Folders and Boxes and Landmarks, Oh My!

Actual photo of me sorting inventory. You can tell I'm absolutely ecstatic. 

If you ever want to strike up a conversation with strangers on the grid but you're not sure what to say, just bring up your ginormous inventory. In Second Life, complaining about the endlessness of inventory sorting is the social equivalent of talking about the weather.

Not everyone's inventory is a mess. I've heard stories of the mythical creatures who have excellent habits, placing each item into the correct folder the moment they unpack it. 

I am not one of those people.

I wish I had a magical solution to share, but I don't. My inventory is so far gone, I'm not sure it can be saved. It can't hurt to work on it from time to time though, especially after a few weekend shopping sprees. I usually start by deleting all the demos I've accumulated, followed by landmarks. 

I never use landmarks to get anywhere. depending mostly on my teleport history or search. Stores and clubs move to a new home or relocate their landing zone and you can't be sure where you'll end up. Nothing makes me stabby like TPing to a store and landing in a wall. The few LMs I do use regularly are saved in my favorites bar. So most landmarks get deleted.

After that is the sorting. It helps to have a second inventory window, making it easier to drag and drop things into the right folder. 

So many folders.

You have one for "shoes?" Great! But is it divided in to "flats" and "heels?" And did you divide the flats in to "sandals" and "dress?" Then you can break it down in to colors, if you're a control freak and never want to see the outside world again.

If mine makes it to "shoes" I consider it a success.

I occasionally see sorting parties pop up, where folks get together and chit chat while they work on their inventories. I think that's a grand idea. It's a lonely, boring business done alone. 

I've just come to accept the imperfection of my own collections of stuff and things. It's not totally out of control, just a little messy. And it's a great conversation starter.

I hope ya'll have a great week! Begin something magical. 

A New Avatar Look, Weekend Sales and Pet Peeves

Why is it giving Lindsay Lohan?

 Do you ever log on and just, on a whim, decide you need to change your whole look?

That was me recently. I had made the move to LaraX a while back, but I couldn't find clothes to fit, so I gave up. When shopping for a new skin the other day, I discovered I'd have to change bodies if I wanted the newest one. There wasn't an option for Maitreya Lara. I browsed the weekend sales to make sure I'd be able to at least cover my bits and pieces until I could build up a new wardrobe, verified that I could, and made the switch. 

Sometimes I want to embrace every new thing when it comes out, other times I wish nothing would change. 

Before I go any further, a bit of advice. Always save a copy of your current look before you start messing around with shapes and skins. Somehow I end up trying to do too much and either my viewer or my computer gives up and I have to re-log. At one point yesterday I had hands so big I could have swatted planes, and no way to fix them other than log off. 

It wasn't a good look.

Today I started hitting up some of the weekend sales and was pleased to find plenty of LaraX options. I may have picked up more, but sometimes it's nearly impossible to tell what's on sale. I usually go through the galleries on Seraphim to see what's out there and sometimes either the image is so dark you can't make it out, or it shows a beautiful, modern avatar with fabulous hair, clothing and jewelry with no way of knowing what they're selling.  

Yes I need to see how it fits, but a cute little pudgy navel is telling me nothing about the necklace around their neck.

I suppose some may say that it's a way to get people to their shop, forcing them to teleport over to see what they've got, but not everyone has that kind of time.

It's right up there with landing at an event and not being able to find where it is when you get there. Or landing at the bottom of the ocean when you just wanted to go dancing. 

Sorry, I didn't mean for this to turn into a pet peeves post. 

As for the new look, I'm not sold on it. I need to tinker around with it a bit more. I do love the skin. 

Anyway, what are some of ya'll's shopping pet peeves? How often do you change your look from bodies to skins and hair? Let me know in the comments! 

Have a spectacular weekend! We'll talk again soon.

Sitting at the Cool Kids Table and Wiggling My Pixel Booty

This is my thinking face. Or maybe I smell something. Could be both.

It’s been a weird couple of weeks for me in SL.

