AuroraSkye as Princess Leia ...

Hi there -- I spent a lot of yesterday working on making a "Return of the Jedi" Princess Leia Bikini (the one she wore with the giant slug-- Jabba the Hutt -- or "Pizza the Hut" from "SpaceBalls") LOL.

I like how it turned out. That IS a neat bikini. I like the way the metal on it looks sort of Art Nouveau-ish (not sure of spelling) ....very graceful. I love the "Crafts"/ Art Nouveau/ Art Deco" styles. It was fun to make but it sure took a long time to do it. :-)

I have 8 dresses for sale in SL

I have two more made but not up yet. As I may have mentioned before -- I go thru phases so I hope to make as many dresses as possible before this phase fades off into the distance too. *grin* They are currently only $150 Lindens (about 30 to 50 cents in RL-- lol) each. Mainly, they are very fun to wear, I love the way flexis move. :-)

I've been offline for over 2 days

Hi there all -- I hate it when I do what I have done the last two days. I just attempted to escape and sleep. I got up at times but then went right back to bed. (2.5 days wasted) :-( I do that quite often actually. I hate to think what all the days I have wasted add up to. I know our time here is limited and I feel awful wasting my time.....especially since future health problems will have me waste MORE time soon enuf.
I take anti-depressants but they really don't seem to work. I don't even know if I AM depressed -- or if I am just a lazy, scared of life type person..... :-(
During my "sleep" I missed a thunder and lightning storm!!! (Darn it) I LOVE those and they are RARE here! I hate that I missed it. Oh well. I am up again today at least, and I HOPE that I do more than just hang out on SL and play on the computer - cuz I need to do some RL things too.

Small RL complaint ....

I keep getting a telemarketing call that is REALLY irritating -- and I don't know what I can do about it. It says it is from some sort of bank or credit card service and says that "This will be the last time you get this call" but I keep getting it again and again. It is a tape recorded call -- and at the end of it - it gives you the choice of pressing "1" to speak with a representative, or "2" to have these calls discontinued. I have tried BOTH options repeatedly. When I press "1" to speak to a representative --- and politely ask them to remove me from their list -- I get responses ranging from "Ok - you have been removed" to them hanging up on me!!! When they called today (TWICE!!!!!) -- I pressed "1" and politely said to the person - "Is there anyone I can talk to -- or do you know how I can get these calls to discontinue ?" and the person just said "I don't know" and hung up on me! It is SOOOOO maddening!
Do any of you have any ideas on how I can handle this? I am on the "no call" (national) list but it doesn't give you any recourses as the discontinued state no call list used to. I try calling back the numbers left on my machine from these irritating calls but something is tricky about that too -- they seem to be different numbers and many of them say that I have reached a number "no longer in service." I really want these calls to stop!

Thanks in advance for any help you can give on this!

I made a new fractal dress last night/this morning....

I love trying to do assymetrical, graceful, flowing tops but BOY are they hard to match at the seams! I find that I have to go back to the drawing board quite a few times on each of these to get it right. Still -- I like how they turn out. :-)

Stupid computer :-(

Hi there -- Something is VERY wrong with my "Outlook Express" email :-( It takes FOREVER to even open -- and when it does- -it just has the hour glass on it forever. :-( I have re-started it many times and re-started the computer too. Now I am not sure WHAT to do to fix it. :-( I wish I were better at trouble shooting computer problems.
On better news-- I am so glad our May heat wave broke and it was much cooler today!! Whoo hoooo! I didn't go out of my apt for days during the heatwave. I finally actually went outside today now that it is cooler. I sure hope that we don't have an EXTRA hot summer.

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Gallery Show at 3pm today

Hi there --- I will have a gallery showing of my fractal art *(and some new wearable art -- fractal dresses) today on Second Life at the Portabello (spelling) gallery (3 pm to 5pm SL time). I have a link in my profile picks but it is a large gallery so it is hard to find where my art is. It is by the "Garden area" and they have a teleporter to it. Hopefully, I will be able to put a closer link in my Profile pics when I come back online today.

I am especially excited about the dresses because I think they turned out neat! (and they are very inexpensive -- $150 Lindens (which of course is about 50 cents in US money LOLOL. (Considering it takes me about 6 hours to make one dress-- I am making out like gangbusters LOLOL) Still -- they are a lot of fun! :-) :-D


Here is my friend, Phoenix, and I, in two of my dresses. There is one more dress that is not in the pictures.

Anyway -- my art at the gallery is kind of nice too. :-)

*SIGH* :-(

Aurora here (SL character) ~
Well, it is depressing how easily one upset person can cause a whole ripple-down negative effect on others that she doesn't even know.

