Tag Archives: virtual worlds

Apr 2 2013

April Diamonds

April is my favorite month of all!  When I was little mom always made me wear my yellow galoshes~ eccky in April! The rains fell like little sparkly diamonds from the sky and us kids would  jump and hoop and holler in every puddle we found.  April showers do bring flowers! Beautiful flowers! and April brings LOVE!  April 4th is The Dude and mine’s 42nd wedding anniversary! Both our children were born in April! And April has EARTH Day! What an awesome month April is!

The last half of March found Sunbeam working hard in her virtual worlds and thinking about some fun time ahead.  She is thinking of role playing on Virtual Highway grid as a Na’vi named ” Tsawke” meaning Sun of course.  She got her skin, her bow and some cool outfits!  Tsawke enjoys music and plays a flute.  Should be lots of fun!

The Barnyard Bash hosted by Lion and Kat Ewry on Island Oasis was a huge success on the 19th of March with lots of great costumes and fun times with BG Singer and DJVickie Day.  Sun started learning how to make virtual world videos and did a little ditty of the bash.  You can see all her videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/kathiebhess. Lion and Kat Ewry also hosted a impromptu Birthday party for Scarlet “Abby” Rose, Kat’s evening patient who was born with Muscular Dystrophy.  A very special young lady.  Sun did a video for Scarlet too. Smiles!

Over on Olantica grid Sun is still working hard adding details and finishing touches to the Hidden Glenn region.  Free home land for any non-human avatar.   She made the ‘Firesinger’ bakery and coffee shop for new visitors to relax and meet the locals.  There is also a shop full of Zadaroo.com free avatars made by Linda Kellie and some furniture and things to help set up your home.  Most items on the region are Free to Copy … so go take a look!

Sunbeam also got one of the free regions Zetamex offered and had it set up on Metropolis grid.  She called it SunbeamS naturally.  Metropolis also had a Rock Opera performance on the 30th of March (with her favorite actress Minethere Always) which Sun attended and made a video once again! Of course one must go to the show and hear the original songs and feel the message being carried.  The show is called ‘The Change’ and you can search for show times on Second Life or Metropolis grids.

Tundra 3D was down for a few days but as soon as it was back up Sunbeam got her hard hat and tools and started tackling the huge Castle she is making on her region ‘Fariytopia’ there.  The four story staircase is fit for any Queen or Princess to float down to her waiting subjects. He he he.  The Mushroom forest is coming along nicely and Sun recently had her first visitor, Tetsuya from Japan, stop by for a visit.  I just love meeting new people from around our globe.

Sun also visited Tertiary grid to see the progress of AAmce ‘The Dude’ Fall’s newest project… Dealy Plaza, Dallas Texas.  This year is the 50th Anniversary of the JFK Assassination and Dude is making a to scale virtual Dealy Plaza where the tragedy occurred.  To this day, many believe it was a ‘cover up and conspiracy’ while others believe it was a ‘lone nut’ Lee Harvey Oswald.  Will the mystery ever be settled? 

Sun attended one concert on Island Oasis ‘Shanye Jonstone’, a great songtress and fun times with friends!  She also helped her friend Judy Muricastle to test her build rezzer so folx can demo her new mesh homes! Jon came by to meet Judy and help out too.  Always great to be with friends. 

Enjoy the pictures Sun took and as always, if you see this pixie fluttering around any of the grids, shout out a HELLO!  Step in Sunshine.

Mar 16 2013

Marching On

The month of March found Sunbeam quite busy once again.  She enjoyed some awesome musical concerts at different grids, Russell Eponym @ Metropolis, Melodee McDonnell @ Island Oasis,  CelticMaiden Warrior @ Vitural Highway and Torben Asp’s 1000th Show @ Second Life. All were excellent! As far as building, Sun is working on her Fairytopia region @ Tundra 3D, her friend Jillytopaz Wasp gave her a welcome parrot she just loves! Sun is starting on a castle at Fairytopia now.  Speaking of fantasy, Sun started a new fantasy region @ Olantica, called Hidden Glenn. Many friends have come to help  like Judy Muircastle of famed HOBO Amusement Park. Judy set up a carousel and merry-go-round there. Thank you Judy!  Minethere Always has done all the terraforming and donated many many wonderful items.  Sun also imported AAcme “Dude” Fall’s Arcadia Asylm’s grunge truck that is redone in Steampunk.  Textures were missing so Sun had to retexture before giving the truck to Miney for her Steampunk oar. 

