Virtual Stranger

2007-09-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

I've moved my blog to wordpress (hopefully a good move, I like it so far). Please come visit me here http://virtualstranger.wordpress.com/!

Is This Man Cheating on His Wife?

2007-08-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

This is the article I found on the yahoo home page today that talks about a man's SL relationship and the effect on his RL marriage.

http://biz.yahoo.com/wallstreet/070810/sb118670164592393622_id.html?.v=6

Here is an excerpt:

The woman he's legally wed to is not amused. "It's really devastating," says Sue Hoogestraat, 58, an export agent for a shipping company, who has been married to Mr. Hoogestraat for seven months. "You try to talk to someone or bring them a drink, and they'll be having sex with a cartoon."

Mr. Hoogestraat plays down his online relationship, assuring his wife that it's only a game. While many busy people can't fathom the idea of taking on another set of commitments, especially imaginary ones, Second Life and other multiplayer games are moving into the mainstream. With some 30 million people now involved world-wide, there is mounting concern that some are squandering, even damaging their real lives by obsessing over their "second" ones. That's always been a concern with videogames, but a field of study suggests that the boundary between virtual worlds and reality may be more porous than experts previously imagined.

Nearly 40% of men and 53% of women who play online games said their virtual friends were equal to or better than their real-life friends, according to a survey of 30,000 gamers conducted by Nick Yee, a recent Ph.D. graduate from Stanford University. More than a quarter of gamers said the emotional highlight of the past week occurred in a computer world, according to the survey, which was published in 2006 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press's journal Presence.

This is just another article that brings to life the RL debate about how important SL should be in comparison to your RL. Is Second Life just a game?

Without getting into a length post, this is a small part of my point of view. For a lot of people SL is not just a game. Sometimes it can be very hard to keep your emotions from becoming involved with SL friends or those that have become partners. It's understandable for people who might spend many hours in world. But, I think that it's ok as long as they can honestly tell their RL partners that it is just a game, they can separate their SL creation with their RL and they can still function in the RL without SL becoming wrapped up in it.

ETD and Reel Movement Sales!

2007-08-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

My favorite hair shop is ETD (for good reason) and this is your chance to get every hair you could have ever wanted at a super low price. (Check out the ad from ETD.) I've already been and bought about 20 packs, more colors of the styles I love and styles I've always wanted to add to my collection.

ETD opened to the public today at noon. The sale ends Monday.

Teleport to ETD>

Luth Brodie has a new store coming so there is a great sale at Reel Movement for all you pose lovers. 25% -50% off EVERYTHING. Ends next Friday (17th Aug) at 5pm SLT.

Teleport to Reel Movement>

***It's been exactly a month since I last posted anything. I've been enjoying my summer traveling around the states and enjoying the beach. But summer is coming to a close so I'm sure I'll be back settled at home and get back into SL more.***

[Outfit] Celeste by PixelDolls

2007-07-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

PixelDolls has a wonderful new freebie dress release! The dress is called Celeste and it includes 12 different colors (I'm wearing the Ivory). I really like the texture of this halter dress, the stars and swirls are fitting to the name. The prim skirt is well done with just enough transparency to it. The ever present black belt has the detail of a lot of the PixelDoll tops. I don't mind the belt on some colors, but I definitely could have done without it on the lighter ones. I think the dress design and the texture could have looked fantastic on its own. (Beggars can't be choosers, I know!) Don't miss out on this freebie release at Port Seraphine, don't know how long it will last!.

Tropical Eyes from Ameretto

2007-07-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

When I buy eyes I usually go for beautiful colors and detail (which these eyes do have). I don't like most of the eyes that contain a scene but when I saw these I fell in love! These are the Calypso collection from Amaretto. They come in six wonderful colors and they all have a very detailed tropical scene within. With palm trees, water and the horizon, these you really need to check out for yourself.

Here I am wearing the Daquiri color (could resist) in the larger size.

And here is the smaller size, more human like which I prefer.

You can find Ameretto here where you can purchase the eyes for $100L each.

Outfit: Canimal "Willow"

2007-07-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Skin: Vogue Summer Series 3 in Amber by CS/Lashes: Bedroom Lashes by CAKE/Hair: The Updo in Caramel by ETD/Dress: Willow in Green by Canimal/Boots: Dune in Brown by Maitreya/Necklace: Boho Gypsy Necklace, Mixed Cherry Woods by EARTHTONES

Dressing Room anyone?

2007-07-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

I lurk on the SL Forums a lot and I found this thread that I think offers a lot of helpful hints for those homeless fashion addict avatars or those who love to change their shape every other day.

Portable Dressing Room for us homeless
http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=192534

Highlights:

Use the NCI Dressing rooms (Search Places for NCI)
Find a mature sim on the map, find a place where there aren't a lot of people around or none at all and change there
Fly up high, do your changing in the sky
Go to a public sandbox and either rez a hollow box for you to change in, rez a small house or find a portable dressing room to buy or for free it rez
Find a store that has dressing rooms for you to use - if its busy though, be sure to let the "real" customers use the facilities first
And the best suggestion - find yourself a cheap apartment to rent and you'll have a place of your own

In the first couple of months, this was exactly how I felt. I love to try on my clothes and change my shape but there was never any good place to do it. Before I knew about modesty and PG sims, I used to change in public. Those where my exhibitionist days. Then some helpful man let me know that while he appreciated the show, some other people wouldn't and that I could find a dressing room at the NCI plaza. I spent a lot of time in that dressing room, crowded with all the other newbies and semi-newbies sorting through their freebies. I've tried going to a secluded place, but after my embarrassment of public nudity it felt to weird. I've even tried dressing in a box or a small house in sandbox. I always felt that it was just meant to test your building skills in, so I never felt right spending an hour checking out my inventory.

Eventually I sucked it up and looked for a low rent apartment to call my own - dressing room that is.

