So I mentioned having to cancel the party I planned last night. Instead I popped into Toot Toot’s Carolina Pub in the sim of Sifton, to pay a visit to my friend Symmetry and the rest of the good crowd that can often be found there. I had my cake dress on and announced that this would now be my birthday party.
I whipped out the camera and nabbed some video. Here it is.
P.S.: Just an added bit of trivia, this just happens to be my 666th blog post.
…was a SMASH success!
We had about a dozen people throughout the event, as many as twenty at one point. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and being social. Plus I even made a couple sales in Clover’s booth, and I have a feeling the merchants taking part in the Snowflake Hunt are seeing plenty of participation too.
We had so much fun, and people were saying “Let’s do something like this again soon!”, that I decided that on Sunday the 22nd, I’ll be throwing a birthday party there for yours truly. More skating, more dancing, more of the fantastic DJ Noir, and this time, cake! Keep an eye for more news about that.
Here’s last weekend’s impromptu surf party in way harsh T’ai. Clover went and brought back some pictures.
Continue reading “Surfin’ SL”
Out in RL land, there’s a blizzard warning.
Meanwhile in SL, today’s the day of my annual “Screw Winter” beach vacation. Today, we surf. Tomorrow, I’m DJing a beach party set at Toot Toot’s.
Sometime (vaguely) around 1 PM SLT today, catch me up in IM, grab your beachwear and your board, and come join us. After surfing we’ll hang out and dance. It’ll be fun. WAY more fun than a blizzard warning.
Ladies, gentlemen, furries, vampires, tinies, automatons, and everyone else I forgot to name… come to the birthday party for everyone with a December birthday, TONIGHT starting at 6 PM SLT at Toot Toot’s Carolina Pub in Second Life!
Do you have a birthday in December? Do you get tired of your birthday being overshadowed by that OTHER occasion what happens in December? Had it with people saying “Here’s your birthday-SLASH-Christmas present”? Did your mom ever make you a freakin’ Rudolph cake for your ninth birthday?
OK maybe that last one was just me. Hello, my name is Mistletoe Ethaniel, and my birthday is December 22nd. I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and throw a birthday party for ALL us December Babies: with cake, and presents, dancing to great music (NONE of it Christmas music) and fireworks! Yes, I’m returning to Toot Toot’s Carolina Pub TONIGHT, December 10th, at 6PM to bring you all these great things, because for December Babies, the best birthday present is often just acknowledging the birthday!
Don’t have a birthday in December? Hey that’s fine, because it’s not a party without lots of friends and family along to celebrate with us! You’re not required to bring a present (but if you do, leave the word “slash” at the door), just bring your dancing shoes and all your friends to party down with us!
Here’s how you get there, and I’ll see you TONIGHT at 6PM SLT!
Do you have a birthday in December? Do you get tired of your birthday being overshadowed by that OTHER occasion what happens in December? Had it with people saying “Here’s your birthday-SLASH-Christmas present”? Did your mom ever make you a freakin’ Rudolph cake for your ninth birthday?
OK maybe that last one was just me. Hello, my name is Mistletoe Ethaniel, and my birthday is December 22nd. I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and throw a birthday party for ALL us December Babies: with cake, and presents, dancing to great music (NONE of it Christmas music) and fireworks! Yes, I’m returning to Toot Toot’s Carolina Pub on Monday, December 10th, at 6PM to bring you all these great things, because for December Babies, the best birthday present is often just acknowledging the birthday!
Don’t have a birthday in December? Hey that’s fine, because it’s not a party without lots of friends and family along to celebrate with us! You’re not required to bring a present (but if you do, leave the word “slash” at the door), just bring your dancing shoes and all your friends to party down with us!
Here’s how you get there, and I’ll see you tomorrow night!
So last night was, as promised, my biggest and most explosive fireworks show ever. The opening didn’t go according to plan; I had a whole carefully programmed (pyreographed?) show to accompany Fanfare for the Common Man. And I was going to have the text spell out the well-known sentence from the Preamble to the Declaration: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” etc. But the text launcher decided it would fire text when it wanted to, not when I wanted it to, so I finally took it back into inventory and just kinda winged it.
The downside to that was that I had way more explosives going than I wanted, that early in the program. I like to crescendo my way in with these. Start small, build up. It’s the pyrotechnician’s rule: don’t blow your load in the first two minutes. Lots of people, actually, could gain from this knowledge. I’m looking at YOU, ex-boyfriend. But I digress!
The upside to the show was, with the scope of the finale, nobody even remembers the opening number.
Continue reading “Destruction at Antique Square”
The big closing party for Antique Square is being moved to Wednesday night, the 4th. Seems a good night to light fireworks FOR SOME REASON. I mentioned blowing stuff up artfully, before. Well, inspired largely by Crap’s idea for demolishing SL9B builds, I thought, you know, we can make the ending every bit as entertaining as the opening. All good things must come to an end, but nobody said it had to be a quiet or serious end.
So, you take one pyromaniac elf, lots of pretty explosives, and a quarter-sim build ready to pack it up.
I think we can make this work.
Here’s where you can help: I’m composing a playlist for the afterparty, and am looking for ideas for songs (of any genre) with the theme of FIRE (seeings how I’m a pyromaniac elf). Post your suggestions in the comments.
And look for an invitation soon.
Day One was filled with confusion, lag, cock-ups, TPs down, and complaining.
It was also filled with beauty, music, laughter, and a great group of people who displayed patience, tenacity, and more patience.
Let’s get you some SLURLs right away; it was brought to my attention that these were a bit hard for non-staff people to find. It’s easy to forget that those of us working there could find our way around easily, but for the rest, it wasn’t as clear. So.
