Sunday, July 27, 2008

A short break

I'll be out of town for a bit, plan to be back late Thursday night. Take care all.

Echoes²

I made it to Nightclub Echo Echo to see Friendly Fire. Like Isobela said, we were shakin the boulders, pounding the pixel dust, and are scorchin the tiles! What a great time. I can' say often enough how much I Love I Love This Song! I had double poofer duty, but almost forgot Mack's! I went a little crazy with it right at the end of Glam Me A Beer to make up.


Mack and Case warmed the place up well for DJ Raven, who was filling in for DJ Farr, who was filling in for Jocelyn. At least I think that's how it went. Anyway DJ Raven spun his usual fantastic tunes and Isobela and I danced the night away. Life is good.

Christmas in July

Heath did a Christmas in July concert at the Kounak Ice Skating Rink! Hostess Sheila had done up a special area for it that was incredibly well done. Heath played selections from his Christmas CD as well as some other holiday music, including the Snoopy theme song. Joaquin showed up to listen to Heath and commented "5/4, amazing"!


Alexandria and I got into a snowball fight; she kept missing me and hitting other people! After I nailed her with a shot in her bare midriff that knocked the wind out of her, we decided to turn on Heath. We both smacked him in the back and back of the head multiple times, but he didn't miss a beat!

Afterwards we visited the M. C. Escher Relativity House. They had moved from where my directions had originally pointed, but they had new directions there for us. When we got to the new place it seemed unfinished, like they hadn't finished moving. When we went inside and made out way to the back of the place we could tell that it was indeed finished. Way cool.


Earlier I had found a Public Spa in Sentoh Pino-yu, Japan. We had a very relaxing time, there was no attendant so we traded massages, relaxed in the steam bath and chatted around the little grotto they had. We also went over to Safe House beach and relaxed in their hot tub, chatting the night away.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

V

DJ Isobela rocked the GlamShack for our usual Friday night slide into the weekend party. Her theme was 80's music; 1980's that is. There were many people in and out all night, DJ Isobela was very busy handling their requests. Adam and Eve even stopped by!


Friendly Fire followed Isobela on stage, and boy were glad to have Mack Back! She had wonderful news: GoGo is a domestic Asian leopard kitty! The Friday night train wreck was Elvis Costello's What is so funny about peace love and understanding? Willa came up with a new saying that I plan on stealing: "I Love I Love This Song!"

His Hyness DJ Hy and hostess mikki followed Friendly Fire. Tracy had yet ANOTHER birthday party for mikki! I hope mikki realizes that each of these parties counts as another year older...

Later we went to the Ocean Dreams Jazz and Blues club on Electrum. DJ Andrew was playing; he was pretty good but could have used a little more "segue". My friends Mellifera and Zaphod were there, Mel is one of the owners of the place. Isobela and I danced and chatted all night, talking about Generation V and other deep thoughts. I am so lucky. Life is good.

Friday, July 25, 2008

The null hypothesis is true

The end of my current project is in sight! All the hard stuff is done, all that remains is cosmetics. After researching many ancient tomes and archaic manuscripts, visiting distant oracles and sacrificing countless waterfowl; I have discovered the secret of randomness! I implemented this in a short, sweet and elegant script:

// This is a program to pick the name of a random, nearby avatar.

default {
on_rez( integer parameter ) {

llShout ( 0, "And the big winner is: Tycho Beresford!!!" ); }

}

No, actually it will really be random; it passed a chi-square test. I delivered to Mack and Tracy for user acceptance testing and took a break for a bit. Life is good.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Happy Birthday mikki!

mikki's Birthday Party was at the GlamShack during DJ Isobela's show. mikki wanted a tassels and ass-less chaps night, and who were we to argue? DJ Isobela played all of mikki's favorite songs, a very good playlist, plus she had a special music surprise just for Mikki - Beatles music!


Isobela and I arrived at the shack early, she decorated while I baked a birthday cake. Well, OK, Brooke baked it, but I went and picked it up. The decorations were excellent, lots of balloons and streamers and personalized, hand-made banners.

There had been another half of a Friendly Fire show immediately before DJ Isobela's show (or was it two-thirds? I'm not sure how much the drummer counts; I'd better ask Missy about him.) We caught much of the crowd leaving there. Early on a bear attacked one of the patrons, but Hy distracted it then got away by jumping in the water. What a man!


Melon danced on a pole for mikki, and then on a special dance table that Isobela had brought in and set up on stage. And what birthday party would be complete without a spank fest? As DJ Isobela said, it was "Glamtacious!"


Earlier Isobela and I had exchanged gifts. There was no occasion, we just sometimes see or think of something the other might like. It's almost spooky how we each do this on the same day as the other.

Isobela had bought two beer taps for me for our bar. They only came with one keg each, but I know where I can pick up as much beer as I want for free; there’s this little place just south of us. I had found a locket for Isobela with a picture of some guy in it. Oddly enough, he bears a striking resemblance to me! How lucky was that?

When Isobela had told me that she had a gift for me I told her that I had one for her, too. She immediately said that hers was better. After we exchanged them, she had to admit that my gift was the better one. Being the kind and compassionate soul that I am, I teased her mercilessly about that. In fact, I might even blog about it! Life is good.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The Savoy Trio!

I'm still working on my project, had a breakthrough; dern random number generator was occasionally giving me negative numbers. I taught it the error of it's ways and now everything looks groovy. I still need to test it in some good-sized crowds to verify the randomness of the random number generator though.

DJ Isobela was spinning for her usual Tuesday night show at the Savoy. Once again I filled in hosting for Kimala, she is supposed to be back next week. The music was especially good and that made for an incredibly relaxing time.

The Savoy Trio were playing; Squiffy on sax, guitar and trumpet; Ajay on piano and Parker on bass. My friend AC was there dancing with the lovely and talented Emedea. DJ Isobela played well well over her scheduled time, then we hung around and danced some more. Life is good.



Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Gibson Guitars!

On my daily rounds I stopped and got a Whimsurance policy from Whimsical Virtual Insurers and Guarantors. I feel much better now. We should think of offering a similar type of coverage at the GlamShack.

