business casual – Ahuva’s Blog

Snapshots from Yesterday

This is NOT the post I intended for today. *grin* Now doesn’t that make me sound organized and thoughtful? As if I actually PLAN for my blog. 🙂 I really really want to post about the Crown and Pearl. I had so much fun there last week. But yesterday was a real treat for me in the way of seeing friends. So often we only get to wave at friends in IM. Then you look up and realize it has been days since you actually talked. That’s why today’s post is a snapshot of my stolen moments with friends.

zazek and I so rarely get time to play. We have hunted Easter eggs together, visited AM Radio’s The Red and The Wild together. But mostly we only exchange a few words in IM and then one of us has to run. Last night we actually had time to talk, catch up on life. 🙂 zazek is doing something that I can’t do. Even if I were capable of doing it – I probably would not be brave enough to do it. zazek began blogging a few weeks ago. “So?” you might ask. “Doesn’t EVERYONE blog these days?” Maybe. But zazek is not writing in her native language. I only know one language. I have a smattering of others but certainly no competency. Even if I KNEW another language well, I doubt I would be writing in it. So zazek has my great admiration and respect! Her blog is fun to read, too! *grin* Check it out for yourself.

Dark and I used to have time to dance and party and fly planes. Then somehow my schedule got totally out of control. We chatted periodically, but rarely ended up in the same SLURL. Yesterday we were chatting about building. I am still fairly intimidated by manipulating prims. I simply do not understand path cut and taper and shear. I know, I know – you all tell me to “try it, play, experiment”. I do not learn that way. I like having another human being nearby who can answer questions. Dark tp’d me to a sandbox to give me a quick introduction to torturing prims. *grin* I did my best – teasing a pink torus. But you can see that Dark REALLY knows how to torture prims. 🙂 It was a quick start, but he’s promised we can do it again. YAY!!! Thank you, Dark!

Oura got home yesterday. *hugs* Welcome back, Oura. I missed you. We started in immediately on girl talk, catching up on the week’s events for us both. I told her about my escapades at work, trying to move my AO and boots and hair over to opensim. We started inventory diving – looking for any fullperm boots and clothing. LOL. We tried on some pretty amazing outfits. I promised her I would NOT take pictures or blog, so you will simply have to imagine the wet T shirts that we found. Is that okay, Oura? Can they use their imaginations???? Oura also noticed that my bear either smokes or the room was excessively cold, causing breath condensation. 🙂 Being in a silly mood, we somehow decided that the bear was indulging in a post activity cigarette. *grin* Since none of the other bears were smoking, there is still some mystery here. We ended up standing on the bed, swapping freebie outfits, finally finishing the evening as twins.

I guess I haven’t mentioned work in the last few days. I’ve been involved with the usual building for the demos. We’ve been meeting with others trying to learn more about opensim and developing in virtual worlds. We’re making great progress, imho. We plan to begin demo’ing to folks next week. I’ve been attending meetings in a variety of virtual worlds. As you know, I really get tired of being “dweebie”. A friend wrote and gave me an AO that works in opensim, another friend taught me how to build my own AO in SL using the ZHAO. I bought poses and FINALLY understand (somewhat) what happens in my AO. Maybe I will finally have the courage to toss the 2 poses I dislike. 🙂 I have different hair as well. I have been learning to wheel and deal with builders and scripters. I’ve also been friending coworkers and enjoying all the cool lectures and such that are available. Have I mentioned recently how much I enjoy my job? And now I even have boots and hair.

Work Hard, Play High

I feel as if I am working all the time. That somehow my work day has blended seamlessly into the rest of my life. Maybe that’s what happens when you work in virtual worlds. Certainly the two people I know who appear to log even more work hours than I do both work in virtual worlds. Shenlei and I used to have time to take 15 minutes and ride horses. Go shopping for gardens. Stake out lucky stumps. But lately….wow…. we are lucky if we have time to IM for any extended time. Pretty much the only way I get to see Shen is if I go and attend her work events. Monday night I and several friends attended her presentation on her new Avatar Apparel Design Program. I wish I had the time and the required skill-set to take this course. Maybe the next time it is offered my Gimp skills will be at a sufficient level. Of course, that still means I need to find time.

