I was in Silks but she was busy at Nightclub Echo Echo.


DJ Tkid and Isobela stayed an extra half-hour. By then it was fairly late and I have a busy day planned for tomorrow so I headed home. The silks were fairly comfortable, I'd wear them much more often if not for those nipple clips. While dancing? With Ajay's chim? Ouch!

Hello Avatar

I saw the Space Shuttle and International Space Station fly overhead this evening. One bright, small speck chasing another across the sky. Our future is out there. As a species, it is too dangerous for us to be stuck in a single biosphere. So I waved.

I met Isobela at the Glamshack for the last part of Case's Rock and Roll Listening Party. There had been some more work on the seating there, Isobela has her own chair next to me with Tracy and Hy on the other side of her. Seems everyone wants to get in on the reserved-stool craze Case and I somehow started. Case was on-stage DJing, but the rest of us had them parked.


After the show Isobela and I went to the Hello Avatar art gallery. It is simply astounding. There's about 15 or so large hexagonal rooms all connected together. Each room has a different theme, though two of the rooms were left empty; presumably for Isobela's work. There was one picture of an eye that gave me the heebee jeebies, but otherwise the work was breathtaking.

There were crystal mermaids swimming around a man in a bubble, someone holding their own heart in their hands, ER doctors performing surgery on a computer, close-ups of people with awesome face-paintings; just too much neat stuff to mention. In the room with the calendar pin-ups Isobela noticed what a good job they did waxing the floor. She is such a hoot.

From there we went to the Twelfth of Never's art gallery. It was all one theme, but one we both like. These were for sale, and most were very reasonably priced, so whenever one of us mentioned that we liked a particular piece the other would buy it for them. And what art tour would be complete without viewing the prints on the walls at Solstice?

Tracy had been sending us reminders that she and Hy were at Nightclub Echo Echo, and after the four-hundred thirty-seventh notice we figured we'd best head over to the rocky crags. I like Hy's creative themes; this time is was, as Tracy put it, "Come enjoy the songs of what Hy calls dead presidents and money!"

The music was exceptional as always. coldcat brought her pussy to the show. It didn't cause too much trouble, and was quite the conversation piece. Isobela and I did the club dance like we did the previous night. We had been slow-dancing alot, and doing our own dances; it was cool to be close and bee-bopping in perfect rhythm just like we used to do.

I kept thinking about that picture of the eye. Good art galleries make you think; great ones give you the heebee jeebies. Hello Avatar is among the very best. It has a huge statue up on the roof, too. Its toes are as tall as I am. Isobela and I stood at it's feet and gazed up in awe. It's a wondrous world we're in.

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

DJ Aston was playing in the Glamshack this morning with hostess the lovely and talented Isobela. He's only played at the Glamshack a few times, he's a very good DJ and attracted quite a crowd. Many of them seemed to be from across the pond; fine fellows all the same.

After the show Isobela and I walked around Flotsam Beach. They had torn down the nice house that I would likely have rented if I wasn't in such a fantastic place already, and they tore down the one next to it too to put in four small houses. It was a shame, because all four of them were empty. After touring the island we chilled out on the beach and chatted for a while, then went birthday present shopping. It's fun to go shopping with Iso, she puts a whole new perspective on things.

That evening the craggy peaks of van Eyck's Nightclub Echo Echo resounded with the sweet, sweet strings and souls of Friendly Fire. Mack and Case really know how to close out a wild weekend with style and sass; especially sass. There were many new visitors from Journey Island that became Glamtastic that night, not an easy chore with so many of them scurrying about. Then, during the show, Case announced that today was Mack's birthday!

A surprise party was planned immediately after Mack left the stage, to continue through DJ Jocelyn's and The Tracy Stardust's Sunday Night Mayhem and Madness show. (I hope Mack doesn't get a hold of the pre-release version of this and have her surprise ruined!) Near the end of the Friendly Fire show some co-conspirators silently worked their way through the crowds passing out these special Happy Birthday Mack hats.

As soon as Mack left the stage this giant Happy Birthday banner dropped along with approximately 11 trillion brightly-colored balloons. We all put our hats on and gave her best wishes as Joce cranked up the volume. The hats were way cool with glowing lights and a scrolling Happy Birthday Mack banner around the top! As new celebrants arrived they were given hats, too.


The theme for Joce and Tracy's show was Movie night. Tracy dressed as Bat Woman and Hy was the Flash (I think), but unfortunately Joce wasn't able to dress up. She had what looked like blood-soaked bandages around her calves; I think she called them leg-warmers. I worry about her.

During the show Joce answered the question that was on all of our minds when she said that it was Mack's 18th birthday! And do you know the best part of Mack reaching the age of maturity? She has FINALLY learned how to trigger her own poofer!

Gimme a 'G'

I saw Pato playing guitar and singing in the Cafe Diego. Or maybe it was the the Cafe Venetia outside of San Francisco? That's where the group notice said he was playing, but it sure looked like he was in the Cafe Diego to me! Whatever. He has a good voice and nice song selection; a pleasant way to spend a lazy Saturday morning.