So if anyone new SL souls need a place to come change, IM me when you see me online and you can come to my place, I know how it feels.

Only a couple days left for the Canimal Sale!

2007-07-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted this yet, but I have been shopping! Go check it out and don't miss out on the things you don't own yet :)

Happy Independence Day!

2007-07-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

To all you Americans - Have a Fun and Safe 4th of July! Enjoy the sun, the pool, the beach, the beer, the BBQs and of course all the fireworks! I'll be out enjoying them myself :)

Soda and Second Wave Sale!

2007-07-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Outfit: Sassafras Robin

2007-07-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

I love when I'm online at the right time. And today I was online to catch this:

Sassafras is opening a second location, and we're throwing a Grand Opening party
to celebrate! From 6:15pm - 7:15pm tonight (SLT), there'll be door prizes,
two new releases (one of which premiered yesterday at the MO Island Fashion
Show!), and fun people - it should be a blast.

Where I was lucky enough to win a door prize! I purchased a few outfits I'm looking forward to trying on. In the above picture I'm wearing my door prize, the Robin top from Sassafras. I love the deep blue color, I'm partial to it because I get to wear one of my favorite Vogue skins. The buttons up the front and the collar on the white undershirt are are so cute. I like the jacket length, because you can't always be showing the navel and the wrinkles are pretty decent. My one complaint is with the sleeves that do a pretty good job of matching at the seams, but I would have liked to see a little more attention to the shading detail where the shirt would hit the skin (I for one am a fan of the designers who use shading around parts of of where the clothing meets skin).

Skin: DN Vogue skin in Amber (last call - babydoll)/Hair: ETD Sea Nymph II in Sea Drift/Shirt: Sassafras Robin/Pants: ETD Cords in Navy

Happy Birthday!

2007-07-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today is my real life Birthday! 23 years old now. And to treat myself I'm off to spend a little time shopping and being frivolous :)

The Newest Sea Nymph

2007-06-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

As you can see, I was able to get one of the limited edition release of "Sea Nymph" by Last Call. I am so glad I did, a beautiful worth of $2500L. It took me a few tries before 9am and a few minutes after to even teleport to the sim. The lag was terrible, as to be expected, and after a laborious slow walk I made it to the new release section. While everything loaded I waited around with every other fashionista who was online at the time. I hadn't completely made up my mind about whether I was going to buy, but when I saw all the other people waiting, I knew I didn't have much of a chance to think about it. I bought my clam, and in my inventory the Sea Nymph sat till I could make it back to my apartment and unpack.

The Sea Nymph release included all three colors (silver, a steely purple and my favorite sea foam) and tons of options from a tiny bikini, to several tops and bottoms and three skirt choices all on different layers. There is also a cape in two length options and a wonderfully colored scepter to complete the look.

The detail is as always fabulous with glitter, wrinkles, transparency and coral accents. The different lengths, colors and layer options make this collection an easy mix with other pieces, formal as well as casual.

With a limited release of 75, I hope everyone who wanted to be a Sea Nymph was able to get one!

Outfit: Sea Nymph by Last Call LE - Hair: Sea Nymph in Mar by ETD - Skin: Deviant Nation in Ether/Void by CS - Eyes: Blue Polar by Miriel

PuNk Couture BLOWOUT SALE!

2007-06-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! Big Sale - check it out while it lasts!

PuNk Couture BLOWOUT SALE!.062807.

Due to RL rearing its ever-demanding head, I am closing down the PuNk Couture Boutique until autumn!Work and life will require my undivided attention for the next several months, and being a bit of a worrier, I need to cut out all distractions to fully focus on my work.
SO - through this weekend everything in the shop is $50L or less!!! (With the exception of the two Harajuku Girl outfits - located at the front of the store on one of the "NEW" shelves - which are $100L (the set contains hat, dress and boots))
(Yes, I put parenthesis inside parenthesis. lol)

ALL BAND T-SHIRTS ARE FREE!As well as a few things sporadically placed
throughout - you'll have to search to find what they are! ;)

A few of my favorite pieces will be returning with the Autumn line, so you might as well buy them now while they're so inexpensive! I've really enjoyed making clothes,
meeting a lot of very cool people and getting your feedback on my line these
past few months. I sincerely look forward to returning this autumn. :)
In the meantime, have a great summer everyone!
<3,Hadley
Randwick

PS- the only thing NOT available is the Cherry Darling costume from
the movie GRINDHOUSE. Sorry guys! But, if you'd like a copy of it before I
disappear, I will sell it to you for $500L as opposed to its usual price of
$750L. Just IM me. :)

Sea Nymph Limited Edition

2007-06-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

And just in time for my latest $L buy, a beautiful limited edition release from Ginny Talamasca of Last Call and Elikapeka Tiramisu of ETD. "The Sea Nymph" will go on sale tomorrow with two releases, one at 9am SLT and 5pm SLT, with a total of 75.

You can visit the Last Call blog for all the details and here is a picture from Last Call with the release.

I think its just gorgeous and if I can remember to get up and jump on SL I might get the chance to scoop one up. It's $2500L - but why not, no chance to second guess, they'll be gone!

And I'm most excited about the ETD release! It's so pretty, I know I'll be grabbing several of the colors. I can't wait to try it on. This special hair release will be available till July 31st.

I'll make an early birthday present to myself out of it. Wish me luck in grabbing one!

WooHoo!

2007-06-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Oh the little things that make me so happy...

[Update 6.26.07 3.47 PDT] PayPal purchase and payment facility is now functional. However, some Residents may experience a “restricted” error that we are trying to fix.

Its been exactly 25 days since I've bought more $L, they go so fast :( But, I'm so glad, back to shopping!

2007-06-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Guess SL doesn't totally hate me...