This Thursday there is a fashion show for the business professional within SL. There are a lot of people doing RL business within SL. Sometimes even in SL there is a need to respect RL social conventions, such as clothing and appearance. As more and more corporations are coming into SL to do business, the need for business wear grows. Let me quote from the publicity:
Bull & Bear Careerwear is a new line of sophisticated attire designed exclusively with the business professional in mind. B&B was conceived and launched by Wollemia Sands, an up-and-coming talented designer. “The Art of the Deal” fashion show will feature 20 B&B creations — 10 women’s outfits; 10 men’s outfits — that are finely-tailored and appeal to the discerning professional. “The Art of the Deal” is a collaborative undertaking between Wollemia Sands of Bull & Bear; Shenlei Winkler, CEO of the Fashion Research Institute, Inc.; Suzy Yue of Running Lady Productions (RLP); and, is hosted by Sigma-Aldrich.

This Saturday – treat yourself to some jewelry. (See – that Shenlei. She never stops working!!!!) “Twelve lovely ladies bedecked with opulent jewels in a darkly seductive set showcase the exceptional work of Fashion Research Institiute Marketplace designers Yoona Mayo (cocoon), Tiffy Vella (Eclectica), and Rosie Barthelmess (Sable Rose). Please join us for this unique fashion-meets-art installation of fashion displayed artistically.” I have to tell you – I saw this show being setup. My, my, my – those poses are HOT!!!! I played with each poseball and I STILL can’t decide which one I love the most. The jewelry is even BETTER than the poses. So get yourself there and treat yourself royally.

So if you work hard, you have to play hard. I decided that I needed to remind Shen of that fact. This weekend I dropped a present on her – a stress-breaker toy. I included a note that said the two of us NEEDED a break. *grin* After her presentation Monday, she rezzed it: a trampoline. LOL. We got on that silly trampoline and bounced up into the sky, over and over. Okay, I also went splat on the ground a few times as well but hey, that’s the beauty of SL – splat doesn’t really mean SPLAT! After bouncing for awhile, we relaxed on the lovely green professional looking couches. 🙂 Don’t we look like we’ve been sent to the principal’s office for misbehaving??? Anyway, we did manage to sneak in some fun, relax and laugh. Just what we needed. Just what we all need. So that’s my advice to you for today. Find a friend and share a moment to laugh. Yeah, there’s a lot of real bad news, stress, less-than-pleasant stuff around. I’m not denying it. Or even ignoring it. Life happens. But take a moment to catch some sunshine – find a friend and share a laugh.

Wishing you all a good day!

Could I see you in my office a moment?

I have been posting about my RL work that I do in SL. I can’t talk about most of it, of course. Work is work, after all. But I CAN show you where some of it takes place. 🙂 I am fortunate to be friends with a wonderful person who is a great builder as well. Since I did not get her permission first, I won’t post her name, but she should feel free to claim the credit in a comment. She built me this beautiful office. I was going crazy with project specifications, scripting details, coordination of efforts, scheduling and the like. I said: “I NEED an office.” Now had I told this person that I NEEDED more boots, or that I NEEDED another AO or skin, she’d have laughed in my face. But she understood that in this case NEED really was NEED. So she built me this gorgeous executive office. This office is MINE until such time as my manager steps in and claims it for himself. Sigh. But I have it for awhile longer.

Note the gorgeous outdoor landscaping. Many of you remember the famous tree escapade. I see you all rolling your eyes and looking for the nearest exit. Relax. Calm down. I’m only going to remind you that I slaved and labored and toiled and broke every fingernail I had planting flowers and bushes for days, only to be asked at the last minute by that project coordinator to pull them all and redo the gardens completely with fewer prims and fewer unique flowers. Oh yeah – in less than 24 hours, too. Well. The same person owns the land upon which my office sits. But my landscaping STAYS this time!!! No one can touch it! Because I am listed as owner now and it’s my parcel. So the flowers and the tree and the waterfall STAY. Hah!