I worked some more on my project while sitting in the hot tub above the GOAT. That must have been just the thing because I had a few breakthroughs and a successful unit test! I was starting to plan my system testing strategy when I received notice of a half of a Friendly Fire show - Case would be playing by himself! Without the lovely Mack!

I hurried on over to The Rocker Waters and saw that Virtual Live Band was playing right before him! They have the best drummer! Case sang mostly Train Wrecks, but did attempt one classic Friendly Fire song solo and did a fairly good job with it.

Afterwards I followed Case to his Rock and Roll Listening Party at the GlamShack. DJ Case is getting better and was playing some pretty good music, but I still like DJ Ajay better.

After while Isobela decided that I needed to go clothes shopping so she drug me all over the metaverse. I already had four shirts and three pairs of pants; I don't know why she thought that I needed more. I ended up buying a brown Woodsman's type suit thing. I had some boots that matched after a quick hem of the pants. The important thing was that she liked it.

We shopped 'til we dropped, picked ourselves up and headed over to Gibson Guitar Island, which opened last week. This place truly rocks. The island itself is shaped like the body of a guitar, and some of the buildings and decorations are aligned to make them seem like parts of a giant guitar when seen from overhead. There is a trolley runs all around the island but we decided to hoof it.

All around the perimeter of the island are gigantic models of their guitars, plus they had regular-sized guitars of the same model that you could take home with you! One giant guitar was still under construction and someone had handily left some ropes to climb to the top!


We ran into Moody at the Gibson Guitar Island Acoustic Stage! Von was playing guitar there; he's a good guitarist with unusual voice and some pretty decent songs. He had given out directions to the place right to the stage where he was sitting; people who followed his directions exactly were winding up in his lap. It was pretty funny, and pretty hard to play guitar like that.

We listened to him for a bit and then went back home to unpack and try everything out. Some kind of way I ended up with 22 guitars! Well actually 21 guitars and this awesome mandolin, unless a mandolin counts as a guitar? I bet Isobela would know!


A few of the guitars came with their own special stools, and I picked up two tables with guitar tabletops and a set of Gibson director's chairs to go with them. Plus a handful of cool t-shirts. This place is so cool, Gibson Guitar Island, and the whole Metaverse!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Chips and Buns

Today I went on a Metaverse-wide scavenger hunt! I had seen these types of things advertised before, but this was the first one where the prizes were specifically for guys. There was a list of stores, with directions to each; in the stores they had hidden these fake hammers (in keeping with the guy theme), and each hammer contained some sort of prize.

As it was the first day of the hunt some of the stores hadn’t gotten set up yet; probably time-zone issues. I did find many prizes, though, and took them home to unpack. It was fun hunting for the stuff, and almost as fun making a big mess unpacking it all! I ended up with one nice set of clothes and instructions for a funky dance that I'll have to learn.

I also had a good time visiting all these new stores, I even found a few new places with Lucky Chairs! I'm somewhat of a Lucky Chair addict. Lucky Chairs are these chairs that when you sit it them they magically know what the first letter of your first name is, and if it matches the letter showing on the chair you win a prize! Well OK not magically; I think they sense the RFID chip in your driver's license or something like that.

Friendly Fire was playing at Apfelland Airport Showbuehne today and I was able to clean up all my mess from unpacking and make the show. AcousticEnergy played before them, but I didn't really hear anything of his. Ajay and Rosi were officering in their usual blue hair and red suits and bickering over the great hat/tray debacle. I have tried to remain silent in this debate as I don't want to get my eyes scratched out.

Apfelland Airport had this anti-uber-poofer technology installed. I could have hacked it, but decided to just go with my trusty old regular poofer instead. it was a nice change of pace. Mack and Case played It's My Time! and I Love This Song! and all was well in the world.

DJ Isobela went off to spin some Blues on the Steamboat Natchez, so I decided to go check it out, too. They must have been testing out the power plant, because they had the paddlewheel going even though we were docked. We danced on the upper deck; I had even shined my new shoes - automatically of course! It was just a pick-up show, so we didn't stay too long.

I had been working on and off on my project all weekend. I have one more thing that I want to do before I start testing; and who knows what testing will show? What I need to do is find a quiet place I can sit and work and not be disturbed by calls to business meeting or what not.

Friendly Fire played at Nightclub Echo Echo in their usual Sunday Night extravaganza. Mack and Case played It's My Time! and I Love This Song! Again! That really put everyone in a good mood; even Ajay and Rosi were being civil to each other. Maybe the tray/hat things presses down on their brains and causes them to become homicidal maniacs; I mean more than usual.

Sunday Night Mayhem and Madness with DJ Jocelyn and hostess Britt was having a theme of Chippendales and Bunnies night, so Mack and Case piggy-backed on it, too. At least Mack did, she wore a red bunny outfit (seems she always wears red on Sunday nights; hmmm, I wonder if Saint Mack is a bishop, too?) Case had some lame excuse about not being able to find a Chippendales outfit! I of course had one, but it looked funny wearing the red Friendly Fire Officer's shirt with it.

Isobela and I stayed for about half of DJ Joce and then headed home. I was going to work on my project some more and she her playlists. Of course as soon as we settle in I get a notice of a Heath concert; he was playing in Club Neptune at the bottom of Angel Shark Shallows. It was marvelous as always.


His puppy Ruby got on microphone with him and talked to us; some in the audience accused him of pinching her to get her to talk but I think she was just glad to see us. Heath played her favorite song for her - Snoopy! The Club was fairly crowded, there were thirty-eight people there and it took a while to get us all through the airlock. we have got to get this guy to the GOAT

We had chatted with Heath's manager Alexandria and found out that she also manages a Jazz Club called September Rain in her spare time. I had gotten directions from her and even though it was late we decided to make a quick trip there to check it out.

September Rain was on a tropical island covered in mountains and rain forest; there were many waterfalls and grottos and sandy beaches, simply beautiful. The club itself is an open area near the center of the island with a very nice dance floor, though ours is better. There didn't seem to be a dress code like most Jazz clubs have; that went well with the tropical rain forest setting and when new people wandered by they didn't feel out of place.

They had a schedule of DJs that played there, though none were familiar and I didn't see any live acts yet. It's still a very new club though; we'll definitely go back and check the place out and get some pictures. There's always something else to do or see or explore around here; I love this place.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Happy Rez Day Fluffy!