We went clothes shopping for Iso, then she wanted me to get some more clothes - like my dresser isn't already stuffed and overflowing, but she thinks everyone always needs more clothes. We met up again later at the DJ Hangout and danced a bit.

Zaphod played before this afternoon's Friendly Fire show, and Pato had played before him! That guy does get around. They were all at the the Poetry In Pixels Music Fest in Coconut Grove, 15 straight hours of music from some of the metaverse's best bands.

There was horrid traffic, as show time approached and Mack and Case weren't there I told Isobela "I guess we're gonna have to get up on stage and sing!" Fortunately the Glamtastic duo made it just in time.

The show was a constant rush; Case and Mack crammed 20 lbs of Rock and Roll into a 10 lb bag plus there was a constant influx of new people to greet and invite to the group and of course to distribute the swag bags too. There were a few Friends that I hadn't seen in a while, too, including Hy's cousin any1.

After the show Isobela and I headed straight over to the Glamshack where she was hostess for DJ Tkid, who played my song for me. DJ Arcadian followed DJ Tkid and his hostess had called in sick so Isobela stayed to help him, too. I hung around to listen to him and dance with Iso.

Friendly Fire had played at MiaSnow's Valentine's Day Massacre party earlier, and Isobela and I worked their third show of the day at the Gateway Nite Club. This must have been the place that Ajay had been talking about when scheduling officers the other day. They were having a Silks contest too!

This was Mack and Case's first time at the Gateway. I had shown up early and chatted with some of the dancers, one of whom had attended a Friendly Fire show a while back and really talked them up to the others. No one was disappointed, the show was amazing and everyone there was a hooting and a hollering as always.

When the show was over Isobela and I hung around for a bit for some after-gig chat, then went to see Truelie sing and play guitar at the Lost Grotto. She is good, and her style is a bit different than most that I've seen around here. Kinda like ballads, she sang insightful songs about our metaverse even though she hasn't been here all that long.

Isobela's cousin Midnight was there, and most people followed the local customs, even though they are not required. DJ Funker followed Truelie so after her show we all headed over poolside to enjoy his tunes, including Truelie. He mentioned how he had seen me mention him in my blog last month and thanked me.

We stayed for about an hour. Funker's music was as good as ever, but I had been dancing for more than eight hours that day and I was plum tuckered out. Isobela and I said our goodbyes and each headed home, but as soon as I got in the door she was calling me to say that a volcano had erupted in her neighborhood and it was way cool. I popped over there real quick to see it, and yes it was way cool. This place is simply amazing.

Woot!

After a very long day I was able to make the last songs of the Friendly Fire at The Cockpit. In scheduling officers for this particular show Ajay promised that there would be strippers, but none were in evidence. The music was just grand, though. Case sang his Scottish Drinking Song - so cool!

Immediately after Isobela and I went to the Glamshack to hear DJ Hy with his theme of Hot-Loving Sexy Songs! Tracy wasn't feeling well, but Carpathianna did a fantastic job standing in as hostess for her. They have finally put up dance poles in the Glamshack, and Anna gave us all a lesson in the proper use of such! And Rosi! And even Mack! Woot!


Near the end of the show Iso and I went back to my place. We had a nice long chat, I really enjoy her company. All the perfumes of Arabia could not sweeten her soul.

Happy Valentines Day and Happy Rezz Day Hope!

This afternoon I stopped by the Glamshack to hear DJ Bill and his hostess the giggling Ajay. Joce stopped by too and showed off this awesome brooch that Adrian had made for her. I've been enjoying the afternoon shows there, but I'm not getting any other stuff done that I'd like to do. I haven't worked on my secret project in over a week! It is cool to sit up there on my stool, though.

Friendly Fire played their weekly gig at Club Casa Blanco. Mack wore a very Valentine Dayish (VDish) outfit! Case sang a couple of cover songs; not exactly as lovey-dovey as Hy's the other night, but they were at least an attempt. I was lucky enough to finagle a dance with Isobela, but then she had to leave right after the show. I had, to, too; Mack and Case took a last minute request to perform at a rez-day celebration for Hope and Ajay and I had volunteered to be the officers for it.

The rez day party was in the Edole Clocktower which was transformed into a Alice in Wonderland theme party land, and attendees were encouraged to show up on costume. Mack, Case, Ajay and I showed up early. Mack prepared the stage, Ajay and I started greeting people and coordinated on the group notices and who would be doing group invitations and passing out the Swag bags and such, and Case glammed some beer.

When Hope showed up she saw it was a surprise party and immediately fainted. She got right back on her feet and everybody started overwhelming her with well-wishes. After a few minutes of this Case got on the microphone, said "Hope, we are Friendly Fire and this is for you!" and then led us all in the Happy Rezz Day song! After that it was the sweet, sweet strings of Radio Show and another full-on Friendly Fire fantastic performance.


Before heading over I had a chance to consult with my Fashion Coordinator who agreed that a tux would be appropriate. I went with the full Victorian tux down to the Horsehead Cane, black gloves and PinceNez! Most everyone else showed up in costume, and Hope was wearing a darling Alice in Wonderland dress. They started passing out t-shirts commemorating the event, so some people changed into those, including Case but not until after he had ripped the sleeves off of the brand-new shirt!

