virtually fantastic

Every single day of the year...

2008-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've recently started a new blog and I'm posting there a lot more than here. In fact, I'm posting there every single day so if you want to follow along, check out the new spot. I'm doing a collaborative blog/project with my husband, Reginald and my good friend, Syene.

The project is a 365 project, but since there are three of us doing it together, it's a 3x365. Syene is focusing on postal art, Reginald is focusing on his pen collection, and I'm focusing on self-portraits of some kind. We're all posting our individual daily contributions there every day, so it's a very active blog (in relative terms, of course).

3x365.

Follow us there.

this is reality..

2007-12-07T18:02:00.001-05:00

This has nothing at all to do with Second Life, or virtual worlds, but it has everything to do with reality.

There's a story on CNN today about some triplets that were just recently born. Stories like this are usually good and happy things (although overwhelming for the parents, I'm sure!), but this story wasn't like that. These triplets are going to be raised by their father because their mother never saw them.. she died. This man is now faced with the job of raising these three amazing little boys (apparently he's calling them "Daddy's Army") but also working through the fact that he's just lost his wife and the mother of these boys.

He has a full-time construction job, but doesn't think he can pay for daycare costs for the children, and doesn't know how he'd pay his mortgage if he were to quit his job to raise his sons. My heart just broke when I read/saw this story and it's just one more thing to remind us that our 'reality' can change any second.

I wonder how many people go through life not telling people they love them or care about them and then wish they would have when something like this happens. I've always been a strong believer in telling people how I feel about them. Have I looked like a complete idiot at times? Absolutely, but I never want to be the person that says "God, I wish I had let them know how I felt."

Second Life gives us the ability to 'make our own' reality and live a different life and experience different things but the really important things are still there no matter what world you're in. Be real, be open, be honest, and don't play games. Life's a precious thing and we are fragile people.

-micala

Tag... you're it

2007-12-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

GoSpeed Racer tagged me.. but.. I have already BEEN tagged previously by DrFran and frankly, I refuse to play this whole tagging game. ;)

So there.

I want...

2007-11-15T21:02:00.001-05:00

a tattoo.

I've wanted one for years now, but could never decide on the one perfect thing that would represent who I am. I'm a person that thrives with change and to think about choosing one tattoo to represent everything just seemed impossible.

Now that I've become addicted to LA Ink and Miami Ink and the amazing art these people are doing, I want a tattoo even more.

I've changed my way of thinking about it though.. instead of choosing the 'one' perfect thing to represent my life in a tattoo.. I'm thinking about tattoos like I think about charms on my charm bracelet. Maybe it's not about the ONE perfect thing, but several things that represent important or significant events, symbols, or reflections on who I am at the time, and what I'm learning as I go through life.

I think that's a much better way of looking at things. Now to find the perfect artist......

A neat thing from a friend..

2007-11-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my friend GoSpeed Racer for making this cutie card for me!

The Virtually Fantastic DrFran Babcock!

2007-11-02T19:56:00.000-04:00

One of the most interesting people I've met in Second Life, DrFran Babcock, has posted her most recent podcast and she discusses my areas in Second Life (Mill Pond and Stone Hill) and I think that's pretty neat.

I've met DrFran a few times in real-life too, and she's a gem of a person. She makes fantastic clothes in Second Life, she's a builder, and she's one of the biggest supporters of charities in Second Life including the giant Relay for Life.

Because of all this, I'm giving DrFran the "Virtually Fantastic" award! Thanks, DrFran!

New look for the coffee shop

2007-10-30T14:47:00.000-04:00

I recently redesigned the coffee shop in Mill Pond and no matter how many times I've built something, or rebuilt something, I never cease to be amazed at the comments that come rolling in.

I heard that some people were upset that there wasn't more 'couples' seating, and that some people didn't care for the poses on the sofas that were there. They said it was difficult to drink tea lying down and they'd appreciate other poses. So, because I was bored and ready to do some building anyway, I changed things around a bit, added new furniture, extended the outdoor area, provided additional seating, etc. One of the first things I heard was from someone coming and saying they hated the furniture because the seating "wasn't very dignified".

.....

Seems you can't please everyone all the time, and some people don't seem to really 'get' what I'm trying to do here. People always want more seating, but there's kind of a fine line between 'cozy coffee shop' and convention center.

-Micala

This whole "CSI" thing in SL

2007-10-24T21:05:00.000-04:00

Ok so I've been following the 'excitement' of the big CSI:NY episode related to Second Life that will premier tonight at 10EST. Because of this 'buzz', I decided I should go check out the CSI:NY sims (and wow are there a lot). Upon arrival.. I was greeted with this, by someone with "CSI:NY Greeter" as her title.

[18:02] CSI:NY Greeter Girl (named changed to protect the stupid): Once you have recieved your hud go to the next icon and click viewer. Downoad the viewer and log back in useing your new CSI viewer. You will also need Quick time if you do not allready have it. If you have the new CSI viewer move onto next board.

followed by...

[18:03] CSI:NY Greeter Girl (name changed to protect the stupid): Once you downloaded new viewer and log back into game useing the new viewer and having hud attached go to the next board where you will see Anthony Zuiker and click the red CLICKE HERE. Goodluck

Ok, are you KIDDING me? Is this for real? You expect.. people that have never been in Second Life before.. to follow these instructions and understand what the hell to do? This is a complete joke and my God, if you're going to have people as "greeters", dear Jesus, do us all a favor and at the very LEAST be sure they can spell.

I did ask one of the CSI:NY Managers if she was hired by ESC and she confirmed that indeed she was, and when I asked if the greeters were as well, she assured me they were.

This is pathetic. Truly. C'mon people.. you KNOW how Second Life works and I was really hoping for something pretty amazing here. So far.. I'm really disappointed. For companies and individuals that are supposed to "get it", this is sad.

Open Latte on Lane's List

2007-10-22T20:26:00.000-04:00

I had a friendly IM from Nazz Lane tonight in Second Life to let me know that he'd recently done a blog post about coffee houses in Second Life and mentioned Open Latte in my sim of Mill Pond.

I read his article and was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did Nazz list Open Latte as his #1 spot for coffee in SL, but the photograph leading the article is of the back patio of Open Latte as well. It's always nice to feel that you've built a place that other people truly enjoy.

That's really why I'm in SL at all. There's not much better than seeing other people enjoy something that you've created from your heart.

Thanks Nazz.. and thanks to all of you that enjoy Open Latte.

-Micala

"I want you"

2007-10-15T18:03:00.001-04:00

Burning Life in Second Life makes me sad this year

2007-09-26T13:28:00.000-04:00

Burning Life is a big yearly event inside Second Life as the virtual version of Burning Man. You know, Burning Man that celebrates self-expression, art, self-reliance, community.. all of those wonderful ideals. I was involved with Burning Life in SL last year and it truly was a wonderful experience. There was a sense of community, everyone worked well together, it was handled and run beautifully. This year has been much different from my viewpoint.

Let's not even touch open the censorship incident - that's just completely ridiculous and there are truly no words to even begin to explain that.

The leadership this year has been.. disappointing at best. From the way things were communicated, to the land distribution, to the experience I had last night.. I'm fairly sure this will be my last participation in Burning Life unless things change dramatically.

Burning Life is now 'open' to SL residents. Last night there were numerous scripted/generated attacks in the different sims which, as we all know, are not at the forefront of what I would typically call an enjoyable experience. In the midst of this, pieces of someone else's build were located DIRECTLY in front of the entrance to my build, but not on my specific land parcel so that I could return them. They were in the 'no man's land' requiring me to IM the owner and then call for additional help.

When Linden help arrived and I asked them to return the two items, they were confused and thought I wanted something else returned and then told me to just auto-return them - which would have been great if they were on my land, but I explained that they weren't. I calmly explained what I needed and it was taken care of. Very easy - and I thought that was the end of it. A few minutes later, the same Linden IM's me to say that he'd found another similar item on another parcel and was returning it. Then, a few minutes after that said, "Actually I'm just going to return all of this because these items don't match the land owner". I freaked out a bit because I knew those items had been there since day #1 of the Burning Life set-up and I was fairly certain the items DID belong on that parcel. I immediately re-checked the owner of the item, and then the land owner. They were, indeed the same person. I IM'd the Linden back and informed that they WERE the same person, those items had been there for a very long time, and to not return all of them.

After the items were returned.. the Linden responds, "oh well. no biggie.".

Excuse me? "No biggie"? Well no, perhaps not to you, but to the person that made and placed those items on Day #1 weeks ago.. perhaps a bigger deal than it is to you. I was irritated, disappointed, and just generally 'blah' about the entire situation.

Good job Lindens. Way to pick the people that could have really made this event something to be proud of.

-Micala

this made me laugh..

2007-09-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

One of my co-workers sent me this today.. made me laugh out loud:

A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with

rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating,or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his chest while he is on fire.

No further studies are expected

teehee. :D

sexy motherpucker

2007-09-04T09:57:00.000-04:00

This has nothing to do with Second Life, this has to do with having amazing lips.

I recently bought the most fantastic lip gloss ever created. My friend Dorothy has blogged about it here. Check it out.

image for today

2007-08-29T23:07:00.001-04:00

I have a lot of hair..

2007-08-27T21:08:00.000-04:00

Ok so for some reason I decided to try and at least organize a BIT of my inventory in Second Life this evening. I honestly don't know why, because at this point it's more hit and miss than anything else.

I openly admit that I'm a bit of a hair whore in Second Life. I just can't get enough. So, tonight I decided to count how many different styles of prim hair I own.

136. One hundred and thirty six different STYLES of hair. This does not include the 'bangs' or the zillion different colors of each of those styles. That's a lot of hair.

And yet.. I want more.

chashama gallery in NYC

2007-08-13T19:29:00.000-04:00

The opening at chashama was a huge success. I was incredibly thrilled to see so many people out and about, drinking wine and seeing what we'd made.

For those of you that attended, and saw/commented on/appreciated my art.. thank you. It means the world to me to be able to share some of my visions with others.

For those of you that picked up one of the postcards, please follow through on the project. Send that card to a friend, and send your story to me. Tell me about who you are, what you're doing, and what you're about. Hopefully that will lead to a broader project celebrating our individual stories and experiences, bringing us all together as one community.

-micala

"Wired" magazine article RE: SL and Business

2007-08-13T19:14:00.000-04:00

On the way back from the show in NYC, I was reading "Wired" magazine. I picked it up because Martha Stewart was on the cover baking a cake that looked like a Wii, and who could resist that.

There was an article in the mag about companies leaving SL (seems to be the hot topic lately) and again I was struck by the negativity directed toward Linden Lab and Second Life. I came away from the article with the impression that the author basically said, "Pfft. Of course they're leaving. Virtual Worlds are stupid."

If there are any business people out there reading my little insignificant space of a blog, pay attention. If you're going into Second Life thinking that you'll sell huge amounts of your product there, or market to people inside Second Life that will then translate into real-world sales for you, you've already screwed up. That will NOT happen for you.

