Tired of winter and tourists

So I did some belly-dancing in Marikesh Mondrago tonight.  Later I found myself on the roof of my house with Kaylee, wearing gasmasks filled with genuine New Babbage sooty air.

*inhales deeply*

AHHHHH!

Steam Santa and Boiler Elf Ball

While in New Babbage, do as New Babbagers do.

At Christmastime, Steam Santa and his Boiler Elf arrive in a magnificent steam sleigh.  Babbagers take turns sitting on Santa's lap and telling him what they'd like for Christmas.

My favorite wish came from Gabrielle Riel, who asked for a lower ratio of batshit-crazy-ass-people and lag to the regular crazy people of New Babbage.  The Boiler Elf made a special note of that.  Steam Santa agreed that it might be a good idea to make sure everyone gets their meds.  We can all look forward to some chewable form of Valium in the coming year.

When it was my turn to sit on Santa's lap, the conversation was just a bit different.  He never asked me what I wanted.  It might have had something to do with the fact that I admitted not being good during the year, and staring back at the Boiler Elf when he attempted to give me The Stare.  He might be losing his creepy stare mojo...just sayin'.

But I did get a candy cane.

Beyond New Babbage: Heaven4D Ultra Dome

Tonight I took Emerson to what my friend Kenna dubbed "the trippiest place in SL."  It's like a rave club on MDMA; a totally immersive experience of music and lights and colors.  You can't see a ceiling or floor or walls - only the imagery of which you're a part.  It's what a RL rave aspires to.  IMHO, this is the kind of innovative  use of SL that makes it such an powerful (and important) 3D platform.

All that's missing are glowsticks.

I took a lot of snapshots.  This one is my favorite.

Xmas at Ruthorford House

A drunken snowman and a tentacle tree.

It's all about tradition, people.

What's a girl to do?

...when she has time on her hands and friends who need help?   She crashes wedding receptions, tests ziplines, and builds snowmen.  That's what.

Victor was DJ'ing a wedding reception in Steelhead Nevermore, and the happy couple extended an open invitation to whomever he wanted to invite.  He posted to the group chat, so a few of us went over.  Nat Lorefield, however, decided that since the air in Steelhead is too clean for Babbagers, he needed to wear a gasmask.  It took me awhile, but I finally got one.  (Ironically, Nat then left the reception, which left me alone dancing in a gasmask. It was fun though.)

Oh, and I didn't want to mess up my hair.

Sometime later, Gadget (a local urchin) posted to group chat asking if anyone wanted to help him test out the highest zipline in New Babbage.  Caesar Osterham, Leia Berithos and I went over and subjected it to rigorous, and repeated, experiments.  GREAT FUN.  I'll be going over there to zip again sometime, even though it's supposed to only be for urchins.  Riiiiight.  As if urchins are the only ones who get to have fun.

Gadget joked that he'd built the zipline as training for being launched by he cowtapult.  :-)

Finally, I had an inspiration for a snowman, so I built him.  I'm not entering him in the snowman contest because he's too many prims, and he isn't very good, so I put him in my front yard.  I think he's rather endearing.

His Majesty, Snow-Emperor Ezra Crumb:

Finally, a friend of mine sent me this link tonight.  He was completely unaware that there is a running joke in New Babbage about "death polka" (thank you, Jonathon Spires, for inspiring the craze), but it is SO perfect.  I think that whoever made the video just synched up the music with these guys dancing to something completely different.  It's priceless.

German Industrial Dance with Dutch Polka

Thursday Adventures

First, a poetry slam at the Java Jive in Seraph City:



Next, Radio Riel Theater at the Clarendon Observatory:

Next, cow-, flaming object- and friend-launching outside the city wall.

Before logging off, I decided that I'd not spent nearly enough time wandering around in the new North Fells sim.  I found that my viewer was working pretty well with my draw distance turned up, and it was only then that I could fully appreciate the wonder of our newest addition.

Walking North on the tracks out of the city.  Nat Lorefield's windmill is on the right.

The winter sun falling on the horizon.

Walking back into the city, toward the Palisade gate.  The airmast is to the left.

Great Builder, I love this city.