Sunbeam is setting up the party area @ Island Oasis on LadyK & Lions Horse World region for the big Barnyard Bash coming up March 19th.    While @ IO Sun and her friend Kat Ewry visited the Steam Isles and had such fun, the maze was very very well done! Sunbeam also made some giant fantasy flowers and shared them with friends for free… always feels good to share!


Sun went on the @ Craft world grid and ‘went inside the belly of a live volcano’ (phrased coined by Virtual Christine) hehe.   Sun then joined a new grid that is Aurorasim powered (she was a ruth for the first time in ages lol).   Sun tried to take time out to clean up her an inventory, a big job considering how many grids she plays! Sad to say she barely made a dent in this work.  Sun took a well deserved break at her home on 3rd Rock Grid and did some long overdue reading.  Then right back to work! 

All and all, the first part of March sees Sunbeam marching on  trying new things and keeping the fast pace Virtual Worlds are known for.   Sunbeam also started a new page on Facebook, called “Certified Gridhoppers”  for all who also enjoy hopping from one grid to another calling many grids ‘home’.   OH and Sunbeam designed a new logo for her virtual shops too!  Hope to see you hopping around the metaverse real soon.  Say Hello if you see this pixie flying around!  Spring is almost here, our favaorite time of the year! Hop, hop, hop!

Mar 2 2013

Busy as a Bee *:-.,_,.-:*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-:*

If the first half of February was slow going for Sunbeam the second half found her zigzagging from grid, back and forth, to grid, while trying to juggle up many projects with deadlines and many start ups, new opportunities and adventures.  Where to start! giggles… oh we visited Second Life a couple times too and thoroughly enjoyed being back in our legacy world.

First, after Valentines’ Sunbeam took down the hearts, flowers and chocolates from her shop ‘SunbeamS’ located on OLanatic  being true to her heart she is setting up Fantasy items for the new look!  Zigzag on to 3rg (3rd Rock Grid) to help with Robstock 2013 by setting up a booth in the venue area and posting lots of info on Facebook and Google+. This year Haven Your World grid was added to the simulcast of the event along with Second Life, long time partner.  Of course Sunbeam had to zigzag over to Haven too!  All for a great  cause, the charity ‘Doctors without Borders‘.  The event raised 850$ USA dollars to donate.  Great job VW and GH avatars around the world!

Zigzag now over to Island Oasis and Sunbeams start work on a new contest build, theme: Beach Club.  Visions in my head swirl as I fly over through the metaverse of under`the`sea colors and mermaids float across my focus.  Sunbeam did not win the contest but had a grand time playing with the prims and be part of the contestants circle.  According to one founder, Sunbeam did come in second place Woot hoo! Also visited my friends Kat and Lion and and exclaimed what a great job she is doing on her Space house.  Kat and I went to the new zombie region too and danced and explored.  The region reminded me of AAcme City quite often.

Next (usually in the wee hours of the morning when most sleep and the world outside my window is quiet elegance) Sunbeam stealthily  zigzags over to Tundra 3D where the kind owners, Lucio and Avon, (romantic Italians ladies!), have provided Sunbeam with a sim..  Thank you!  Sunbeam will  never ‘finish’ this project, she insanely doesn’t care! She is having too much fun!  We are dreaming of  a Fairytopia… a work of love, where creatures of all types can drop in for a chat and some peace.  A stroll thru colors and warmth. 