When I'm officering I always keep one eye on the doorway so that I can greet newcomers. About a third of the way through the show I was completely astounded when Cogsworth Linden, the Steam Lantern, showed up to wish Hope a Happy Rez Day! My initial greeting alerted everyone else to who was here, and those who recognized the name "Cogsworth" were immediately saying Hi and watching to see what he would do. Cogsworth is a class act, though; he could have taken center stage but this was Hope's party so he sat off in a corner for a while jamming out. He eventually got up and danced, and joked around a bit with another robot, a wind-up, that was there.


Hope was fairly quiet most of the night; she was either real emotionally broken up about the party for her or she was buried in text messages from well-wishers. The mid-show notice that I sent out brought in a handful of new guests, and when they saw what a spectacular party it was (and who was there) they called their friends in too. I was kept busy the whole night.

Special events like this are the bread and butter of this world; it was a most excellent surprise party. The clocktower redecoration was amazing, close quarters but it made a wonderfully intimate setting for such a party! The music was great (of course) and the guest of honor was completely surprised. I overheard someone say "Runy, if you planned this, you rock in stereo!" I concur.

The Ravishing One

Can Rosinante write an awesome group notice or what? Friendly Fire was playing their bi-weekly gig at Club Saphir. I was running just a tad late, i.e. I wasn't a half-hour early, so Rosi called me to see if she should send out the group notice. I flashed back to the first time I had sent out a notice to the Friendly Fire Friends, and how cool it was to see my name up in lights at the top of the notice; I wasn't sure if she had ever sent one out yet or not but I asked her to go ahead and send it.

On a short break earlier in the day I had checked out the last group notice that I had sent for Club Saphir two weeks before. I figured if need be that I could just tweak that a bit and re-send it. I'm glad it didn't come to that. Rosi's note irreverently poked fun at some of Mack and Case's silly sayings, had heavy sexual overtones, was fun to read and most of all made you really want to go to the show. Just about the perfect group notice. I can't believe I didn't scribble it down so that I could share it with you here. I'll have to check with the Friendly Fire Friends Group Historian, I'm sure he saved a copy. Hell, it's probably framed and on his wall right now!

As usual it was a ninety-minute show at Club Saphir. No matter how long they play, Friendly Fire shows always seem too short. At Saphir the audience seems to get more chatty than at their other regular venues. curm was able to make most of the show and he always brightens people's days by sharing his wit and wisdom. Whenever Ajay and Rosi are in the same room the air tingles with electricity even if there isn't any mud nearby. Wiley Willa caught most of the show, too; lately she hasn't been showing up until the very end of the show and I've been worried about her.

There was an outbreak of German farts. It's too hard to explain; I'll have to just leave it at that. We had extensive discussions about sloobies, toobies and especially roobies. Ajay had to step out for a few minutes; when she got back she was extensively grilled about where she had been and with whom. She admitted to being with a male, but then claimed that he was her son. This just egged the crowd on.

My new Friendly Fire poofer worked well; much better than the Joce and Tracy ones from Sunday night. I'd still like to do a hair more tweaking on this one, and tear down the others to see why they are misbehaving; sounds like a good project for this weekend.

All too soon the Friendly Fire show ended. Rosi had to leave right away; it was very late for her. Mack and Case took off shortly after for dinner, so I headed home too. I was looking into gift-wrapping the item(s) I had bought while shopping earlier when Joce called. We chatted for quite a while and then Isobela called.

Iso was having a rough day, more issues with her house, and needed a break so I invited her over. We danced on the upper deck and chatted. She had told me she was having problems with her house before the Saphir show, and now she had figured out exactly what the problem is. In the cool evening ocean breeze we decided that the best thing to do would be to just wait and let the house work its own problems out. Life is good.

We missed it!

"Munro Day is a holiday celebrated each year on the first Friday in February by Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in honour of the financial contributions made to the school by George Munro. All classes at the university are officially cancelled on Munro Day.

It is common for students of Dalhousie to take the day off and enjoy some of the finer things in life to honour the memory of George Munro. Drinking is among the most popular of the day's activities. Toasting George Munro and thanking him for the day off is very common, and it is tradition to always praise him when his name is mentioned."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munro_Day

This is awful! I guess we'll just have to party twice as hard next year. I've set a reminder on my calendar at work, now the trick will be to remain employed until then!

A Short Glam

Doing my rounds today I found DJ Arizz and Hostess Tracy performing at the Glamshack so I stayed for as long as I could, but I had things to do, people to see and places to go. This took up much of my evening. By the time I got back the lovely and talented Isobela was Hostessing at the Glamshack for DJ Tkid.

The newlyweds were there, and Ajay for a while; there were alot of people in and out but not many stayed for very long. I guess they had things to do like I did earlier in the day. I worked on breaking in my wonderful new stool some more, then danced near Iso for a while. Isobela and I ended up closing the place down.

Afterwards we went back to my place; luckily I had left everything Shipshape and Bristol fashion. We chatted in the hot tub looking out over Pele's beautiful East Beach. Isobela is such a brilliant conversationalist! We talked about the supernatural, music, literature, friends, told awful jokes and just had a grand old time. Life is huge. Rejoice.