I firmly believe that companies should be in Second Life, but maybe not for the reasons they think they should. I think these companies have a real chance in Second Life to engage and research the community, to learn what people want by asking them. By seeing how they interact and develop relationships with each other, and with the products available to them inside the virtual environment. That being said, you're not going to see huge sales from your presence in Second Life.

If you come into Second Life and make fantastic shoes that look amazing on my avatar, I will never click your little link to your out-of-world website to buy those shoes in the 'real' world. I can tell you, though, that the next time I'm at the 'real' mall, I'll remember that you cared enough to take the time to make some fantastic shoes for my avatar, and I'm much more likely at that point... to buy your real-world product because I feel like you understood. I feel like you weren't trying to sell me things I didn't want to buy, and I'll feel like you could comprehend that when we're in a virtual world, we don't want real-life distractions reminding us that you are only there to market your product.

Here are some tips to remember as a company coming into Second Life:
1. You will spend a lot of money
2. You will make no money
3. We do not care if you're a huge real-world corporation
4. If you're not making things our avatar needs, we are likely not going to spend any time 'hanging out' at your store/area/sim/whatever
5. There *are* people in Second Life. Just because people aren't hanging out at your little store that you spend thousands of dollars creating, that doesn't mean we're not around. It means we're hanging out at the places that make us comfortable.
4. You will have the opportunity to learn about, interact with, and engage this virtual community. If you pay attention, you'll come out ahead in the end, but you must be patient.

Penn State and Second Life

2007-07-31T09:44:00.000-04:00

Today's student newspaper (The Daily Collegian) has an article about Penn State's presence in Second Life and they talk about my 'virtual THON' project - neat!

I'm glad to see that Penn State is developing a presence in Second Life, but I gotta say that I'm just not sure they're going about it the right way. Although I'm incredibly grateful to ITS/ETS for donating land to the Penn State New Media Art Department (thanks, Brett!), it would have been nice to see some sort of 'plan' for the space. As it stands, it feels very much like everyone's just doing their own thing without thinking how the spaces might work in relation to each other. I worry that once everyone has 'claimed' their area, it'll all just be individuals working with their own agenda and not thinking above the overall impression the space is making. Hopefully we'll find some way to make that work.

poem from a friend..

2007-07-23T19:48:00.000-04:00

The lovely, elfish, feline, whatever mood she's in today... Jennifer Mahoney was so excited that our poetry readings have returned to the bookshop in Mill Pond that she gave me this little parody of a poem she'd written. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Micala's Isle

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
a tale of a beautiful sim.
That started with a waterwheel,
according to her whim.

Her mate was a vinyl playin' man,
with slippers bold and pink.
Five avatars stopped by that day,
for a concert and a drink;
... A concert and a drink.

Micala's creativity set in,
the tiny sim was razed.
If not for the courage of her fearless peeps,
The residents would be dazed;
The residents would be dazed....

The sim took shape a second time,
An uncharted musical isle,
with Mi-ca-la,
And Reginald,
Lach-lan and Marissa,
with Grace Mac,
DrFran and Kristauf too --
Here on Mi-ca-la's Isle.

... And at the end of the episode...

So this is the tale of our residents,
to whom we must explain --
They'll have to make the best of things,
when'er she starts again.

Her first mate and the artist too,
will dance inside a cage
to keep the others entertained
until she takes the stage.

No excuses, no elves, no umbrellas,
but a pyramid on air.
That first step is a LONG way down,
even if you're in a chair.

So join us here each week my friend,
you'll be sure to get a song.
From Gracie or Micala --
You just can't go wrong;
You - just - can't - go - wrong.

- Jennifer Mahoney

art show opening August 11th in NYC - open invitation

2007-07-23T14:09:00.001-04:00

Companies leaving Second Life? Wow, what a shock

2007-07-16T07:40:00.000-04:00

So according to an article in the LA Times, a lot of the companies that ran to jump into the Second Life bandwagon are now pulling out. Seems that maybe some of the people that thought it would be 'cool' to be part of this virtual world didn't really take the time to learn anything at all about the community or how to engage them before they tossed up some store, amusement park, or hotel, and just expected everyone to flock there because it was there. Hmm. Imagine that.

The LA Times article mentions that "..shopping, at least for real-world products, isn't a main activity". Ok well hello, shopping is HUGE in Second Life, just ask one of the million people you see at all of the clothing stores, skin shops, shoe stores, or (God bless you, I'll say it again) prim hair creators. Shopping *is* a main activity, but not for real-world products. I'm not sure what's so difficult to understand here, but we're in a VIRTUAL enviroment, people - an escape from our 'real' lives. We do not want to be directed to your out-of-world sales site, nor do we give a shit about your marketing ploys to get us to buy your real-world merchandise.

Second Life is not about building a shop, putting your marketing shit into it and then just expecting people to fall all over themselves because you're (your company name here). We honestly, truly, don't give a shit who you are, or how big your company is if you don't give a shit about our needs.

I think another problem is that companies are having difficulty with getting their employees to really be 'on board' with working in a virtual enviroment. The article also comments that "Best Buy's Geek Squad Island was devoid of visitors and virtual staff that was supposed to be online." Well, if you can't even get your employees to show up, why do you think anyone else would? Plus hello, this is an online digital world, we're all geeks to start with if we're there, so we probably don't need your Geek Squad service.

The article also mentions Peter Ludlow saying, "most firms were more interested in the publicity they received from their ties with Second Life than in the digital world itself. "It was a way to brand themselves as being leading-edge," he said. " I think this is exactly what the problem is. Everyone rushed to be part of the 'next big thing' without taking some time to learn how to interact and engage the community. Stupid jerks.

My friend, Grace McDunnough has recently blogged about these issues as well. Just ask anyone that's actually spent some time in Second Life, in the community, talking to people, living there, working there, making money there.. and we can tell you how to succeed. You just have to be willing to listen to us. We actually do know what we're talking about.

We don't want your products. We don't want your 'brand name' tshirts for our avatars when there are a blajillion people in Second Life making clothing that is much nicer than yours. We don't want to hang out on your island just because you're a well-known company. We don't give a shit about you, if you don't give a shit about us. Show us that you're involved, show us that you want to hang out with us, show us that you actually understand why we're there.. then maybe we'll give a little back to you.

licks Skitch alllllll over

2007-07-12T17:46:00.000-04:00

omg.

I. love. Skitch.

I got some random nice dude to send me an invite to try the Skitch beta and I'll tell you what. This is a lovely program.

Capture a screenshot, add text, add squiggly lines or whatever else you want.. and immediately upload it RIGHT to your flickr or your dedicated 'mySkitch' page. It's easy, it's simple and it's functional. How freaking refreshing to see a new program come onto the scene that can actually be USED for something.

*happy sigh*

Uploaded with Skitch!

postcard project

2007-07-10T08:55:00.000-04:00

One of the art projects i've been working on, is making some 'retro' postcards from within SL that people could send (through the US Postal service, not email *gasp*) to a friend. I picked out two images I liked and ordered some postcard prints of them to send to the art show in NYC and to SLCC in Chicago.

The back of the postcards has the message that they should send the postcard to a friend, and their story to me. i love the idea of the front of the postcard saying 'wish you were here' because it makes me wonder how many people wish that someone from their "RL" is part of "SL" or.. vice versa.

I also like the idea of bringing art from SL into real-life. So many artists are importing their work into SL to sell/display there, but I like the idea of doing the opposite. I'm also really interested in making art that's 'interactive', so these postcards achieve all these things.

Oh, they also come with a postage stamp already on them.. also made from another piece I did in SL. Neat stuff.

NYC Art Show - August 6-27

2007-07-05T14:02:00.000-04:00

For anyone near or around NYC, some of my work is going be shown at Chashama gallery in NYC from August 6-27th. The opening will be on Saturday, August 11 and I do plan to be in town for that (excity!) so if you stop by, it'd be great to meet you!

let's play

2007-06-22T14:22:00.000-04:00

Creativity is about play and a kind of willingness to go with your intuition. It's crucial to an artist. If you know where you are going and what you are going to do, why do it? - (Frank Gehry)

I think all artists know that creating involves experimentation and trying new and different things, but how many of us think of that as 'playing'. We say "I'm just playing around with some new ideas" or "I'm just going to see how this plays", but how often do we really consider our art to be 'play'. I think sometimes in the creation of art we tend to get so bogged down in the details or trying to force something to happen that we forget to take a moment, relax, and remember why we're artists in the first place.

Remember how you felt as a child when you just PLAYED. Think of the wonderfully amazing things you discovered then, when you allowed yourself to relax and enjoy playing without deadlines, or goals.

This is why I love Second Life. Although I do still think that it's very easy to get caught up in 'must-do's' in a virtual world, I'm also much more likely in this environment to interact with others, and experiment, and explore. I'm more likely to involve 'play' in my work and I think that sort of freedom allows for more creative expression. Just like the quote says, if you know where you're going and what you'll do.. why do it? It's all about the journey, the experience, and what you learn along the way.

s.o.t.d.

2007-06-20T09:18:00.000-04:00

Julie Brown - Girl Fight Tonight

s.o.t.d.

2007-06-19T15:16:00.000-04:00

Ten Days - Missy Higgins

Grace McDunnough

2007-06-17T19:32:00.001-04:00

Mill Pond Tavern hosting Grace McDunnough this evening.

posted by Micala Lumiere on Mill Pond using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Lyndon Heart

2007-06-17T17:02:00.001-04:00

Lyndon Heart at Molaskey's Pub in Second Life.

posted by Micala Lumiere on Wichi using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Chillin' in Mill Pond

2007-06-16T22:21:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite spots in Mill Pond - this relaxing little pavilion away from everyone else.

posted by Micala Lumiere on Mill Pond using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Freestar Tammas in Mill Pond

2007-06-16T13:12:00.001-04:00

Just finished listening to Freestar Tammas in Mill Pond.

posted by Micala Lumiere on Mill Pond using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Folk Fest Wrap-up

2007-06-11T10:58:00.000-04:00

It came, it went, and it ROCKED the socks off me.

The First Mill Pond Folk Festival held in Mill Pond and Stone Hill started Friday and ended Saturday night and was packed full of live performers, musicians, and guests. I think the final total of attendance was over 1500 people total. Pretty f'ing amazingly fantastic.

As one of the organizers I knew it would be a great event, but it honestly wasn't until I took a break from managing the Stone Hill stage and went over to the Tavern Stage where the Montreal performers were based.. that I really realized how powerful this event was. I'm still moved by the atmosphere there. The Tavern stage featured live performers from Montreal, Canada that don't really have their own avatars in Second Life, but were all brought together by Montian Gilruth and took turns performing while surrounded in real-life by all of the other musicians. The atmosphere there was amazing. To hear people in the background singing along, commenting, applauding.. was truly a moving experience for me. I hope that others were able to feel that as well.