Friendly Fire played at The Deck for Fluffy's Rez Day party! she is one day older than I, but certainly doesn't look it. Her friends had waited for the weekend for her surprise party, Mason played before Mack and Case so of course she knew about it before they showed up.

We all sang Happy Birthday Fluffy, bur since Mack and Case were on microphone they pretty much drowned the rest of us out. Case also sang the Summer of 69 and did quite a good job at it!

Later on Isobela and I went shopping for new dress shoes for me, I had decided that the old ones looked like boats. I bought an excellent but expensive pair that included a color change and even a self-shiner! Where was the self-shiner feature when I was in boot camp I ask???

We decided to do some exploring; there has been significant building to the east of Thassa so we headed over there.


It was very cool, but when they say to be careful around the waterwheel they mean it!


After that we went to Greenies. Isobela had been talking about it for ages but somehow we had never made it there before. OMG. What an amazing place! You GOTTA go see it!


We rode a paper airplane around, rode a fireworks rocket up to a platform where they had flying saucers you could fly around in, there was a medicine bottle with the instructions "Take one tablet every morning with alcohol", and just all sorts of amazing things.


I had misplaced the directions to another place I wanted to visit, but searching for it took us to another cool place, Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House. There were some ancient Greek ruins nearby that we took a look at as well.

Next was an amazing place called Chou Chou. It was kinda sparse down below but you can climb this impossibly long ladder up to an awesome concert venue!


The Black Swan is simply incredible. They have light sculptures so if you go make sure it is an night.


"Black Swan is a living rezzable art studio, featuring the stunning work of Light Waves and other cutting-edge creators."


At the Robie House there was a cool piano and I had picked up a brochure from the manufacturer. We went to visit the manufacturer's showroom and checked out all their other pianos as well. There was one that caught my eye, but really wouldn't go with our beach-house decor.

It was starting to get late by then, and we really didn't feel like going to a brand-new place to explore, so we decided to step out and look around the piano store's neighborhood. We stepped outside the door and walked around the corner and wow. Just wow.

We were on a high cliff jutting out into the sea. There was a huge pirate ship immediately below us, it's masts reaching all the way up to our level. Beyond it on other cliffs were castes and houses and ruins that just invited exploration.

We walked around the showroom to the other side of the peninsula and down below there was a fairly large island with all sorts of showrooms and booths of some type; it was hard not to immediately zoom down and check them out. Next to it was a small island that was heavily vegetated, it seemed to be some type of nature preserve. I must go check it out; later though.

At the base of our peninsula were a couple of large log buildings. At first I thought they might be some sort of conference center but the one we went into first was a jewelry store! Oh, Great I thought; I'll never get Isobela out of here. I looked around a bit myself and they did have a very nice pair of diamond-studded pearl earrings; I'll have to remember that the next time I need a gift for someone.

As Isobela browsed I went upstairs and out onto the patio area between the two buildings. It was very cool; there was an awesome ice cream bar that I took full advantage of, and a Espresso machine to help ward off the chilly nights. The centerpiece of the patio was a large oak tree, brightly decorated, withe seating and dance areas all around it.

I checked out the placards of the artist that have performed there; Joaquin had been there and Gwen as well! Isobela finally was done browsing and we couldn't resist the temptation to dance for a bit; but they were playing polkas on the radio so she and I didn't stay too long.

This is quite an amazing metaverse that we live in. You find the most wonderful things when you aren't even looking for them. I am so lucky.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Thongs and Songs!

DJ Isobela hosted a beach party at the GlamShack, the first time she's done that. It turned out very well; Mack and Case set up an impromptu stage on the beach and DJ Hy spun there as well to keep the party going all night long. The beach could use a few more amenities, I put up an umbrella for Promise so she wouldn't melt in the sunlight, but overall it was a great place to party.

Isobela had put up an embarrassing sign in front of the Shack with my picture on it; she wants to extend my rez day celebration all weekend. For her next one I guess we'll have to celebrate all week! Isobela made a personal product endorsement as well.

Case had set out a bunch of dance poles; Mack was able to play Bass while pole dancing! Most everyone took their turns on the poles, even curm. I don't think that you're supposed to wear a trench coat while pole dancing, though. Mack drug a lap-dance chair out of storage as well.






Amanita and Tele stopped by; they are getting married at the end of the month! Promise had set up a Kissing Booth; the price was excellent but there weren't many customers, at least not many repeat customers. I didn't know that they made Speedo's for rabbits; but apparently Alca did. Ya learn something new every day!


mikki stopped by, she's now chlorophyll-challenged - she turned all pink! Clovis started a pink thong theme for the guys, only real men wear pink he said. I found a pink thong of my own;

I didn't know I had one. Clovis and Dee had their own matching pink thongs and made a very becoming couple. Cat wore an amazing swimsuit, it was a one-piece with about 3 square centimeters of material in it held together with dental floss! It was Great!

Cat and Tali broke out a Limbo game, Tarcy and Hy played it but the rest of us busy dancing and in deep conversations. I really wish I had had a chance at it; I felt bad that they went to the trouble to set it up for us and just a few took people advantage of it. Hy played well over, as usual; I think it was more than a double show! By the time he stopped we were all exhausted; dancing in sand is much harder than dancing on a dance floor. Another wonderful day in the Metaverse.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Thank you! Thank you!

Isobela threw a Rez-Day party for me today in the Savoy Sky Lounge. She had decorated with help from Alca, and Alca, Hy and herself were there when I arrived. Shortly after a whole cast of celebrities started passing through: Megan, Missy, Hare, mikki, Syn, Ajay, Mack, Case, Cat, Stephen, Promise, Alejo, Elisabeth, Dolomite, Joaquin, Britt, Russ, Scrumptious, Sheila, Dee, Clovis, Ivy and last but not least Squiffy (please Lord don't let me have missed anyone!)


His Hyness DJed for an hour or so, playing a fantastic playlist! It was almost like he could read my mind! Either that or Isobela gave him a list of my favorite songs. He had even came up with his own compilation of four songs that represented our courtship, that was very cool of him (though I don't think Isobela is Really Crazy!)