Sunbeam then spent more time in Metropolis with her dear friend Miney (Minethere Always) playing with toys, working on a Steampunk region and discussing the most wonderful and important issues of the day… Virtual Worlds, are they here to stay?  ROFL  

Sunbeam did find some time to go dancing with friends in a few different grids and at one party won $375 P’s for a Best in Beachwear contest… heck we all had on bikini’s so I think it was my pale glittery pink skin that really won 🙂 Sunbeam told them her skin was made by sunrise kisses. Giggles. A grand time with hostess Vickie Day was had by all who came.  Vickie embarrassed Sun by saying it was Sun who gave Vickie her very first DJ gig in InWorst and at a nude region too.  LOL Fun times years ago! Of course my friend and special talented artist Torben Asp played for Doctors without Borders at the Robstock event and the donation thermometer went off the charts while Torben performed his magic particle show playing his soul wrenching music in accompaniment.  A real treat for everyone!

Sunbeam took lots and lots of pictures while grid hopping and will drop the best ones for your viewing pleasure below with captions.  She is trying to be more ‘arsty’ fartsy, as she likes to call it, and took a few weirdo snapshots and insisted on posting them on her blog,   sooooooo Enjoy!   Forgive her impertinence! She gets over eXcited while fluttering from grid to grid like the bee who flutters from flower to flower takes in the fragrance of life.  What a magical secret garden sort of life Sunbeam lives!

Step in Sunshine! and if you feel like doing a quick little jigsaw puzzle, pop over to SunbeamS Jib tab on top of the blog.

Feb 17 2013

WHAT HAPPENED?

Sunbeam wasn’t as active the last couple weeks at her Grid Hopping.  Plus, a technical disaster happened at WHAT virtual world and the founder decided it best to closed the grid completely after days of trying to repair the damage.  The best he could do was roll back to November 2012 and let the members know what happened.  He’s a stand up guy.  Many other grid have had ‘technical’ issues or closed  up without a word to their members.  I was proud to be part of the WHAT core crew.   We were right in the middle of making a new Welcome area and setting up Free parcels for new member when it happened.  It’s been a week now, we  miss WHAT,  but are certainly grateful for the time  spent there sharing space with the wonderful  new friends I met and my partners in crimes for a long time exploring and visiting virtual worlds of the metaverse. 

Welcome at what_001

Last time @ WHAT Welcome

Tundra IDesigns_001

Isis’ New Spot @ Tundra 3D

Sunbeam was lucky enough to dance and laugh and  share good times with long time  her  friend Mikey McIntrye while he was spinning some of the best Blues on 3rd Rock . What a wonderful grand time reminiscing about our days together a couple years past when we planned parties on a region called Decades.  Those were the days my friend!   

When  Grid Hopping over to Metropolis to see Minethere Always’ new Steampunk project Sunbeam fell into the middle of a impromptu party.  She made a new friend,  saw a couple familiar faces and had a fun time.  The Euro feel of this grid and friendly members makes it a fun hop.  Sunbeam is now working on a Steampunk Gazebo for Miney’s next Free Theme OAR to be given away free to anyone that asks.  We’ll share pictures of that build next post. 

 

Snapshot _ ROB'S ROCK N' BLUES BAR, ROBs Rock Island (169, 34,

Mikey @ Rob’s Rock n’ Blues Bar
Circle dancing with 3rg members

Party at Metropolis impromtu_002

Impromtu Party @ Metropolis

 

Party at Metropolis impromtu_001

A global community celebrating Love not war!

new world Tundra_001

A brand new world … brand new! Tundra 3D

Sunbeams’ friend form Island Oasis, Isis Ophelia invited her to come see a brand new virtual world she had just joined.  It’s called Tundra 3D and is based out of Italy.  Everyone was very welcoming and Isis offered Sun a couple parcels to set up shop at ID Designs.  Love a new start and fresh beginning.  Its like the first few weeks of an intense romance.  Smile.

kats jewelry_002

Planning project meeting with lynne and Kat

FLYING IN WHAT_001

Flying out for more VW Grid Hopping Adventures

 