Second Life is an amazing place, with some fantastically amazing, talented people. Having the opportunity to feature so many in this setting was wonderful. Thank you to all of the musicians, artists, guests, and organizers. It was amazing, and you're why.

Many huge thanks go to Grace McDunnough for organizing, creating, distributing and pretty much taking charge of this entire event.

s.o.t.d. #2

2007-06-08T09:28:00.000-04:00

NIN, Pretty Hate Machine - Kinda I Want To

(yes, my musical tastes are a bit spastic today).

folk fest time

2007-06-08T09:25:00.000-04:00

Starting at 6PM EST today - The Mill Pond Folk Festival.

It'll be on the sims of Mill Pond and Stone Hill in Second Life with (I think) close to a blajillion trillion musicians and artists. Check it out, but if you're not currently living your life with an avatar's name, you can also listen to the music streams outside of Second Life. Refer to the above website for streaming URLs.

s.o.t.d.

2007-06-08T09:22:00.000-04:00

Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine - "Parting Gift"

feelin' hot, hot, hot

2007-05-30T21:55:00.001-04:00

The Power Plant's coming to Stone Hill. Hot dance club set in an abandoned electrical plant. Love this photo. Hot.

new mill pond site

2007-05-24T10:19:00.000-04:00

Mill Pond and Stone Hill now have a lovely new community site created by James Bringholf where we'll be posting news and exciting happenings in our little area of Second Life. Stop by and check it out.

Thanks, James! :)

like a chick in a candy shop!

2007-05-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

Second Life is about to change in a few ways that I must say, I'm pretty freaking excited about.

We've got the release of 'sculpties' now which allows for the creation of new, sculpted prims in-world. From what I understand, this is done by creating the object itself in a separate 3-D software, then uploading that into world and applying it to a standard prim. Pretty cool, but one more thing I have to learn now.

I'm also fairly excited about this new "WindLight atmospheric rendering". According to the website: "WindLight “simulates the ways that sunlight is scattered by the atmosphere under different climatic conditions, such as fog or haze”. Long story short: killer skies and kickass environments.". Ok by me. Bring it.

Lastly... voice. This little beauty has been a serious cause of alarm, panic, outrage, and extreme joy (depending on who you ask). I know some people are dreading the addition of voice (and, it seems they have a few more weeks of freedom until they have to panic about it 'destroying everything' - thanks for keepin us all in the loop there Linden Labbers! 'Preciate it!), but I think it'll be fantastic - IF (and this is a big 'if') it works as well as they say it does. I think it's something that will lend itself beautifully to furthering a sense of community in-world and I can't wait to sit down in Open Latte and chat with peeps.

Looking forward to change.

s.o.t.d.

2007-05-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

"Love is Criminal" - Danielle Evin

so these three artists walk into a bar...

2007-05-16T21:41:00.000-04:00

Ok not really - more like a few artists walking into a hotel.

The Second Life Community Convention will be held in Chicago, IL August 24-26 and this year's convention promises to be the best ever. With several 'interest' tracks including business, education, and the social track, it's shaping up to be a fun-packed event.

This year's event will include displays from artists working inside SL and after meeting and speaking with Filthy Fluno (an amazing artist working with charcoal and pastels) I will be among the people showing my work! I'm excited about it, and can't wait to meet everyone and have a great time!

So, if you're going to SLCC, be sure and check out the artists!

check this out!

2007-05-16T21:36:00.000-04:00

So one of my "Mill Pond" friends from Second Life has a podcast and he interviewed me tonight for Episode #69 (how great is that)! You can listen here: http://cto.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=215579 .

Thanks, James!

what's with the sense of entitlement?

2007-05-06T16:36:00.000-04:00

Everyone's thinking it, but no one's saying it. I'm about to say it.

For those of you that aren't part of the Second Life music "scene", or aren't on the SLCC Musicians group, you may not be aware of the discussions being held there. It's not pretty, I can assure you.

The Second Life Community Convention is coming up in August. This year it'll be held in Chicago. Musicians from Second Life that were interested in performing had to send in an audition mp3 to the committee and musicians were then selected to be featured performers at the convention. I submitted an mp3 audition and wasn't selected. I'm cool with it, because I know there are other musicians that are very talented and there were only a certain number of spots. No huge deal. If I had been chosen, however, I can assure you that I would have been thrilled at being offered the opportunity and wouldn't have felt that I should have all of my costs covered to attend. Let me remind you, darlings, that you asked to be considered. You sent in the audition mp3's. You put your name in the hat. You wanted this opportunity. At no time during the audition process did I see it noted anywhere that any and all musicians selected to perform would have their registration costs covered, let alone travel and hotel (and guests that you're bringing too? Are you KIDDING me?).

There are now musicians that have been selected to perform that are complaining that they're having to pay a $50 registration fee (the rest of us are paying $185) and I'm hearing complaints that "this is getting expensive" in having to pay for travel and hotel costs. Did you people not think about this before you decided to audition and ask to perform there?

This sense of entitlement that seems prevalent among musicians in Second Life these days is becoming really disgusting. At first it just seemed arrogant, then it seemed stupid. It's way beyond that now.

I'd like to remind everyone complaining that there are many other musicians that were not selected to perform that would be more than happy to pay for ALL of their SLCC costs, including full registration and travel just because they love it.

I'm all about respecting the talent of people in Second Life. There are some amazingly brilliant people in this world. There are builders, scripters, texture makers, people making prim hair (God bless you), clothing designers, artists, and oh yeah.. musicians. I think that as musicians and artists we need to have a little perspective here. We are not the only people with talent in this virtual utopia, and some humility might be refreshing for a change.

s.o.t.d.

2007-05-02T19:19:00.001-04:00

"Big Wheel" - American Doll Posse, Tori Amos.

tori amos = yum.

2007-05-02T19:16:00.000-04:00

So this new Tori album "American Doll Posse", rocks.

What I love most about the album is that she's created several characters in the process of making the album and each of these personas have their own identity that even includes their own blog. I was thinking of/in the process of/ doing exactly the same thing with avatars in Second Life to experiment and explore digital identity.

God bless Tori Amos.

now that I've seen it...

2007-04-27T13:23:00.000-04:00

This posting comes on the eve of my last day in Paris. I'm a bit melancholy about it - not happy this amazingly wonderful week is over, but also looking forward to being home and having some 'normalcy' in my day again. Not to mention the fact that Paris kicked my ass and I'm exhausted.

Anyway, the whole reason for planning this week in Paris was all because of the Shakespeare and Company bookshop I built inside Second Life. After reading so much about it and having people comment on the Second Life version, I really felt that I had to see and experience the real version. It was more and less than I'd imagined all at once. It was much smaller than I'd pictured, but at the same time, part of it was blocked off so that might have had something to do with it. We weren't able to see any of the upstairs floors, which was a bit disappointing but what can you do. The place is falling down, they can't just be letting tourists walk around on dangerous staircases - think of the lawsuits crazy Americans would bring if they were hurt here.

So, here's the basic rundown of the Paris trip:
Sunday - arrival and exploration of our neighborhood - Canal St. Martin
Monday - Eiffel Tower, Shakespeare and Company, Notre Dame, Champs D'Elysee
Tuesday - Cemeterie Pere Lachaise, Montmarte, Sacre Coeur - dome and crypt (biggest mistake ever)
Wednesday - Louvre and gardens, Musee D'Orsay, Bastille, lunch at cafe beside Shakespeare and Company with cute waitress girl, Shakespeare and Company, ice cream at Berthillon on Ile St. Louis
Thursday - Picasso Museum, Pompidou Centre, lunch with cute gay waiter, Pantheon, Gelato at Ile St. Louis, Dinner at Les Ombres (Musee de Branly)
Friday - Arts Festival at the Bastille, Louvre Carrousel for shopping, Rodin Museum
Saturday - Home :(

All in all, it's been a fantastic week. Warm and sunny every single day - couldn't ask for more. We've had our fair share of baguettes and wine, and I'd say it was a resounding success. Thank you, Paris. Merci beaucoup. Au revoir.

Mill Pond Folk Festival

2007-04-10T10:05:00.000-04:00

Here's announcing that Mill Pond and Stone Hill will be hosting the 1st Annual Mill Pond Folk Festival in Second Life on June 8th and 9th.

We'll have having the best folk musicians, artists and vendors that Second Life has to offer with live music on several stages and an arts festival on the grounds as well.

If you're interested in participating as an artist, please contact me at micala@gmail.com or in Second Life just send an IM to Micala Lumiere.

s.o.t.d

2007-04-10T10:02:00.000-04:00

Fiona Apple: Better Version of Me

s.o.t.d. (song of the day, new feature)

2007-04-09T12:54:00.000-04:00

Corinne Bailey Rae: "Till it Happens to You"

See Dick Run

2007-04-06T10:20:00.000-04:00

I normally post about "Second Life" related news/interests or events, but today.. today by God, I'm posting about Dick Cheney.

What an ass this man is. Truly. He's all pissed off and irritated because Nancy Pelosi visited Syria. wtf.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Vice President Dick Cheney accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday of "bad behavior" on her Middle East trip, saying she bungled a message for Syria's president that was later clarified by Israel.
Cheney harshly criticized Pelosi's visit to Syria this week and declared in an interview, "The president is the one who conducts foreign policy, not the speaker of the House."

I dunno, Dicky, maybe it's just me, but in our current state of affairs, perhaps it's time to give someone else a shot at foreign policy.

"It was a non-statement, nonsensical statement and didn't make any sense at all that she would suggest that those talks could go forward as long as the Syrians conducted themselves as a prime state sponsor of terror," the vice president said on the Rush Limbaugh radio show.

A nonsensical statement that didn't make any sense at all.... hm. imagine that.

And yet.. views on Nancy's trip from outside the White House:

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's acting president defended on Sunday U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's planned visit to Syria, a trip the White House described as a bad idea.

"I believe in your worthy intentions. Perhaps a step, seen as unpopular at this stage ... will clarify to the Syrian people and leadership they must abandon the axis of evil (and) stop supporting terrorism and giving shelter to (terrorist) headquarters," said Itzik, a member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's centrist Kadima party.

So, Dick.. until I see some forward-thinking, productive moves coming from your office in the White House? Howsabout if you stop criticizing anyone else that tries to look at things from a different perspective. Are you criticizing it because you aren't man enough to do it, because you didn't consider it, because it makes the White House look bad.. or because she's a woman.

song of the day...

2007-03-30T16:32:00.000-04:00

Maura O'Connell - "Love you in the Middle"

Best cab driver in San Francisco... Carlos!!

2007-03-30T16:07:00.000-04:00

Having recently been invited to attend the Second Life Views meeting at Linden Lab in San Francisco, I was able to spend a few days enjoying the city for the first time ( I know, right! I can't believe I've never been there before!). There were a few things that made this trip special for me, and the nicest of all of those things was meeting the most wonderfully kind cab driver in the world. His name is Carlos de Souza and he's from Brazil. If you are lucky enough to ride with Carlos during your visit to San Francisco, you'll be one of the lucky ones.