Farr: He sounds nervous!

I was able to make the last few songs of Friendly Fire's at Trudy's in Mythos Prometheus. The usual rocking crowd was there, and Wiley Willa even showed up too. This was the first Friendly Fire show for many of the locals; they were so funny. They were like "OMG, did he just say that?"

Afterwards Isobela made a special request for me to accompany her to Nightclub Echo Echo even though it would make it a very late night for me. Of course I immediately agreed, then thought about why she would make a special request for me to go there; I thought about this for about an eighth of a nanosecond.

So we headed over to the infamous rocky crags to hear DJ Hy with his beautiful hostess The Tracy. The theme was lovey-dovey mushy stuff and both of them were dressed the part. Most of the usual crowd was there, more people than you often see there on a Monday night. I figured the word must have gotten out, and a little over halfway through the show he did it!

The big lug Hy proposed to Tracy! Right there on the dance floor! In front of Case and everybody! Over the microphone while he was DJing! Down on one knee and everything! It was so cool. I didn't hear her at the time, but the official transcripts reflect Tracy's answer as "yes i would love to"! She started their partnership off right; when Hy asked if he could get up off of his knee she said No!

Tracy, Isobela and Jocelyn were all crying; probably most of the other ladies as well. Even so, the club was in a nice, festive mood. Hy is such a class act, and it rubbed off on the rest of us guys; at least for a little while. Most everyone started slow dancing, sometimes with random acquaintances.

Hy had obviously been thinking about this for a long time, and the play list he had prepared was superb. He had asked Tracy for her two favorite lovey-dovey mushy songs and played them right before he proposed in order to soften her up! He followed these with plenty of slow dances. The night was a worthy salute to the feast of Saint Valentine.


Congratulations to both of you!

Guessing Games

Sunday evenings at Nightclub Echo Echo are so good you almost don't mind Mondays. It starts with Mack and Case; Friendly Fire really knows how to put on a show. It's fun to watch the evolution of fans new to their shows; they start off talking in whispers so as not to disturb other listeners and seem quite perplexed by the hooting and hollering going on around them. Pretty soon they seem to understand that it is acceptable at a Friendly Fire show, and with the penultimate song they are a hooting and a hollering with the best of them.

The last song in any Friendly Fire show is accompanied by a constant, throat-numbing scream from all of the audience. The way Case and Mack bring such enthusiasm out in people simply amazes me. They remind me of the lyrics of Boston's Rock And Roll Band;
"But when we got up on stage and got ready to play
People came alive."

DJ Jocelyn and The Tracy have the unenviable task of following Friendly Fire, luckily for us they are well up to the task. They took the stage for Sunday Night's Mayhem and Madness with a theme of "Buddy can you spare a dime?" Joce and Tracy wore barrels, supposedly to be in-theme; Tracy said she lost it all in the stock market, but I think she just likes wearing a barrel. I had gone to the store shortly before the show and bought one of those specially-dirtied and ripped t-shirts to try and be in-theme also, turns out Hy had gone to the same place!


DJ Jocelyn played music with a money theme; fantastic as usual. I had made a couple of new poofers the day before, one for Joce that poofs one of her DJ ads, and one for Tracy that poofs my favorite picture of her in the Glamshack. I consulted with Isobela on the timing of setting them off so she saw them; Case saw and thought it was awesome and Hy asked me to do the Tracy one for him again; but it didn't seem like anyone else noticed. I set them off in the corner of the club, maybe I need to do them center stage, I shall try again.

It could have been that others noticed and I just missed their comments; Isobela had been playing a guessing game with me ever since the Friendly Fire show was over. She is so good at guessing games that it took me a while to even figure out that a guessing game was in progress! I would ask questions which she would refuse to answer, then she would give me other hints. After a while I reviewed what I knew: it was a gift for me, it was something that I had asked for, it was finished, it was still being worked on, it was not near water, she wasn't sure if it was on the mainland, it has a 5-letter name that does not begin with 'H', and it offers no protection.

As you can see, hints 3 and 4 are mutually exclusive. Because of this I was forced to add a reliability factor to each of her other hints, causing an exponential increase in the complexity of the problem space. Towards the end of the show she ran out of hints, and decided that we should go for a walk rather than watch me flail about for an answer. We said our goodbyes and she led me to, of all places, the Glamshack!

Each day first thing I almost always do a tour of my friend's business places to check things out for them. My last two stops, due to geography, are Mack's Gestures and then a quick trip over a large canal to the Glamshack. A few days ago in these pages I had teased her about my stool in the Glamshack not being properly marked, and this morning on my rounds I took another look; nope, still wasn't marked.

This evening when we walked through the doors I immediately looked up to where my stool was and saw it was covered in gift-wrap! I raced up and took a closer look and it was all pink and red and white with hearts on it and a tag saying For: Tycho! Woot! Isobela helped me unwrap it and there it was, my very own stool!

