At my leisure

I did nothing productive last night.  Instead I went to the last part of a bonfire party at Sweetwater Square hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Melnik.  Although I was late I did have an opportunity to see the bonfire fall, which was great fun.  Mr. Blackberry Harvey was the DJ at this event and was kind enough to play a Leonard Nimoy encore.

Afterward I retired to my room at the Porthead Tavern where I tinkered with a piece of art I've been working on. Ultimately I didn't accomplish much.  I ended up going out to the bar and drinking with some other midnight burners. It's been quite enjoyable to just claim a barstool and pass the time in aimiable chat. The rental at the tavern is working out very well in that regard.  I like the idea of being able to work in my room for awhile and then just wander out to the bar for conversation.

National Drinking Month contest

Apparently June is National Drinking Month in New Babbage, and there is a contest to mark the occasion.  Mr. Tenk has invited participants to create drinks, drink servers and vintage ads that can be used by bartenders.

I created an ad almost immediately after he posted the notice, but I've been waffling on whether to try to enter the drink contest.  It requires building a beverage, scripting it and animating it.  Some sample scripts and animations were given out to anyone who wants to use them, but it seems kind of a cop out to do that.

There is an idea that has been floating around in my head for a new drink, so I experimented a bit last night. I built a glass, textured it, and played around with the sample scripts and animations. They're rather plain, but I might use them. I'm not sure that I can come up to speed on Blender again before the June 25th deadline.

I also spent quite a bit of time toying with particle scripts, because particles would really enhance my drink idea. I had forgotten just how tricky particles are.  Gah!

Anyway, I'm still mulling it over.  I'll keep working on it before deciding whether or not to enter the end product. I don't have any expectation of winning, but at least participating would be fun. It seems like good practice either way. 

Grand Opening of Porthead Tavern

I'm tipsy with excitement, and perhaps a bit too much lager.

Tonight I attended the grand opening party of Ms. Tesla Tripsa's Porthead Tavern in Port Babbage.  Mr. Vic Mornington DJ'd the event. It's the first social event I've attended since returning, and although there were many times I felt awkward, the overall experience was pleasant. 

Rather than operating in wallflower mode, I danced.  Rather than leaving as soon as the party was officially over, I stayed at the bar with several others to chat for a long while.  I had the opportunity to meet several new folks, and perhaps make some new friends.  Hopefully I didn't make a fool of myself.  It's been a long time since I've been social.

Although I tried to take several pictures while I was there, my graphics card being what it is, many of those present were, well, unrezzed.  So I took this silly snapshot of myself dancing:

I came away from the event with a lovely gift from Mr. Mornington:

I think it makes me look a bit sad, but I like it nonetheless.