Gratuitous Piccy: Sunday Morning @ Sol's

Sunday Morning
Originally uploaded by solangedaviau
I couldn't resist sharing this picture because not only has Solange Daviau's artistry progressed amazingly in the past several months she also does it surrounded by the most gorgeous home and garden accessories from Queen & Co. (oh hey, that's my shoppy!) Make sure you check out the rest of her photo stream....umm....after the kids have gone to bed.

Queen & Co. Skybox - oooh pretty!

This prettiest skybox includes a built in sparkling waterfall, crystal chandelier, all wrapped up in a bright pink bow!  55 prims, 30 x 15 footprint.

Available here: xstreetsl.com
and here: My Shoppy!!


And check out this blog, Keeping Track, that prominently* features one of the skyboxes i gifted out at the Juicy celebration!!

*exaggeration added to give the author an appearance of importance in this great world wide web that we live in.

UPDATE: Check out Uccello Poultry's review at The Poultry Report.

Where has everyone gone?

I'm coming up on my 3rd rez-day this month and could not help but to reflect on my experiences in Second Life during the last 3 years. Today my mind wandered to the people I have met and began to wonder where have so many of them gone? There have been several people that I knew very well and considered my closest friends in SL and they have disappeared from existence. It's really so sad to me that these people are gone. Although I wonder if it is them I miss or rather the peaceful intimacy that I experienced with each of them.

Take for example, Andrew...I met him at a wall of freebie textures. He was one of my first friends. He encouraged me to build and to set up shop. He'd make little trinkets for me like wings scripted with a caging device. He began to spend more time in his RL and eventually we spent less time together. Tonight I took a peek at his profile, which led me to a dead xstreetsl.com link. I looked a little further and discovered that he's been wiped from SL. Gone.

White taught me to build. He had an amazing way with prims and I was lucky to have him as a teacher. He also encouraged me to make silks and put them out in a store. It was because of him that I opened up my silk shop. I enjoyed the time he and I spent together building...hours of prim torture can be enjoyable when done with friends. And he too is gone.

And Wolf was always a good friend to me. He listened intently and made brilliant suggestions when I was having difficulties in SL and RL. He always greeted me warmly and showed his appreciation for me. Eventually he became overwhelmed with women constantly vying for his attention. But then again, that's what happens when one runs a fetish club. It was too much for him and he removed himself from SL. Another one gone.

There are maybe a handful more of people that I knew better than most and today you would barely be able to find a trace of them. I suspect that some of them are living lives as an alt. And if that is the case I can't help but to be put off that they are out there and can see me, while I will never know what became of them.

I scratch my head as I ponder where these people have gone. Have I run them off? Do other people in SL have a history filled with voids where avatars used to be? Why is it that my friends not only leave me, but they leave their avatars behind as well. Is it me? It's them, right?

Reflections of a Shopkeeper: Location - Style and Aesthetics

For a long time now I've have a small corner shop at Juicy and specialized in wedding rings and custom jewelry.  I recently have taken an interest in larger builds including residential structures, furniture and landscaping.  I found that my tiny shop was bursting a the seams and I decided to take a sizable parcel on the corner of the sim. As I venture forth on my journey into shop-keeping I'm finding plenty of challenges and surprises worth sharing. And so I begin a new segment entitled: Reflections of a Shopkeeper.

Location - Style and Aesthetics:
I started out a bit anxious to get into something big and as soon as Gogo, my landlady, said she had a space available I grabbed it.  However I didn't take a lot of time to think about how my shop would fit into the location.  It was a nice corner lot with a good view. But it was sandy and beachy and my shop concept is (will be eventually) a lush green garden. I really struggled to make things work, but the build just was not "clicking" for me. I mentioned to Gogo that i loved the grass she had put in for the Juicy Birthday event and she should keep it.  She suggested that I move over to the Juicy del Mar sim.  It took me a few hours of deliberating because I had already put Landmarks in everything and pasted my SLURL everywhere.  But I stood at the Juicy del Mar parcel for awhile and realized it was where I needed to be. The moment I rezzed the first prim I knew I had made the right choice. And so I present to you: Queen & Co. @ Juicy del Mar:


If you're thinking about opening a shop or moving your shop it's so important to consider not only the pricing, but the environment and location. The parcel I have sits on a green landscaped and somewhat whimsical sim. It works so well for me, but I know others that would be much better suited to a completely different style. Take a little time to find something that fits your aesthetic. It will make your experience so much more enjoyable.  You'll also save yourself time and frustration if you can find the right location first time around because you'll avoid having to update slurls and LMs everywhere.

I think people like stability in their shopping so try not to make a move too often.  HOWEVER, if you're not "feeling it" then find something else. There's no reason to make yourself unhappy. Shop-keeping doesn't have to be and should not be all about the L$s. You've got to enjoy what you're doing and where you're doing it and choosing the right location is a great start towards success.  Right?