Words of warning hover over it, Reserved for: Tycho! If anyone else tries to sit on it they gut dumped right off! Case and Mack have their own stools to the right of mine. I sat on mine to start getting it broken in and Isobela sat to my left and listened while I explained what I thought of her and my stool.

Fantabulous! Stupendous! Awesome! Exhilarating! Stunning! Astonishing! Wonderful! Terrific! Marvelous! Fantastic! Mind-blowing! Mind-boggling! Staggering! Splendid! Awe-inspiring! Overwhelming! Breath-taking! Tremendous! Magnificent! Sensational! Superb! Brilliant! And most of all, Groovy!


As Iso said, "life is good in the Metaverse"!

Ninja-to

I attended a Ninja training course in the Ninja Iga today. It wasn't as physically challenging as I thought it might be, but the puzzles were very tricky. At the end I was awarded a neat Ninja suit and blade!

Friendly Fire played that afternoon at the ISN Virtual World Arena. I was having troubles getting there, so the Incredible Isobela came by to help. The arena is in Milano and the locals were very friendly and much more numerous that at the indoor theater in Milan that Mack and Case sometimes play at. I hope they play in this amphitheater more often.

Later on Friendly Fire played at the Ultimate ROCK Club. This was again their first time playing in this venue. I had stopped by earlier and couldn't figure out where the stage would go, when I came back I saw that it was in front of the giant fish tank. That's pretty dangerous with Case jumping around on stage, I was expecting a deluge the whole time I was there.

LauraLee showed up again, she must be having trouble with her text messaging because neither Ajay nor I could get through to her. The locals here were especially friendly, too; it was a very enjoyable experience. Mack and Case played an extra-long set. I also noticed that Case can play the guitar while wielding pom-poms in each hand! He is simply amazing!


After the show Isobela and I went back to her place, I was a little burnt out from club-hopping and we both had some work we wanted to do. The Glam Me A Beer poofer needed some maintenance so I worked on that, tweaking it just right. Doing this game me ideas for some other poofers, I'll probably debut them at Echo Echo on Sunday night.

Isobela worked on her house some more, adjusting her roof and she laid a nice tile floor upstairs. She was able to get the DJ Jocelyn show streaming live from the Glamshack on the radio. It was a very enjoyable evening, she would give me hints for my poofers and I would make suggestions for her building as we both rocked out. Life is good.

Glam me a Shack!

I went sailing on the Tester again today, this time in Costa Rica. That is a very beautiful area. I have a favorite beach there, and there's a nice seaside dive bar too. Offshore is a chain of small islands with a nice house on each, and one large island with many very nice houses.

There was one shoreline lot left open on the large island, and it would have made a wonderful place to build, but I resisted even going to price it. I have a wonderful place to live now and I don't want to invest alot with all of the traffic problems and the way everything else seems to break around here. It was great just sailing around, back and forth from the beach to the bar.

In the evening I met Isobela at the Glamshack where we enjoyed a wonderful evening of DJ Hy and his glamtastic hostess Tracy. Hy kept up a steady stream of fantastic music all evening; he played for more than two extra hours, a double show!

There was a slight spank-fest, and even Jocelyn partook! Otherwise it was dancing and conversation and just having a blast with a really great group of people. A truly blessed evening.

3 Cheerleaders

I went to AmorePacific for a haircut and massage today. You had to go out in their fields and harvest some tea leaves, go into their lab and use the tea leaves to make a special concoction that they would use in the massage. You leave with a fresh, invigorated skin!

Test flew some boats and a cool chopper/sub hybrid. The boats didn't handle very well, but the chopper/sub was cool. I need alot more practice in flying a chopper though.

I saw Jaggpro at the Pink Ice Club in Norway. He's an Australian singer guitarist with a typical accent and a good repitiore of Acoustic Rock and Folk Tunes from the 70's and later. Isobela would probably like him, but it was awful cold there.

Sailing the boats earlier really made me miss the Tester, so I took her out for a spin. It is so amazing relaxing to cruise along at 4 knots, listen to the wind in the sails and feel the sun on your back. I eventually moored in a bay and went for a swim. A sailing regatta came by so rather than get in their way I put the boat away and flew off in my Ultra-light.


Back at home I decided to go back the Dragon Sky Bar and see if I could get my score above Chey's on the Skeeball machine. Joce came by to give me some pointers and to cheer me on. On my very first game I tied for second place, and after a few I tied for first! After that I stared going downhill, so I gave it a rest.

After dinner it was time to head over to Club Casa Blanco for Friendly Fire's weekly gig. I was really looking forward to it, I hadn't seen enough of them these past few days and they didn't disappoint! I literally went into orbit! Case kept moaning about wearing his cheerleader's outfit so at Moard's suggestion we both changed into cheerleader outfits too; there were 3 scary-hairy cheerleaders running around the place!

After the show we went to Isobela's to dance some more and talk about computers, one of my favorite subjects. It can be frustrating, but it's also very cool to be living in the World’s Largest Programming Environment!

Pele has Awoken!

I took Isobela to a couple of stores that I had found today. The first had many things that I thought she might like for her house, from wall paper to wood etchings to frogs on lily pads! From there we went to Style Starts Here where I picked up four shirts, including one for St. Paddy's Day. I had been by earlier but wanted second opinions on a couple of things and Iso is very good at voicing her opinion!