A friend ("friend B") of a close friend of mine on SL ("Friend A") - decided to end their friendship because "Friend B" felt that "Friend A" wasn't defending her enough from anonymous comments on "Friend A"'s blog. "A" felt that "B" had defended herself perfectly and didn't feel the need to step in. I can see both points but I think that "B" is really over-reacting. Unfortunately, this seems to have been the "straw that broke the camel's back" for "A", who is now not wishing to write in her own blog anymore because it may upset someone. And she is tearing down the village she had set up in SL.
This all ripples down to me (and others) because 1.) It upsets me to see my friend ("A") so hurt by "B" that she would decide that standing up for her own principles and expressing what she wishes to in her own blog are not worth it anymore because someone may get upset. (I think that is a shame and a loss to the whole Blog community) and 2.) On a selfish note, I have/HAD a gallery/store at "A's" SL village that I had actually dared to believe could be a place I could stay ....but now I have to tear it down. I know it is "A's" village and she can do what she wishes with it -- AND I am VERY grateful for the time I was able to be there -- but I am also saddenned because I really liked this gallery and how it was set up. I liked how it fit into the village and people would come in and relax there. I really thought that this place could be the "home" for my art that I have been searching for -- but alas that is not to be.
I know that nothing in RL or in SL is permanent -- and that change is inevitable. I also know that things and especially relationships seem to be extra fleeting on SL. But it still saddens me when I see friendships break up over what really can be considered silly things. And when I see negative behaviour of others causing far reaching ripples of damage.
Fortunately, I am sure that I can find another place for my art, eventually, if it is meant to be, so I am not too worried about that. But friendships can be much harder to patch. I sure hope that "B" reconsiders her position and allows "A" to be who she is without threats of removing friendship. And I hope that "A" eventually reconsiders posting her true heart and feelings to her own blog because otherwise I will miss her expressions there.

And PS: Hopefully my expressing my feelings here doesn't cause a war over here -- altho I doubt anything will break out in comments to THIS blog because I hardly have any readers anyway - LOLOL!

Logo Competition is hard!.....

<--- You can see the image larger by clicking on it. :) I sure wish I'd entered my colour logo. DARN. :-( Oh well......

Hi there -- I decided to check the logo competition before I went to bed and wow - the competition is hard. There are many good ones and the one in the upper left corner is winning so far (by one or two votes). Now I wish I HAD entered the last one I did and took away one of my harder to read ones -- cuz I think the blueish metallic one I didn't enter might have done very well. :-( Oh well -- mine are not out of the running yet== there are about 3 logos with 8 votes (the winning one so far has ten) and one of the ones with 8 votes is one of mine. So I still have a chance. Everyone gets to vote for 3!

Sure, I would love to win (I think we might get some Lindens and I can always use those of course) lolol -- but if I don't win =- it was still fun to enter the contest. :-) Anyway== if any of you reading this are on SL and would like to vote for one of my logos (or for someone else's) ...they are at the TUi lobby (easy to teleport to by finding ANY TUi class in Events under TUi). All are allowed to vote, and as I say, you get three votes. The Contest ENDS on May 11th though, so today (Saturday May 10th) may be the BEST day to vote for your choice. :-)

Thanks in advance if you do vote for one (or three) of mine. (grin) Mine are numbers 8. 9, and 10. (on the second row from the top)

Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day today (instead of this coming Sunday), and I like that we celebrated it a bit early. My brother, sis in law, and I went to the residential home where my mom is and we all had a nice dinner together -- and then we went back up to mom's little two room apt and hung out. We had fun and I think mom did too (I hope) My brother and sis in law gave mom a pretty bead and crystal necklace, and a bead and crystal ring. I gave mom some lamp work and crystal beads that she will hopefully make into a necklace.
Rob, my brother, fixed aspects of mom's computer, while Maureen (my sis in law) and I talked with mom and watched some "Everybody Loves Raymond" episodes. It gets pretty hot in mom's little apt - and mom likes it that way but it often gets too hot for Maureen and I. Tonight was not TOO bad cuz we had a fan on and the door slightly open so that helps. It is going to get VERY hot towards the end of this week (in the 90s) and I am NOT looking forward to that. :-/
I am so grateful that mom is still in pretty good health both mentally and physically. I hope that lasts for a long long long long time. :-)

Here's wishing all who celebrate it - a WONDERFUL MOTHER's DAY!!!!!

Sooooo cute! (grin)

TUi Logo Contest ....

Here are some logo designs I attempted for TUi (a Second Life school where we teach people scripting and how to build things). The rules are pretty simple:

• - The Logo design should be PG rated and acceptable for use in both SL and
  Web areas. -
• The submitted design should have some aspect of TUi or
  Technical User Interfacing, or both -
• Logo needs to include the words
  "TUi" & "We do it for the love of teaching!" -
• The submitted design should be either 512x512 or 1024x1024 -
• Any submitted designs should be full permissions - Able to email the original graphic if
  choosen -
• Up to three different designs may be submitted by any single person.
• All logo submissions must be sent to Sammi TUi by May 8,
  2008. At this point all accepted logos will be posted in the TUi sandbox
  and will allow full public voting on entries. Voting will continue through
  May 11, 2008 at which point the top three designs will be announced and prizes
  will be distributed to winners and entries.
• The overall winner of the contest will receive the first place prize, as well as having a winner note as part of the standard TUi class announcements for the following week. A
  great way for exposure for any promising new designers in SL!
• In the event that your design is chosen to replace the TUi logo, you will be
  contacted directly to arrange for artwork to be sent, and a logo information
  notecard with your information will be placed in the TUi information
  kiosk.
  We hope you are as excited about this as we are, so go ahead
  and enter today! Remember, send your designs to Sammi TUi for
  submission!
• Please note that by entering this contest you agree to
  provide TUi with full rights to use your logo design royalty free in any manner
  and through any medium, and for any length of time.