Ah yes, I have a wonderful outdoor patio with a waterfall to provide soothing sounds while I take refreshment under the weeping cherry. Beautiful flowers climbing the terrace. Yes, I do have neighbors. Even more awkward – I am near the central landing spot for the sim. Sigh. It would have been nice if SOMEONE had mentioned that to me when I said that I thought this parcel would do. I know – I should simply be quiet and be grateful I got this parcel. Still….. I don’t mind people coming by and walking in. What annoys me is that they don’t close the door behind themselves. 🙂 Come in, look around, sit down. But please close the door!!!! Every time I’ve tp’d back to the office this week, at least one door is open.

So the inside is quite luxurious. I still need to fix the poseballs in the guest chairs at my desk. *grin* Otherwise my guests will fall asleep. I have a huge conference table for meetings. A couch and comfy chairs for more informal occasions. A slide projector.

I have a laptop and an additional monitor – quite de rigeur for software developers. I have a box of donuts when needed. That impressionistic picture above the fireplace is Alan Turing. There are leather-bound books on the shelves, with gold lettering. There is a complete coffee set in the sideboard. 🙂 Really – all the amenities one would expect in a corporate office. Well, almost. There were one or two things that are NOT there, but then, we were trying to follow corporate policy. You know – do what I say, not what I do. *grin*

So for my first presentation I put on a suit and all, looked quite, sigh, dull. For the second presentation, I went back to being myself. *grin* jeans, boots and a sweater. I did put my hair up, however, since even in RL I will pull back my unruly mop when I am doing presentations.

So here is my office sweet office. I love it. I intend to enjoy every moment of executive privilege til my manager takes my offfice away. Feel free to drop in and visit. Office hours are M-F, 9-5. See you soon!

Random Photos

Be careful what you wish for. You may get it. I have more SL work to do than I could have imagined a mere 2 months ago. I have 3 projects going at work. I am scripting for an SL client. I just offered to write a script for a second friend. I can’t build worth a darn, so I have sub-contracted out my building needs to other friends. LOL. I thought I was in SL to party and listen to music and to shop!!!!! What happened to my social life???

I actually HAD a social life yesterday – I made it to the grand opening of the C2P – the new Crown and Pearl Nightclub. I took a bunch of photos too. But I’ve not uploaded them to Flickr yet or to here. I will. Really.

I was touring around SL trying to find a place suitable for one of my projects. While I was wandering about, I found some motorcycles. Oh wow. I DO like motorcycles. Like Dark’s planes, I like motorcycles. So I snuck on the ones that would let me. Boy, some vehicles are very persnickety. “You are not the owner, Ahuva Heliosense.” Pfffft. So? I can’t SIT there??? Sheesh.

I also got led astray. Oh fine, I did not. I decided on this folly all myself. 🙂 Someone showed up at the Crown & Pearl with this tattoo. She looked so great that I decided maybe it was time to stop being so RL about things and check out the tats. So I dragged my friend Nat along with me to find the tattoo store. And I bought the tattoo. 🙂 You will have to trust me that it is very cool. Because I am NOT posting a picture here showing you the effect of the whole tattoo. Is NONE of your business. But I will give you a little glimpse. You know what else is rare about this photo? I’m not wearing boots. *grin*

Since I am so busy being quite the SL business woman, a dear friend of mine gave me the ultimate gift – my very own SL Blackberry!!!!! 🙂 I am totally addicted to my BB in RL. So how appropriate that I now am hooked up in SL too. I LOVE it!!! (And you can see a little of my tattoo in this pic, too.)

BUSTED!

Oh this is sooooo embarrassing. And it’s all my fault. Melissa reminded me but I forgot. Found 4 messages in my email this morning. I littered!!!! I opened items in my inventory and pulled them out to look at them and left them sitting around. I never deleted that copy. (That’s how it works in SL – you have things in your inventory. If those things are in a box, you need to drag the box from your inventory list out into the avatar area (out of the list, iow). Then you can click on the box and open it and go from there.) But a good responsible, neat, LAW-ABIDING citizen of SL DELETES the copy once they are done using it. I left 4 items tossed about carelessly, cluttering up the landscape. The cleaning ‘bots found them and returned them to my “inventory lost and found folder”. Do you think word has gone out through SL? Will there be an anthem, The July 4th Ahuva Inventory Massacre”? I can see it now. I’m going to go back to Fishermens’ Cove, sit back on a bench to chat with the others and they’ll all move away from me. Alice’s Restaurant,for those young ones among you