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/06/19/update-in-world-lindex-purchases/

UPDATE:We have reenabled Linden transactions from within the viewer.
However, PayPal is having issues processing LindeX transactions from the
web. We are working with PayPal to resolve the issue.
Also, LindeX
transactions using credit cards are slow, but the transactions should complete.
If it doesn’t complete for some reason, please retry.
We apologize for the
inconvenience, and hope to resolve these issues promptly.

But I'm going through Shopping withdraws. Maybe its time to seriously look for an in-world job! lol

Hillary Clinton 2008 SL Campaign HQ

2007-06-15T23:15:00.000-07:00

Just in its preview stage, I visited to Hillary Clinton HQ today in Second Life. In RL I'm not in anyway a politically minded person and even less so in SL. I ended up here because a good friend was checking it out and I tagged along. (By the way he is Canadian but still thinks he would make a good candidate. His platform centers mostly around the rights of cats in America. :) For any American, or anyone interested in American government you might want to check this place out when everything is up and running or maybe even keep an ear out for an events at the HQ.

Don't forget to pick up your free campaign gear here - a tshirt and button!

There are currently different facts about Hillary Clinton and her campaign platform that can be found here.

Here I am hogging the lectern.

Speech! Speech! Speech!

Hillary Clinton 2008 SL Campaign HQ can be visited here -http://slurl.com/secondlife/Platon/134/114/23

And for Real Life Clinton 2008 infor vsit http://www.hillaryclinton.com/

My Biggest Annoyance with SL

2007-06-15T22:18:00.001-07:00

I Love SL, I really do. But this just down right pisses me off. The blog says you can only buy Lindens this weekend from the website. OK will do. I go to the website and every time I try to buy I always get errors! Come on, its payday! I need $L! I'm ready to start my habitual waste of $L! This isn't the first day its happened to me.

I know there are other places to purchase Lindens, but I'm worried about security of my information so I've only ever used the SL site (most times with problems). I keep re-setting up my account info just like it says to, but it still doesn't like me.

There are a few things I wanted to get this weekend including renting a new apartment and getting a pirate suit (hehe).

eBay Island Sim Opening?

2007-06-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

eBay Island has been found! No idea what will be on the island or if it will only be a promotion for the RL eBay site, but I'm looking forward to it either way. Maybe it'll be a place for the "yard-sale" or "transfer items people already resale?

I'm in trouble, I spend enough time on eBay in RL!

http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2007/06/15/ebay-island-found/

Crossed-eyed - LOL

2007-06-14T20:23:00.001-07:00

Live Free or Die Hard at Silverscreen

2007-06-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

The ancient Spartans from 300 were cleared out of the Silverscreen Sim to make way for a modern day warrior in Live Free or Die Hard and I finally made it by to check out. The build was great, a pretty realistic looking representation for SL. There are several different sites to check out and experience for a glimpse of the movie. Here I am with Bruce Willis, whom I love from the other movies in the Die Hard series, about as close as I'll ever get.

There are builds of vehicles from the movie including this helicopter shown, a cop car and a fighter jet. They are all behind glass on display like I'm sure they would have been in RL. I would have liked to get closer to check it out though.

Here is a fighter jet doing some series damage. I've seen them in RL, pretty impressive, put never flying beside one (only in SL).

Here I am running away from the explosion. I love that the build included areas where you could go inside a movie scene.

The folks from Adam 'n Eve once again created one of a kind avatars to represent the movie. There are several costume piece placed all over the sim, so be on the lookout. Here I am in pieces of the FBI getup - just with more style ;).

And below the build is a tiny island with a few lounge chairs were I took a moment to relax.

To get to the Silverscreen sim do a search in "places" or you can follow this link: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Silverscreen/128/128/0

Wearing

skin: Deviant Nation Ether/void by CS *Discontinued*

hair: Casual in Dirty Blonde by ETD *Hair Fair Freebie*

outfit: Olivia by Last Call *Discontinued*

shoes: Metalic Pumps in silver by GLAM

jewelry: Jacey complete Moon collection by Last Call *On Sale Now*

Protest Groups

2007-06-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

With the recent changes and policies in SL there have been some good effects and some that have been bad. I'm all for stopping the "age-play" that's been going on and I can even understand the need to put an end to the "rape groups". But the negative effects are that other forms of "sexual expression" are coming under fire too. While I may not participate in any any of these activities or groups I still support their right to exist.

The following is a post by Tateru Nino found on Scond Life Insider a few days ago about peaceful support groups that you can join to show your support, whether it be as a participant or just a supporter of a free SL. I've already joined to show my support.

Shopping for a protest group?

Since the sudden reversal in Linden Lab's governance policy in Second Life, there's been quite an outcry from the Second Life residents. It's easy to find people who are against the changes - and quite difficult to find anyone who is in favor of them. rotest groups have sprung up all over. Mostly under the umbrella of the newly formed United Protest group. In numbers terms, protesting these policies is rapidly
becoming one of the most popular activities in Second Life. Shopping for a
peaceful protest group that suits you? We've got a round up of your options.
BDSM Is Safe - BDSM Is Not Abuse
1087 members
"Join the group
to show your support for BDSM in SL and ensure it's survives here under the
latest "offensive material" crack-down. BDSM is not wrong, and has a place in RL
and SL. This group is promoting the rights of adults who consent to play with
adults freely by choice. We do not condone anything involving minors!"
I am for a FREE Second Life
901 members
This group stands for RESPECT, TOLERANCE and FREEDOM. This is a PEACEFUL protest for a censorfree SL, please refer to the poster and initial notecard for more information or come to the United Support InfoCenter."
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
112 Members
"The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is an organization committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights of consenting adults in the SM-leather-fetish, bdsm, swing, and polyamory communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual expression. Censor free. http://www.ncsfreedom.org/ http://www.sfc.org.uk/home.php"
First they came for...
90 members
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came...
First they came for the ageplayers, & I didn't speak up, cuz I wasn't
ageplaying. Then they came for the rape roleplayers, & I didn't speak up,
cuz I wasn't roleplaying. Then they came for the furries, & I didn't speak
up, cuz I wasn't furry. Then they came for the Goreans, the combat players, the
BDSMers, the necros, the vampires, the gangsters, & I didn't speak up...
Then they came for me, & there was no one left to speak up for
me."