Back on the 2nd, I attended a Zoom meeting with Philip Rosedale. Linden Lab was announcing the launch of the web-based Second Life experience (which I’m sure you’ve heard about by now). There were many bloggers there, including some whose work I’ve admired for a long time, like Strawberry Linden. I remember when she was just an SL blogger like the rest of us.

I felt like I was having lunch at the cool kids’ table.

I stayed off camera and stuck to text. It was my very first Zoom meeting ever, so I was careful not to click anything.

After more years in SL than I care to admit, it was also the first time I felt like Linden Lab really wanted to know what we, as residents, thought.

Fast forward to yesterday. While wiggling my pixel booty at Wet Willie’s, I checked in on the forums to see what was new. I happened to see a post from Darcy Linden saying he’d be in-world at 1 PM to talk more about the Character Designer project. It was almost 1 o’clock when I saw the message, so I TPed over.

There was a nice turnout—maybe 10 to 15 of us—plus Kali Linden and Viola Mole. Darcy answered lots of questions and shared a bit more about what to expect in the coming weeks. Granted, most of it was over my head, but I learned a little and it was cool to see the avatars of people I’ve read about on the forums.

Afterward, I went back to my little house, sat on the porch with a hot cup of coffee, and thought, “What is happening? Am I hobnobbing with the cool kids now? AM I A COOL KID???”

And then I got excited, splashed hot coffee down the front of my dress, and realized that no, I’m still the same clumsy, awkward Mahala I’ve always been. I’ll probably have to stay on my sky island for a few days to get back to normal.

I hope y'all have an awesome week ahead. We'll talk again soon!

When Backdrops Fail: A Creative Solution in Second Life

I'm aware of the hand clipping. Someday I'll be able to get Anypose. 

I recently popped over to Backdrop City for the first time in a while. Anyone who takes lots of pictures knows they have a HUGE selection of Second Life-inspired background images. I was met with a sign announcing changes to their setup. Now, instead of having all the individual background builds, they have rezzers, making it possible to offer even more options. This sounded like a great idea to me, so I decided to give it a try.

I wanted to use my Supernatural (TV show)-inspired Impala as a prop, so I thought it would be a good idea to start with a gas station or garage image. I scrolled through until I found the perfect one, tried to rez it, and a "region full" error message popped up.

Dang it.

I tried a few different ones (the definition of insanity) to no avail, and finally gave up and TP'd back home. After some thought over a game of BubblePop, I came up with a solution.

Since it was a car-themed shot, why not just head down the road a bit to the nearest rez zone? I have the region to myself most of the time anyway, so it's not like I'd be blocking traffic—well, except for the occasional pod tour, but I'm used to dodging those. I adjusted the environment settings, added some light, the car, a pose stand, and some fog. Above is the result. There's another angle on my Instagram page, if you'd like to check it out.

I think places like Backdrop City are great, but sometimes we get used to the convenience of using premade atmospheres when we have everything we need right in our backyard. 

Think of all the quirky little builds along SL roadways and how cool they'd be for a photo backdrop. Granted, rezzing props would be an issue, but you can get creative with attachments. 

What tricks have you learned for getting the perfect shot?

Let me know below and we'll talk again soon!

A.I., Chatbots and Landscaping Mainland

My happy little corner of the mainland.

Did ya'll hear about the new AI chatbots Linden Lab is working on? I can't wait to play around with it! At first I thought it was going to be like Smartbots, which are great if you have a business with a storefront or office and are looking for a presence there. I have one alt I've used with them, Dean. He was the greeter for Puddles, the discussion venue, and the club I ran after that. He was fun to play with (get your mind out of the gutter, not like THAT.) You can find more information about the AI Character Designer here.

I used to joke that Dean just wanted to be a real boy, so maybe AI will get him closer. He can sit on the porch at my new place and annoy the neighbors. I'd have to change his clothes though, he's currently dressed like a body guard, complete with earpiece. Maybe I can get him some booty shorts and a tank top. Or better yet, find him some overalls. 