There are few people in this world that manage to really make an impression, and for me, Carlos was one of those people. Just in the short time I was able to talk with him, I could tell that he had a really caring soul and compassionate spirit - things that can be difficult to find in people these days, especially strangers. Bless you, Carlos. You made my trip so enjoyable and I will always remember you and your wonderful smile. Thank you.

Macmillan Publishing sucks

2007-03-30T16:03:00.000-04:00

“The Unofficial Tourist’s Guide to Second Life” or, as I like to call it, “Book of incorrect information and assumptions made by people that have never actually been in Second Life" – is published.

So there’s a new book about to hit the shelves called “The Unofficial Tourist’s Guide to Second Life”. I’m aware of this, because the publisher of this book, Macmillan Publishing in the UK, contacted my best friend to ask permission to use some images of a bookshop I built inside Second Life in this ‘book’. Why was my best friend contacted and not me, when as I said, I’m the creator of the bookshop? Hey, good question!

Anyone that’s spent any time at all inside Second Life knows that all a person needs to do is ‘right click’ on an object to learn the creator. Macmillan was going on the assumption that the Shakespeare and Company bookshop in Mill Pond was created by my friend, Grace McDunnough, because she was holding weekly poetry readings at the shop. If they’d actually checked or, ‘right clicked’ they could easily see that the shop was created by me. I made the shop because I was completely entranced and inspired by the real Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France and the unbelievable atmosphere and sense of community present there. Macmillan would never know that, though, because they never actually interviewed me about the inspiration behind it and have gathered their facts from third party websites without any attempt at all to obtain correct information.

Now don’t get me wrong, I adore Grace McDunnough and she’s one of my best friends in the world. She’s a marvelous woman and is incredibly talented, but damnit she did NOT build the bookshop. Thanks to Macmillan Publishing, though, anyone that buys this book and actually reads it will think she did.

I spoke with the publisher about this and was told ‘Oh hey sorry about that, it’s too late to fix it for the first printing, but we’ll fix it online and we’ll correct it for future printings”. Gosh thanks for that, but it’s sort of too little, too late now, isn’t it?

Why’s this a big deal to me? Because I’m an artist and this virtual world is my medium. Shakespeare and Company bookshop and the entire community where it resides is my art. Being fairly new to this whole ‘art’ thing, I was a little upset when I first heard that my work would be credited to someone else, but now I’m away beyond a ‘little upset’, I’m royally PISSED OFF. In fact, I may have to call upon a fellow resident of Mill pond and his law practice to help me out with this. This goes way beyond just not being a good and factual publisher, this is just unacceptable.

So, don’t waste your money on “The Unofficial Tourist’s Guide to Second Life’. It’s full of incorrect information. If you want to know the cool places to visit in Second Life and are just learning your way around, come hang out at the Mill Pond sim in our Open Latte coffee shop. We’ve got some great people there that will help you and welcome you with open arms.

Maura O'Connell.. virtually fantastic

2007-03-21T12:44:00.000-04:00

Went to see the amazing Maura O'Connell on Sunday at our local, renovated, amazingly cool theatre (The State Theatre).

Was a gorgeously small, intimate setting for an amazingly talented performer. There was some guy that opened for her, but obviously didn't make an impression on me because I can't remember his name now.

Maura did a lot of songs from her 'Don't I Know' cd, which I will purchase as soon as I get home today because I can't get the songs out of my head. She also did some older songs like "Blue Train".

A lot of times performing on Second Life, if you're 'just a singer', you're almost treated like a second-class citizen - which kinda sucks. Listening to Maura on Sunday night, I was struck by how much her voice became just another instrument in this ensemble that was accompanying her. It truly was an amazing experience. It wasn't just a singer, singing the words, she was playing her voice, playing our emotions and for a brief time, we experienced something more than just the lyrics, a voice, and some instruments. I love her, and I love the songs she chooses. I actually dug through my bag halfway through a song, in the dark, just to write down some lyrics so I'd remember them later.

A lot of times, hearing a song on the radio, or iTunes, or your mp3 player.. or even at a larger concert, we miss the 'emotional' impact that a song and lyrics can have. I missed none of that at Maura's show. Being just a few feet away from her amazingly powerful voice, and inherently addictive, beautiful personality made the whole show something wonderful. A lot of the songs were emotional for me and I ended up wiping away a lot of tears, but her rendition of "Danny Boy", sung without a microphone, without accompaniment, just floored me. The complete beauty of this voice, the emotion that she was able to convey with nothing more than her soul was breathtaking.

Here are some lyrics from two of my favorite songs from her performance. I had another favorite "Love you in the Middle", but I can't find the lyrics for that yet:

Hold on

The words that I spoke
Came out crooked and broke
Before I could straighten them out
The curses I cried came out harsher this time
Than the last time I cried out

But I just want everything right
Rosebud lipped kisses in lullaby light
So when everything I say seems wrong
Hold on, hold on, hold on

All the things that you loved,
I emptied you of
Before I could put them all back
Whatever I did was again and again
It was something that I could not stop
Cause I'm losin' sleep

The pinafore's gone
Ain't no use holdin' on to the way that it was
But I promise I'll try to do better next time
I'll do better next time

When We Ran

Could have been the kiss of my life

Could have been the death of me

Could have been that I was just too scared

To wait around and see

You could have been a guardian angel

I could have been the wicked one

Besides the buttons on our shirts, girl,

What else did we leave undone?

When we ran

Was it just the time slippin' through our hands?

Right through our hands

Maybe I was tryin' to tell ya

I'd never known a love so strong

Maybe in the shadows of the night

We just couldn't tell right from wrong

Maybe its a real-life story

Livin' with the sad regrets

Maybe it was just a sweet dream baby

Somethin' that I can't forget

When we ran

when we ran

Was it just the time slippin' through our hands?

You only had to say the word

I would have turned around and heard

But as it is we can't turn back

The mind's just a trash can, baby

And the memories, rolling dice

We had something one time, girl,

But we thought about it twice

When we ran

when we ran

When we ran

We ran

we ran

When we ran

Maura O'Connell - love ya.

little by little

2007-03-01T12:27:00.000-05:00

'little by little' looks really funny typed out like that. isn't that weird how you just notice stuff like that sometimes. weird.

anyway.

my sim of mill pond was mentioned in a stranger's blog today. the lovely drfran pointed it out to me so i had to mention it. i think what i love most about building and making places like mill pond is when i hear other people say how much they like it, or how comfortable they feel there.

natalia mentioned it on her blog, you can check it out here.

very cool thing..

2007-02-27T12:13:00.000-05:00

thanks to tara for telling me about this site.. it's CRAZY cool and i absolutely love the idea of this. i may have to send one in myself. i have a good feeling mine would get published.

postsecret

i'm linking this on my sidebar too. it's that good.

ah, the good old days when art was art

2007-02-23T10:01:00.000-05:00

Technology adds nothing to art. Two thousand years ago, I could tell you a story, and at any point during the story I could stop, and ask, Now do you want the hero to be kidnapped, or not? But that would, of course, have ruined the story. Part of the experience of being entertained is sitting back and plugging into someone else's vision. - Penn Jillette

when i first read this quote my reaction was 'what a jerk'. first of all, mr. jillette, i've seen your comedy/magic routine, and i'm not sure you're the expert on what 'good' art is. second of all, are you kidding me? technology adds nothing to art? where've you been living? in that box where people saw you in half?

upon further review, i still don't agree with what he's saying, but i think i understand what he's trying to get at. i read a paper not too long ago from someone talking about how so many americans are depressed because we have too many choices in our world today. you can't even choose a sandwich in a deli anymore without feeling that you've made the wrong choice and will end up regretting it. the paper talks about how we live our entire lives now, making choice after choice after choice, but always being worried that it wasn't the best, or right choice and because of that, feeling that we're not good enough or smart enough. other cultures have far less 'choice' than we do, and.. oddly enough, far less depression and unhappiness.

maybe art is another area where we're giving people too many choices. maybe what penn here is trying to say is that art just needs to *be*. why must it be interactive, or involve decision-making. why do we need to explain what our art is saying. why can't the art just be beautiful or meaningful on its own, without explanation.

we've been having a lot of discussion in class about the lack of criticality in contemporary art, and how this is a huge crisis for us today. i'm not sure i'm buying into the fact that it's a crisis, truly. maybe contemporary art IS the art.. maybe this movement with technology, and this fast-paced environment where there are new technological advances on a daily basis is impossible to keep up with and therefore defies anyone to criticize it. in fact, i'd almost say that it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to be an art critic these days with a pulse on everything that's going on in the art world. further complicating matters is that the lines that used to define 'areas' of art are blurring more and more. no longer is 'photography' simply photography. new media has blurred every line imaginable, and what used to be is no longer.

but why can't we just enjoy that. why can't we just let it 'be' what it is. there's a passion again in the art world, and i think it's palpable. people are *making* things again, designing, creating, and loving every second of it. to try and keep up with it is an impossible task, to try and provide criticality - pointless. let's just let it *be* what it is.

what's your book

2007-02-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

i had a revelation moment this past weekend. i'm not sure what brought it on, but -bam- there it was.

i was sitting in the living room, thinking about children's books, or stories from my childhood and remembering my favorite book when i was a young thing with my hair in curly pigtails. little red hen, baby. that was *it* for me. i read that book over and over - just couldn't get enough of it.

(this is when the light bulb went on over my head)

for those of you not familiar with the book, little red hen is a classic children's story about a hen that needs to do certain tasks like plant wheat, harvest wheat, take the wheat to the mill to be made into flour, make bread, cook bread, etc. all through the story, along her path, she asks people to help her do these things. "who will help me plant this wheat? who will help me grind this wheat into flour?", etc. all along the way this hen, who at the heart of things is just tryin to get some shit done.. is told 'not I', by everyone she asks for help. so, God love her, she keeps going and manages to do every single thing by herself with no help from anyone else.

i'm fairly sure that this is why i am the way i am now. i *despise* asking people for help because for so much of my life i've asked for help and haven't gotten it. eventually i became a person that stopped asking and just decided that instead of asking and being disappointed, damnit.. i'd just do it all myself. i *am* the little red hen.

little red hen wins in the end though, because.. not only did she manage to do everything she needed to do without anyone else's help.. but when that bread is baked and everyone offers to help her eat the bread.. she tells them to screw off and eats all the bread herself. YOU GO LITTLE RED HEN#@$!!

i'm also pretty sure that most of us do have a book that may explain a lot about ourselves. i was having this discussion with one of my friends from class, and her book is that "grover" (sesame street) book where grover yells "DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE@#$@#" on every other page of the book. she said this is why she's scared to death of everything as an adult.

so... what's your book?

New record for THON!

2007-02-18T16:25:00.000-05:00

THON raised $5,240,385.17 this year - FOR THE KIDS!

I was at THON this afternoon and it's hard to explain unless you've been there, seen it.. felt it. As soon as we walked through the doors at the BJC - you could feel it. Before you saw the dance floor, or heard the music, or saw the kids - it was there.