Here you can get a handy TP HUD, which can help you get around the area more quickly (provided TPs aren’t borked).
That out of the way, here’s some other useful information, like how to not lag so damn much.
Exhibitor: How come I can’t get to my build?
Exhibitor2: Yeah I can’t get to mine either.
Exhibitor3: OMG YOU GUYS CAN’T EVEN GET THIS SHIT RIGHT WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU.
Greeter: Hi guys, thanks for your patience while we work problems out.
Exhibitor: How come when I TP to my build I can’t get there?
Exhibitor2: OMG I just TPed to a naturalist resort.
Exhibitor: Darwin’s a naturalist. These guys are naturists. Noob.
Moderator: Hey guys, just wanted to remind you that this is moderated chat for exhibitor and performer related issues, not lag reports or chatter. Thanks for understanding.
Exhibitor3: SERIOUSLY YOU CAN’T EVEN FIND YOUR ASS WITH BOTH HANDS.
Greeter: I can try to TP people in, IM me.
Exhibitor: Penises! Scary!
Exhibitor2: So how come I can’t get to my build yet? It’s been like 60 seconds now!!
Performer: Can anyone help me get to the Cake stage, as I am on in 15 minutes?
Exhibitor4: I can’t get to my build!
Moderator: Once again, guys, this is moderated chat. Please limit your conversation here accordingly.
Exhibitor: Can I get an EA
Exhibitor Assitant: I’ll IM you
Exhibitor:…to TP me into my build?
Greeter: Guys, try to be patient. It’s SL.
Exhibitor3: YOU GUYS ALL SUCK. YOU CAN’T GET ME TO MY BUILD AND YOU CAN’T ORGANIZE… THINGS NEEDING ORGANIZING… WITH A THING THAT ORGANIZES THEM!
Exhibitor2: How come when I try to TP to my build I can’t get there?
Exhibitor: I can’t get to my build and it’s been like 5 minutes since opening now!
Exhibitor3: I’M BLOGGING THIS RIGHT NOW!
Exhibitor2: Why am I not able to TP anyplace now?
Everybody: BECAUSE TPS ARE CLEARLY NOT WORKING NOW.
Moderator: *bangs head on desk*
Exhibitor3: THAT’S BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO ORGANIZED THIS ARE REALLY SECRETLY SPIES FROM INWORLDZ WHO ARE TRYING TO SABOTAGE LL I KNOW I HAVE PROOF.
Exhibitor: How about now? I’ve waited a good seven minutes now.
Exhibitor2: Oh hey guys, I can’t TP to my build, case you haven’t heard.
Moderator: *shoots monitor*
And then, with about 15 minutes left in what must have been the easiest Greeter shift ever worked, people finally started TPing in! I said hi, I handed out swag, I helped them get TP HUDs, and then suddenly I was starting to get overwhelmed with people! I ran 15 minutes over my shift, when finally someone was able to TP in to relieve me.
I didn’t catch Saffia’s opening speech, and that’s too bad, but I found a transcript of it here. I’m told it will be available to view online sometime tomorrow.
The lady from the Church of Rosedale said to me, in IM, “Oh! Yours is the one with the barbershop quartet and the carousel! I love that build!” Insert me using this pose here. (Side note: said pose was made by the same guy who made our SL9B build video). We talked a while about her EPIC waterslide at her build (here’s Death checking it out)! One of the more fun attractions I’ve seen yet; a total must-see.
Downside to today, besides the lag and the impatience, was that I felt like I had to be “on” any time I was logged in. Much like running a pub. Of course I found ways to combat that, not the least of which being: logging off when the work day was done.
Signed on for another 2 hour shift tomorrow. Looking forward to it!
So, this is it! Opening Day is Monday. I THINK it’s all ready to go. The only thing I don’t know the status of is the balloon freebies game, and I’m going to try not to stress over it because if I’m stressing about a balloon freebies game, then I need to go find something else to stress about.
Maybe I could try to invent some stress and drama. But then I’m no Hamlet.
The Cake is FRIGGIN’ AMAZING. You may or may not recall from SL8B last year, the very popular and widely acclaimed “Together” exhibit by Mikati Slade. Well I’m very excited to see her work as this year’s Cake Stage. It spans 4 whole sims and it’s in-friggin’-credible. The photo doesn’t do it justice. WAIT TIL YOU SEE IT.
Speaking of things I can’t wait for you to see: this.
Oh wait I’m doing this wrong. Um… CONTROVERSY. DRAMA. STUFF.
Look, Hammie, I know you want SL9B to be a drama-and-lag fest, just like you say SL8B was. You’ll even go so far as to mention a build that most of the other builders/staff/participants never even saw. I notice, though, that if not for (invented) controversy, there really isn’t much mention from your blog about SL9B at all. Perhaps you don’t find it newsworthy that residents, and not a single Labbie, ponied up land, donated their time and work, and did everything all on their own. Perhaps you don’t find it newsworthy that there were more applicants to build at this expo than at any of the previous ones. Perhaps you don’t find the beautiful Cake Stage, the underwater exhibits, the giant airborne stage made entirely out of mesh, worth mentioning in your news blog.
But I do. I’m fucking well impressed. No, awed. I call myself an event planner but bitches I can’t even BEGIN to fathom what went into making this whole thing come together. I consider myself truly lucky to be just a tiny little cog in this whole mechanism, and I will never, for as long as I live or rez, forget this event.
Tonight the gates close. Tomorrow, to de-stress, Petal and friends are going pillaging. Then, Monday, bring on the cake and the Death. I am so ready.
Mistletoe Ethaniel's Blog 