United Protest
15 members
"Only creators of groups that stand up
for freedom of action, speech and responsible adult engagement in SL are in this
group to cooperate and collaborate, exchange ideas and actions so the voices of
the members of all protest groups may become one big clamor."
The Broadly
Offensive
12 members
"Only one purpose for this group: to encourage SL residents to cease making abuse reports to LL, and to cease the participation in anything that can be later falsely construed to be part of determining what is "broadly offensive". While anyone can determine what is narrowly attractive, determining what is "broadly offensive" cannot be legitimately done in a virtual world. Do Good by Doing Jack! Don't Report! Speak No Evil!"
Moral Majority
10 members
"Join The Moral Majority Group!
Help keep SecondLife Free of Censorship. Let's keep SecondLife not only Safe
Together, but tolerant, together. After all, only the Moral Majority can do
that - right? "
Residents against[sic] censorship
9 members
"Once they start, its going to snowball. Today it might not be you, but tomorrow it
may. Take your stand to protect this fantasy world you have created for
yourself. We don't want a world where anyone can report someone for doing
anything they don't agree with. Race, gender, fetishes, homosexuality . The make
SL Safe practice is a joke. We created this world if we don't like area's we
won't visit them again or TP away. Simple as that!"
Offensive Broads
4 members
"For the Broadly Offensive, and those who love them. Adults portraying adults, on an adults only grid, don't deserve to live in fear of censorship or banning."

Last Call Inventory Reduction Part II

2007-06-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

I couldn't find time to blog about it, but Last Call had a wonderful sale last week to make room for more inventory (I love when that happens!). I was able to just make it by and buy at least one of every style, so glad I caught the on sale Vogue skins too (my personal favorite). I hope everyone else had the chance to make it and pick up a few things.

This week is the second part of the sale - accessories, shoes and jewelery. The prices can't be beat and you won't get a chance to buy them again!

Where: In front of the Last Call store

When: June 11th @ 9am SLT til June 17th @ 9pm SLT

Where have I been?

2007-06-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

Been very busy in RL. Its summer so I've been visiting family, entertaining some visiting friends and hitting the beach in Florida. I'm trying to get in SL whenever I can (which isn't very often :( but I'm trying) so I hope to have some more updates more often this summer when I can steal a few minuets.

I've been missing my shopping sprees!

George R. R. Martin to Read at the Shelter!

2007-05-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the original article from Second Life Insider.

This is an amazing opportunity for any huge fans of George R. R. Martin's, people who love to read fantasy or even those interested in a writing career to ask some of your questions. This is the first event by a bestselling author that I've heard of since I've been in world, not that I've been in long. Any technical issues that may come about I hope you'll ignore, I hope that this event turns out to be a huge success and that other RL authors follow. Its a great opportunity for fans to get the latest scoop on their favorite authors and get the chance to "meet" them in SL when they may be geographically challenged in RL.

Downtown Sim

2007-05-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Downtown Sim Opening Party Today from 12pm-12am!

Check out that link to the Second Life Insider article about this new sim. Sounds like lots of fun to be had.

I would love to check it out, but I'll have to go when the party has died down. My RL Betty has some party to go to tonight for Cinco de Mayo and watch a boxing match (she doesn't even like boxing and she isn't Mexican, but the friends are good).

Everyone who does go, hope you have fun!

Group Freebies - Carmen and Dolores

2007-05-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

The group for Bossa Nova has reached 125 members and that means Group Freebies! Moire Georgette who created Bossa Nova releases freebies when her group member numbers double, good incentive to get all your fashionista friends to join and support this designer.

I love when freebies don't suck. These are so gorgeous I can't believe she let us have them for free. Although once you try them on you'll want to rush out to the store to get the other colors!

This first dress is called Carmen. This style dress has black polka-dots, white trim, mermaid skirt, poofy sleeves and my favorite part these very well made prim flower attachments.

The next dress is my personal favorite, called Dolores. It has the same styling as the Carmen release but comes in this wonderful white and includes a flirty prim hat with fingertip veil. It has a very Old Hollywood feel that I love. Come on, how can you pass on a hat like this?

If you like these styles you should join the group "bossa nova" and keep up to date with the other retro-inspired releases. You can also visit the store and purchase these styles. Bossa Nova can be found at Dos Corazones, Dos Corazones (79, 122, 25).

Wearing

Skin: Vogue Cashmere (Rose mid) by CS

Hair: Vixen (Dirty Blonde) by ETD - Freebie!

Earrings: Bauble II (Black) by Miriel

Swirly Cyclone Cut Out

2007-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows and loves the infamous Swirly Cyclone. Over at the Fashion Victim Blog a blog was written about the fact that, although Swirly entered the Model contest for Lacoste, she is no where to be found among the contestants.

I hope that Lacoste hasn't dismissed her entry because she has a more realistic size. Perhaps they are only looking for those SL models to mimic the RL models. It's sad that even in a creative and adventurous environment like SL, peoples' picture of beauty can still be so narrow minded.

Stephanie Misfit does an interview with Swirly to get her reaction on the blog. I love Swirly's responses and her personality. And one day I hope she gets her "payment-on-file" man :)

Miriel Cut Her Prices - Everyone Should Go - Now!

2007-05-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write a blog about this for couple days now, but I'm a major procrastinator.

I am a HUGE fan of Miriel Enfield who is the creator behind the store Miriel. She has a few freebie pieces that are fabulous (usually I don't expect much quality from the free stuff). The eyes that she does are smaller then the Linden eye size and more realistic. The eyes I use the most are by Miriel and they are gorgeous. What she has most of though is amazingly detailed prim jewelry.