I was able to break away from Isobela for a couple of dances with Megan, who dances just as well as her mother! There was mostly couples there it seemed, and I felt kinda awkward for the singles. We all kept up the usual crazy chat, discussing thing like how that silly Hare is a touch-typist just like Jessica Rabbit! I gave Dee an LSU Uber-Poofer when I saw her, too. I didn't write the directions down, I just told them to her; I hop that wasn't a mistake. But then again, how could she read directions with her head stuck in a wine box all of the time?

Joaquin took over from Hy and played for us in the second half of the party. He is a quite talented Argentinean instrumentalist; whenever he said my name the accent really clobbered it. He started off with a special dedication for me from Isobela, what a doll. When Hare heard that he would be playing she told me that she had heard about him but had never heard him and that she was looking forward to it; he didn't disappoint us. At the end he said that he was proud to call himself a Savoy musician; I thought that was pretty cool! It was the best Rez-Day party I've ever had!


Even though the party invitation had apparently said no gifts, Cat gave me this amazing light sculpture of two doves that she had created. When we got back to Tidings I uncrated it and Isobela immediately said she knew the perfect place for it: on the little island between Tun Tavern (Forward) and Elfie island!

I hauled it over there, up-rooted an inconviently-placed palm tree, and set it up just right. I put some pillows down behind a large rock that was next to it, we lay down and looked up at it, and the stars, and chatted the night away. I love this place!


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Thoughts On A Year

((I had originally entered Second Life in March, 2007. I wandered around Orientation Island for a few hours, got bored and left. I tried a couple of other virtual environments but they were even more boring. I kept reading about Second Life in trade magazines and felt it was going to be big in the future, so I decided to give it another try and re-entered the Metaverse on July 17, 2007 as Tycho Beresford.

I was originally drawn by the technology, the spatial user interface as opposed to a graphical user interface, so I wanted a name somewhat scientific and scholarly and chose Tycho. I also wanted to meet people from all around the world; we had hosted high-school exchange students from all over Europe and this led me to what I felt was a Continental-sounding name, Beresford.

I made it off of Orientation Island this time, and wandered around the Metaverse for a bit. It wasn't much more exciting, but I was really trying to give it a shot. I saw Nantucket mentioned in a magazine article so I decided to go there and check out the old-time sailing ships. While I was there I noticed a large crowd gathered off to the side on my mini-map and wandered over to see if there was a fight or something.

It turned out to be a live concert by new-age jazz pianist Heath Vercher. I was able to get my audio to work all by myself and sat there and listened in awe. He is really good. I joined his update group and would make sure I was online for all of his shows, I even bought some of his CDs.

After a month or so my attendance started dropping off; nowadays I might make a show every week or two. In the meantime, though, I had learned the art of profile surfing and that led me to many interesting and exciting places. If not for Heath happening to be playing in Nantucket when I visited I doubt if I would be here today.

I don't remember exactly where I heard about Fibber's; it might have been by profile surfing or I may have read about it in an article. Or it may have been something else entirely. When I first visited a DJ was playing 80's rock, my favorite music. I joined their update group and started going there every night to listen to the DJs.

At first the DJs all seemed pretty much the same; I would just remember that their shows started later on the weekends than on weekdays. I enjoyed just hanging out and listening to the group chat, occasionally throwing in my two-cents worth. After a while I noticed that the DJ on Sunday nights seemed kinda special; her music was very good, she drew a big crowd and really played to them.

I would see and talk with many of the same people over and over again at Fibber's, I made my first set of friends there. I would see the same groups of people at Heath concerts, but they just sat and listened to the music; they didn't talk to each other like the people at Fibber's.

The friends I made at Fibber's led me to new places and new ideas and new adventures. And to new friends. I have laughed and loved and cried with them. They are all most cherished. As Irish poet William Butler Yeats said:
"Think where man's glory most begins and ends
and I say my glory was I had such friends."

))

SLURP! SLURP!

I worked on my special project some more; I did some research and went back to the functional sponsors with some questions. I finished up the work on the front panel of the bar; not sure if I like it, though. It's better than the way it was, so I'll leave it for now. I also chatted with Gussie a bit while I was making my daily rounds.

DJ Isobela was performing at the GlamShack, and the GlamShack guarantees a good time for all. mikki showed up and decided it was "Chaps and Lingerie night" so DJ Isobela changed in to a brand-new set of chaps! I've had my eye on some new ones so I guess I'll have to go get those, too. mikki wore this very nice white, translucent lingerie!

Dee passed by and when she heard mikki talking about wine she said she thought that sounded like a good idea, so mikki gave her one of her extra boxes. Dee really seemed to like it; "My head is in the freakin box SLURP SLURP!!"


Case wasn't anywhere around so the rest of us helped ourselves to his beer while we danced and chatted, hooted and hollered, and rolled around on the floor laughing ourselves sick. DJ Isobela giggles so sweetly on mic, and sure knows how to throw a party.

Dear Megan, we sure wish you were there. Know that our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Dervishly

I spent a good deal of time deciding on clothes to wear at the Savoy tonight; I would try to match what Isobela was wearing but she was changing clothes dervishly. Finally I called her "TRACY!" and she stopped, but said I was a meanie. I also tweaked my tip jar some more, and worked on a new front panel for our bar.

Friendly Fire was playing at the Beach Bum so we stopped by for a while before we had to go to her show. His Hyness and The Tracy were there and poor blonde curm got no respect. Mack and Case played I Love This Song!, and I really do. Being so close to such fine musicians it is easy to take them for granted after a while; I try my best not to.

On the way to the Savoy I saw a new place about to open; their placard said "Bistro Olive is a place for art and food lovers to relax and unwind, enjoy fine dining, and soak up fine artwork from in-world artists. With a chef like Blissie Boucher on hand - you know you will never go hungry! The food is out - even though we are still hunting up artists." I'll have to check it out later.

I was on my way to the Savoy to host for the Fantabulous DJ Isobela Capalini. The featured album was Honey Pie by West of Memphis. Things were slow at first as usual; one couple stepped in then went and danced in the gazebo. We haven't had any complaints about the swans there attacking anyone there recently, thank goodness. Their bites can take weeks to heal!