Gratuitous Piccy: Dancing at UFOWATCHTOWER with the Star Trek Crew

I have been using flickr for over two years now. Most of the pictures I take are from snapshots in-world and once in a great while I'll make an attempt at some photoshop fanciness. Consequently I have very few pictures that get a lot of action. When I do have a picture with a lot of view I can't help but to wonder why. And so I give you this:

It is a picture of me dancing at UFOWATCHTOWER with the Star Trek Crew. AND, it got 91 views in less than a day. That's a lot of views. I can only imagine that it is either the "UFO" or the "Star Trek" and if that's the case I'm moving to outer space.

I made a FANCY Slurl! and you can too!

I made a fancy slurl for my shoppy!! And if you click here you can see the result.

YOU can do it too if you're so inclined by using the soooo easy SLURL builder. It will create a slurl that directs people to a location inworld and allows you to customize the slurl to include a title, a picture and a short message.

You'll need to have
1. The slurl information (here's a Torley post on slurls) for the location you desire
2. A URL for the picture (if you don't have one you can use a photo hosting site. i like flickr.) , and
3. A few words to include in the description. (generally you'll want to arrange them into a cohesive phrase or sentence.)

This is what the fancy slurl maker can do:


And if you click this link and use the slurl in-world you can click on this:


Or buy one of these:

special thanks to Mr. Gauge Laville for dangling his own fancy slurl in my face and inspiring me to seek out my own.

Pearls of Wisdom: It's OK to take a break.

Last night I was busy in SL diddling with some builds in my workshop while in RL I was tending to a creature recovering from the flu. In the midst of it all I received the most uncomfortable notice "XXX has dissolved your friendship." This is a strange feature included in the Emerald Viewer and while I find it interesting to know when I am dropped from a friends list, it leaves me wondering, "Wha?! What did i do?!" I deliberated for a few minutes and decided that my relationship with this person was important enough that I could not just let her go. I sent a quick IM to her letter her know and we had a conversation for a few minutes.

As it turns out she recently lost a dear loved one. And, as a result she's taking some time to evaluate her priorities and set her lives in order. For the moment SL just isn't very high on her list. And so she was engaging in some SL cleansing. I've done this so I am familiar with the process. It usually occurs when a person becomes disenchanted by SL or the people in their SLives. Thier profile gets cleaned of all but those that are the very closest, their friends list is pared down to a minimum, land is sold off, and in some cases inventory is purged. (ugh, i'm squirming just thinking of that extreme.) Often the external internet presence is also given a once over (i.e. plurk vacation, flickr accounts gone private, blogs put on hold.)

It astonished me that in our conversation she was very careful to assure me that it was not anything that I had done. Her words were laced with guilt for leaving friends behind in SL. I could sense the tug she felt between her desire to experience more in her RL and the obligation she felt to the friendships in her SL. My heart goes out to my friend and to others like her that feel torn between the two worlds. I'm not sure there is anything but experience that can teach a person how to cope in that situation, but I can assure you that it's possible to have both lives.

For those of you that are taking a break. It's OK. RL comes first. You're not abandoning anyone. We know this is hard for you and we'll support you in your decision.

For those of you that have a friend taking a break. It's OK. RL comes first. You're not being abandoned. This is hard for your friend that is leaving. Make sure they know that you support their decision. Let them go in peace. Please.


Queen & Co. Crying Plant #1
Available here.

Gratuitious Piccy: +blacklisted+ in my own garden

Mr. Gauge Laville has created the most prettiest gardening attire ever! Available at his shoppy here. The colors are gorgeous and vibrant. oooh, and the cut of the bra and panties is unique and sexy. Get you some!!
Glitterati pose: Breast Cancer Awareness - Singles 6 - Available here for 0L as part of a campaign for...yes, Breast Cancer Awareness.

Happy Belated Rezz-day _____ !

I just realized that the first time I ever rezzed an avatar in Second Life was October 15, 2006. I'm a little stunned that I'm still here 3 years later. Perhaps at a later date I'll reflect more on what that 3 years means to me. But this post is for my darling first avatar. I won't tell you her name. Maybe because for as open as I am in SL, I like the idea of having at least one thing that I keep to myself. She spends no time in world, and the few friends she had are long gone, but it would not be right to let her 3rd rezz-day pass without some acknowledgment of her existence. Happy Rezz-day darling, see you next year.

And here she is, enjoying one of her very first days of Second Life, on a floaty at a nude beach. Perfect.

Queen & Co. Skybox - Skully-boo!

I made a cute lil' skybox with super low primmage (37) and small enough to fit a 512 parcel. It's got delicious colors and in the spirit of the season I've pasted skeleton heads all over it. In addition, there's a gorgeous waterfall wall that falls into a small sparkling pool. You NEED this! It's available in my shop and I've marked it at 5oL through the 31st.

Stuff you NEED: Star Shutter Sunglasses

You need these:

Star Shutter Sunglasses, created by Nuck Spyker, are available on Xstreet SL for only 25L but i dunno how long so get them now. and a pair for your friends. Check out Nuck's other stuff while you're there. He creations are unusual, and so well done. And who doesn't need a big mouth stage? really. who?