We stayed for a while, taking photos and video, and experiencing this amazing, surreal thing that happens once a year on Penn State's campus. I had an emotional breakdown not just once, but several times. It's just that kind of thing.

It amazes me to watch so many people giving so much of themselves to help these families - I'm pretty sure it's what life is all about. Thank you Penn State, for doing this. It makes me proud to be a part of it. Nowhere else - nothing like this.

so far so good..

2007-01-28T16:57:00.000-05:00

"THON" in SL is coming together. I've got musicians donating their time and talent, I have residents of Mill Pond willing to host Penn State trivia and fund prizes from their own money, and I have good friends willing to create and build items to sell during the event including a FANTASMAGASMIC Penn State Cheerleader outfit (Thanks, DrFran - you ROCK!!)

I'll be speaking with some people tomorrow about the possibility of relocating the event to a much larger area that would allow for more people to attend. It's so hard to know what to expect this year since we got into the planning late in the game, and it's hard to plan for the unknown.

BUT!! I think it's going to rock, and the REASON I think it's going to rock is that it's taking place in Second Life where there are tons of people that are very generous and creative. Luckily, I know quite a few of them.

sl thon schedule

2007-01-20T11:06:00.000-05:00

Friday, February 16
7:00OPM EST (4PM PST): Micala Lumiere - Vocalist/Event host
8:00PM EST (5PM PST): Grace McDunnough- Folk singer/guitar
9:00PM EST (6PM PST): Montrealer Moody - Folk singer/guitar
10:00PM EST (7PM PST): Johnny99 Gumshoe - Rock guitar

Saturday, February 17
10:00AM EST (7AM PST): Mic Mahoney and Lydia Ludwig
11:00AM EST (8AM PST): Rich DeSoto - Singer/guitar
12:00PM EST (9AM PST): Kurt Jano - Musician/Composer and Ice Cream Cone Building Class w/ DrFran on the lawn
1:00PM EST (10AM PST): Kirsten Corleone - Vocalist
2:00PM EST (11AM PST): Silas Scarborough - Rock Guitar
3:00PM EST (12PM PST): Johnny99 Gumshoe - Rock guitar
4:00PM EST (1PM PST): Alyssa Haller - PSU student w/ Penn State Trivia and DJ Doubledown Tandino
5:00PM EST (2PM PST): Neil Morrison - Guitar/vocals
6:00PM EST (3PM PST): Astrin Few - Guitar/Vocals
7:00PM EST (4PM PST): Jaywood Duvall - Singer/Songwriter
8:00PM EST (5PM PST): Maximillion Kleene - Singer/guitar
9:00PM EST (6PM PST): Komuso Tokugawa - Generative Ambient Relaxation
10:00PM EST (7PM PST): Montian Gilruth - Singer/guitar
11:00PM EST (8PM PST): Finale/Wrap-Up and Final and "BEST LION" contest- THANK YOU ALL!!

THON

2007-01-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official. The 'virtual' THON is a 'go' and it'll take place in Second Life on February 16 and 17.

I'm in planning mode now and scheduling live musicians and DJs for the event, so if anyone wants to volunteer to perform, please let me know!

For more details on the real "THON", please check here.

I'll be posting the Second Life "Schedule of Events" as a separate blog entry so that it's easily updated and viewable by everyone.

Stay tuned for more details!

the smell of it all

2007-01-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

another poem created for our poetry readings in Second Life - this theme was 'aroma'..

you know how when you've been out at the beach
and you come back inside and you smell like the sea
with your hair all a mess and some sand on your feet...
man, i could use some of that.

and you know how sometimes when you're starving inside
and you pass by a bakery and smell the bread rise
and that one piece of bread is the best of your life...
man, i could use some of that.

and you know how some days in the middle of spring
the freshly-cut grass makes your heart want to sing
and the lilacs are blooming and that sort of thing
man, i love feeling like that.

but the sweetest of things on this earth is the breath
of a small little baby that's been at your breast
whispers of angels on your shoulder will rest
doesn't get any better than that.

-micala 11/12/2006

virtual world making a 'real' difference

2007-01-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

I'm gearing up to host another benefit event in Mill Pond and I'm hoping it'll have an even bigger impact than the first.

I'll be running a virtual version of Penn State's "THON" during the same weekend as the 'real life' THON is taking place here in lovely University Park. I'm planning live musicians to play and donate their time, talents, and tips to the cause, and people will be able to stop by and donate, and purchase t-shirts as well. All the donations will be made in 'lindens' - the currency of Second Life and will then be cashed-out and donated to the THON organization.

Our breast cancer benefit raised over $600US dollars for breast cancer. I'm hoping we can do better than that 'for the kids'.

For anyone interested, it'll be happening February 16-18 at Mill Pond in Second Life. Stop by and help make a difference.

and behind door number 3 we have..

2007-01-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

Montrealer Moody!

Monty's a new guy in Second Life and luckily for all of us on the Mill Pond sim, he was at one of my live music performances and then stopped to ask me afterward how he could go about playing at Mill Pond.

So, we hosted his debut Second Life performance and he's fantastic!! He's got a whole James Taylor/John Denver/folksy/guitar/singy thing going on and he's great.

He'll be singing in our new tea shoppe (Tease) every Monday evening at 6PM SL - so stop by and check him out if you get a chance.

and you know what's the coolest thing about Monty? he's NICE. :)

it's good to feel creative

2007-01-12T10:11:00.000-05:00

i'm working on writing poems with the thinking that they'll actually end up as songs. makes you think and write a bit differently in doing that, but it's all good. here's a poem/song that i've written recently about some long ago events/happenings/... stuff.

A young naive girl with not much to her name
Working for a living while her parents did the same
College student in the day and a waitress every night
Struggling to make it, but making out all right

One day while she was working she turned around to see
This guy comin down the stairs bein all that he could be
Before you knew it she was in his car and meeting mom and dad
And maybe this whole marriage thing, wouldn’t be so bad

The gifts soon followed and the bank account grew
Blessed with two kids, but it was then that she knew
No amount of money and no expensive gift
Would ever take the place of the loving that was missed

And it’s just that I don’t
Think I want to be here anymore
I don’t think I want to see you
Anymore
I don’t want hear your keys
In the door
No, I don’t think I want to be here
Anymore

The days and months grew into years
And soon the smiles turned to tears
Trapped inside her fancy home
Inside a life but not her own

The kids would ask ‘where’s daddy’
But daddy’s not at home
She wondered then where SHE was
And why she was alone

And it’s just that I don’t
Think I want to be here anymore
I don’t think I want to see you
Anymore
I don’t want hear your keys
In the door
No, I don’t think I want to be here
Anymore

I refuse to be here
Anymore
I refuse to be ignored when you walk through the door
I will not let you push me and I will not let you scream
It’s time for me to make a move
And live the life I’ve dreamed

And it’s just that I don’t
Think I want to be here anymore
I don’t think I want to see you
Anymore
I don’t want hear your keys
In the door
No, I don’t think I want to be here
Anymore

i was talking recently to a guy i met in SL named Ren. Ren writes for Terra Nova and we were discussing art/politics/people/avatars/emotions, etc. in that conversation it was mentioned that people think that going online and becoming an avatar sometimes makes people think that they're a completely different person and they're leaving their 'real' persona in some other location. that's just not the case. i think everything you do online, somehow, in some way, reflects who you are as a person even if it's dreamy to think that in 'real life' someone might be a very shy, reserved guy and online they can 'transform' into a flirty, extroverted, sexy woman... somewhere, deep inside, those basic values and thoughts are still the same. not that this is a 'newsflash' for anyone, but i think sometimes it's easy to think that our online and offline personas are completely different. they aren't.

i've also met some people that are incredibly focused on keeping their Second Life avatar as close as they possibly can to the 'real' them that it's almost weird. I mean, I completely respect the fact that some people are all about 'keeping it real' and strive to have their avatars look exactly like them. If that's your thing, do it with zeal, man. I even had one of my residents in Mill Pond request an accessible loft apartment because they're physically challenged in real life. that sort of made me stop and think. like i said, if you're all about keeping it real, then bring it. i'm totally ok with people doing what they're passionate about - but it did make me wonder.. why, in a world where you CAN do anything, be anything.. hell, you can FLY here.. why would someone choose to 'ground' themselves to being what they already know, or already are?

I've been reading about gender issues/sexuality/body image as it relates to Second Life and the fact is that yes, it makes a difference. It makes a difference in 'real' life, and in Second Life it's still all 'real' people behind the avatars, so i find it odd that people are shocked that 'even in the virtual world' people may judge you based on appearance. I also think, however, (and this is just based on my personal experience, but hey.. what isn't) that in online communities, you're really judged more by your ability to spell properly and converse intelligently than by your flexi-hair and sexy skin.

back into the swing..

2007-01-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

you know what, holidays are freaking exhausting. ya think you've got a few weeks off to just take a break, relax, get some rest and enjoy life for a while, and then you wake up and you're already back to work and wondering wtf just happened.

so here we are, back into the routine. back to work, back to doing all of the 'normal' and 'regular' stuff, and i must say.. it's almost LESS exhausting than being off. craziness.

i'm going to start posting some poems here that i've done for our poetry readings in Second Life. i'm sure poetry will pick up again soon (that took a holiday break as well),and this will give me somewhere to post them easily. i could put them on my normal website, but this is easier and right now - i'm all about the easy.

the theme for this poem was 'cupcakes' and 'anticipation'. can't remember whose brilliant idea that was, but here's my go at it:

That creamy, silky goodness
That’s swirled all on top
I just can’t wait to put my tongue
Inside
And lick it up

So so sweet like candy
And dripping down the sides
One little taste is all it takes
To feel that cupcake high

So hard to keep from tasting it
So close and yet so far
Sitting on that counter
Next to the cookie jar

That zig-zag silver wrapper
Holds all that yum inside
If I peel it back, just a little teeny bit
I’ll have to make it mine

I can’t just let it sit there
That would just be wrong
Someone else might take it
When I’ve waited so long

C’mere you little trollop
Our time has come at last
I’m peeling back that silver
But I won’t eat you fast

I’ll wrap my mouth around you
And sink my teeth in slow
Icing all over my lips
And on the tip of my nose

Dear God it tastes like heaven
Each delicious bite
I think I need a cigarette
And more cupcakes for tonight.

-micala 8/22/06

i have bunches more. i'll post them as i get to it or as i feel like it. in fact, that may be the next post.

open sesame

2007-01-08T17:34:00.000-05:00

as i'm sure you all know by now (or at least most of you reading this) Linden Labs has made the decision to release the source code for the SL viewer.

some peeps are flipping out. I believe one person's reaction was "Armaggedon! Outta here!", but in general it seems that most people are thankful and/or optimistic. i think that sure, it's a scary kind of thing but i also think that in the long-run this will only make things better for everyone involved.

it's kind of like telling the world what color panties you're wearing. doesn't mean they're gonna get inside your pants - they just know what color panties you're wearing. ok it's nothing like that really.

seems i've been tagged..