Squiffy stopped by and hung with us, he was playing guitar. As we'd get new visitors he would cajole them into joining him in playing instruments. Eventually we had Squiffy on guitar, mikki on piano and Wit on Bass - an excellent combination - serenading Hy, The Tracy, DJ Isobela and I. Well, we did at least for a while; mikki and Wit headed out to the dance floor where Isobela and I had been all night; chatting and dancing, laughing and spinning. Life is good.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Poolside

At At Last DJ Isobela and I danced to her smooth Jazz. Part-way through the show the owners decided to have a 'Best in Red' contest and I discovered that I don't have a red tuxedo! I do have a few black ones with red vests, so i wore one of those. As we were dancing I spent alot of time thinking about my scripting project; Isobela could tell I was distracted but didn't seem to mind as she was busy DJing anyway.

After the show was over and I was burned out on scripting I went stool shopping for the downstairs bar; we could have made our own but who wants to take the time for something like that? We're also going to need to redesign the house somewhat; it seems that stairs are contra-indicated. We'll need to put in wheelchair ramps for a certain elder someone.

Later we went to listen to DJ Rose at NP Poolside. Rose had been away for a while, it was good to have her back. FraterPhoenix was hostessing and doing her usual stand-up job. There was a nice crowd of great people including Isobela's cousin Midnight and Tlinitchief, Ben and Rhondy. It really is a wonderful place to unwind and de-stress.

Steven and Special stopped by later; they own an Island Resort called KaruMagic that looks very cool; we'll have to check it out sometime. We took a short break and had a look at the new stuff in Gallery Orinoco. Much of it was eye-opening; more so than their usual fare. Back Poolside DJ Rose was still spinning the hits while we danced the night away.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Good Job Hare and Hippy!

DJ Ajay was spinning at the Try Line Sports Pub in Dublin for the Morning Kickoff show with Kezzy (the giraffe girl) as hostess. Despite the time-zone cruelties I was able to make the last part of her show. It looked like she had been able to wash out all of the blue hair coloring from yesterday. Anutte had made some coffee for us and it was wonderful!


DJ Ajay and I got into a discussion of whether she is a real DJ or not. We did this while she was DJing, in DUBLIN, in a regularly-scheduled show at the Try Line Sports Pub. She must really like tilting at windmills. After Danton left it was four ladies and I at the show; needless to say a wonderful time was had by all. Don't tell DJ Case, but I like DJ Ajay's DJing better than his.

After the show it was back to the house to see what was up. The place was simply amazing; Isobela had been very busy fixing things up just right. She does like changing out the front windows, though. I did a bunch of odd jobs, like moving our hot tub down from the sky box; I'm looking forward to spending time hanging around there. I also set up a TV, some lights and the bedroom set we won at the Bid 4 A Cure Goods and Services auction.


I was called away from moving in to the house to attend a secret meeting. It seems that I may to be assigned to a special project uniquely suited to my talents. While not exactly top secret, I think it best to not divulge this project until I see how it turns out. If it's too bad it may just slip my mind whilst writing my daily notes.

From the meeting I made a few stops to make sure I wasn't being tailed, and then headed straight to the grand opening of Hare and Hippy's Section 8 Dance & Romance Club. DJ Jocelyn was performing the honors in her usual fantastic style. Adrian and Madcow were there, Mack and The Tracy stopped by, and dozens more. What was especially cool about the club was that there was a special place for tinies to dance without fear of getting stepped on! There was also a second floor balcony for slow dancing; I'll have to remember about that for the next time I'm here.

As he was getting ready for the show at Echo Echo tonight Case kept changing his mind about which guitar he would be playing. I had asked Isobela to do the group notices this time and the constant back and forth was driving the poor dear nuts! Eventually they got things straightened out; "Make that a Les Paul tonight (barring a string break) instead of the Fender FOR MISTER CASE!"

Once the show started things really rocked. Ajay often makes it to the Sunday night shows, but we didn't see her this time; Rosi and curm were really missing Ajay's chim. I had double poofer duty again; the individual poofies from the Uber Poofer look really cool against the dark-blue background prevalent in Nightclub Echo Echo. Joce had to step away for a moment, and she chose to do it during I Love This Song! Sacrilege!

Sunday Night Mayhem and Madness with DJ Jocelyn and hostess Britt followed Friendly Fire. About halfway through I heard that the theme was lingerie night, but not too many people participated. DJ Joce played lots of covers, and the dynamics of the crowd seem to be changing from what it used to be. Isobela and I danced for a good while and then headed out.

The Museum of Music had a special exhibit on the British Invasion. No, not the 1812 one; I made that same mistake. It was very cool; they had like theme rooms - teenager's bedroom from different eras decorated with for instance Beatles posters all over the walls, Beatles albums next to the record player, etc. I was very impressed by the way they told a story by decorating a bedroom.

There were also areas in the museum for Hard Rocking Women and Bebop And Beyond. They had a small gift shop, too; but it seemed to be closed. I was interested in the John Coltrane and Herman's Hermits artwork, perhaps I can make it back later.

We left the Museum of Music and wandered around the area for a bit; it seemed to be still under construction somewhat. They had a space for bloggers to advertise their blogs, though no one seemed to be taking advantage of it. There was a very large opera house, another white house surrounded by placards talking all about the theory of visual arts, and finally a large, geodesic dome housing a tribute to electronic music. The latter place even had a Moog synthesizer for sale!

Finally we went dack to the house and did some more housekeeping. I laid a rug down in the couch's alcove then made a quick run to the store for some necessities for Isobela. She sat on the couch, supervising and resting her tired old feet. Life is so good.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

The Blues with Rosi and Ajay!

Working on the house more and more; it really is fun! I'll be glad when we're done, though; and we have out target range available for use again!

I caught most of Friendly Fire in Wheeler House at Streeter's Place - Live Music Venue. Fluffy was there! They played I Love This Song!, and Paris, too! I must have missed something at teh begining of the show because both Rosi and Ajay had massive amounts of blue hair!


Isobela had made alot of progress on our house; after the show we decided to pack up our old one and set up the new one. It will probably take a few days to get everything just right, but we'll at least have a roof over our heads in the meantime.