I hope my entries do well --- I am a bit concerned about the last part of their rules --- in terms of them owning the logo design -- do they mean IF it wins? -- or do they mean that they will own ALL of the entries (whether they win or lose)? Because, I must admit, -- I think that if our entries DON'T win -- the rights should stay with the artists. I guess I'd better ask someone about that. (Altho I guess it is too late since I already entered three designs) :-/

Later, I did a colour logo design that I like as well.......

Update from RL and SL

Hi there all --
I've been staying up all night again lately (ugh -- so what else is new?) but I have been having fun. On TBS last night --they played some good movies that I got involved in watching. It didn't get good reviews but I found Sandra Bullock's "The Net" to be an entertaining movie, and then another interesting movie followed it (but I forget the name of it at the moment)
I've been having fun playing with Logo design -- trying to come up with a possible new logo for one of SL's schools (TUi)'s logo contest. The images are due on May 8th and then they will be posted at TUi where anyone can vote on them (so..... head on over there and vote for mine -- if you wish to) lolol The voting will only be open til May 11th so that is pretty quick. I already handed in my three entries but then I played some more tonight and I think I like some of my newer ones better than the ones I handed in. :-( Maybe they will let me switch them as long as its before May 8th..... Anyway - maybe I will try to post some here. It was fun playing around with logos again. I think I have improved on them since my first attempt at logo design way back in 1977. :-)

A Second Life Financial question.....

Hi there again -- Does any SL user out there know how to exchange Lindens for US money? I keep trying to do that but it keeps saying :

"We were unable to complete your request because:
• You must specify a quantity.
• You must specify an exchange
rate.
Please try again. "

But I AM putting in the quantity and exchange rates! :-/ So I have no idea what the heck I am doing wrong. :-( Thanks in advance.

Good morning....

I have been offline for a couple days now - - trying to get my sleep back to a somewhat "normal" time. I sure wish that I were better able to STAY at a normal sleep schedual but it always seems to rotate around the clock again no matter how hard I try to keep it stable.
Still, I got up at 4 am this morning after sleeping a lot last night, so I HOPE I go to sleep at a reasonable hour tonight. :-)
I realized, this morning, that I use this blog more for my RL experiences than writing as AuroraSkye (my Second Life Avi). I don't know if this is a good thing or not. Aurora does more interesting things than I do in RL so I suppose this blog would be far more interesting if I would write from her perspective..... but then again, the emotions etc are all from this person BEHIND the avi -- so it often turns back to RL me anyway. :-D

Some things Aurora is upset about.... (LOL) are:

HI there-- AuroraSkye here --

As you may or may not know -- I have my art up in galleries on SL. And there
is this one gallery owner who seems to be becoming very demanding. (Actually he always was rather demanding but it seems to be getting worse lately) Still, it is
hard to leave his gallery because I have associated with him for a long time and
he DOES help things to sell (sometimes). Well, he has set an ultimatum where we "must make an announced personal appearance in the gallery at least once per month. Those that have not are strongly encouraged to do so prior to the 15th of May or make plans to exhibit elsewhere." Well, sheesh, I have been loyal to him thru many thick and thin times and he has done well by me with 20% commissions .... but I feel too shy to do these monthly "announced personal appearances." Ugh -- I don't know. I guess I need to figure out what to do.

On TOP of that -- he is always having me have to join all these GROUPS -- and I don't have many group openings to spare. When someone wants you to join 3 or more groups to work with them -=- that is really a pain -- ONE group per whatever/whomever is hard enuf! :-( I wish SL would let us have unlimited groups OR at least let us have MORE group openings. I don't know WHY they have to be set at 25 only. :-(

On other sad news, my "partner" in SL is not able to come on as much anymore -- and we have some beautiful land together which I terraformed and built a house upon.....but since he is on SL less and less-- he is, understandibly, interested in getting out from under the tier fees. I totally understand and I don't want him to be paying for anything that he is not enjoying. He has suggested giving the land to me (sweet of him) but I know my RL situation and it would not be good for me to have regular monthly tier fees either - so I think it would be best for us to give up the land. (But it does make me sad because it really is a pretty place -- very peaceful and I love the home we built there. I guess I will try to take a lot of pictures of it (If we still have it) It just makes me so sad. :-(

Still, "All Things Must Pass" and I am glad for the times we had there.

Hmmmm.... It is not letting me get back to the
aligned left ..... I can't seem to get this OUT of "Block Quote" cuz when I click it "off" it just makes the "block quote" even smaller.
:-( Frustrating..... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ..... Oh well -- the above was by AuroraSkye! (grin) :-D