Spent some quality time with a couple bff’s’ Kat Ewry and lynne lundquist at Kat’s new shop  Lady K jewelry.  She is so amazing at it! We envy her talents.  Anyhoo, the three of us are planning doing up Lion and Kat’s newest acquistion, another region making four now.   We’re thinking castles on top and a full region glorious magical merfolk and scuba diving  under the sea fantasia.  Sunbeam’s speciality.  On Second Life we have avatar Kohana Schimmer who has been a mermaid creature  since 2008.  Island Oasis is also having another building contest this one themed “Beach” so Sunbeam joined in and building a nightclub themed …. mermaids of course.  She is calling it SirenS Club and will share some pictures with you next post.   Wish her luck, she could be winner of 5000 Ps ♥

Jan 30 2013

Artificial Intelligence in VW

A.L.I.C.E. Artificial Intelligence … has come to virtual worlds.   My first introduction to this phenomenon was when my friend Lion Ewry introduced me to “Mr. Ed” a beautiful black and white pinto horse who will follow you around and chat with you on just about any subject.  The more you talk the larger “Mr. Ed’s” vocabulary grows.  I was totally impressed!!!

Talking Horse Mr Ed_001

This wonderful experience felt magical, my goodness we’re communicating with a horse! Oh such bizzare fun!  DJTommy Seetan and Lion Ewry worked together to make this talking horse a virtual reality.  And if you just feel plain silly talking to a horse, go to Intoxicated region @ Island Oasis, at the Games Area there you can sit and chat with ‘Nadia’ the Gypsy…  ‘Nadia’ she will make you laugh and the time will fly by as the two of you get to know each other.  Daisy Coronet, Mrs. Kat Ewry,  Lion Ewry and DJTommy Seetan and Sunbeam spent a lovely time playing games and chatting with Artificial Intelligence… what’s next.. holograms??? dancing with your avatar buddies from around the world in your very own rl livingroom.  IMAGINE.

Nadia gypsy_002

The Gypsy ‘Nadia’ A.L.I.C.E.

Nadia gypsy_003

Sunbeam Shares Secrets with ‘Nadia’

               

It’s been a very busy couple weeks for me…. in my VW grids.  Sunbeam enjoyed some great Disco music and shared some laughs with Max Kling DJ @ Olantic… it brought back memories of the days when Dude and I taught Disco lessons around the Southern California area.  Dude was the DJ (killer sexy voice) and myself and our dear friends at the time (so to protect their privacy lets just call them the Furries, and myself made up our traveling troupe. We called ourselves “The Sunset Dancers”   ♫♫♪ “Those were the days my friend I’d thought they never end ♫♪♫”  Freak OUT! Funky Town!

DJ MAX Disco Olantic

DJ Max Kling

Silver Horses Pub

Silver Horses Pub

Sunbeam  helped set up the venue for my bffz (best friends forever)Lion Ewry and Katarina Svarovski and was Maid of Honor at the wedding and Wedding Co-ordinator.  We had a nice rehersal and all went very well.  It was the most beautiuful wedding I’ve ever been to in a VW (and let me tell you I  have been to many over the last 8 years) and the most special thing happened.  Lion asked Kat to marry him in rl too. Yeah! so romantic.  They met in InWorst virtual grid and were introduced by me, myself and alt (Evvie Silverweb) and I feel like a match.maker he he.  The are two of the nicest, most generous, most helpful, most compassionate avi’s I’ve ever met.  I made a smilebox slideshow of some wedding snaps I was able to get:

The Ewry Wedding, January 27th, 2013

On the WHAT grid: don’t you just  love that name.  Remember the old “who’s on first routine” done by Abbot and Costello? Sunbeam helped fill up the contest pods, and get avi’s entered.  The beginnings of the contest builds is already turning  Marvin Park into a magically wonderful, colorful place full of hearts, and love.  We have such awesome builders entered: AAcme Fall, jillytopaz wasp, guy quicksand, Fee Edenbaum, Anan Eebus, Shadow Ilo and mark forster.