On her blog she annonced that her Miriel Everyday collection was going to be dramatically cut in price! The single pieces are L$20-L$50 and the sets and collections go for very reasonable prices considering all that you get. There is also a very cute Little Retro Dress you can get for L$50 or get all 16 colors for only L$140.

So everybody run and shop! I went and bought all the sets for the pieces I didn't already own :) Miriel can be found at Nouveau (115, 205).

Second Chance Trees

2007-05-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

I found out about this great place while reading Natalia's blog. You can visit Second Chance Trees and purchase your own tree at Second Chance Trees (149,98,23) .

Second Chance Trees is a sim built to support the charity started by John Denver Plant-It 2020. This is a wonderful idea where SL works to help RL. I hope that everyone will take the opportunity to have even a small part in the betterment of our world.

The following is taken from the informational notecard you receive when visiting the sim:

Hello and Welcome to Second Chance Trees !

Feel free to explore this beautiful island designed to aid reforestation efforts. Converseon Inc., a social media communications agency, and Plant-It 2020, a nonprofit tree-planting foundation started by late singer John Denver, are collaborating in an effort to plant, maintain and protect as many indigenous trees as possible worldwide. When you buy an endangered virtual tree (one of the 10 on the platform here) we will plant a real tree of that type in a real rainforest. To buy a tree just right click on the tree and pay $L300. That is only a bit over $1 US, of which the proceeds will go to planting a tree in a real rainforest. To buy your tree just right click and choose 'Pay'. You will receive a certificate telling you how and where we will plant it, as well as some information about the tree you chose. You can also plant your virtual tree in our rainforest here...just follow the arrows to the rainforest planting area and plant the tree where you desire. After you buy your virtual tree, please take advantage of all the beautiful sights of our island. Boat rides, a hidden cave, and winding paths to view the numerous waterfalls and exotic plants are just a few of its treasures. Feel free to come back and visit anytime, as we will be holding concerts and other events in the future! Be sure to check our website for more information.

Thanks so much for helping to save our rainforests!
Sincerely,The Second Chance Trees staff

This is a picture of me next the tree I purchased. There are several different varieties to choose from. I chose the Pink Shower tree because it was so bright and cheerful. I planted mine on a cliff across the bridge and added a little personal note.

This is the information about my tree:

PINK SHOWER
The Pink Shower tree is a large tropical tree having profuse blooms of pink flowers throughout the Spring. A medium to large size tropical tree, it grows to over 50 feet. The shower tree usually blooms earlier (March-May) than many of its common relatives. It has only moderate hardiness, surviving only brief cool spells. Large, hard, black pods up to 3' are produced after the flowers fade. Native to Central and South America, the coral shower tree is now commonly grown as an ornamental throughout the tropical world.

Once you choose your tree make sure you follow the arrows along the path to the tree planting area. Along the path are some pretty amazing facts about the rainforest, don't miss them! Here are a few:

~~ RAINFOREST FACT ~~
Did you know that.......*Amazon rainforests produce about 40% of the world's oxygen.

Did you know that.......*One in four pharmaceuticals comes from a plant in the tropical rainforests.

Did you know that.......*1400 rainforest plants are believed to offer cures for cancer .

juju and Purple

2007-05-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Wearing

Skin: Vogue Cashmere by CS in Rose mid

Hair: Vixen by ETD in Black - Freebie from Hair Fair 07!

Top: Leigh Jacket by PixelDolls in Violet

Skirt: juju skirt by Bossa Nova in Gray - Group Freebie!

Shoes:Signature Sandals by L&E in Black - Freebie!

Jewelry: Necklace and Earring set Iridescent Neon by Miriel in Black & Cyan/Magenta

Double Metal Bracelets by Miriel in Black/Silver - Freebie!

SL Homes

2007-05-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

I made a new friend recently and he just got a home in SL and invited me over to take a look. It was wonderful by the way. While we were chatting in the living room the doorbell rang and one of his friends stopped over to say hello.

How wonderful is that? Just like real life, having company having friends over. I love that about SL that some people really make it into a SECOND LIFE; houses, families and friends.

I'm starting to think one day I might just need a real house instead of an apartment and make it a home for Gwyneth. (She deserves one too :)

Green and White

2007-05-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Wearing

Skin: Passport Monaco by CS in Twilight

Hair: Airy by ETD in Cooper Burnt

Bottoms: Apple Butt Jeans by GLAM in Champagne

Top: Lime Swirl Dress by HM - FREEBIE!

Shoes: Signature Sandals by L&E in white - FREEBIE!

Jewelry:Bubble Earrings and Casual Excess Choker by Miriel

If only I could do this in real life...

2007-04-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

I always wanted to play the piano. I love that you can do just about anything in SL.

What I Hate Most About SL

2007-04-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

I wish Linden Lab would make it so they didn't have these annoying " - - Has Left Session" messages! Or at least give us the option to turn them off. When you are in high volume groups its outrageous when someone sends an IM.

Blog Silence for VTech

2007-04-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

Bye Bye Ratings!

2007-04-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

After SL was reopened residents got the chance to see the new profiles, more space for your Group listings, and missing friends. Mysteriously some people lost friends from their friend list :( Good thing not me! I for one am glad that the rating system is gone. I haven't really paid that much attention to them in the first place. I think it always looked bad when one person has so few compared to those with over a hundred, when those people have been in SL much longer.

So Good Bye, Farewell.

Size Matters

2007-04-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Grid Down Day - Over at LindenLifestyles ( I love what they come up with on these days) the topic of the day is shape. How did you come to choose yours? Were you influenced by others in SL?

I read through the comments that are already up and it seems a lot of people said that they matched their avatar shape to their RL shape. Since the majority of SL is Barbie World, it means that the people who commented are in the .07% of SL people. I think its wonderful of them to choose to be different, isn't that what SL creativity is for?