Simple Pleasures

I spent the day building and it was wonderful. In the morning I was treated to a few hours of tunes from a shirtless friend. In the afternoon my swine flu suffering friend spent time discussing design challenges with me while he faded in and out of a codeine trance. Eventually it was time to say good night to all the good little prims and return to my tranquil home. I wasn't yet ready for bed so I took my T-rex, kissyface, out for a walk around the island. We visited the nighbor's chicken coops until kissyface got a little rambunctious and I had to take him home. On the way we stopped at a friend's and she gave kissyface a delicious bone. I got an ice cream. Sometimes happiness really is that simple.

DIRTY BEATS FILTHY WAREHOUSE////// MIXED-REALITY EVENT!

This week DIRTY BEATS & DIRTY COUTURE present a series of parties featuring some of SL's top DJs. On Saturday they Dirty Beats SIM will host a party all day and into the night finished off by a mixed reality event featuring RL DJs streaming from a NYC warehouse party into SL's Club Dirty Beats. Check out the details below and be sure to come out to support our SL DJs!!!

..:://DIRTY BEATS & DIRTY COUTURE::..
Proudly Present Their Presence In Secondlife!
We Cordially Invite You To Check Out Our New Sim!

The party runs through the week:
MON 8/10 Dane Koba - 1pm-3pm
TUES 8/11 GW Raymaker - 1pm-3pm
WED 8/12 Victoryan Bailey 1pm-3pm
THURS 8/13 Jimi Cheng - 1pm-3pm
FRI 8/14 Init Hubble 1pm-3pm

AND All day, Saturday, August 15, 2009:
SAT Rocco Silverstar 11am-1pm
SAT Bridgitte Boucher 1pm-3pm
SAT Kromus Korobase 3pm-5pm
SAT Jaycee Kass 5pm-7pm
SAT Digital Francis 7pm-9pm
SAT - ALL-DAY Party TBA Followed by REAL LIVE STREAM From Brooklyn, NY At The Filthy Warehouse Party! ***FIRST-TIME SL APPEARANCE FROM DIRTY BEATS & DIRTY COUTURE, Real Life House Label and Clothing Brand! RL/SL Mixed Reality Event!!



Filthy Warehouse Info:
A Little Old Warehouse in Brooklyn...
Starring DJ's Aluv Joe Lodi & Dave Rosario
The Place...A Little Old Warehouse in Brooklyn is an event that is being thrown in a Warehouse in Williamsburg Brooklyn which is 5 Mins from NYC. The event is Starring RL DJs Aluv and Joe Lodi aka Luv & Lodi along with up and coming Dj Producer Dave Rosario. Dirty Beats is taking it back to basics with this event. Aluv and Joe Lodi are no new comers to the scene. Together over the last 12 years they both have either promotionally directed djed or have installed sound in every club in NYC Miami or Vegas. They are most known for running the Soundfactory from 1997 to 2000 and were the first promoters who helped Jonathan Peters boost his career to where he is now. These guys are very well respected in the business and are trying to create something new and fresh in NYC.

Gratuitious Piccy: Me!!

Queen
Originally uploaded by Billynom8 Mopp

piccy of my taken by Billynom8 Mopp @ United Beats. lookit!!! it's me!!

Better Homes and Queenie's Garden

My garden was chosen as the backdrop for this promotional picture for an upcoming amplifiedigital.com release coming out August 15th! I'm so pleased to see that all that digging, pruning and watering has paid off. The amplified project was created and is operated by DJ Ampz aka DJAmpz Dinzel who also does a weekly radio show on amplifiedradio.com (check this site for lots of great mixes to download!!)

Happy 2nd Rezday, winirose runo!!

Today one of my dearest friends, winirose Runo, celebrates her 2nd rezday. She's full of wisdom, love, and joy and I'm blessed to have her in my lives. In honor of her rezday I've marked several items in my shop to 0L. (click here for the slurl) Please feel free to invite friends over to share in the pressies. AND if you get a spare moment, drop winirose a rezday greeting. HAPPY 2ND REZDAY, WINIROSE!!!