I had to attend other business for a while, and with grave misgivings left Isobela there alone building. She had talked about going to see DJ John and then DJ Jocelyn, but then I also heard her whispering on the phone to someone about male strippers for the party. I wonder what I'll return to find?

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Chicken Spanking

We spent some more time working on couched today, it was a real team effort. They are turning out really good, thanks in most part to Isobela. She wants to build our new house around the couch; it will make a fine centerpiece!

Later I worked as a host in the GlamShack for that slave-driver DJ Isobela. She exemplified the old adage that "Well behaved women seldom make history with a theme of Dirty Word Night. She played al of her favorite songs, a very poignant playlist.

The early part of the show was kinda sparse because we were competing with a Friendly Fire show, but once they finished things really picked up. We taught Alca and Hy the Chicken Dance, then many others joined in, too. Squiffy and mikki are excellent Chicken dancers!

Someone had come up with a new type of spanker, and they all took turns assaulting me with it. DJ Isobela said they had been planning it for days! Then she played MCMLXXXV and we all talked about what we were doing then. We had a hilarious time mis-quoting each other; it was a wonderful ahow.

Friendly Fire took over the stage when DJ Isobela was done. BEARintheMorning showed up, and curm was back, too. Mack and Case played It's My Time, the first time that curm had heard it and he was suitably impressed.

The Friday Night Train Wreck was Southern Girls, I think, and I Love This Song! wasn't played until after I had finished sending my mid-show notices. There was Uber poofing and I helped with Mack's poofer and we all had a grand old time.

His Hyness DJ Hy took the mic after Case had finished his lung exercises (and turning blue, according to Mack.) DJ Hy rocked the shack until the wee hours; a spankfest started again and it wasn't even mikki's fault this time! It was like the spanking therapy we all used to get at Club Therapy.

Isobela and I stayed for about an hour, then headed over to Gallery Orinoco to listen to Vaughan and dance some more - anything besides the Chicken dance. Vaughan is a folk singer / guitarist who knows many hilarious ballads including Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian and I Saw Cinderella On Hollywood And Vine! The gang at the Gallery are always fun; it looked like they had some new artwork inside too but we didn't have a chance to go and see it.

When he was done we headed back to work on the house some more. I was responsible for the roof while Isobela does the rest. We're making good progress, we have a rough outline of what we want but are still facing the question of having a second story or not. Every day is another wonderful surprise.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Lazy Thursdays

Isobela is still on her furniture building binge, and doing a very good job I might add. I've been working on some new tip jars; I made two that were OK, then combined them to make one that might actually be good enough to be seen in public! It was very nice spending an evening building, it was just like old times helping each other out with advice and textures and such.

To close the evening we went to the Savoy to listen to DJ Hy and dance. As always, we had a wonderful time there. Megan had been hostessing, but was called away suddenly. Thankfully, things seem to be OK for her now. Life is good.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Thar she blows!

Today we went shopping for rafts; we found the ones that Isobela had been playing with earlier but decided that we could build our own. Isobela is making the raftie part, and I have the boat part working well. We also went shopping for sculpties; I bought a Quicksand pit and this totally awesome Geyser!


DJ Iso had to cancel her show at the GlamShack tonight, but she will be back better than ever on Friday!

Where did all the D.E.A.D. go?

Megan came by for a visit today, we had some cherry cheese cake and talked about wine and Isobela promised to make some steak for me later. Isobela also showed me this new builder's platform that she had found, it'll be very good for building in a sandbox. We've been talking about redesigning the house so it will come in handy.

Friendly Fire played at the Beach Bum today, and Promising Promise resumed her officer duties with great fanfare! I always have such a fun time at their shows, which are very educational as well. Synapse was there and taught us about the D.E.A.D. - Determined Environmentalists Against Dioxides. This is a group of people that never breath out; thus, they don't release dioxides. According to Syn there are not many of that group around anymore.

Isobela and I had to leave the show before the glamtastic finale because DJ Isobela was playing Blues at the Savoy. I was filling in for Kimala as host; she'll be back next week but there are a couple more dates in the near future that I've agreed to fill in for her as well. Hosting for an award-winning DJ is a blast!

Things started off slow but soon hit their stride. The featured album was the Billy Gibson Band, as Fantabulous as all of DJ Isobela's albums are. She also played many requests from the crowd, including Jambalaya by Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters for me! I so look forward to Tuesdays; they used to be great, then they slacked off for a while and now they are back to being great again. DJ Isobela Rocks the Blues!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

At At Last

If there was only one thing that I could do today that would be to make it to DJ Isobela's Jazz show at At Last. As it turned out, that was the only thing I did. She put on a very good show; I'm not usually into recorded Jazz but she makes it special. Parker was there of course, along with Cataplexia and a few others. Case even stopped by after his second show of the day. At Last has a nice dance floor, and we made full use of it. Life is good.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Happy Birthday Gunny!

I saw Jenda as I was making my daily rounds this morning; it looks like Starbrooks Coffeehouse may be opening a new branch soon! She was working on signs for it while we talked and I had some coffee. Cool!

I worked some around the property; put a new rug in the interior of our grotto and did some more stuff with the security systems. Isobela and I went windows shopping, saw this fantastic humongous pipe organ. It's too big for our house, though; especially since Isobela is talking about rebuilding to make it smaller. I bought something for a friend and Isobela bought some cool new sunglasses.

DJ Isobela was in a DJ competition at Club Oasis on Oasis Island she didn't think she had much of a chance to win, but she wanted to go for the experience. I of course thought she was the best one there, even without seeing any of the others. Hy and The Tracy stopped by to support her too.

DJ Isobela drew a fairly big crowd. The host was Derrick; everyone there was very friendly. I chided her for not putting out a notice to her group about the show, but she was afraid it would be a bust. What a silly girl. When the final votes were counted she had won!

We went right from there to MiaSnow's House Party. The directions were a little confusing, but I found it. What a cool place! She was showing off some of her father's art collection of 60's paintings. We really liked the artwork, I thought that the colors were awesome! Mia and I chatted some more about going sailing when our schedules meshed.