I can admit that I'm influenced by others in SL, but not the people you think. I'm influenced by the SL clothing designers. The vast majority of designers create their outfits to fit a frame that is very tall and very slender. Since I don't want to waste all my time in world changing prim pieces that have already been made, I've made the choice to make my avatar fit the mold. If people wanted to change the face of SL to mirror that of the real world, then I think it should begin with designers, and then with customers demanding more variety.

With that said, I think that the real creativity and style come from the face. Even if you chose to make your body sliders beyond what you normally are, you have the choice to make the face your own. Of course there are limitations to the sliders, but you can come remarkably close to your own real life appearance. I think in a world where bodies are very similar, you can be unique and mirror yourself through the facial features.

In RL I have the average women's body. Average weight, 5 foot 4 the average US height for women and maybe a little above the average in the chest area. Going into SL though, some of the appeal is to have the chance to be something your not. To have some level of fantasy and mine would be to be taller. Why not take that opportunity? I think its part of the appeal for those in SL to live a life they want and my not otherwise be able to. I don't think that gives anyone a right to condemn those who choose to be different by being the same.

Besides having the "perfect body" in SL is a lot cheaper then trying to move the sliders in RL :)

Lacoste Contest

2007-04-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

The clothing brand Lacoste is having an awesome SL contest to find the most beautiful avatar. The public will vote for the top 100 and then their judges will pick the top 6 male and female. Those avatars will split 1,000,000L!!!! I think that comes to about $600 us dollars a piece, pretty sweet. And the top male and female will also get to do a SL photo shoot with Lacoste in world and of course prestige and be able to say you were named "The Most Beautiful Avatar." Voting was going to begin on the 23rd but they have moved it to the 30th.

You should all go to Lacoste.com and when you get through to see the SL contestants, do a search for "Gwyneth Whitman" and vote for me :)

These are the pictures I chose to send in:

You also have to write a little something about your avatar and this is what my RL Betty wrote about me, she did a good job, sorta sounds cutesy, so like her:

Gwyneth is down to Earth and open-minded. She loves people, their personalities, their faults, their humor and imagination. She is a dreamer who likes to believe
in the good. Gwen loves to explore and be active. She loves fashion and would be
a wonderful choice to showcase the spirit of Lacoste.

Of course I wish I would have done a little research before I submitted. First of all their picture view is set up for the dimensions of SL snapshots which I'm sure makes good sense, but since I cropped mine in photoshop they all came out screwy. In the rules it states that part of the judging will be on photo quality and lighting, do they really think everyone does all that in SL? Makes me wish I would have spent more time taking pictures, finding locations and not just using my photosphere. And you have to give your RL info. My RL Betty didn't really seem to mind, but don't those Lacoste people know SL is a different world altogether? :)

Seafoam

2007-04-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Wearing

Hair by ETD - Black; May Collection by Miriel - Green Tri-color; Dress by PixelDolls - Seafoam; Wrapped Boots by Shiny Things - Black

Breezy Romper

2007-04-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

Hair by ETD - Black; Skin by CS Vogue - Cashmere Rose mid; Breezy Romper by G.L.A.M - Lime; Metallic Pumps by G.L.A.M - Silver

Review - May, by Miriel

2007-04-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Miriel released a new everyday collection called May. Its a metal link chain adorned with circular gemstones and a pair of gemstone studs with wonderful detailing. Its a fabulous piece that can be used everyday like the collection suggests or even dressed up.

It comes in either gold or silver metal with six gemstone colors and even three tri-color options. They are sold in a single color set for $35L or a whole set of gold or silver for $90L. Its such a steal, everyone should run and get a collection!

Wearing: May by Miriel - green Tri-color; Hair by ETD - Black

1st Rental Place - Envirtech Towers

2007-04-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Envirtech Towers

Since the beginning when I started SL, I've wanted a place of my own. Probably not to buy since prices are ridiculous, but something relatively low rent. Since most of my time is spent in a dressing room with other people on crowded sims, I needed a place to be able to have a little privacy. Last night I decided it was time to be serious. I just did a search in the classifieds for rental properties. There were tons of openings. I think most of the decent looking ones were all about $400L + a week. since I wasn't into playing that much I just did a search for 150L, that seemed to be the lowest renting price. There were a few listings that I checked out, but the only one that really looked like decent space.

The rental process was easy enough to understand. You enter into the lobby and along the walls are the vendors listing all the available rentals. There were several available when I went so I just sorted through until I find two possibilities. There was an option to map the location so I did that and found that the only 150L place was landlocked but there was one that was 200L that had ocean views. I thought I'd pay the extra 50L for a good view. You touch the vendor to receive a notecard with the rental information and landmark. I went to the landmark to check it out. The space is pretty decent, especially since I didn't want to do much with it. The view is on the water, but I think because of the privacy windows, you can't really see it that well. It's about a 20x30, oddly shaped but the best feature for me was the great vertical space! All the windows and high ceiling to great things to give it an open feel. The floor in textured with a light wood, not perfectly lined up, so you can see the seams and the walls are all floor to ceiling windows.

Outside there is defiantly water, even a couple boats. There is also this very nice pool area, not that any one was out there when I went by to check it out.

I've been searching for some low prim furniture to go in my new place. So far all I've found is a bunch of crap, badly textured. I could do that! So my search continues and my new apartment is still my empty place to change clothes.

Located in the TullyHigh sim, you can get a place like mine in the Envirtech Towers for $200L a week, 100 prim limit, an ocean view and privacy.

What do you want in a skin?

2007-04-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Since it was grid-down day in SL, the fashion blog Linden Lifestyles held a survey on SL skins. They get asked by designers what the customers want in a great skin so they decided to let the "customers" speak out. When I put in my comments there were already 56 others, so there are plenty of SL women who want to be heard on what their ideal skin would be. I hope that skin designers take the suggestion to heart and we start to see skins based on what consumer demands.

