Next To Me

I used to listen to this all the time.

I Got the Blues (And the Jazz, and the Soul)

Last night at Exile was an amazing event - DJ Wingtips put on one hell of a blues, jazz and soul party!  We took it up all the way and went full-on formal.  It was - for lack of a better word - AWESOME.  Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin ... all of the oldies but goodies were present and accounted for.  Satre was the host, and Kitten did a spectacular job dancing and keeping things really classy! 25 people came over to party with us, and I think everyone had a blast.  Definitely something we are going to have to do again.  Personally, I am a huge blues and jazz fan, and so I really enjoyed dancing in Master's arms and listening to some of my favorite music.

Jynxx and Dougie

DJ Wingtips

Master and I

Awesome outfit!!  Zoot suit riot!!

New Computer, More Pictures, and Other Things

My first bit of lovely news is that I have a new computer!!  YAY!!

A few months ago, my housemate accidentally knocked a glass of Dr Pepper over onto my laptop.  Ever since then, its been going downhill - not that it was ever the best computer in the world, heh.  Going back even a bit more, it was a replacement for my Asus, which had been stolen out of my home one afternoon when I went out for some dinner. Being that the replacement was an Acer, it never really measured up to the little beast that the Asus had been.

Master fixed that problem for me last week.  Friday the 18th, my new Asus arrived, and its just ... WOW. Its a gaming laptop - which means its beefy.  The graphics card is simply amazing. (NVidia 800 series) On my Acer, I was having to run SecondLife on the lowest settings, which means that I couldn't see things like ... clouds .. shadows ...glow ... etc.  With this one, I am running on high.  I can see it all now!  WoW actually made me a little dizzy when I logged in yesterday for the first time.

Needless to say, I've been running all around SecondLife snapping pictures like a woman possessed. Windlight is an awesome thing.  Shadows are an awesome thing.  And, I always try to get clouds in the picture if I can.  Heh.  Here's an example.

I don't remember what Windlight setting I used for this one.  It was taken on the beach behind our house on Crystal Cove II.  This is a raw picture - not edited at all in any photo shop program.  Mainly, because I don't have Paintshop Pro installed on this computer yet.  I do have iPiccy in Google, and its good, but just not as good as an actual editing program.  I'm fairly proud of how this one turned out, especially since I am just learning about all of the Windlight settings and photos and how they work together, etc.  Phototools, you are my friend!

My second bit of news -- Spring has finally sprung.  To a lot of people, this might not seem like such a big bit of news, but for me, its an awesome thing.  Things are turning green, flowers and blooming, and birds are singing.  There's rain and thunder and sunshine. (Not all at the same time, granted.)  What this means for me is that (a) I am sniffling and sneezing and (b) my seasonal depression is finally starting to lift.  Yep, I have it. I've had it for ages, and it sucks.  I still don't understand how one season can affect someone so much, but winter hits me really hard.  It isn't as bad here as it was when I lived up North, but it still isn't a pleasant thing at all to deal with.  I just have to march through it the best that I can, and hope and pray that people can at least understand what I am dealing with a little bit.  The fact that I actually want to get out of bed is a huge thing!!

I am also really excited about taking a week or so and going at my house some more.  While I am not saying that I want to become a minimalist, I definitely have far too much stuff.  My spare room should provide hours of entertainment for anyone who wants to come and watch me struggle through it.  Heh.  I also need to get some clothesline strung up in the laundry room so that I can hang clothes to dry.  The wetness sensor in my dryer has gone out apparently.  I don't want to hang the clothes outside because of all of the ratty little kids that run around in this area.   And, after almost a year, I think it might be time that I actually put some pictures on the walls.  I have frames that I bought before I moved to this house - just haven't gotten them up yet.  Did I mention that I can sometimes be a bit of a procrastinator? Remind me to tell you about that sometime....

So to sum it all up ... I got a new computer, I can take pictures and see graphics again, spring is filling the air with glorious things, and my seasonal depression is starting to lift.  Life is getting better again.  Hooray.


Peace and Love,

~R

A Few Pictures

I like to dabble with SL photography.  Here's a few shots that I have done, recently.

A Moment's Peace (Poem)

Stuck inside of me
like a thousand needles,
painfully sharp, small,
insignificant and painful

Words that won't come
screaming for release
begging for a moment's peace
Sweet silence never comes

Today it stings less
tomorrow, maybe more
I just don't know.
Ask me again later, or don't.

I can't tell, you see
if it hurts less today or tomorrow, or yesterday
If the needles prick less
Am I just accustomed to the pain?

Building walls around my soul
hide me from the view
shield me from the ache
Block the sweet perfume

Perhaps naked souls are not for me
Secrets must be kept, guarded
Preserve some small part
Keep it just my own

Words threaten to burst out
spill forth from my soul
To wound, to maim, they ache inside
stabbing, torturous needles

And so I dig
deeper and deeper the hole goes
filled with pain and agony
walled up a hundred miles thick

No matter the pain
the sheer nakedness of my soul
Those needles will not find you
They are for me alone

I would survive for your smile
Live for your sweet voice
Scale the wall for your sun
Please let it shine for me again

My heart and soul ache
They burn when you are near
Shower soft skin
mingled with perfume

Smooth soft skin, not mine
Eyes no longer for me
Yet I yearn .. I long...
a moment's peace

All Things New

Wow, its been a really long time since I posted anything in my blog.  That's not to say that things haven't been going on - apparently, I am just really terrible at posting in blogs! ;)

I guess probably the biggest thing that's happened since I posted last is that there has been an addition to Master's family.  That's right, I have a sister now!  The really cool thing is that I have known her for over 10 years.  We met long before ever coming into SL.  Her name is Sydney, or as we like to call her, Bananas.   Syd is like the little sister that I never had.  I love her to death while simultaneously wanting to put my hands around her neck and squeeze, heh.  Mostly just the loving part, though.  Just to clarify.  She raids my closet, steals my makeup, and drops houses on my head even after I've moved out of the way. (Hmph, accident.)

I won't lie and say it was easy-peasy.  I'm not used to sharing my Master with anyone.  I've been the only girl for years and years now.  Its taking some getting used to, but I think we're all coming to terms with the family restructure at a steady pace.  After all - its something new for all of us - not just me.  Master has been really awesome at judging my emotions and moods, too, which has been enormously helpful.  I hope that I have been the same with him, as well.

Syd is really into taking pictures of .. well, just about anything.  She's getting really good at it, too! Every picture she does seems better than the last one.  Granted, it helps that she has a beast of a computer and can run her graphics on high.  Heh.  This picture was one that I did, right before she was collared.  My computer isn't nearly as beastly, but I think I did alright with it.  I played around with it a bit in Paintshop Pro, and I think it came out pretty damn good.

Of course, we moved onto a larger parcel of land on Crystal Cove II, so we now have a parcel and a half, effectively.  We've gone thru two houses now, in the past week.  (Master collared two girls who have a penchant for change.)  The one we are in now is pretty cool - its from Galland Homes, and its all open in the back, so that we have an amazing view of the ocean.  (Well, they do, because all I see is a flat blue sheet.  Think SL before Windlight, heh.)  Syd did an amazing job with the landscaping.  We have a pool and waterfalls and lots of plants.  There's even kookaburra noises!  (Kookaburra sits in the old gum treeeee .. Merry merry king of the bush is heeee...)

I'd say things are really going well for all three of us.  I got a new sister, Master got a new girl, and Bananas gets to wear shoes while naked, and blond hair.  ;)

Here's to new beginnings.