2006-12-22T10:22:00.000-05:00

Seems DrFran has 'tagged' me so I guess I need to at least respond to this tagging of sorts. So, here are five things you don't know about me:

1. I'm not so fond of being tagged.
2. I'm not so fond of telling people things they don't already know about me. If you don't know it already, there's a reason.
3. Sometimes when I sing my mouth fills up with saliva and it's really hard to sing and not drool everywhere. No idea.
4. When I was younger, my Dad had a bird feeder outside our window and one winter my sister and I decided it would be fun to try and get the birds to eat out of our hands. So, we stood in the snow for a LONG time, but finally little birds came and ate birdseed right out of our hands. I got all excited about it and was actually lifting them up and down in my hands. It was great fun until like, a blazillion of them came in and started landing on my head and on my arms/shoulders. Then I kinda freaked.
5. I've never smoked a cigarette or done any other drugs. I do, however, greatly enjoy the IV morphine they give you in the hospital after you've had a c-section.

I reserve the right to not 'tag' anyone else to do this. Mostly because the one person was going to 'tag', was claimed by someone else that DrFran tagged. /tag.

ew, gross

2006-12-21T09:57:00.000-05:00

Several months ago, I was asked to design and build an area in Second Life. I didn't actively promote myself as a builder. I didn't advertise that I was looking for work. People saw what I'd done, told me they wanted me to do the job because of what they'd seen, and there it was.

I hesitated a bit just because I'd only built for myself until that point and wasn't sure how to build for someone else, but I was given a lot of freedom to really do my 'own' thing and designed an area with several buildings that had a great 'feel' to it. I was paid for the work and was told it was perfect and they loved it.

When I visited this spot in Second Life a few days ago, I almost threw up. The work I'd done there has been modified/changed and righteously screwed the hell up.

I honestly wish that they'd just taken down everything I'd done and had started over, because seeing half of my work mixed with half of this putrid nonsense is really hard to deal with. Not to mention the fact that people are still able to see that I was the creator and if they don't look beyond the initial building and see that the rest of it was done by someone else, it really doesn't make me look great as a designer, builder, or artist.

It's not even that they left a few of my buildings and then added some of their own -that would be bad enough, but to see the buildings I created with huge holes in them, and new textures, and tacky-ass, stupid, trashy, (sorry) SHIT all around them, is a freaking nightmare.

When I was doing the building, the thought that someone might modify/change/replace what I'd put there didn't even cross my mind. I guess to me it was more than just some prims with some texture on them. It was truly a creation, a work of art... and I feel like I've been vandalized or assaulted.

I wonder how Da Vinci would have felt if he'd done the Mona Lisa, sold it, and the new owner decided she'd look better as a blonde.

hands Joel Stein a penis...

2006-12-18T14:06:00.001-05:00

some people get it.. some people don't.

no doubt about it, there's a lot of Second Life "buzz" out there causing a lot of people to check it out. it seems, however, that a lot of people just don't 'get it'. I really do think that perhaps you have to be a certain kind of person to really understand the magnitude of something like Second Life.

Yes it's a CPU hog, yes it takes a pretty decent graphics card, and yes you need a broadband connection to make it work. BUT.. #@$@# .. the opportunities it presents are worth those things.

Joel Stein recently ventured into Second Life and has given us this gem of an article about it.

Joel (ima call him Joel since I feel so close to him after this article) tried to end his write-up on a 'sweet' note, but I'm still left with an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I don't think you needed to drop $5 for a really sweet penis Joel. Seems you've got the whole 'dick' thing going for you already.

i'd like to thank the academy..

2006-12-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

Time magazine has voted me their 'Person of the Year' for 2006, and i'd just like to take this moment to say 'thanks', and to thank everyone that made this possible.

Thank you to Time for this honor. It's an honor I could never have dreamed of receiving. All of those countless hours on IRC, the time spent developing my website, the numerous blog entries.. I just had no idea it would pay off like this.

Thank you also to Second Life for providing us with the opportunity to take 'online communities' to the next level. You guys take a lot of shit, sometimes deservedly, but I have to say that in general.. you rock my world. So, thank you to Linden Labs.

Thank you, also, to all of the friends I've met in online communities over the last 12 years. There are far too many to mention them all, but of particular importance are my husband Reginald Golding and my best friend Grace McDunnough. Thank you for all your support and for constantly putting up with my shit.

Thank you to all of my fans. Without you, none of this would have been possible. *sob*

Ok seriously.. Time magazine has said that "you" are the Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" - "you" being everyone involved in the 'information age". So, congratulations everyone. Give yourself a pat on the back for me, and buy yourself somethin special to celebrate. Maybe a new laptop.

feel it

2006-12-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

While I recognize the necessity for a basis of observed reality... true art lies in a reality that is felt. Odilon Redon

This quote just about wraps it up for me. I'm all about 'feeling' art. If it doesn't make you feel anything then there's no point to it in my opinion. I think this is why I enjoy Second Life as much as I do. I get immediate gratification for something I build, or photograph, or perform, or write. I can immediately see, hear, and even feel how others are reacting to something I've done. It sounds almost selfish typed out that way, but that's not how it's intended.

Some artists seem to be into art just for the 'shock' value that comes from presenting a work they've done, and although that's not what I'm about, still.. in some way, they're making people 'feel', and I can respect that. I can certainly respect that much more than someone that creates art that just sits there being bland.

I think that's one of my biggest fears. Making something that 'just sits there' and doesn't make anyone feel anything. Hopefully, keeping myself involved in creative processes will lessen the possibility of that happening. If I keep building, keep creating, keep singing, keep writing.. chances are good that out of all of those things, something will hit home for someone.

the virtual 'fridge'

2006-12-09T21:47:00.000-05:00

I got myself a new 'artist' version of magnetic poetry. I love that stuff. The very first magnetic poetry set I bought was in NYC at the Natural History museum. I was so excited to see some, that I grabbed in without really looking at it. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I'd purchased the "Endangered Species" version.

So, a little while later I picked up the "love" version, and then the 'normal' version. As you can imagine, we have some interesting poetry on the fridge these days.

So, now I have the artist version. Here's today's poem:

I will scream softly at wasted water

for absurd pictures form when paint shimmers dry

I see music in life

that can only appear through this canvas.

diamonds in the sky

2006-12-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

To express hope by some star, the eagerness of a soul by a sunset radiance. Certainly there is nothing in that of stereoscopic realism, but is it not something that actually exists?

(Vincent Van Gogh)

Working in, and spending a lot of time in the virtual world makes you begin to question things. The virtual consists of things that can't be physically touched - I mean - yes I can touch my computer, and the monitor and the mouse to create this world, but when I'm inside the world I cannot touch and physically feel with my hands the coldness of the pond I've made, or the bricks on the wall I've built. I can't taste the coffee my avatar is drinking, I don't get drunk if Micala has a few too many sips of her virtual merlot or chardonnay.

And yet, in the evenings, when I'm sitting on the dock by the pond, watching that virtual sun set on the grid, I DO feel peaceful, I do feel relaxed. I do have a sort of serenity that washes over me from experiencing what may not be 'real'.

Maybe it's back to the whole 'if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound' way of thinking. Maybe all art is about that, in its essence. If I paint an amazingly fantabulous picture, and yet it never makes anyone 'feel'.. what's the point. Does it exist at all?

The work I do in Second Life is more than just making a picture, or taking a photo or 'building' something with rudimentary tools. It's about creating an atmosphere, a space, that makes people *feel* a certain way.

Maybe the virtual is a space where things actually can be physically felt... just not by your hands.

blown away

2006-12-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

if you've read any of my blog, you know that i'm starting grad school next month. i am so incredibly excited about this opportunity that it's almost difficult for me to put it into words. i graduated from college in 1990, but even when I was going to college then, i was never really 'passionate' about what i was doing. i did it because 'eh' it was ok, and i felt like i needed to get a degree in something, so i did.

so, now that i'm actually in a position to pursue something that moves me, something that makes me 'feel', something i can honestly and truly be passionate about, it's.. well. pretty freaking cool, that's what.

anyway, i'll be in the MFA program in new media here at penn state, and my focus is virtual worlds and specifically second life. it's an exciting field and an exciting medium, but i'm already finding some challenges.

in meeting some of the other graduate students on monday, i found myself challenged by how to 'explain' what i do. if you're a painter, or a sculptor, or someone working with ceramics, you're in a very 'tactile' environment and you can touch, and feel and even smell your art. in the virtual world, however, none of these things really 'exist' and so explaining this is a bit challenging.

now that i'm beginning to think about my art in a different way, and how i might best represent my art in a gallery show, for instance, i'm running a million different ideas, expressions and viewpoints through my mind at any given time. my head's starting to hurt a bit from this, but in all pain comes.... somethin. i dunno what. a good idea, maybe.

so one of my original ideas was to create 'immersive' art inside this already, truly, 'immersive' world. so, for instance, if you like the water lily painting by Monet, maybe you can actually walk *through* this painting and find yourself inside the actual landscape there, with water and flowers and even sounds surrounding you. you're experiencing the art in ways you never could have in the 'real' world.

now, add to this that i'm also really into music and performing. music is a big part of who i am and it's important to me. so then i started thinking of ways to include that as well in my art. i thought that perhaps it would be cool to choose songs, or music that inspires me and then create a work of immersive art based on that music.

the one song really hitting home with me right now is a song by Missy Higgins called "They Weren't There". Here are some lyrics:

But they weren't there beneath your stare,
and they weren't stripped 'till they were bare
of any bindings from the world outside that room.
And they weren't taken by the hand and led through fields
of naked land where any pre-conceived ideas were blown away...
so I couldn't say "no".

in thinking about the virtual, this song brings a lot of my thoughts into focus. In the virtual world, you're not bound at all by what's in reality, and perhaps much of what a person might see, or do, or experience inside the virtual would 'blow away' any pre-conceived ideas they might have.

today as i was googling for artist quotes, i ran across this quote and was struck by how much it reminded me of the missy higgins lyrics and what i was already thinking:

We can transform reality to the extent that we influence what happens in consciousness and thus free ourselves from the threats and blandishments of the outside world.(Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)

the virtual really is a place where these things can happen. i'm starting to think that what we need to do is bring more virtual into our current reality.

survey SAYS.....

2006-12-04T09:46:00.000-05:00

I've been reading some posts/articles about the USC/Annenberg Digital Futures project today and although it's nothing that i think i didn't already know, i think it's the first thing i've read that has made me think 'see, i *knew* it!'.

In a nutshell, the study basically says that online communities and online communication are the bomb and anyone who's anyone knows it. (My spin, of course).

You really should take some time to read some highlights from the study but in case you don't get a chance, here are some of the big things (in my mind):

* "Participation in online communities leads to social activism. Almost two thirds of online community members who participate in social causes through the Internet (64.9 percent)say they are involved in causes that were new to them when they began participating on the Internet.And more than 40 percent (43.7 percent) of online community members participate more in social activism since they started participating in online communities.