I rather like how it turned out.

 Last night I helped Emerson redecorate his house.

Spooky Story at the Cemetery

This Wednesday night I'll be hosting a story-telling at the cemetery in Academy of Industry.  Since it's cold and snowy in New Babbage now, I spent some time tonight putting out burn barrels and crates for the audience.  Kenna kept me company while I got everything set up.

The posting on the Babbage Aethernet Reader about Wednesday night.

Snow!

New Babbage has snow!

(The incongruity of a post about belly dancing in the desert followed by a post about snow in a northern industrial town isn't lost on me.  In fact, I love it.)

So as I was saying, New Babbage has snow!   I spent the evening tonight winterizing my properties in Academy of Industry.  It took some work, but I think I figured it out without going totally overboard.  I hope.  (Maybe I should pull out the igloo. And the zamboni...though Emerson might be able to use that.)

Kenna and Kaylee showed up, we talked winter coats for awhile, and then proceeded outdoors for a snowball fight.  First one of the season for me!  I'm afraid I didn't pose much of a challenge for them, however.

"[23:34] Snowball: Junie Ginsburg has hit Junie Ginsburg with a snowball!"

"Snowball?  What snowball?"

Chai Me Up!

On Wednesday nights in Mondrago MariKesh, a DJ event is held at the local teahouse, Chai Me Up.  Apparently it's a rather old Mondrago tradition that I've only recently become aware of.  I can't complain.  When I find myself with nothing else to do, spending time with friends is always a good option.

Afterward I went back to my workshop in New Babbage and spent some time doing some texture and pose work in external applications.  Kaylee came over, and before long Kenna joined us as well.

I mentioned that sitting on these stools we looked like "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil."  It didn't take long, however, for us to realize that the situation is perhaps the exact opposite.

*shrug*

Linkies!

It all started with an article someone posted on Plurk, which made me laugh. (The second half is what hooked me.)   Exciting. Different. Right.


Which caused me to read more of the blog:  Wondermark


Which led me to a fun site with absurdly wonderful t-shirts:  Topataco


Which led me to one of the best t-shirts ever.  Yes, I might have to get this.

She Blinded Me With Library Science

Second Norway

Yeah. We were bored.

Fleet Week Opening Dance

I went.  Of all of the non-New Babbage parties I've been to, this one was the most fun.  There were people from all of the Steamlands, and the Armada Scoundrel Fleet made an amazing entrance.  They arrived on a barge, all wearing noise-making instruments, belting out some insanely loud song.  It was fabulous.  At its busiest, I counted 42 people there - probably the largest event I've been to in the Steamlands so far.  New Babbage had a decent showing - I counted 7 of us at one point, but a couple of them came as part of the Armada fleet.

I'll be buying some New Babbage tartan for the next event.

While I almost always have fun dancing, I had a bit of extra fun this time with a tin cup of warm rum.  I seem to remember yelling something about "destroying everything," but I was really just going along with the crowd.  I believe I also may have saved Nat Lorefield from a washing with a spittle-covered hankie.

Oh.  And then there WAS that thing with the Emperor. 

Later in the evening I decided to begin a new project.  As I mentioned to Emerson earlier, it will involve Arnold, Tenk's cow, a violin, and some naked urchin butts. I'll be sure to post my progress.

I should drink rum more often.

Lighthouse Riad

I'm done with my new house.

I purchased a parcel in MariKesh Mondrago, the new Mondrago sim owned by Erehwon (as I've mentioned).  The plot is situated just below the lighthouse, with a western view of the sea.  It's marvelous.

The house I purchased is called a "riad," a specific kind of Moroccan house with an interior courtyard.  Thus, Lighthouse Riad.  I spent quite a bit of time modifying the house to make it fit on the parcel, then spent more time decorating it.  It's finished now though, and it feels warm and comfortable in spite of being very open.

A few exterior pics showing the house and the lighthouse from various angles:

Later tonight, following the Clockhaven Chronicles launch party, Kenna, Jed and I found ourselves with nothing to do.  Naturally, we decided to belly dance.  And now I have a fabulous place for it.