Portrait of a DJ - Bridgitte Boucher

QC: ok, ready for your interrogation?
BB: yep
QC: What style of music do you play?
BB: I enjoy playing a lot of different genres. Sometimes I enjoy mixing minimal and techno, tech house, other times I like to mix electro and indie dance....I always enjoy throwing in something unusual here and there...
BB: I love ska, punk rock, and of course, indie and rock...my roots in music
QC: Why do you DJ or, what motivates you?
BB: hmmm. Here's the poetic answer. I'm totally motivated by the beats and the sounds I can create with a mixer, and the way it moves people. Sound is amazing manipulator of the mind. But really, I wouldn't be doing all of this if it wasn't for Init. He saw it in me and pushed me to go for it. So really, I have him to thank.
QC: (wow, you both amaze me. did you know that?)
BB: oh i do? *wipes crumbs from mouth*
Bridgitte Boucher smiles
Queen Coronet sighs and moves on...
BB: lol
QC: When you aren't DJing what do you like do in SL?
BB: I love seeing new places in sl...the AM radio builds amaze me....the art sims always have amazing creations...and shopping of course...but mostly I like to hang with my friends and hear tunes.
BB: lol
BB: oh i said amazing twice...insert an appropriate adjective to replace amazing for me
QC: oooh, i don't like to edit. i prefer you in the raw.
BB: amazing!
BB: and of course, i'm partnered...i spend a lot of time with Ideal
QC: and i don't think that came out the way i intended. just make that your catch phrase. Amazing!
BB: Amazing! :D
QC: Where can you be found playing?
BB: I'm usually playing at Drain, Tir Na Gra, Nick Nack, Somewhere....random parties @ Rouge....the Naughty Box of course....and special events here and there.
QC: Anything else you want the world to know?
BB: I need to give props to Thinker Moy and Justine Perenti for giving me my first opportunities to spin in clubs here in sl, Alphabox and at HOME. I am in awe of the electronic music community that we are a part of here on sl, and the level of talent that is represented, so I am always humbly grateful for any opportunity to spin for any audience among such great djs. I appreciate all of my friends who have been so supportive and HOO at the right times during my sets. Lol. P.s. My panties are for sale in the lobby.
QC: You're great, B!! Thankies!!!

DJ Briddy "The Diva" Boucher mixes can be downloaded from Soundcloud, xstreamist.com, and SL Bootlegs (itunes).

Happy Birthday to Rouge Sim

A year ago Codebastard Redgrave opened up the Rouge sim. Since then Rouge has blossomed into an amazing multi-purpose environment. Today we celebrated the anniversary with 12 hours of entertainment featuring DJs Asrael Hax, Amanda Shinji, Nexeus Fatale, Bridgitte Boucher, Adamatic Aeon and Fine Caliber. In addition the guests were treated to a special performance presented by Glamouramama Boa and her amazing group of SLag dancers with music by DJ xSaraho Mornington.
Thank you to everyone that came out to celebrate and congratulations to Codie for one year of Rouge!!!!
Here's a couple of pics and you can find more here and here.
Codebastard Redgrave:

Gabby Panacek:

The SLag Dancers:

Gratuitous Piccy: Next month's GQ cover

mainit Hellman, owner of [BauStein] (pre-fabs, bridges, and more) in this season's MUST HAVE accessory, the birthday cake hat.

The Underground perseveres @ SL6B

This is what two people look like when they are rolling with the punches:

Turns out the SL6B festivities planned by The Underground were seriously debilitated by the failure of the SL6B Dimension sim to hold more than 40-50 avatars at one time.

If you happen to make your way to The Underground's SL6B parcel and we're nowhere to be found there's a good probability that we're making party at Nick Nack. Thank you Mr. Ideal Flow for opening up your home to The Underground. And thank you Briddy for serving cheese and crackers and tapping into you personal box of white zin.

Big thanks to Dane Koba, Silus Kappler, Jasminx Saenz, Bridgitte Boucher, Init Hubble and Lanne Wise who kept the party going all day and into the night. In the end, this is really what The Underground is all about, isn't it? Collectively we make the music, the party, the memories.

The Underground @ SL6B....good to go!!

In less than 24 hours the SL6B sims will open to the public and The Underground will be there to bring you the most fantastical DJ line up ev-ah!!
SLURL to the UG parcel
UPDATE!!! The sim was full today, and maybe tomorrow. If we're not at SL6B, then look for us at The UG's SL6B annex, Nick Nack!!

Check out all these links below for more information:
Exhibitor directory
SL6B Schedule
Add your Underground piccies here
Event blog

Lookit here:

Tues Jun 23
FAC/ENIGMA presents:
12pm – 2pm Silus
2pm – 4pm Dane
Terra Lounge presents:
4pm – 6pm Mamoo
The Underground presents:
6pm - 8pm Init Hubble

Wed Jun 24
Somewhere & Blue presents: TBD

Thu Jun 25
8am – 10am Briddy @ Stage 2 8am-10am
8pm – 10pm Ideal @ Stage 1 8-10pm

Rubik's presents:
10am – 12pm DJOsiris 10am-12pm
12pm – 2pm Nurito 12pm-2pm
2pm – 4pm Asrael 2-4pm
4pm – 6pm Grip 4pm-6pm
6pm – 8pm Init 6-8pm

Fri Jun 26
8am – 10am Nurito @ Stage 1 8am-10am

Southern Cross presents:
1am – 3am Mixemup 1am-3am
3am – 5am Artfullone Skytower
5am – 7am Olaf Quintess
7am – 9am Adamski Cooperstone
9am – 11am Nazzko Shan
11am – 1pm Laureen Korhonen
1pm – 3pm DJxHalloween Boa
3pm – 5pm GaryN Ansome
5pm – 7pm Pete Westminster
7pm – 9pm TheArtfullOne Skytower

9pm – 12am Afterparty w/ The Underground

Showing events until 6/26/2009. Look for more to come!!!

SL6B sim....come back, please!?

