Ayibobo

Few people know this but in my spare time I am manbo. I practice my maji on unsuspecting fools, calling on lwa, and preparing for nago. All will fall to my will by the power of the spirits.

Okay, not really. But it is a neat throne, no? Boojum Island is undergoing a little reconstruction at the moment and it is really amazing what they have done. Subtle changes, but they make all the difference. Stop by the vodou hut for a brew and wander the island in search of booty, or even a little love. Tons of little surprises to explore!

One delightful surprise is the mooring of the Manhattan 158 - perhaps the most beautiful and well done yacht in SL - at least of what I have seen. She is pure luxury. Does she belong there? I do not know. But wandering her luscious decks was pure delight. I think I will leave a little zo devan for them in blessing.

Girls with Guns

You know when you stumble upon something and you know you really shouldn't look further into it -- like you are walking along and hear something in an alleyway and you just KNOW you shouldn't go down there? Plurking is kind of like that.

You see, Zoe Connolly plurked that Virtual Girls with Guns now has 8 members. I took the bait and headed over to check out exactly what VGWG was... I'm sorry but you cannot dangle a piece of chocolate in front of a chocoholic and expect them not to want it. That's just cruel.

Eventually the ladies convinced me that I needed to be a member. So I signed up. And I searched my inventory for a weapon.

This was a terrifying happening. Apparently, my weapons like to be worn sort of hanging off my tooshy... or on my right ear... or my knee - even when attached to a hand. I got one to shoot with some satisfaction but quickly realized maybe it would leave casings on my neighbor's lawn and thought better of it. How sad that a girl who can handle a weapon in RL is a complete clod in SL.

My plurking sisters didn't miss a beat. Zoe quickly reminded me that VGWG was about "helping sisters to pack heat". Looks like my next few weeks in SL might resemble more my RL than I'd like... I really wish I hadn't posted on REC now. It's coming back to haunt me. lol

I can say this: weapon proficiency in SL seems a far better use of time than learning to work the catwalk... Why this seems to be the case I will never know.

Murdered.

I debated posting this little find mostly because I object to the glamourization of violence. That said, this post is most certainly for the most mature of us and should not be shared with our youth, nor those faint of heart.

b.places describes the REC sim as "... [it] recreates the apartment of the REC horror movie, so in case you haven't had enough watching it, try to test your nerves on this disturbing place!" Disturbing it is, its creepiness magnified with the REC HUD you snag at the start. The HUD lets you wander through the house as if moving through the eyes of a video viewer -- mostly in mouselook. Wander through and click areas that sparkle. Of course, the first thing I clicked left me for dead, in a pool of my own pixel oozing blood.

Kind of reminded me of some of the things I see in RL.

Gorey and certainly heartbreaking that there could be so much evil in the world, but an amazingly creative sim worth the stop on places to see in SL.

Popped the Cork

Secrets. I love my pals.

It's 3 AM and I just got back to bed from a RL emergency. I logged to apologize to those whom I fell asleep/ran out on earlier and zap! In came an IM from Nug (see The Drink). Nug tells me he has something to show me. This usually ends up being something either exciting, creative, or highly questionable.

So I pop on over to the plot where Old Skool once stood and where do I land? Not in the drink but instead, my home - the Cork Factory.

In order to understand my love affair with this place, you need some history. The RL Cork Factory was a stop off point for some of the top "rave" DJs in the late 80s and early 90s. Since that time, they turned the place into high priced, fashionable, super trendy condos. You see, the boys paid homage to the Cork in SL with a replica - right down to the graffiti on the walls -- some of it probably original.

I found the Cork purely by accident. I was stressed out, frustrated and annoyed by a SL business venture in my early days and went searching for live venues to decompress. I stumbled into the joint to the sounds of a DJ named Nomis who actually spun (get this) REAL VINYL.

The Cork Factory became my home for a variety of reasons - some of them RL. My heart broke when it closed. The boys new venue, Old Skool, was cool but just wasn't the same.

So I welcome the Cork back to life. When asked if I was granted permission to blog it, Nug told me, "you write what ya want....we open now....no drama...no business plan....we plan when we can....we not livin on tips........we just here to have fun". I couldn't have said it better myself.

Joy and Ribbons

I love my spontaneous friends. And I hate it when I misunderstand what they are trying to tell me. So here is one I blew - my long time SL girlfriend Yvette was RL married. She tried to explain it all and I missed the timing. How did I figure it all out? Plurk. (Thank God for Plurk!)



With that, I pray for much happiness and love in her home. I am delighted in her joy, and am hopeful for all things calm, patient and loving in her life.

Welcome, Dante, to our lives! You've made our girl so happy the last several months. I cannot think of anything better and I thank you.

I guess that means we have to work out a signal on the door at the tree house or something... Maybe a ribbon!?!?

The Drink

Last night, old time pals Nomis and Nug both logged. I leaped with joy as I rarely see either online anymore. These boys built my much beloved Cork Factory and eventually, Old Skool. Both old school DJs (no pun intended), they would spin historic techno, beat mixing it until your heart had no choice but to sing and your feet to move.

I TPed on over and the boys plugged in for a little 50s, 60s and even a little 70s. We danced. We chatted. We made fun of our friends. Happily, I dozed off and danced with the sandman...

So this morning I awaken, log in to catch up on IMs from my friends on the other side of the world and found myself in the drink. My guess? They logged for a last blast party. But once again, sadness takes me and I cannot help but to feel like we've ended yet one more SL era. (Don't get all whooped up -- an SL era is really short...)

Sacrifice on a Wall

When I was a child, we went to visit family who lived in the DC area. It was then that we went to the Air and Space Museum (feeding my addiction of all things space science related), the Washington Monument (closed for construction) and Arlington Cemetery (where I saw family). But one of the most memorable moments for me was a trip to the Wall.

I knew of no one who was family. But I saw others come and go, weeping. There was one volunteer there that day who was making charcoal impressions for visitors. He asked if he could make one for me. I said yes of course and he wanted to know which one. I said any and I cried a bit as he went about taking the tracing (bewildered). You see, I understood even at a young age what this meant. I grasped what those lives did collectively for our country. And I wept for their sacrifice and for the families left behind who had little comfort in knowing their loved one died in a war or conflict.

Meme Science entered SL with a goal of recreating The Wall. For those who have lived or visited DC you'll be struck by how familiar the walk is from the landing spot. Accept the notecard - it's packed with information about videos, how to search for names, leaving gifts, other memorials etc. For more information visit http://thewallsl.com.