There was a ladies department there so of course we had to browse that too. I was glad that I asked her to come because she was running around saying "OMG I have to have that" and "I like those!" and piling packages in my arms to carry for her. It seemed like she was having a very good time.

We went to Pele later, we had been talking about going around and seeing the sight together and with no Friendly Fire show tonight this seemed like a good chance to do it. The first thing to do was to take a ride on the train. I let Isobela ride in the engine up front to get the best view. At one point the track split and we took the right-hand fork, so when we were back in the station I drove and hit the switch so that we took the left-hand fork. Iso drove fine, but I had a little trouble keeping the train on the tracks.


I'm used to living in paradise, but Isobela was very impressed by the way Cheyenne had the place set up. It really is nice; beautiful trees and flower and waterways and such. Of course then I had to ruin that impression by showing Isobela the tunnel that I found running under my house. It has a metal gate in front of it with radioactive hazard warning signs on it, and when I pushed the gate open and we went in there was a sign warning of PCBs! There was even a older periodic table of the elements, with a couple of suspicious entries near the bottom. We didn't spend too long there.

We headed to the top of the volcano where Pele the Volcano Goddess lives just in time for a mini-eruption. There was not quite any lava-flow, but there was an impressive display of smoke and sparks and noxious gases. Before it got too bad we took the rope-slide down to the East Beach. I danced a little on the dance floor in front of the stage there, but it was getting late and there was one more place that I wanted to show Isobela.

We closed out the night in the Dragon Sky Bar high above Pele. It has like three dance floors, a nice bar and a gaming area; I need to try and beat Chey's high-score at Skeeball! I really like the conversation area around the fire pit under the white atrium with hanging, flowered ivy. There's even a sky-diving station!

While we were there my friend the perfectly-coutured Cheyenne called us on the speaker phone to see how we were and to thank us for leaving tips in the venue tip jar. Even though Chey and I haven't talked much I've read her blog so I feel like I know her pretty well. She's made a really nice place, and it was so cool to be able to share it with Isobela.

Happy Mardi Gras!

I went to the Flotsam Beach treasure hunt today. Flotsam Beach is its own small island, a very cool place. I wandered around looking for these little gold stickers for the hunt; they had prizes of a sandcastle-building kit, kite and scuba gear! The stickers were very hard to find, though, so I ended up just buying myself a kite!

In my searches for stickers I went all over the island. There is a nice shopping district and free vehicles to use all over the place; motor-scooters, jet skis and paddle boats. There's also an arcade and a drive-in movie theater with a new show each week. They are advertised as "craptastic 1950s science fiction movies", but they do have free popcorn!

There are also a good number of rental houses. They are two story things built on pilings so there's a storage area underneath. They have large patios with a water view, and the one I checked out in particular even overlooked the drive-in movie theater! If I didn't have such a glamtastic place already I think this island would be ideal for me.

Journey Island had a Mardi Gras party with Rocking DJ Farr; the first official party there. I wore a black raven mask, black cloak, black Journey shirt and pants along with some beads. Faleen was almost wearing this awesome white costume with a white mask; no one else was in costume though, not even Iso's cousin Daggar! Buncha amateur Mardi Grawers! Well, LilMissy did show up later in a Very nice costume. Then Rosie put on a mask (what a shame!) and Carla showed up in costume and lots of people were putting on beads and eventually it looked much more like a Mardi Gras party!


The weekly Friendly Fire show at the Minni's Beach Bum featured special commemorative t-shirts! They were in honor of Case's cheerleader outfit. Most of the people put them on right there, and Ajay even cut her hair short so that it wouldn't cover the shirt! Mack and Case won't be at the Beach Bum next week, but to make up for it, and as that is their usual new-music venue, they will perform 3 new songs there the following week!


Immediately after the show I headed over to the Glamshack to listen to DJ Tkid and see the lovely and talented Isobela. Tkid really put on a good show; it was the best one of his I've ever seen. There was a tattoo theme, but no contest this time. I had some forearms tattoos done and wore a short-sleeved shirt to show them off. That is significantly less than I had the week before, but I got just as many compliments this week.

The show finished about on time, but it was still late for me. Isobela and I said our goodbyes and each headed off; me to bed and her shopping. It's a blast to live in the World’s Biggest Programming Environment!

What Legs!

Queen Dea Mama had sent out a notice about a new Tavern, Gallery and shopping area that she had authorized, so I went to see them. The Tavern was just about finished; looked very inviting with lots of places for dancing. It also had a waterfall right outside that made cool background sounds.

I met Duchess Xena near the shopping mall. We chatted for a while, catching up, then she took me for a tour of the new place. The Art gallery was small but nice, it also had a photo studio upstairs for do-it-yourselfers. There are many cool backgrounds and even a camera that you could borrow.

Duchess Xena was interested in possibly having Friendly Fire play in the Pub on Kidd Island. I gave her their MySpace URL, and tried to put in on their website forums under interesting links but the forum was broke. I'll need to catchup with Queen Dea and see what she thinks about it.