~*~I think we've seen this play out time and again in Second Life. Whether it's the ACS "Relay for Life" or a Habitat for Humanity benefit, Alzheimer's Association benefit, or the Breast Cancer Awareness Benefit that I held in Second Life, people are socially aware, and active in these causes. People are willing to donate their time, talent, and funds in ways I've never witnessed before. I had to turn people away from performing at my benefit because there simply wasn't enough time. People involved in online communities *care*.~*~

* Internet users are finding growing numbers of online friends, as well as friends they first met online and then met in person. Internet users report having met an average of 4.65 friends online whom they have never met in person. Internet users report an average of 1.6 friends met in person whom they originally met online -- more than double the number when the Digital Future Project began in 2000.

~*~I cannot tell you how many friends I have that I met intially in an online community of some sort. My best friends were met in this way.~*~

* Responding to a question last asked in 2002, 42.8 percent of Internet users agree that going online has increased the number of people they regularly stay in contact with -- marginally less than the 46.6 percent who voiced the same response four years ago.

~*~I also find this to be the case. I'm not sure why, exactly and if you have any input on that let me know, but it's true. Maybe it's because being online and meeting people and learning the value of belonging to a community or a group affects all of our personal interactions and makes us just a bit more aware of how important communication truly is.~*~

* For the first time the percentage of women going online was higher than the number of men.

~*~It's about damn time - I'm sure all the men are thrilled. I guess this increases the chances that any females you meet online are actually women!.~*~

There are a bunch of other cool things, but these were important to me.

I had been thinking about this actually, before I read this study because of some readings I had to do for my art class this semester. The readings had to do with technology and our personal identities and they talked about how iPods, laptops, etc are forcing people into their own 'little worlds' and are keeping them from interacting with others and in essence 'shutting themselves off' from their surroundings. In thinking about this, although of course technology is an ever-evolving thing, and forces us to perhaps see things with different perspectives on a daily basis (at least I hope it does), this doesn't necessarily mean that we're turning into technozombies who don't care about anything outside our 'happy place'.

Maybe all we needed all along was to have some 'time' with our iPod or our laptop, alone, with only our thoughts to be able to see more clearly what's going on around us and become more active participants in what some of us call "the real world".

it's gettin' hot in here...

2006-12-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

It's not, actually. It's QUITE chilly indeed at Mill Pond right now. We've transformed the whole sim into a veritable winter wonderland of magic for the holiday season and it's shaping up to be a very enjoyable time.

We've got ice skating, an igloo, a gingerbread house, snowpeople, sleds, blizzard machines.. you name it. It's a blast. I've uploaded some photos to flickr so check those out.

My best friend Grace recently posted about the NBC tree lighting event in Second Life and I'm going to have to agree with her on her post. I must say that when I arrived in the NBC 17 sim, I was really impressed with how realistic it was. The texture work was really very good and they captured the 'feel' of the area fairly well. There were free gifts around in cute boxes under the trees (scarves, hats, mittens) and they had the ice skating rink just like Rockefeller Center does. It was all very 'pretty', but it was lacking.

What was lacking? The energy and excitement that you'd feel at the real event. It was very mundane, and dull. You could walk around or ice skate, but that was it. No shopping, no doing anything else really except chatting with folks who were as bored as you were waiting for it to happen. And truly, when the tree was lit? I was awfully 'eh' about it. Plus as Grace mentioned, we were being shot into the air by a griefer that was apparently even more bored than we were.

Yes, it was realistic as far as the textures and 'feel' of the area.. but where was the love? Where was the excitement and energy? Where were the crowds of people huddled close together to keep warm. Where were the puffs of icy breath from people's mouths as they stood waiting for that magical moment when the huge tree would come to life? It wasn't there.

I think that some events translate beautifully into this world, but after attending the tree lighting event.. I also think that some are better left in the 'real' world.

hooray for winter fest

2006-11-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

I've turned my Second Life sim of Mill Pond into a magical, wintery wonderland of fun for the upcoming month and I must say, my heart is all tingly because of it. It seems so odd to me, that in the transformation of the sim from 'summer' to 'winter', it actually *feels* cold there now. I dress my avatar in sweaters, and scarves and long pants because if she's in anything else, I feel cold. I laughingly said inside Second Life that I'd like to study why that is, but I really would. I may have to look into this.

Why, in a virtual world, with just an image on my monitor, do I feel cold, or warmth, or fright, or anger. It's interesting stuff, lovelies. Think about it.

Mill Pond's the place to be

2006-11-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

One of my good friends, DrFran (her blog's listed on the right there) just emailed me a link to another blog that references Gracie's L'Alph Art Gallery and her magnetic poetry board, and talks about Mill Pond as well. Cool stuff!

I have at least 3-4 people every day asking me if there are places to rent and live in Mill Pond. It amazes me, truly. I have 20 rental units there and they are all full. I think if I put up 20 more, they'd fill up in no time. I could, but if I did, then I think the whole 'feel' of the area would be lost. I think part of what attracts people to Mill Pond really is the sense of community and feeling of 'home' there. It's a gorgeous, relaxing, spiritual place I think. I'm glad so many people love it as much as I do.

i'm a nice girl, really

2006-11-20T22:47:00.000-05:00

Ok so here's the deal, listen up. When I started this blog, I really wanted/needed it to be a place where I can say exactly what I feel. This is really my journal - this isn't just a place to say pretty and 'appropriate' mindless things. So. That being said.. I know that there will be people reading this that might be shocked at some things I might say from time to time and that's ok, but I can't write things with the goal of not offending anyone. I'll never succeed at that.

So, this is my blog, my place, my space.. to say what I feel, and to feel what I want. If anything said here offends you, or shocks you, or makes you look at me differently, then so be it. This is me.

introducing, Mr. Virtually Fantastic himself.. Reginald Golding!

2006-11-20T22:41:00.000-05:00

Reginald is actually my husband (his real name is Daniel) but in SecondLife his name is Reginald Golding and he's today's "virtually fantastic" person because his blog makes me laugh, and because he made a prim rubik's cube with EIGHTY FREAKING ONE prims when it could have been made with ONE. :)

three day work week

2006-11-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

So this Thursday is Thanksgiving. I'll be spending the day at my Mom's house with Mom, Dad, sister, her husband, their three kids, and my husband and our three kids. Should be an interesting day.

The thing I'm most thankful for this week is that I only have to be at work for three days of it. I'm bored with work these days. I've been in this position for four years and at first it was very exciting, but really.. the admissions cycle just keeps rolling year after year with basically all the same stuff each time. There are aspects about my job that I really do like very much. For instance, I *love* giving presentations on Penn State to high school students and their parents, and talking to them about all we can offer, and all the options they have. It feels good to feel 'helpful'. I dig that. Other than that, though.. I'm starting to really not like the fact that there's no way for me to be creative in this job. I think that the more I become involved in the art field, the less I enjoy jobs that limit my creativity. So, hopefully a change is on the way and I can start to enjoy my 'job' again.

virtually fantastic gracie..

2006-11-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

today's virtually fantastic person is my fabulous friend, gracie. she's smart, she's funny, and her new prim hair is f'ing gorgeous. she also has a great blog - phasing grace - it's linked to the right there.. you should be aware, however, that if you go there and you completely dig her stuff (and you will), you can't have her cause she's my friend. prim hair and all.

class project

2006-11-17T19:43:00.000-05:00

Here's my latest project for class. This was done in illustrator. I discussed my motivation for this in an earlier blog, but basically it's just that the american public is starting to have a bit more say in the political world now that blogging and things like youtube offer immediate access to stupid shit that politicians are doing. Political manipulation has moved from the politician to the people.

I am virtually fantastic!!

2006-11-17T19:19:00.000-05:00

Today is a good day. I got word today that I was officially accepted into the MFA program in New Media at Penn State University! Let the rejoicing begin!

I'm crazy excited about this opportunity. It's taken me a few years, actually, to really find something I was passionate enough about to want to do it for the rest of my life, but I think I may have found it.

I officially start in spring semester, which begins in the middle of January. I'm excited, nervous, scared, anxious.. all rolled into one.

today's virtually fantastic person is........ drum roll please!..

2006-11-16T14:36:00.000-05:00

Nigella Lawson!

If you haven't seen this woman, you really need to check her out. She's the most 'sensual' chef I've ever seen on Food Network. This woman can eat a boiled egg and make you want to touch yourself. Seriously.

So the first 'virtually fantastic' goes to Nigella.

two steps away...

2006-11-16T13:28:00.000-05:00

As of today, we're only two dudes away from having a female president. Nancy Pelosi was chosen Speaker of the House today - the first woman ever to hold the position. That's pretty cool, I'm thinking.. then I realize - If anything were to happen to the president and vice-president? Bam! Female president! That rocks.

Then I got to thinking about how I'd be as president. I'm thinking not so good. I'd suck as the President of the United States. I'd get in a cranky-ass mood or be pissed off about something, and the next thing you know we'd be at war with God knows what country for God knows what. Oh hey wait.. maybe this whole Iraq thing just started cause George was in a bad mood one day. I can see how it could happen. Thing is, now we're kinda stuck there and people are all dying and shit - that part kinda sucks. Plus now he can't really say 'oh, my bad, that was a jacked-up decision' cause then he looks even worse for making all of those people die for NOTHING really, but.. aren't we already doing that anyway? Does ANYONE ever really think that things will improve so dramatically in the middle east that one day we'll be able to say "There see! It was all worth it!"

I don't think so, either.

i understand illustrator better now, but it still sucks

2006-11-15T20:20:00.000-05:00

ok, i'm finished with my illustrator project. i don't know if i love it, or hate it, but it's done so i'm not thinking about it anymore. i'm also writing a 'self-critique' for this project (which really doesn't seem to be the appropriate term, because really it's more of an artists' statement than a self-critique, but whatever) that will explain how social change (ie. blogging, youtube, etc) has led to the swing in power of political manipulation from the politicians to the public. that's my story and i'm sticking with it.

why oh why does illustrator suck

2006-11-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

i'm taking a Beginning New Media art course this semester. This is a photo of our 'project' from unit one of the course - photoshop.

unit two is sucking majorly. illustrator. enough said. i'm not really a 'drawy' kind of person so i'm not really digging this section, but.. it'll be over soon.

on a completely different note.. i had some major difficulties with streaming live music in second life last night - my stream just hasn't been the same lately. hopefully i can figure out how to fix that soon. it seems that it's because my CPU is so taxed with running Second Life and iTunes that the stream itself gets all choppy and skips a lot. so, I guess i'm going to try running second life on one computer, and my stream on another. that should be interesting.

performing tonight!

2006-11-13T12:48:00.000-05:00

I'll be performing live in Second Life tonight at Mill Pond at 5:30PM Pacific Time -

Stop by if you get a chance!

it's not funny

2006-11-13T12:39:00.000-05:00

Second Life has been having some major issues over the last week or so. Over the weekend, we experienced significant region crashes, severe lag, major inventory issues, teleporting issues, database issues.. etc, etc.