Once my prayers were answered and my computer booted up, I raced back into SL. There was Melissa, waiting for me. Melissa wanted to change her appearance. I wanted to see if I could get my original hair back (a friend having told me that it was probably in my Library Folder). And I needed to go find a skirt. I was invited to a party on Friday. I had nothing appropriate to wear. So we both needed major appearance revisions.

I guess I have to confess a little here. This was a work invitation. My corporation was having an “event”. But didn’t it sound so cool that I had an invitation!! I felt like a real SL denizen.

I had actually been given “work” clothes. But you know what? They are boring!!! And I didnt like the way they fit. And besides, I wear SKIRTS!!! All they gave me were pants. HELLO!!! I (Ahuva) have nice legs and I wear skirts!!!! Honestly. Another little entry in the “things I learn about RL people from my time in SL”. I thought that a nice white skirt with white heels and perhaps a light blue top would be appropriate. After all, I would be meeting my co-workers for the first time. And SL is probably the only place where I could wear white and not have a dozen stains on it within the first 10 minutes! 🙂 I’d inquired about the dress code and interpreted the response to mean business casual. I couldn’t tell if jeans would be proper.

Here’s a real problem with SL – no one works. It’s a fantasy world. People indulge their fantasies. Melissa took me to the Freebie warehouse (remember – she went shopping while I went to see A’s house and party). All the freebie clothes were either fairy tale, slutty or costumes. Whereas I agree that all of that is fun, it doesn’t fit the bill for business casual. I wanted a simple skirt, folks. You know – not see-through, with a hem length between mid-thigh and knee. There will be a time for me to dress like Sleeping Beauty and like Natasha Badunov but this was not that day (that’s a bone-toss for the LOTR fans or even better – Shakespearean scholars – name the scene in LOTR or the play from which they “stole” that scene)

Melissa and I spent over 2 hours hanging about the dressing room in Kuula, playing with our hair, our clothes, our skin. Trust me – I am nowhere near this vain in RL. I don’t have the time to obsess like this. My friend D was online and IM’ing me. I’m getting better at managing 2 IM’s at once. It only took me 15 minutes to notice the new Im box and I only typed in the wrong box once. The best part is that D knows so much, so we could ask questions – how do we do this, where is that? Melissa had a necklace that wasn’t fitting properly. We did ask about that. You can tell when someone IM’s back “well…….” that the explanation is going to be more than “click a and then do b”. So we dropped that. Future info.

Finally we had decided on our appearances and were heading out to Freebie warehouse and then to find others and party. Just as I was about to TP, D sent me a gift – a really hot outfit for doing the town. Of COURSE I changed into it – did you think for a second I wouldn’t?

There is so much stuff out there for free, not for free. I wish that I had the knowledge and time to do psychological research into SL. The items that people have created and put out there for free for others to have and use say so much about the people who made them, the people who take them, the world in which we live. There were boxes for clothing, for sexual fetishes, for furniture, for houses, for toys, for toys for pets, for dancing, for gestures, for posing, for makeup, for textures, for materials. You name it, there was a box for it. (Okay, no box for business casual, but maybe I simply haven’t found it yet.)

Melissa found a box of dances and a dance platform that activated you to dance. We had a lot of fun doing that! We have some VERY good moves now! I was all excited – there was a box “Cat Stuff”. YES!!!! I want a pet. It said it had a white cat sitting, a black cat sitting. So I took that box. But it was very disappointing. The cats didn’t do anything. And they weren’t as cute as my friend’s cat from the first day.

So I guess I need to get some money and head to a pet store. AND I need to find a clothing store with skirts!! Or even better – maybe I can learn to make my own skirt. It’s the weekend – I have hours to play. Time to take a class and learn!!

I missed the party, btw. I was up so late last night, that I slept til 2 hours past. 🙂 Next time! (and I’ll have a skirt!)