Speaking of my new place, the ticket I submitted for the abandoned parcel was approved the day after Christmas. In the past, I've had to wait a bit longer. It was a pleasant surprise. I need to finish landscaping (see pick above.) I've already changed my mind and torn everything out once. I'm happy with how it's turning out now though. I need to add grass or hay and put my horses back out, plant some more trees. 

Maybe I'll give ya'll a tour when I finish. I need to practice my YouTube skizzles anyway.

Why is a new home in Second Life so satisfying for me? I'm sure there are some arm chair therapists out there who could figure that out. 

Anywho, ya'll keep living your best Second Life. I'll be over here sliding trees around at the new place. We'll talk again soon!

Cheap Land and Blessings from the Innerweb Gods

My photo with Santa looks more like a hostage situation.

Anyone who knows me personally, knows I don't stay anywhere for long. I often joke that the name of this blog should have been "I've moved again."

A few months ago I changed back to a Basic account. I was spending more money than I felt I should on virtual pursuits and decided to drastically scale back.

When I tell you I'm on a budget, know that I've been living the freebie life. 

My one SL related expense was rent. I had a little sandy beach for me and all my alts. The neighbors must have thought I was really popular. Prior to that I had leased a parcel on a fantasy, role play estate. I loved it there, but I've never gotten into rp much, my social anxiety causing me to either over compensate by coming on entirely too strong, or to going completely silent. As a result, I never felt like I fit in. Let me make it abundantly clear that it was no reflection whatsoever on the community there. Bless 'em, they tried to include me. 

When I moved to the beach estate, I made sure to do the math to ensure that I stayed within budget. About two weeks in, a first life weather event took my access to power (and a lot of other things, but I'll spare you.) It was a struggle. I was able to log on using my phone as a mobile hotspot, just enough to keep rent paid. 

During that time, the aftermath of the previously mentioned weather event caused me to re evaluate my spending again. I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to have "normal" internet back. 

When the innerweb gods did decide to smile down upon me, and a collective rejoicing echoed throughout the mountains, I did more math and realized I was paying more than what a Premium Plus account would cost me.

WTF?

So after some hand wringing, I upgraded my account. The same day, I went in search of a 2048m piece of mainland, which I quickly realized I couldn't afford. (For real, what's up with these land prices?) Bellisseria was an option, but I've lived there in the past and it's not really my first choice. 

For the record, Bellisseria has a very vibrant and active community, it's just not my thing.

Since old habits die hard, I went in search of a piece of abandoned land. I wanted roadside, quiet area, not TOO many ginormous prims to derender and a place to rez my boat nearby. I spent some hours over the course of a few days looking for the right parcel. 

I think I've found just the one. It's two regions away from an infohub, just in case I get nostalgic for my early years and decide to go n00b watching. 

I filled out a ticket, which is no longer a form, but a friendly little chat with the chatbot. I figure with the holidays it'll probably be next week before I hear anything.  Any earlier than that I'll consider to be a Christmas miracle. I'd like to think all the Lindens are at home, enjoying festivities with their families anyway.

I hope everyone has a safe and peaceful holiday! 

Until next time :)

Making Videos and Coffee

 

Take time to rest when you need to.

Yesterday I spent more time than I care to admit, remembering how to manipulate the SL camera for making videos. 

It didn't go great.

And because I'm impatient, I stayed up entirely too late poking around on Youtube (and the deep recesses of my brain) to edit said video, refusing to allow the raw, chaotic evidence to exist of my repeated, accidental riding of my poor horse, Seamus, into the creek. 

Luckily for both of us, he's an avid swimmer.

I finally did get the recording somewhat edited and available for viewing. You can check it out here. 

As for today? I plan to spend the remainder of the day, slothing about in my pjs. If you happen see me wandering around a shopping event, shuffling my feet and with a death grip on a ginormous cup of coffee, mind your business. 

 

Or say hi.

TTFN!