Start of Build Contest_001

Progress has begun on WHAT Hearts Desires Build Contest

I set up a sim wide menu teleport system for the RP Western Town, Dry Gulch IO on Lady K & Lions Horse World region. I visited the new Welcome center at Island Oasis and spent some quality time with my friend Annallisia (she lives in Germany but is actually from the United States).  I down sized to one shop only in 3rg and helped Dude to take down his AAcme shop and box up his things.  He rarely rarely ever joins me in Virtual Worlds anymore, preferring to spend his time other ways.  Anyway I will close this post with just a bunch of random GridHopping pictures I captured while flittering about the magical metaverse.   Hope you enjoy them!

Step in Sunshine!

Ps. I haven’t quite mastered inserting pictures they seem to stick whenever they want to not where I told them to.

Russell Eponym 3rg_002

Russell Eponym 3rg Aero

Russell Eponym 3rg_003
Sunbeam listening to Russell Eponym
hanging with Annalissa_001

Chatting with friend Annallisia Ford

New Welcome Freebie Mall IO_002

The New Welcome @ Island Oasis

Travel Menu

Setting up Teleport System @ Western Town

Wedding Stage for Kat and Lion_001

Wedding stage for the Ewrys

Sun LOP Sunset

Sunbeam claps her hands at the sunset
Look Out Point in Dry Gulch

Shop on WHAT_001

Sunbeam shop at WHAT

Dec 8 2012

WHAT’s IN A NAME?

In Virtual Worldz you get to pick any name you want! YAY! well in the beginning when Dude and I first started (Second Life ~ 4/2005) they gave you lists and lists of last names to choose from… but your first name that was  your choice.  My very first name was ‘Sunbeam Jewell’ and Dude was ‘Pocketbook Writer’ (a die hard Beatles fan lol).  We really got into the ‘partying’ part of  SL and being mature and married forever thought we could handle it. NOT!  During our five years in SL we often decided VW was destroying our RL existence and would kill off our avatars and accounts and say”Never again!” .  HA! within a couple months we made up new rules for us to follow and would create another avatar and try again.

Tootsie  

Topaz_Profile Pic new

abel lastchance_001

Here are a few of the names I can remember just to show you how many we had:  Sunbeam Jewell, Pocketbook Writer, Mimzy Runningbear, AAcme Skytower, Ruby Glaz, Samspade Atlas, Tootsie Hirsch, Slo Pokie, Tehrina Atlas, Ijust Stand, Gidget Pick, Kohana Schimmer, Cinnamon Nightfire, AAbbee Fall, AAcme Fall, Venus Moonshadow, Virtual Builder, Evvie Silverweb, Abel Lastchance, Sunbeam Magic, Duderz Lebowski… I know there were many others lol but 22 seems quite a lot to me 🙂  We’ve been human, dragons, mermaids, tinies, fairys, dogs, and just plain odd looking avatars like AAcme’s current one:

Duderz small profile

Some say you can tell the type of person an avatar is just by the name they choose.  And now with Open Source grids many grids allow you to choose your last name too.  The ‘Dark’ names (the ones I call Dark)  are scary like “Monster Gonnakillya” or “Nyour Face” ) often are used just for roleplay in Vampire venues or the such.  Many just want to shock you and enjoy griefing or harassing.  Then there are the ‘Sex’ names like “Pussy Wet” or “Longjohn Dong” lol.  You know what they are all about! 

With so many VW grids now available, many are using the same name in each grid.  So if you are new to Virtual Worldz my advice is choose a name you like and you feel enhances your personality.  A name says a lot more than you may think!

Sun Mermaid

Jul 10 2012

Blogging

Blogging – it’s a tough nut to crack! Many times I’ve sat down at my computer to Blog, looked at the white space reserved expressly for my very own thoughts to be shared with the metaverse and then my mind goes blank! Before I sat down a 100 subjects bounced around in my brain, but the second I sat, nothing! Nothing seemed interesting enough to blog about.  Out of 101 days, I only blogged 11.  I feel so contrite.

I remember the first day I blogged, I had such high hopes of blogging ‘daily’.  I felt so passionate about my first blog it just rolled out from the keyboard popping on to the white space as fast as my fingers could fly.  I felt so right standing up for the community of InWorldz that was being misled by a fake death asking for money, to me this was pure and simple internet fraud.  I was shocked and amazed when the founders didn’t see it that way.   My mate had exposed the fraud with supporting facts and public links given each citizen the information to decide for themselves if a wrong had been done.