This pic shows just a little bit of the interior of the house.  The hookah-smoking part.  ;-)

Monday Nights in Mondrago

I should have gone to bed earlier.  I'm feeling a bit punchy and knew I should get more rest, but...Erehwon sent out a notification that belly-dancing Mondays were back on in the new Mondrago sim.  I'm trying to be supportive of the new sim, and I love to go to belly-dancing parties, soooo....

Afterward, I went and did some work in a super top-secret location in the sim.

Hint #1:

Hint #2:  It isn't a minaret.

Non-steam Junie

Seems like Kenna and I always find something interesting to do when we're together.  (Well, "interesting" is perhaps relative.)  Tonight we decided to go through all of our non-RP outfits.  She has a lot.  I have one.  Heh.  But here it is.  Casual Junie.

The Quintessential Juniper

The Workshop

Apparently the viewer camera gods were pleased with the urchi...I mean vole that I sacrificed, and I can once again take snapshots.  It occured to me that since I finished the workshop, I've not actually taken any pictures of it. Tonight I remedied that.  I offer you a small tour...

From the street, the workshop is the tall one in the middle. 

(Sorry...nighttime...)

A warm sitting area just inside the door.

Back in the workshop proper. I'm currently working on a steam bicycle.

Another view of the workshop area.

And, yet another view of the workshop area. 

(I'm particularly fond of the hanging walkway.)

The second floor fireplace.

This is at the top of the hanging walkway;

you can look down to the main workshop area. 

I have nothing up here yet.

The attic, where I sat out the zombie plague.

My camera is broken.

I love taking pictures, but for the last three days, the SL viewer hasn't allowed me to take any. At first I thought it was a server problem but it has persisted. It is beginning to make me feel a bit cranky.

Pictures are on my mind because the last few days have had some interesting photo opportunities that have flown by undocumented. Some RP around the Dark Aether story that Loki Eliot is running in New Babbage, some random encounters in town, more hanging out on my wall, that sort of thing. 

Last night Sky and Scottie Melnik's bar, 'Cuffs, had a full house and I wish I could have captured a snapshot. I haven't been there with so many others for quite a long time, and it was entertaining. There were enough people there who were friends that we could play off of each other in conversation, without alienating newcomers too much.

I think.

*shrugs*  We'll see if they come back, I suppose. 

But even the Clockwinder stopped in for a few minutes!

Afterward I popped over to the new North Fells sandbox platform for the first time which, to my surprise, is actually sand. It's fabulous! Kenna rezzed a couple new vehicles so we could try them out, and then dragged me over to a sim called Insilico. I think I've mentioned it before, and honestly, Kenna didn't have to drag me. It's an incredible place. I'll definitely be going back to do more exploring.  (Again, no snapshot of my own, but I've borrowed the one below from another site...)

Prim Perfect and Designing Worlds recently did a piece on Insilico.  Technically it's a "cyberpunk roleplay sim," but it's absolutely worth a visit by anyone who appreciates top-notch building and texturing work.

Junie and Jed

Keeping the barstools warm at the Porthead Tavern.

I ask you

Is there anything in the world better than polka?!

I thought not.

The City Wall

I think I'll be sad if the city ever expands around the Academy of Industry.  I quite like having the city wall running immediately behind my house.  Often I go there late at night to sit and watch the stars.

It's oddly peaceful.

Stories

Hmm.

A few of my friends use their blogs to post stories that they write for New Babbage.  This seems like a good idea.  Although everything is available on the New Babbage site, it often takes some digging to find everything on a certain storyline, and the site search returns results in a weird order. Not chronological.

*raises an eyebrow at the site admins*

So I'm thinking about putting mine here.  For posterity.  Or easy reference. Mostly for my own sake though, so I don't lose them. I kinda have a tendency to do that.  My hard drives are in a shameful tangle.

At home with Kaylee and Kenna

I was going to go check out a trampoline someone had set up in North Fells, but sometimes all you want to do is spend time with your friends.  Kenna and Kaylee kept me company at home tonight.  Here we are, upstairs in my study. Kenna lying on the floor, me dancing, and Kaylee waiting to catch me if I happened to trip over Kenna.

Fortunately, we all survived.