As you may already know, our group, The Underground is an exhibitor at SL6B. Briddy and I have been working all week on preparing for the SL6B celebration that begins on June 23rd. We were given a deadline of June 20th, midnight to have our build complete. As of Saturday morning we were tinkering with a few things, sprinkling some glow here and there, and of course, planting some flowers in the biodomies. I came in a little later to move some prims around and mid-edit I was kicked from SL. As it turns out there is some massive emergency maintenance in progress.......

The big vacant space filled with water is where the sim should be. And it ain't. In the meantime instead of getting all freaked out about a SL failure, we're taking happy pills and working out the UBER-FANTASTIC DJ line up!!!!! Get ready to peek into the future of the music scene brought to you by The Underground!!
p.s. SIM, come back, please?!

Gratuitous Piccies: My first landscape

Queenie's first nature picture

Queenie's second nature picture

Usually I take pics of avatars and of moments. These are the first pictures I've ever taken in which the focus was the landscape. It makes me happy to know that all the hard work I've spent in the garden is paying off.
Oh! and big shout out to my graphics card which makes this all possible. Thankies Mr. G-card!

Fashion Forward: Gasmasks and Pucci

And I present to you my newest feature: Fashion Forward!!
Sometimes a "look" is too good not to share.
Delaney Whippet has a $25L sale on everything at her shop, Microphage.
Get yourself over there quick to pick up this Aqua Retro Pucci Inspired Minidress, comes in yellow and pink too!!! She's got lotsa cute dressed and tops as well as accessories for your buying pleasure.
My hair was styled by ::69::. I luvs big bows!!
And of course, nothing says "high fashion" like a gas mask. It's a more progressive look than a simple pair of sunglasses. Wouldn't you agree?

Happy Birthday Second Life!!

The Underground has been given a parcel in the SL6B sims and we're gonna get our party on!! future style!!!
Come join Briddy, me and the rest of The Underground crew for some amazing parties. It's so big it's gonna take us a week to do it proper!!

[22:57] Queen Coronet: the binary code is a translation
[22:57] Bridgitte Boucher: ooh yes
[22:57] Queen Coronet: of the birthday message
[22:57] Bridgitte Boucher: i could clearly see that
[22:57] Bridgitte Boucher: i speak binese
[22:57] Queen Coronet: of course. i forgot you spent a year in binaria

Open Court Sessions @ The Underground Basketball Courts - WIN!!

Today was Open Court Session at the Underground Basketball Courts and it was an amazing success!!! Operating within The Underground group, Briddy and I organize electronic music events. In the past we've done open courts and thought it was time for another. The concept is to do an open call for DJs to come and play one hour sets, head to head. We donned our UG uniforms and headed off to The Underground Courts.

Before we knew it, the DJs were lined up and ready to go. At some points we neared max load on the sim. The entire day we had a great crowd of people coming and going. It was really fantastic to hear great tunes, enjoy our friends and make new friends too! I'm so thankful I have Briddy to do all the work so I can relax and take all the credit. (Seriously, I'm absolutely thankful for all she does.) And I'm lovin' on all the members of the music community that came out today to have a good time.

I want to make sure to say thank you to all the DJs that brought us tunes throughout the day: Bridgitte "Briddy the Diva" Boucher, Jasminx Saenz, NuRito Inshan, Luigy Balhaus, DJAmpz Dinzel, Goodes Bade, DJOsiris Darkstone, Mbone Pizzaro, Coggy Nikolaidis, Ideal Flow, and Genki Dreamscape. We love you all!! *runs around giving thank you hugs (and gropes)*

And finally, I present to you today's winner of The Underground Hot Mess of the Day Award... The North Court. This is only the second time in history of the award that a location won the award and it's well deserved. [Previously my house had won after something went horribly awry when I tried to move it just a teeny bit] Nothing shouts out "hot mess" like hippo balloons, a tuba player and a Barbie bedroom set. Well done!!

You can find more pictures from The Underground here.

Gratuitous Piccy: Queenie on a rainbow break

Something for you to look at while I'm gone.

Pearls of Wisdom: Two sides to every story

In my time in Second Life I've been witness to countless dramas as a distant observer as well as a reluctant confidante. Usually I'm exposed one person's detailed account of the situation and left to collect the other side of the story through observation. As you may imagine it results in a slanted view of the story, and if I'm not careful, a prejudicial demeanor towards the other party.
It just happened again and I'm compelled to share some words of wisdom. I could not have stated it better myself.

Two Second Life residents on Plurk were going through some "issues." and one party offered to their readers to be contacted in-world to give the truth, not fabrications. Yes, I rolled my eyes as I thought to myself "whose truth?" Then, the most wondrous angels of reason descended upon the Plurk stream:

Tenshi: Everyone fabricates their own side.
Tenshi: Everyone sees history differently.
Tenshi: There's a huge difference between a lie and a different view.
Tenshi: I'm not saying that's what is going on - I don't have a damn clue - I'm just running my mouth.
Madame Maracas: tenshivielle do you mean the difference between a lie and the Rashoman effect?

