If it’s all the same, I’ll go with Cake, thanks.

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.

SL9B Teasers

Hello… (Hello… Hello… HELLO!) Avatar!

Badges? I don’t need to show you no… well I got one right here, actually.

It’s official! Antique Square’s application for SL9B has been approved, and Thaddeus and I have been busily getting the build site ready for our exhibit, which we call “In the Good Old Summertime”. Not only have we been planning and building, but our good friends Teleny and Derren Macarthur have been helping us with photos and video for showing the place off!

So if you’d like to see a few tidbits of what we’re planning to do to celebrate SL’s 9th birthday, then by all means, read on!

SL9B Preparations

OK, before talking about SL9B, I’ll back the truck up a little bit and clue in those of you who are even further out of the loop than I tend to be.

SL9B refers to Second Life’s 9th anniversary celebration. The actual anniversary is on June 23rd. I personally have only attended one previous year’s event, and that was SL8B, last year.

Now, unlike previously, Linden Lab made the executive decision to not host an expo-type celebration this year, but instead decided to have us do the same stuff we do the rest of the year in our own sims and only slap an SL9B tag on it. Or as Mr. Mariner put it, a sort of grid-wide hunt celebration.

I hate grid-wide hunts. THERE I SAID IT.

But what I hated more was the Lab saying “We’re making it ALL ABOUT YOU!” Because they’re making nothing about nobody; they’re just saying “have at, kiddies!”

Many residents, yours truly among them, were less than pleased with that.

However, unlike yours truly, there are some who would rather solve problems than just bitch about them. And so some truly inspiring and gutsy folks have taken it upon themselves to REALLY make it all about us.

So, for residents and by residents, there will indeed be a commonly-located SL9B event. Last I read, no fewer than 20 sims have been donated for use by various generous donors. And because I reside in the suburbs of The Greater Loop Area, there may indeed be more that I just don’t know about yet.

This year’s theme is Community. And now, thanks to the residents running this shindig, it really is.

Now. I really want to tell you all about what I’ve got in the works for Antique Square’s build (as it is they with whom I’ve thrown my lot this year). I would love to describe all the little victories between now and the big day.

But I’m of the opinion that it’s a thing so very cool, so steeped in awesomesauce, that I just can’t give away any spoilers yet. I am hopeful that when you do see it you’ll find it as awesome-flavored as I do.

OK OK OK, just one tiny ittybitty taste.

Coming soon to the Wing…

You may recall that I’m managing things at the Plucked Wing in Faery Crossing (see right margin for Destination link) these days. And I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve not let myself dive headlong into this job. I really do consider it my secondary SL job; Clover’s Kitchen is the first. But it still still an important job and one I do take seriously.

In the past week or so, the Wing has found itself, shall we say politely, between storytellers.

Also allow myself to say, I’m kind of a snob. I know. I know. You’re having heart attacks and keeling over as I speak. Try to recover from the shock of this statement. I want the patrons of the Wing to be entertained by the very best, and, at the risk of being too much of a tease, I’m going to say that the very best SL storyteller I know may (MAY) be coming to grace our humble hall very soon. Negotiations are underway as to when (not if).

That’s all I’m going to say now. Because I know the importance of leaving you wanting more.

The Best Day Ever: Petal On the Road: Day 7, Part 1

Time to spill the beans: Petal made a BFF on Night 6! Say hello to Joline, age 11. Joline is now a Junior Doe Cadet, like Petal, and they’ve begun to continue their Mainland road adventure together. They packed up all their gear and departed from the Hanson Infohub together. Let’s see where the road takes them as we start Petal’s seventh day on the road!

Sim 75: Eldora

Joline and I rode north, through Arosa Village (and the sims of Boreal and Kendall). We took a left, and headed west.

Warmth Amid the Cold: Petal On the Road, Day 6

Yes, once again, it’s time to check in with our intrepid nine-year-old explorer, Petal, as she makes her way along the Mainland roads on her bike. When last we left off, Petal had left her bike in Belmondo, got carried away in a sleigh ride to Moritz, climbed a mountain, and snowboarded all the way to the Infohub in Anzere. Let’s see if she can find her way back to the road and her bike.

Deep in the mountains, in the Snowlands, is the Anzere Infohub. I had hot cocoa and a good night's rest, but now it was time to get back to Belmondo and my bike. I hoped it wasn't towed while I was away, because with only a couple Ls to my name, I'll have a hard time getting a new one!

Sleighbells and Yak Butter: Petal on the Road, Day 5

One Kid, One Bike, and Hundreds of Sims: it’s day 5 of Petal’s bicycle trip along the roads of the Mainland continent of Sansara. When we last left off, our intrepid nine-year-old explorer had made camp at the Isabel Infohub. Let’s see what she discovers on Day 5!

When I woke up in Isabel, near the Infohub, there were 51 avatars sharing the sim with me! There was also an intersection; I decided to go straight (south-west), further away from the crowds. OMG LAGGGGG. I thought I'd never cross that bridge.

Petal on the Road, Day 4, part 2

It’s time once again to check in with Petal, that intrepid nine-year-old explorer as she pedals her way along the main roads on the Mainland. Today being what would have been Jules Verne’s birthday, it seemed especially apt to include her visit to the Jules Verne Museum. So here we go…

Petal on the Road – Part 4

One kid, one bike, and hundreds of sims: it’s Petal On the Road, the adventures of Petal as she explores the main road on the Mainland. No flying, no TPing (except to get unstuck), no money from home. Of course you have to suspend disbelief in thinking that any mom in her right mind would let a nine-year-old do something like this. But here we are, on Day 4 of her adventure, where she begins at a campsite in Alice. Let’s see where the road takes her today.

Day 4: departing from Alice and the delicious BBQ food. The weather is clear.

O Canada – Petal On the Road, Part 3

One kid, one bike, and hundreds of sims – Petal is exploring the Mainland by way of the main roads; no TPing, no flying (unless she gets really stuck), and blogging as she goes.

We left off in Brauer, where Petal found some Mayan ruins in which to make camp. From there she continued on until the next intersection, which was in Ontario.

Sim 26: Ontario

Ontario's a province in Canada. It's much smaller than I expected. But I decided I'd continue straight (east), since my map showed a dead end not too far along. Then I'd double back to this intersection, and head south.