DJ Hailey was playing for us, and did a really good job. I guess it would be fun to play for a private party; she was having a blast with her music selection and it rubbed off on all of us making it an even better time. Her name tag read "Hang the DJ"!

There were so many very interesting people in and out the whole time. Trindolyn was there for a while, but he looked a little gray. Isobela was chatting up all the cool and creative artists in the hopes of recruiting them for a future incarnation of the Solstice Festival. I really had a good time hanging out there.


We had to leave to get ready for Friendly Fire's triumphant return to Nightclub Echo Echo - the Metaverses Premier Rock Club! I think the last show Mack and Case did there was in April. It was good to be back in the rocky aeries; a homecoming; almost as good as it is going back to Fibbers after being away for a while.

Case and Mack sang Happy Birthday to Gunny! It was her 22nd! The also sang It's My Time! and I Love This Song! and all of our favorite hits. There were alot of people there, including alot of new people; I was running throughout most of the show handing out group invites and swag bags and greeting them as well as helping Joce out some. All the while rocking out to the fantastic Friendly Fire!

Sunday Night Mayhem and Madness with DJ Jocelyn featured a new hostess Brittainy (call me Britt)! Britt started out on the right foot and brought milk shakes for us all! She has lots of energy and seemed to mesh well with DJ Joce. DJ Jocelyn always starts on a high note and the place was jumping, but after a long, three-day weekend of rocking Isobela and I needed a little break.

We worked on a new dance for the GlamShack and GOAT called the Nuzzle Dance; we like it, and I hope everyone else will. Then we headed under the seas to Club Neptune at Angel Shark Station to listen to Heath do that thing he does so well with his piano. New Age Jazz piano never sounds better than when it's underwater. They have quite an excellent dance floor there; about on par with Isobela's and mine. We took full advantage of it. Garret was pegging Heath with rubber bands during the show but Heath didn't let that slow him down one bit.

About midway through the show Heath mentioned that he knew everyone in the room, about twenty-five of us. I was even mentioned as a regular. He likened it to sitting down in his living room playing songs for friends. How cool is that? I love this place.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

DJ Isobela at Fibber Magees!!!

I was there for the trumphant return of DJ Isobela to Fibber Magees! It was her first time performing in this place that holds so many memories for all of us. It was so cool. Her playlist was simply amazing; I asked her to save it for posterity. The rock was hot and the beer was cold, and it wass Guinness; not that swill that Case serves!

The new Fibber's looks a little worse for the wear, there are holes in the walls and in the streets outside even. Was there a Friendly Fire show here that I didn't hear about? I can't think of anything else that could cause this much damage.

The show was UK Rock, targetted to the Europeans but there seemed to be quite an antipodean contingent as well. Tarogue the host hid his tip jat behind a pillar on the bar but I found it. It was good there was only one other tip jar so the tips didn't get too diluted I saw some people from the old days of course, Emmie and Spook, Anutte and Robt, plus even Hy and The Tracy were there. Never did I think I would see a Dubliner tag on Isobela; she wears it well.

I also made it to DJ John's trumphant return to the GlamShack! mikki was there in her first time hostessing fo him. I couldn't get her to join in a spankfest; what amazing self control that took from her! Isobela and I danced for a while, but couldn't stay for too long.

We stopped by Starbrook's Coffeehouse to join the celebration of the recent nuptials of Ryan & Jenda. DJ Spontaneous played some tunes for us, but most everyone just spent the time chatting. DJ Spontaneous had some cool dance moves, I'll have to look in to learning those myself.

We were a little worn out from all of the club-hopping so we went on a building binge on Elfie Island. Isobela created this truely amazing grotto there! She had to move a couple of waterfalls to make room for it, but it turned out so well!


I was busy moving mountains, tunnelling like a rat, beach building and finally together we made a small lean-to on stilts to watch the sunsets from. Life is good.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Happy Rez Day Uncle Sam!

On my rounds this morning I stopped in to Starbrooks Coffeehouse for a cup of cappuccino and a nice Banana Nut muffin. It was nice enjoy breakfast without having to rush off somewhere. They make some Texas-sized coffee there, too!


When I saw Isobela she told me that she had stayed up late with Megan and that Megan was planning on getting married to Warrick today! At OUR House! Luckily Isobela keeps things very neat; well, except for having at least 37 pose stands in each room. But they were easy to pick up.

So 15 minutes before the ceremony Megan calls me and asks if I know where she can find a minister. To make a long story short, I ended up officiating with Isobela and Hy as witnesses. Isobela made a lovely rose-covered archway for them that we placed on the patio. Of course we started late because Megan took so long getting dressed, but at least she was able to do it herself and didn't need Isobela to come help her. And they had their own rings, too!

It was a very nice ceremony; short and sweet but with meaning. Afterwards we took some pictures and I showed the lovely couple to the dance pavilion that Isobela had put together in a hilltop grove on Elfie Island and they had some nice quiet time to themselves. They have been running for weeks now and it was good for them to take a break and just dance and chat for a while.


DJ Tlinitchief was spinning Poolside at NP so I stopped by there for a while. FraterPhoenix was his hostess, and Isobela's cousin Midnight was there, too. It was quite a nice crowd with some cool, patriotic accessories. The DJ and hostess had wings with Stars and Stripes on them! Isobela joined me after a while and we had a very good time.

Later DJ Isobela was playing at the GlamShack. She and I think Hy had decorated the place to celebrate Uncle Sam's rez day! I messed up the time on the notices I sent out, but Hy caught it right away and I was able to send out a correction. There was a surprisingly large crowd for a holiday, fellow officer Promise showed up, and we all glammed a few of Case's beers. That guy must own a brewery or something; it seems like he has a never ending supply of the stuff!


After DJ Isobela we had Friendly Fire at the GlamShack continuing our Friday slide into the weekend. It was a special anniversary of theirs, four years ago tonight they made their debut as the band Friendly Fire! To help celebrate most of us wore our Friendly Fire t-shirt to the gig tonight! In the spirit of the holiday Mack and Case sang a wonderful rendition of Yankee Doodle Dandy, then Case tried to sing When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again. Brooke was there and gave everyone 4th of July hats! Woot! I also did a Double Uber Poofer with US Flags and Glams!