[effect of the subjectivity of perception on recollection, by which observers of an event are able to produce substantially different but equally plausible accounts of it. - Wikipedia]
NOTE: x-treme editing used to focus on the generality of the statements.

Amazing!! I was thankful to be instantly reminded there are at least two sides to every story. And the storyteller's account is almost always colored by their own perceptions. It can be very confusing. Be careful of judging other people based on information that is not received first hand. And be careful of great story tellers, they can cloud your vision.

Now, I know this, but it's good to be reminded. I prefer to listen and observe and come to my own conclusions. Often, it's not the underlying issue, but rather an evaluation as to how each party handled the matter. That in itself can be the biggest clue to a person's true character and the most determinative as to how I choose to conduct myself when relating to each party.

I can read your mind.

I like to Plurk. It keeps me in touch with my SL friends even when I'm not in SL. It's allowed me to meet so many new people and to peek into their SLives and many of their real lives.

This morning my Plurk timeline was abuzz with the tragic news of the death of the RL person behind the SL avatar, Rheta Shan. I never had the pleasure of knowing Rheta but I couldn't help but to feel heartache for those around me that were close to her. My heart goes out to her family and friends, in here and out there. Throughout the day people were able to share the news, their reactions, and their remembrances of Rheta in Plurk.

But there were other topics of discussion today within Plurkdom including: hunt/freebie critiques, criticism and backlash. Someone gushed with joy as she announced her long awaited engagement. There were many hellos and good nights. At one point some plurkers were suffering the predictable breakdown of xstreetsl.com. It was a day full of angst, joy, heartache and love.

When I got home I was suffering from the effects of allergy medication, heartache, and hormones . I turned on the 'puter and stared at the Plurk time line for too long. I'm not even sure what I was looking for. Finally, I realized that on this day negative and sad thoughts were screaming the loudest at me and coming from all directions. I took a break and read a little bit of Midnight Sun. The character, Edward, is a mind-reading vampire. So . . .

That's when I began to wonder about Plurk....Is this what it would be like to be able to listen to people's thoughts? I'm privy to the thoughts of about 200 people in Plurk. And to the thoughts of all the people that respond. Some thoughts are louder, and more emotional. Some are simple and fact based. But each is there for me to read if I choose. I imagine that a Plurk time line is very similar to having the ability to listen into the intimate thoughts of the people around me. After a day like today I know that I need to remain diligent in what I choose to read or my head may implode. Hmmm, that would not be so good.

Queenie Hunts!! : Keys to the VIP Hunt

I did a hunt this weekend. I haven't done one in what seems like forever. Frankly, I've been suffering from freebie hunter's fatigue. I appreciate hunts and I've participated in them as a shop owner and a hunter. But as of late there have been hunts with or all of the following problems: poorly organized, too large to fathom completion without coming face to face with insanity, unreasonably difficult, militant shop owners, rude hunters, and sadly the results are often an inventory stocked up with poor quality items.

Friday night I was already hearing good things about the KEYS TO THE VIP HUNT. I checked out the website and I was so happy to see that they had posted HINTS for each location. That cinched it, I was in! I'm a frugal person RL and SL and I love a bargain. But I'm also willing to pay for something that's got value so I had no problem spending 200L for the pass required for the hunt. On Saturday morning I enjoyed a few hours of hunting and had a great time. I was really pleased to find so many fantastic stores. I'm still unpacking but so far I've been really pleased with the goodies.

I was just over at the KEYS TO THE VIP HUNT to grab the URL and I noticed they are having problems with "cheaters." Someone has posted all the SLURLS to the prizes. And now shop owners are changing up the locations, and the organizer is scrambling to redo the clues, and..... *sighs* Come on. Really? I have my opinions, but in the interest of bedtime I'll leave them to a later date. I'm sure this issue won't go away anytime soon.

BTW!!! I'm loving big time on the *shinji* sports sneaks. They're super cute and really well made. Plus there's a belt 'n' other stuff to match also in the hunt.

Raincoat = K*S raincoat77
Pose = Rainy Day @ Pulling Strings
KEYS TO THE VIP HUNT GIFTS:
Umbrella = *LC* Nerdy Cute Umbrella blue/green (lounge gift at the end of the hunt)
Skin = [42] skin keys hunt tan
Shoes = *Shinji* Argyle Sports Sneaks - THESE ARE ADORABLE!! MY NEW FAVORITE SNEAKERS!!
Pants = 4EVA GUTTA - I had no idea I'd like these pants so much.

Gratuitous piccy - Queenie in the tree

This is me, can you believe it?!
Skin: :: Genesis :: (Candace - Peach "Glitterati")
The whole darn outfit: KEYS TO THE VIP HUNT #046 - FEAR AND CLOTHING
Hair: booN NMR32 hair black small..

Public Health Warning: Blog Drama Syndrome (BDS)

Yesterday a well-known blogger plurked that he's shutting down his plurk account. Naturally I was curious and clicked the link he attached. As it turns out he's retreating back into anonymity to work on projects that bring him joy both in RL and SL. Although I'll miss his well written posts I understand his need to make changes in order to focus on other goals.