The Rock & Roll Listening party at the Glamshack featured Case in his uniform of the week - a Giant's cheerleader's uniform. He wore boxers underneath and boy did that look strange. I couldn't stay long, just took a few snaps and hung out on my stool for a while. At least I think it was my stool; my big red 'T' name tag seems to have come off!


Later I went to Isobela's and watched her work on her roof for a while. It's coming along nicely. After the fact I realized that I should have brought a beer with me enjoy while watching her work!

We went to see DJ Hy as Nightclub Echo Echo. The theme was Anti-Establishment Night in honor of something called Super Tuesday; I guess that's what people in other parts of the country call Fat Tuesday but Iso said that she didn't get off of work for it?

DJ Hy played his usual fantastic sets. At quitting time there was a small but vocal crowd left so he stayed late and played for us. Things got pretty psychedelic!


Afterwards Isobela and I went back to her place so that she could show me the lighting she had put up on her patio. It was pretty awesome; she's done a real good job. There are plenty of places for couples to dance there, and we tried them all; chatting and dancing the night away.

A Super Superbowl!

In the morning I went to hear DJ Aston at the Glamshack with hostess the lovely and talented Isobela. It was Aston's first time at the Glamshack and he seemed to like it. Afterwards I went over to Isobela's house to see the amazing garden that she had put in. She still had a couple of final touches to put in, one of which was lights. She wanted a balance of enough light to see when walking along the paths but not too much light so as to ruin a sunset.

She had seen some good lights over at Botanicals so we headed over there to check them out. We got lost on the way but she finally got us there. Botanicals is a truly awesome place. One more reason not to own land of my own: I'd be constantly broke buying stuff for it at Botanicals!


As soon as we had gotten back to Iso's Mack called with a late-breaking show announcement. Friendly Fire had been asked to play Zurich in a little over an hour and she was looking for officers. Iso and I agreed to help; Promise said she would try to be there and ended up staying for just about the whole thing, too. The Zurich Hillside Skate Rink was redecorated a bit from the last time we were there, but the stage was in the same place and the rock was as smooth as ever.

There was an Argentinean pianist on before them, so as Mack and Case were getting ready I worked the crowd trying to get them to stay by promising that Friendly Fire will be rocking our World as soon as they set up! Case started with a new song; instead of Radio Show he sang the Tom Brady Blues! I think that was mostly because Joce was there.

Just before singing Glam Me A Beer Mack said that she would trigger her poofer, but she got too involved in singing and playing and rock and roll and such so the duty fell again to me. After the song Mack said that she appreciated it; and then she threatened me! She said that if she wasn't already married she would be after me! Aaaaahhhh!

Isobela had some errands to run, so I went back to my place and settled down to watch the game. It was a defensive struggle for the most part; each team scored on their initial possession and then there was no more scoring until the fourth quarter. Some people think that you need to have high scores to have an exciting game, but I enjoyed this one immensely. In the end, the Giants came away with the Lombardi trophy.

After the game I went to the Half-Plugged Pajama Party at the Glamshack. As usual for pajama parties where it wouldn't be appropriate to show up naked I wore my yellow smiley-face boxers. Isobela wore a red, comfy-looking outfit. Case confirmed that he would be wearing a cheerleader outfit all week, but only after Ajay and I noted that the previous evening's conversation on that subject had been both logged and blogged.

Joce showed up and promptly put a box on her head the poor dear. Case set up a mudpit in the corner and Joce took out her frustrations on all comers. Later on she pushed Case right off of the stage! She was a wild woman!


I beat Iso 3 times in a row in the mudpit and then let her win my t-shirt. By then the show was winding down so I went home to clean up and change then met Iso back at her house. We had a few beers (well, I did) and chit-chatted late into the evening. A wonderful end to a stupendous day.

Nick in the Grotto

I worked some more on my project today. I woke up with an idea of how to do something, it didn't work but I found another way to do what I wanted. It's good to always have a project to work on; it keeps the mind busy.

DJ Tkid was spinning at the Glamshack with the most wonderful Hostess in the Metaverse. I danced with Iso and poked fun at Tracy. The show started kinda quiet, but gathered steam as it went. Mack and Case stopped by for a bit before they had to leave to get ready for their show.

Friendly Fire was playing at the Wet & Wild Club again, that place with a glass dance floor and sharks in a large tank underneath. Case said they were named Larry, Moe and Curly-Joe. The officers on duty were the Fantabulous Isobela and Promising Promise!

I had worn a semi-formal thing to the Glamshack, so when Isobela met me at Wet & Wild she wasin a fantastic formal gown; ballroom danced through the whole show. Even though I was dressed in formals, guess who got stuck with the job of triggering Mack's poofer! And after the fact I find out that she was working the poofer too! Well at least it was only for one song.


After the show we heard that Nick99 would be playing in The Lost Grotto so we headed over. He is pretty good, The Grotto makes everyone sound better. About two-thirds of the people were locals, that was pretty cool. Usually the locals are in the minority.