It seems most of my life when I have stood up for others (and in my mind, for a good cause) I am the one punished for my good intentions.  Once, in Junior High, an arrogant teacher was harassing and intimidating a shy quiet student in my class and I stood up for her.  Things did not go well for me then either.  Although eventually this teacher was caught on numerous occasions and finally was stopped from ever teaching again.  So in the end truth and justice won out.

I’ve heard from many friends that still play in InWorldz things have gone from bad to worse and the founders’ trigger happy ‘banning’ finger has once again pointed at a prominent honest caring citizen of this VW.  Poof, you’re gone! Once again the founders of InWorldz did not look at all sides of the situation,  they just immediately took their ‘friends’ side of the story and wielded their evil power, to hell with what’s right or wrong.  They say its like a dark cloud hangs over the InWorldz kingdom.

In most VW grids the founders DO NOT get involved with citizens squabbles.  Things happen so some VW have set up ‘grievance committees’ where the ‘drama’ is resolved by VW peers.  A majority vote, after receiving and discussing as much information as is available from all sides, will determine which side is credible and the committee will offer solutions.  I don’t see any reason to ever ban an avatar from a VW (unless child pornography or other crimes, perhaps fraud, is discovered).  As more and more VW are becoming more and more stable I hope players will gravitate to the Virtual Worlds where having ‘FUN’ is still the number #1 goal.  Words like greed and power should never be the goal, just like in real life.  Virtual Worlds and Real Life really aren’t that much different, people are people even if they pretend to be a dragon or a fae or a tiny, the same feelings come out as you play with others. So Play NICE and have some FUN!

(Well… once I got going it’s wasn’t so hard afterall lol)

Jul 1 2012

Swimming through Life

While growing up in the North America States of Florida and California, my favorite thing to do was swim. It’s  my very first and forever love of life.  my Daddy taught me to how to swim and dive.   Along with hundreds of other Navy bratz, as we were called, I did benefit from  a few swim lessons offered on the Navy base. My Dad was a lifer. A Pearl Harbor survivor, but not from the nightmares and secrets he harbored,   I’ve always thought of it like a Choctaw NdN sacred spirit running through our ancient blood. Surviving and Swimming, its what we best instinctively, those skills are surely are Salvation. With Summer Solstice passed its time to swim in the cool rivers, lakes, and oceans and soak up warm to get us through the upcoming Winter.  The waterways are like the veins of our Earth snaking around the globe down to the tiniest trickle. Summer, a time to enjoy nature and the remnants Spring left us as colorful blooms bursting to mature.  For as long as I can remember the Sun and the Heart have always been like my tokens, icons of my soul.  I’ve been thinking a lot lately about swimming, and internal symbols of happiness since finish reading The Hunger Games. I saw so many layers in the storyline, reminding me of the metaverse.  Reminding me of the stories my NdN grandmother use to tell us during our visits together. Grandmothers and Family, now that’s another story! Enjoy the Summer. 

Image

Jun 16 2012

June Gloom

Well… I guess I wasn’t as back as I thought I’d be.  Its been 3 weeks since I posted. Shame on me! Gonna blame it on the ‘June Gloom’ which I didn’t think I would experience since moving out to the Valley and getting away from the coast.  In my neck of the world, each June the clouds just seem to hang around blocking the sun all morning long.  Its down right depressing.  Can hardly get my day started!

Anyway, I’ve started slowly working my way back to playing VW games too. Had a great time building a street dance theme in Avatar Connection for the Diamond Jubilee celebration that England’s going wild over.  I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a contest yet since Oct when I joined.  I’ve got some new (old) friends joining me at Island Oasis and 3rd Rock seems to be growing with a couple new shops on the sim I share with London Core.  I’ve heard rumor InWorldz is up to its old tricks, with the founders causing dissension  among the natives and crowned dignitaries by once again ignoring the truth and issuing ultimatums.  Their nickname should be ‘As InWorldz Turns Soap Opera’.  Stay tuned for more.