Unfortunately the impetus for his decision was a squabble about freebies among bloggers and a resulting verbal assault (read: not meaningful or constructive) against this blogger. Now, I've been witness to these blogger dramas before. Initially I would peek at them like I would flip through a National Enquirer at a news stand. But quickly I realized that any information they provided was laced with negative energy. From that point on I've been more careful about what I choose to read and always proceed with caution and when I sense drama brewing.

But I was not careful enough. Last night I logged into SL and wandered around aimlessly. The malaise was overwhelming. I fell ill and took to my bed at approximately 8:15 p.m. I realized, as I lay there exhausted and with sadness running through my veins, that was suffering from the debilitating effects of Blog Drama Syndrome (BDS.) I had been so careful to protect myself, how could this happen to me? I'm convinced that it was not this once occurrence that did me in. However, it was indicative of how a seemingly benign issue like freebies vs. no freebies could expose the malice that festers within the minds among us. And it did me in.

Preliminary research tells me that a steady diet of butterscotch candies, good tunes, and plenty of rest that is taken in the company of good friends will help me to recover quickly. Let this post serve as a warning to you all, BDS is here and lurks amongst us. Protect yourselves. Think first before you read, write and respond. The next victim could be someone you love.

::::QC Designs:::: DJ Headphones - Sparkly!!

I made these headphones for DJ Briddy "The Diva" Boucher's birthday and it's been decided that they are too cute not to put in the shop. So here they are....
DJ headphones with all the sparkle a girl needs with none of the bling! They have a great sparkly effect and are scripted for 21 Metals color choices, 11 Earpiece color choices and Glow option.
So cute and available now at My Shop @ Juicy or on Xstreet SL

Roller Rink Party @ Rouge - DJ Briddy turns 2!!!

You are invited to: DJ Briddy's 2nd Rez-day Celebration!!!
When: Saturday, May 2, 2009, 6pm SLT
Where: The Roller Rink @ Rogue
Join us for roller skating while you boogie down to funktastic electro and freaky breaks. Don't forget to wear your biggest hair, shiniest spandex and tiniest hot pants!!!
Big thankies to Codie for letting us invade Rouge for a night of madness!!

Linden Memorial Park - Now open

I've been fortunate to never lose any SL friends to RL mortality, but I've known people who have. The first time I experienced the death of a RL person in SL was when my SL Mentor's son passed away. It was probably the first time I really understood that even in SL we can't escape human tragedy. The family set up an in-world memorial and guests were able to set out floating candles with notes of remembrance. It was beautiful, but I think that eventually all of the prims were returned.

The second experience I had with the RL passing of an SL avatar was the death of Ginny Talamasca. I did not know Ginny personally but I was familiar with her work and loved her designs. When I heard the tragic news my eyes welled up and I spent a few melancholy days wandering the grid and contemplating the fragile nature of the human relative to the immortal avatar.
LDPW Memorial: Ginny Talamasca


Yesterday was the 2nd Annual Day of Remembrance in Second Life. It is a day to remember those avatars that have lost their RL people. The memorial was held at the new Linden Memorial Park created by the Linden Public Works Department. This park is intended to be a place for permanent memorials, peace, and contemplation. You can get more information about the park's inspiration and creation from Brent Linden's blog post or Dusty Linden's blog post.


The pictures of the park hardly do it justice, you'll need to visit to capture the full experience. And an interesting note to this story...while I was in the garden looking at the flowers people have planted to remember their loved ones a man dropped in. It was my SL mentor and he came to plant a flower for his son. I haven't seen him for over 2 years. SL is a very small world, isn't it?

Happy 420 Day!! (psst, i'm on Koinup now)

Big ups to Dane Koba for putting together a 420 Day Celebration. Check out this neat-o pic i took of the party venue. Yeppers, a giant bud. niiiiice.

And while I'm on the subject of pictures I'd like to introduce you to my newest venture into the world wide web... Koinup!! I've been using Flickr for a long time now but a lot of people seem to enjoy Koinup so I thought I'd give it a go. I'm finally dipping my toes in the Koinup waters and so far I'm liking it. I'm all of 3 pictures in, but I don't wanna get overwhelmed.

I like to take snapshots in-world and send them via postcard to flickr. Turns out that can be done with Koinup (and linked from within Koinup to send to flickr too!) AND Talia Tokugawa wrote a quick and easy tutorial to auto-populate the koinup e-mail address so I don't have to type in the e-mail address each time.

I'm not sure yet the pros and cons of flickr v. koinup. If anyone out there would like to add their two cents I'd appreciate hearing from you. In the meantime I'll keep forging on and try my best to send in progress reports.

A Touch of Lace BDSM Issue Release Party Invitation

A Touch of Lace BDSM Issue Release Party Invitation
Originally uploaded by Queen Coronet

A Touch of Lace Magazine Launch Party - Celebrate the BDSM Issue!!