As usual they played I Love This Song!, and as usual it was right at the mid point of the show. Yes, right at the time I am busy sending out the mid-show notices. The Train Wreck was Soft Cell's Tainted Love; or, as Jocelyn would say, Tainted Lobe. They did very well with it actually; I think they practiced though.

DJ Hy closed out our Friday slide into the weekend at the GlamShack. He has been secretly ensconced in his office in the GlamShack preparing a special playlist for us for most of DJ Isobela's and Friendly Fire's shows. It was well worth the effort; he started off with Jimmy Hendricks guitar solo of the Star Spangled Banner! mikki filled in for The Tracy and hostessed for him; I helped her with some of the group notices.

I missed part of the show, and when I came back there seemed to be something going on with cowbells. I'm not exactly sure what that was all about. With DJ Hy and mikki around you never know what kind of trouble they'll get you in. Isobela and I stayed dancing and chatting for a long time; after Hy left he had turned the radio on for us. We closed the place down, the first time we've done that in a long time. Life is good.

Friday, July 4, 2008

The Girl is Back in Town!

Isobela and I went sailing off of Holly Kai Three today. I'm really starting to get the hang of controlling the catamaran in different wind conditions, it was a blast! We both think MiaShow will like it, too. While we were on the water Isobela got a call asking her to DJ at the new Fibber's this Saturday, 5 Jul, from 4-6pm! Woot! Plus, Promise is back in town! Double Woot!


Back at the house I made a button for mikki to go with all of her gesticulating about boxed wine. I finished just in time to make it to Club Casa Blanco for the Friendly Fire show and who should be there but mikki herself! She put her pin on right away, and took out a box of wine to celebrate!



The show was great; there was three other officers on duty so Isobela and I didn't have to worry about helping to meet and greet or swag or such. The highlight was of course I Love This Song! I operated Mack'S poofer and the Uber Poofer; Case handled his own, or maybe Mack got his.

From Casa Blanco we went home to change, then got on the Tester for the trip over to the Savoy. The seas were very uncooperative, it was a very challenging trip. As we passed the GlamShack we saw that DJ Crighton and Hostess Kimala had organized a pajama party around the beach bonfire out front!

DJ Hy was playing at the Savoy ably assisted by Hostess Megan the Magnificent! Isobela and I wore our special Megan Fan Club tags that Isobela had made. DJ Hy played his usual fantabulous blues, and Isobela's special requests, too. We were finally able to meet Megan's beau in person! He seemed very nice, though Megan had to clear up some misconceptions we had about him.

As Hy's show was winding down we headed over to hear DJ Lira at Gallery Orinoco. She played absolutrly fantastic 80's rock, but seemed to be new to DJing. She didn't partake, either. Listening to rock at the gallery seemed strange, I think that would be better poolside. The live act that they had scheduled for earlier had cancelled, perhaps that threw things off.

In any case the Gallery seems more suited for jazz and /or blues; maybe they could use a Blues DJ every once in a while? While we were dancing we peeked in the windows and saw that they had some new works up in the Gallery, we'll have to go check them out later.

After DJ Lira left we did too. It had been a long day for us, and we'll probably have an even busier day tomorrow. I can't wait. All our love to Megan and hers.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

DJ Isobela is Late!

I spent some time this morning installing, configuring and testing a new security system. We have some new owners in the area that are changing things all around and making us nervous.

Mack and Case and DJ Isobela all had horrible transportation issues and just could not make it to their gigs. It was awful. Ajay sent notices about the Friendly Fire show being cancelled, and I sent out notices about DJ Isobela running real late. I hung out in the GlamShack hoping she would make it; Cruise stopped by and we chatted a bit.

Mack and Case didn't make it at all *I sure hope they don't pull another month-long vacation on us), but Isobela and Megan finally show up at the Shack. DJ Isobela started playing music and we were discussing whether to officially start a show or not. Other people kept stopping by, so I sent out show notices and we drew a real nice crowd. Well, I don't know if it was the DJ or Megan that drew the crowd. mikki could have been a factor as well.


curm was there interviewing people. I think he was seeking cohorts for a GlamShack coup attempt. Good luck; I guess he's never heard Mack sing Catfight. He also asked me to say 'curm looked so hot tonite'! And he did!


Isobela and I had been saving quotes of each other for a while; when heard out of context they are quite funny so we started sharing them with everyone around. I got her giggling but good on mic; too bad curm missed it. Total hilarity, it was a blast. I love this place.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Bum and Mum

I did some work around the house today, spent alot of time working on doors. They sure are harder than they used to be. I worked on some clothes, too; but I'm not sure how they'll turn out. Isobela said it "looks like a butt flap for George of the Jungle"!

Friendly Fire had their weekly glamtastic gig at the Beach Bum. They seemed to have an especially good time laughing and joking at this show. They played their new song It's My Time, plus 23 Skideaux and of course I Love This Song! Vicki showed up but I didn't get to chat with her much, I was too busy working. Mack had her poofer and I helped her work it, but I felt the need to do the Uber Poofer all the same.


Next it was DJ Isobela at the Savoy. They are continuing to have technical difficulties with the dance floor. This happens quite often at the Savoy, it's getting to be bothersome. The featured album was Albert Castiglia's A stones Throw, very good with lots of slide guitar. A most enjoyable time, even with dancing issues

DJ Hy was filling in for the vacationing DJ Daddie at the GlamShack after that, and The Tracy was filling in for Megan, but it was too late for me to make it to their show. I did hear word of an incredible new club opening on the 13th, but I am unsure if I should keep it under wraps for now or not. I'll try and find out more, soon. For now, mum's the word.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Purple

Mack and Case played in this awesome giant green cavern that Rosi dug for Moard's birthday! It was totally cool; you even could to take a trolley to get to it! The guest of honor was very late, though we all had a typical Glamtastic time. I Love This Song is especially breathtaking in a giant green grotto!

Mack complimented me on my picture of her and Isobela on this blog yesterday! Case always ends up embarrassing me when he talks about my blog; it was nice hearing a compliment and not wanting to hide afterwards.

They had to call the show because of lighting; too much electronical equipment was at risk. Isobela and I made it an early night, though I think Mack and Case went back and played some more later. DJ Case may have even made an appearance. Life is good.