Below are the questions from the survey, the answers I chose are in bold.

I. Price / What You Get

1. Price Importance For me, price is:
a. The most important part of a skin purchase
b. An average consideration in a skin purchase
c. Not an issue if I like the skin

2. Prim ExtrasI prefer:
a. When skins come with little extras like prim lashes and/or prim nails
b. To buy extras separately from a skin purchase

3. Selection / RangeGenerally, I wear:
a. Many varieties of the skins I like and prefer lots of different options and selections
b. Only one or two skins - I don’t have use for a broad selection

4. PriceI expect to pay:
a. Under L$250 per skin
b. Between L$250 - L$500 per skin
c. Between L$500 - L1000 per skin
d. Between L$1000 - L$1500 per skin
e. More than L$1500 per skin

5. Variety PricingI expect to pay:
a. About the same price for each variation of the skin I buy
b. A larger base price for a skin, but then pay less for variations

6. Purchase HabitsI buy
a. Every single variation of a skin I like - I have to have them all
b. The majority of the variations of a skin I like
c. A few variations of a skin I like
d. One skin, one variation
e. One or few variations of the skin I prefer, but I’d buy more if price were less of an issue

7. LoyaltyWhich best describes you:
a. I am very loyal to a skin line
b. I have my preferences and wear a few different skin lines
c. I’m fickle and wear lots of different skin lines

II. The Face & Cosmetics

1. Face / Cosmetics ImportanceFor me, the face / cosmetics of a skin are:
a. The most important part of a skin purchase
b. An average consideration in a skin purchase
c. Not as important as other factors

2. Brows - ColorI prefer skins with:
a. Black brows
b. Brunette or auburn brows
c. Blond brows
d. Tintable brows
e. No preference / other

3. Brows - StyleI prefer skins with:
a. Natural, bushy brows
b. Natural, but sculpted brows
c. Penciled-on brows
d. No preference / other

4. Cosmetic Style I prefer skins with:
a. Natural or neutral cosmetics
b. Glamor or high fashion cosmetics
c. Goth, punk, or vamp cosmetics
d. No preference / other
e. I like it all

5. Cosmetic Colors I prefer skins with cosmetics:
a. That focus on neutral-base shades - browns, taupes, and nude gloss
b. That focus on red-base shades - reds, pinks, and corals
c. That focus on blue-base shades - blues, greens, and purples
d. Other
e. I like it all

6. Cosmetic ElementsI like skin cosmetics that include:
a. Heavy eyeliner / mascara
b. Subtle eyeliner / mascara
c. No eyeliner / mascara
aa. Dark lip-liner
bb. Subtle or no lip-liner
aaa. Glossy lips
bbb. Flat lips
aaaa. Heavy blush/rouge
bbbb. Subtle blush/rouge

7. Nails I prefer skins to come with:
a. A basic, neutral nail shade no matter the other cosmetics
b. A bold, red nail shade no matter the other cosmetics
c. Black nails no matter the other cosmetics.
d. The nail shade to match the lipstick and other cosmetics
e. I really don’t care about the nails

III. The Body & Bits

1. Body / Bits ImportanceFor me, the body / bits of a skin are:
a. The most important part of a skin purchase
b. An average consideration in a skin purchase
c. Not as important as other factors

2. Tone My ideal skin comes in the following tone/styles:
a. Pale
b. Medium tan
c. Dark tan
d. Ethnic toned
e. Freckled
f. Goth, horror, punk or vamp
g. Alien, animal, or other exotic
h. Tintable so I can pick my own tone

3. Shape
a. I like it when a skin designer includes an “ideal shape” so I know what settings the features look best on
b. I really don’t care if a designer includes an “ideal shape” - I’m not changing my shape for a skin

4. Definition My ideal skin:
a. Has a lot of detail and definition
b. Has subtle shading but not a lot of detail definition
c. Doesn’t really focus on definition

5. Photo Reality I prefer my skins to look:
a. As photo-realistic as possible
b. Like really good anime
d. Like a combination of anime and photo reality

6. Textured-On ElementsWhich of the below describes your feelings:
a. I prefer it when skins have textured-on elements like navel piercings and/or tan lines
b. I would never buy a skin with textured-on elements
c. As long as I can easily cover the textured-on elements, I don’t mind them

7. The Breasts - Detail/Shape/ShadingThe detail/shape/shading of the breasts on a skin are:
a. Make or break on a skin purchase
b. Important, but not vital
c. Not very important
d. Of no importance whatsoever

8. The Breasts - Areolas / NipsI prefer skins with:
a. Large areolas
b. Small areolas
c. Medium areolas
aa. Dark areolas
bb. Pale areolas
cc. Areolas shaded appropriate to skin tone
aaa. Textured / bumpy areolas
bbb. Neutral / smooth areolas
aaaa. Hard / pert nipples
bbbb. Relaxed / subtle nipples
xyz. I could really care less about the areolas / nipples

9. The Bum - Detail/Shape/ShadingThe detail/shape/shading of the bum on a skin is:
a. Make or break on a skin purchase
b. Important, but not vital
c. Not very important
d. Of no importance whatsoever

10. The Kitty - Detail/Shape/ShadingThe detail/shape/shading of the kitty on a skin is:
a. Make or break on a skin purchase
b. Important, but not vital
c. Not very important
d. Of no importance whatsoever

11. The Kitty - Style I prefer a skin with:
a. Different kitty style options
b. A bare kitty, no detail
c. A bare kitty, well defined details
d. A trimmed patch or strip kitty
e. A natural / fuzzy “kitty”
f. I could really care less about the kitty

12. Feet My general feelings on feet regarding the skins I buy are:
a. Feet are always screwed up - I settle for whatever I get
b. I know feet are challenging, but I appreciate the effort a designer puts into them
c. Skins have feet?