Wednesday, April 15th, 7pm SLT @ Rouge Sim
hosted by Lacie Babenco, music by DJ Briddy "The Diva" Boucher

Come dance to hot, dirty, sexy sounds mixed live by DJ Briddy,
Best un-Dressed contest sponsored by Lacie Babenco
Bring your leather, latex, whips and chains, it's time to get your BDSM on!!

Find out more about the magazine and read the latest issue @
mytouchoflace.blogspot.com

::::QC Designs:::: Princess Cut Diamond Wedding Set

I just put this wedding set out and you're gonna love it!! I do!!
It's available at my little corner shop @ Juicy!! OR online @ www.xstreetsl.com

Princess cut sculpty diamonds crafted to maximize the sparkle of the stone. The rings have an easy to use script allows you to choose:
- Gold, Silver, Gunmetal or Copper
- 21 different gemstone colors
- Add or remove glow
AND
- A show/hide function transforms engagement ring to a full wedding band.

Set includes:
- Woman's Engagement/Wedding Ring
- Man's Wedding Ring

All items are meticulously crafted with an attention to detail. Questions or comment please contact me for assistance. I also do customization and CUSTOM ORDERS available upon request.

::::QC Designs::: New Wedding set coming soon

::::QC Designs::: New Wedding set coming soon
Originally uploaded by Queen Coronet

This is the type of thing that I break my back for. The woman's ring is only 46 prims so I'm not sure what took so long. This wedding set will be available in the next few days at my shop @ Juicy (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Juicy/178/146/24) and on xstreetsl.com. The ring is scripted to for metal change, gem color change, glow, and hide/show on the woman's wedding band. And super easy to use.

I'm not sure the picture captures the stone, but it's a princess cut with a natural shine. Gorgeous!!

Queen of Erotica

I had the great pleasure of creating a few images for Lacie Babenco's a Touch of Lace, Issue 6. I love to capture images in SL and I've done some special pictures for people, but this is my very first time published!! yay!!! *flips to the story with her piccies in it and hands it over* "Here, look look!!
Open publication - Free publishing - More woman

Prevent Cancer Foundation Gala Event

Join us on Friday, March 13, 2009 for an all day gala event!! We'll be raising funds for Prevent Cancer Foundation, taking donations as well as conducting an avatar auction. Many talented avatars are putting themselves out there for the bidding, come check it out!!
@ HOUSEDIVAS

bye bye areumdeuli.

bye bye giant sculpty earth.
bye bye worker drones.
bye bye jellyfish heaven.
bye bye nice neighbors.

hello new adventures!!

Is this what they call a crossroads?

Two years ago I met someone in SL. He encouraged me to build and taught me some fantastic tricks. We found a small parcel on Areumdeuli and I set up a silks shop. I took a break for 4 months and when I came back he had moved on but the shop and the land was still there. All mine. I brokered a trade with a neighbor and was able to piece together a nice parcel where I spent a lot of my time. Over the past year and a half I've had a few different builds, but could usually be found there tinkering on something. Most recently I ressurected my main shop on the parcel but my heart just isn't in it. Tonight I tore down the shop. I still plan to maintain my corner shop at Juicy (been there since the walls were first going up) and my Xstreet SL account, but no more big shop.

So all that remains now is my municipal building and the basketball courts. Hardly builds that I would consider consequential in the grand scheme of SL, but nevertheless I'm struggling with pulling them up. I can take them in one piece and always keep to rez somewhere else, but I'm not sure that they would have the same charm. And what about the art that I house in the muni building? My seaside shanty is scarcely big enough as it is, how am I going to find wall space now? Some of the items in the building are things I rezzed many moons ago and have never taken them back into my inventory. To me there is a sadness about taking this all up and selling off the parcel. I think because it signifies the change that always makes me melancholy.

I should mention that this all came to light because I have a yearly premium coming due. And this time around I lack a compelling reason to renew. Wait. I have wonderful friends, a great little home, cute corner shop, and so much exploration to do so this is NOT a farewell Second Life post. I'm merely saying that maybe I've reached the next big moment in my SLife. Why do I feel like I'm falling off a cliff?

Volunteers Needed!!!

This Friday is the big gala fund raising event for Prevent Cancer Foundation. The Underground is looking for volunteers for the avatar auction. Along with a HUGE all day party we'll be auctioning off avatars and all proceeds will be donated to PCF. It's time to put your skills to use for a fantastic cause. We'd love to have you offer yourself up to spend time doing something you excel at, please? Yes, i'm talking to YOU!!!

Volunteers should contact Bridgitte Boucher, Jaszminx Saenz or Lanne Wise asap.

For more information on the foundation, go to PreventCancer.org

Gratuitous Piccy - on my knees

The Club Crawl 2 presented by The Underground

On Sunday, February 1, 2009, The Underground presents . . . Club Crawl!
9 Clubs, 9 DJs, 9 Hours of continuous partying to celebrate the music scene in unity!!

LMs available here

Contact Bridgitte Boucher or Queen Coronet if:
- you need more information
- you get lost and need a TP