In reading the latest blog entry from SL, it almost feels as like this is some joke to them, and frankly.. it's not funny. We're talking major bucks here people. Some residents are giving you TONS of money, to make sure this stuff works. These are not minor issues or small inconveniences. As you have said so many times.. 'this is not a game'. It's not a game, nor is it a joke. Fix it.

And yet, another release is scheduled for this Wednesday. Two days from now. All this crap is broken and truly, has been broken for quite a while now. Does no one at Linden Labs say to themselves "Hmm.. you think maybe we should fix all the BROKEN shit before we put some new stuff out there?". HELLO PEOPLE, wake up!

I adore Second Life, I truly do. I think it's amazing, wonderful, magical thing. But come on peeps.. shit's jacked up and it needs to be addressed and fixed before moving on.

you spin me right round, baby

2006-11-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

the live music scene in second life (everyone always calls it that.. i'm not sure why actually but there it is) grows every day. every single day there are more people there performing, playing, singing, and making music. it's pretty freaking amazing.

i'm a live performer in second life, and i sing in there once or twice a week usually. i *love* doing it, it's so much fun and it's one of the things i love most about second life. i was really nervous, though, to start it. there are so many amazingly talented people in second life that play and sing, that i felt at first that since i was 'only' a singer maybe i shouldn't perform. it took a little while for me to recognize the fact that part of what makes second life so great, is that there's room for everyone - and when i say everyone, i mean EVERYONE.

second life is promoted as a place where you can 'be whatever you like' or 'be what you dream', and let me tell you, there are people living that out every day. furries, tinies, elves, prostitutes, people into the whole 'gor' lifestyle.. you name it, and it's probably there.

for the most part, people in second life really don't care what you're into. everyone's part of the larger community there and that's what it comes down to. am i into the 'gor' lifestyle? no, i'm not.. but can i respect that other people want to experience that? i sure can. i wonder sometimes if it's in the 'doing' and 'learning' that we make our decisions. if second life is a place that allows people to experiment and learn, then i think that's a great thing. if that makes us more conscious, caring, open-minded individuals in our 'offline' lives, then i'm all for it.

anyway, back to the music stuff.. there are a ton of musicians there and if you haven't been to any live music events, you really should go. they're always so 'real' and so welcoming. do some of the musicians suck? yeah, some kind of do.. and you know what? maybe some people think i suck too... but.. it's not about that.

it's not about whether you suck or don't suck.. or whether people love your music. it's about sharing the experience and respecting what other people are doing. it's a big step to put yourself and your talent out there to the criticism of others.. but it seems that in second life, the music and art communities at least, are all about respecting and recognizing the differences we all have... and making the most of it.

and the crowd goes wild..

2006-11-08T07:52:00.000-05:00

i'd call election day a success, at least for Pennsylvania. Rick Santorum's out and that can only mean good things. The Dems have control of the house now, and hopefully the senate will follow, but time will tell there.

i've never been a hugely political person, but i think because of the class i'm taking now, where we are actually forced to *think* about political manipulation and social change, it's made me stop and think about things a little bit more. for that, I'm glad.

so my next project for class is to create a poster representing political manipulation, or social change and irony, or anything along those lines. i'm thinking i'll focus on political manipulation because although the initial thought that pops into my mind there (and probably everyone else's) is that we're being manipulated constantly by our politicians putting their own 'spin' on whatever it is they want to accomplish so that we'll go along with their crazy-ass ideas. but.. i'm thinking that if i do the 'political manipulation' idea, i'll use the politicians themselves as the puppets.. because truly when it all falls out.. we're pulling the strings here and if they make some wrong moves, we'll pull the floor out from under them.

how 'bout it, Mr. Santorum.

rock it

2006-11-07T09:37:00.000-05:00

it's election day, lovelies, so get out there and rock it.

let's play a game - i'll give you a quote, you pick the asshole that said it. here goes..

"The idea is that the state doesn't have rights to limit individuals' wants and passions. I disagree with that. I think we absolutely have rights because there are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire."

guesses? anyone? (giving you some time to think....... *hums the Jeopardy theme song*...)

it's my current state senator Rick Santorum. that dude needs to go.

rock it, lovelies. rock it.

bush is the devil, you know.

2006-11-05T21:59:00.000-05:00

So this was my assignment for class this week. I'm taking a new media art course this semester and this was the image I made for this week. I was planning to do a whole 'twist' on the 'Bush is the devil" thing by using pubic hair to represent a 'bush', but it didn't quite work out. So, this is it.

Maybe I'll post my assignments every week now. Unless they suck, then I'm not showing them to you.

quiet little house

2006-11-05T19:51:00.000-05:00

This weekend we had some friends over that we'd met on Second Life. It was f'ing fantastic. It still amazes me how you can connect with people in an online community and then have that translate so beautifully into the offline world.

I know that a lot of people are showing a 'fake front' online and pretending to be things they aren't, I think we all probably see that on a daily basis. But now and then, my lovelies, you find a few gems in all of that crazy-ass dirt and they make it all worthwhile.

I've been in online communities in some form or another for about 10 years now and I have met some of my favorite people in the world that way, and the people I hung out with this weekend are at the top of that group.

Kristauf, Jamin and Gracie.. you guys rock. I love you all.

don't leave, DrFran!

2006-11-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

A lot has been going on with Second Life lately. There's a big commotion about the private island price hike, and the chaos that surrounded that fiasco. Basically, Linden Labs decided to raise the price of private islands by closing down the ability to purchase them, then telling everyone, "hey, when we decide to sell islands again, there will be 150 available at the old price, then they jump by a huge amount effective immediately".
Brilliant, I know.

Anyway, because so many people threw a fit, they apparently decided that was a bad decision and have now said that until November 15, private islands can be purchased at the current price. After that date the price will increase (by an additional $100/month - not small change, here).

So, because of all of this, I think a lot of people are taking another look at how much Second Life means to them and if this extra cost would be worth it. I know I have been. I've decided that if the price of my current island goes up another $100/month, that I'll no longer keep that island. Yeah it's great to have your own space, and it's great to feel like you're in control of that land in ways that you couldn't be if you were on the mainland with everyone else, but that's not what it's all about for me.

Second Life for me is about the community there, and the ability to be creative and meet new people and share my work with others. Can I still do that without my own island? Absolutely. Will it allow me to have the same control I have now? Probably not, but that's ok. I'll still be able to build, and sing, and make art, and hang out with my friends if I'm not on my own island, and I'm ok with that. To be honest, the part that upsets me most in thinking about giving up my island is that the people that have come to make "Mill Pond" their 2nd home, will have to move. That's disappointing for me because my whole goal was to make Mill Pond an area where people would want to be, to relax, and hang out, and be creative and comfortable. So to have that go away would make me sad.

*On another note, one of my favorite people in Second Life has become disinterested in it and is considering leaving. Don't leave, DrFran :( we'd miss you.

so sad..

2006-11-01T10:54:00.000-05:00

My husband just posted me a link to another blog where someone is discussing how Second Life is ruining THEIR life. I found this post to be completely and totally amusing. I guess because I've spent years in IRC and have seen the drama that unfolds in that virtual 'community' and have now spent a significant amount of time in Second Life and have seen the differences between the two, this blog entry made me laugh. Out loud.

I find myself doing the same thing this person is complaining about. I never sign onto IRC anymore - I'm always in Second Life? Why? Well for the orgasms, of course! Kidding.

I think I've been attracted to both of these things because there truly does exist a sense of community in each. You meet REAL people and come to form 'real' relationships. But dang, once you add pictures, that whole IRC thing isn't so neat anymore. IRC for me now is like comparing hamburger to filet mignon. I'm not gonna hang around eating ground beef if I can click a different button and end up with filet mignon. Second Life is my filet mignon right now, and I'm no longer hungry for hamburger.

However, it should be noted, that if the market price of filet mignon continues to increase as it has been, while the quality of the meat continues to decline... ground beef may become the meal of choice.

if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you?

2006-10-31T13:56:00.000-05:00

so everyone else is blogging now, why the hell shouldn't i. although i'm fairly sure that i have about 10 blogs started somewhere or another that i never actually keep up with, so at this point what's one more .. really.

i 'googled' myself the other day (if you've never done that, you really should). i learned in the googling that my 'online' persona/avatar/alter ego.. whatever you'd like to call her, is MUCH more famous/popular/'out there' than my 'offline'/real/non-avatar person. so then i started thinking about that.

is it because 'micala' is much more outgoing than shannon? is micala more artistic/creative/aware than shannon is? because damn, this micala chick is EVERYWHERE and she doesn't even TRULY exist other than as a created part of who *i* am.

i think i'm jealous of my own persona. wtf.

virtually fantastic

Every single day of the year...

this is reality..

Tag... you're it

I want...

A neat thing from a friend..

The Virtually Fantastic DrFran Babcock!

New look for the coffee shop

This whole "CSI" thing in SL

Open Latte on Lane's List

"I want you"

Burning Life in Second Life makes me sad this year

this made me laugh..

sexy motherpucker

image for today

I have a lot of hair..

chashama gallery in NYC

"Wired" magazine article RE: SL and Business

Penn State and Second Life

poem from a friend..

art show opening August 11th in NYC - open invitation

Companies leaving Second Life? Wow, what a shock

*licks Skitch alllllll over*

postcard project

NYC Art Show - August 6-27

let's play

s.o.t.d.

s.o.t.d.

Grace McDunnough

Lyndon Heart

Chillin' in Mill Pond

Freestar Tammas in Mill Pond

Folk Fest Wrap-up

s.o.t.d. #2

folk fest time

s.o.t.d.

feelin' hot, hot, hot

new mill pond site

like a chick in a candy shop!

s.o.t.d.

so these three artists walk into a bar...

check this out!

what's with the sense of entitlement?

s.o.t.d.

tori amos = yum.

now that I've seen it...

Mill Pond Folk Festival

s.o.t.d

s.o.t.d. (song of the day, new feature)

See Dick Run

song of the day...

Best cab driver in San Francisco... Carlos!!

Macmillan Publishing sucks

Maura O'Connell.. virtually fantastic

little by little

very cool thing..

ah, the good old days when art was art

what's your book

New record for THON!

so far so good..

sl thon schedule

THON

the smell of it all

virtual world making a 'real' difference

and behind door number 3 we have..

it's good to feel creative

back into the swing..

open sesame

seems i've been tagged..

ew, gross

*hands Joel Stein a penis*...

i'd like to thank the academy..

feel it

the virtual 'fridge'

diamonds in the sky

blown away

survey SAYS.....

it's gettin' hot in here...

hooray for winter fest

Mill Pond's the place to be

licks Skitch alllllll over

hands Joel Stein a penis...

I am virtually fantastic!!

today's virtually fantastic person is........ drum roll please!..

bush is the devil, you know.