Mourning For Virgina Tech

2007-04-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

As the world mourns the tragedy at Virgina Tech yesterday, Second Life residents joined in too. SL educators held a candlelight vigil yesterday in honor of the 30 lives that were taken when a gunman opened fire on the VTech campus. Even in a virtual world there are those there that feel the effects of real life events.

Clothing Designer Callie Cline has made men's and women's T-shirts in commemoration of the tragedy. These shirts can be purchased for $L100, $L500 or $L1000. This money is a donation that will be passed on to the school, so please donate what you can and wear the SL shirt in remembrance. If you would like to take a picture of your avatar wearing the shirt, you can pass it on to Callie who will be putting together a collage of the pictures to send along with the money.

Currently the shirts can be purchased in Callie Cline's store in Plush Lamba.

Gwen's Visual DNA

2007-04-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

PixelDolls and G.L.A.M Sales!!

2007-04-17T00:51:00.000-07:00

While trolling the other blogs I frequent I read about the great news that PixelDolls and G.L.A.M were both having big sales! PD, I think to get ready for a new build and GLAM to make room for new stuff.

First I put some more money into my account, which I had intended to last me for the month, but it doesn't look good for my SL budget so far.

I know PixelDolls was have a huge sale but I didn't know how huge till I got there, its HUGE and not just a the few items I had assumed. I did a bit of teleporting, but I found flying a lot easier to see all four floors of goodness. There were so many amazing separates, outfits and dresses all with amazing texturing and lighting. I bought one of every style, except for the dresses (I just don't dress up much in SL) but I did snag my favorites including the Grace :) style. I tried to refrain going overboard, picking different colors for different styles. But I already know I want to go back a pick up some more, the patterned tops on the first floor are all so unique you could get away with have several of the same style.

My advice when visiting the sale: Look around before you buy! At least two of the tops I bought, I realized later come in an outfit too, better deal.

Where you can Find: Just do a search for "PixelDolls" and make sure you go to the one having the SALE, its clearly marked.

When I got to the top floor of PD and realized how late it was getting, I jetted over to G.L.A.M to see what would be on sale there. I picked up the tops, the jeans jacket, the shorts set and three pairs of jeans. I don't know what I was thinking, I should have checked my monster inventory first though. I went up stairs hoping my favorite shoes were on sale but they weren't, so I sucked it up and bought a silver pair anyway :)

My advice when visiting the sale: Check your inventories first! You probably already have a pair of yummy apple bottom jeans. You might end up with doubles!

Where you can Find: Just do a search for "GLAM" it'll take you right there (I promise to learn to copy SLurls!).

I left SL without even trying on my new stuff, it'll be fun to go through tomorrow. I also spent about the L$ equivilent to $5 US dollars. I got a TON of stuff so I won't feel bad for splurging on the virtual stuff.

Start of Hair Fair '07

2007-04-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Like every other honest "real" girl in second life I've been anticipating Hair Fair 2007. So this afternoon I tried to teleport into the event only to find that the sim was full. So I went over to ETD and Celestial Studios to try my luck at flying in. And what do I descover? I'm not the only one trying to get. There was a gathering of others all standing on the boarder of the Hair Fair Sims trying their luck every now and again of walking into the sim. There was a lot of frustration and irritation but mostly every one was excited to just to get in and see what the offerings were.

One person made the comment that "If there weren't any freebies, most people wouldn't even come!" It was one of those statements that are funny cause they're true. There was agreement all around.

Maybe 20 minutes after trying to walk in, I finally walk forward into the laggiest (is that a word?) sim I've ever encountered in SL. There is a suggestion to reduce lag, that people take off their AOs and stop all bling or other particle effects. There are plenty of people who don't listen. For the most part everyone seemed to keep to themselves and worry about their shopping. But there are always the few bad apples, people having very load annoying, private conversations and those few rude people you find every where.

My first stop was to the center platform where the contest information was. There is a section of seating where it says you have stop and have a chat with hair designers. I was actually surprised to see Elika of ETD lounging in a chair. Being me, I didn't say anything to her, something dumb probably would have come out of my mouth. Next on the wall is the contest to match the designer to their bald selves. Then, 20 Hair Questions, which I browsed through, sort of a hunt through the Hair stores to find the answers. Then there is the place where one-of-a-kind hair creations are being actioned off. The bids were already above 1,000L when I got there so I wouldn't be bidding. I'd rather spend the cash and go buy some styles that I really love. I started around the area but only got to about the 5th booth because of the lag. I picked up a bunch of freebies which I think is awesome that they have. I took a look at some of the styles offered and when I go back I'm going to be buying the Locks of Love styles to support them. I love shopping for charity.

I probably won't try to go back until Monday when the hype dies down. Which I suggest eveyone do!

Profile Picture

2007-04-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

I've created my first profile pic today in photoshop. It was more fun then I though. I used a 512x385 size, which got off a suggestion from the SL Fourms. I used the close up picture of my RFL outfit and a pic in my freebie Bossa Nova dress. The border and the background I created using brushes from the Indian Ornaments Brushes Set 1 which can be found at lileya.deviantart.com. I also used the Renaissance font set for my name which can be found for free on dafont.com.

First Post

2007-04-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

Gwyneth Whitman here, and this is my blog. I’m a resident of Second Life since sometime in November of 2006. I’m still trying to get the hang of the basics, even learning to build too, but that’s slow going. I like to do all the usual things people enjoy in SL; shopping, exploring, shopping, dancing, shopping and meeting new people. I've been having a lot of fun exploring SL and I wanted a place to write about my adventures.

My RL counterpart, RL Betty, has a personal blog and I thought it only fair to have my own too : ) She reads just about every fashion blog there is and enjoys a few other peoples’ SL blogs.

If you see me in Second Life, drop me an IM and say Hi!