When Nick was done we headed back to the Glamshack for DJ Jocelyn and Jenda's pre-Super Bowl party. Jocelyn played a night full of excellent old, real Rock! Jhonan was wandering around fully-encased in this giant football. There was a significant amount of spanking, but it wasn't like the old Saturday nights when we had certified spanking therapists supervising us.

There was a significant amount of contention about who would win the game tomorrow. Case said if the Giants manage the upset he would wearing a Giants cheerleader outfit all week. I usually root for the underdogs when I don't have a team int he game; in this instance I may make an exception.


Isoebla and I closed the Glamshack down. Nance was playing at The Grotto, and later they were going to have a DJ Poolside with a Best Boots cash-prize contest, but it was very late and I was fighting a cold, so I thought it best to call it a night. I need to be fresh for the big game tomorrow!

The Quarter

Mack and Case were playing cover songs in the Glamshack; half-plugged? The Ravishing Rosinante was there so I helped her out with greeting folks and such. The lovely and talented Isobela showed up and helped out, too.

After Friendly Fire finished DJ HY was going to play, but Isobela and I need a little bit of a break so went out shopping. We bought some dance lessons and considered a pool table. We tested it extensively, then decided that together we could build a better one.

We then headed down to the French Quarter where Friendly Fire was playing their third show of the night. It is Mardi Gras weekend and there was an extensive lineup of musicians in the Quarter, with Mack and Case as the closing act.

It was a very rough show, there were serious equipment and electrical problems on the stage that interrupted the show many times. Eventually things got worked out and we all had a fantastic time, Nawlins style! The second to last song was an exquisite Scottish ballad of Case's Uncle. Everyone rushed the stage and spent the rest of the show there! Case was especially outgoing this evening, warmly saying goodnight to all of the fans that had stayed.


Isobela and I had danced the whole time there while we worked. As often happens we closed down the place, but this time we closed down the frickin French Quarter! That is late. Especially after 7 hours rocking on Journey island earlier in the day. I went home and crashed hard with a smile on my face. Life is good.

Journey Island Opening Day!

My boss was nice enough to let me work from home today so I could take an extended lunch break and sneak over to the Journey Rock Band island for it's grand-opening. He's going to get me back, though; he's taking vacation all next week while the kids are out of school for Mardi Gras and will be gone the following week for a business trip. When he's gone it all rolls downhill onto me.

In any case I was able to get to Journey island for a meet-and-greet with the multi-platinum rockers. It opened at 10 and the place was immediately mobbed! Huggable Hare was able to get in, along with Isobela's cousins Gretchen and Daggar but Iso herself had to work the poor dear. Many people there were very new to this world. We all jammed to music for a while from DJ Farr, then DJ Jocelyn, then DJ Farr again. before too long we were all exhausted from dancing.


There were 62 people at one point, an amazing crowd. There was even a snow leopard that showed up. The DJs were playing 5 song sets to accommodate all the requests. The mood at the party was phenomenal; joyous! Old friends and new acquaintances alike were all laughing and screaming and having a great time. It's hard to describe, really; kinda like what I imagine things were like on VE or VJ Day. I'll have to ask Joce if it was like that. Oh, wait; she's only 22. Never mind.


RossValory showed up about 1:15; he had gotten stuck in traffic. He started off in a good mood because he got his first lapdance from a warthog! He thanked DJ Farr, Argus, Adrian, DJ Jocelyn and everyone else who helped make Journey Island possible. Farr took questions from the crowd and RossValory answered them between songs. Rosie got a special hello from RossValory and fainted dead away on the floor!


Rumor is that Journey is taking off on some tours; South America, Vegas, Europe including UK, then a US / Canada tour reportedly with Heart and Cheap Trick; then Asia and Australia in the fall.


Everyone at the club commented on what a fantastic place it is. Farr plans to have other bands an live acts play there but not too much is scheduled yet. They have been concentrating on opening the place up, first. A magnificent job was done all around and it showed in the way that opening day was such a smashing success.

Max

I stopped by the Glamshack to listen to DJ Bill, his first gig there. Niky had stopped by; Bill remembered that it was her birthday and played Happy Birthday to her! Of course we all joined in singing to her. It was pretty cool of Bill to realize that and surprise her with that song.

Afterwards I went home to work on my project some more but ended up chatting with Joce instead. The perfectly-coutoured Cheyenne stopped by and we chatted a bit, too. I showed her the diving platform that I had set up and she liked it.

Isobela and I helped Dee out at the weekly Friendly Fire show at Club Casa Blanco. Many new people stopped by, and I was able to convince all of them that it was in their best interests to join the Friendly Fire group! Niky stopped by too and Case got down on one knee and sang a virtuosic Happy Birthday to her. There was hardly a dry eye in the place. Iso and I danced and closed the club down, again.

We finally stopped when I received notice that Maximillion was going to be playing at Club Savvy. I had seen him at the Orinoco Gallery but Iso hadn't, and I thought she'd enjoy him so even though it was a late show we each went home to change them met there.

The place was packed, Iso had a little trouble getting in the door but as soon as they realized who she was with she got right in. She really liked him, as I thought she would. An intriguing voice; we spent half the time trying to figure out his accent and finally settled on Palestinian-Canadian. He sings an awesome "Hallelujah"!