Hair Fair - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!

It's just about time for the party to start, that party is one of the best loved mega-events in all of Second Life, the annual Hair Fair. I was lucky enough to sneak in early and get a look at the great build and all that hair, swoon much? Well, I managed to make it home with dozens of new wigs to show off, and I am going to try to show off as many as I can in the next week. I am starting with this fabu Karen wig from a new to me creator, (Milana). It's so lush and full, the gentle wave hits all the right parts, and it makes me so happy to have big hair sometimes. Make sure you add (Milana) to the must shop list, and stay tuned fellow hair addicts, you ain't seen nothing yet! 

Credits: 
Hair -  (Milana) Karen (Roots) - Blacks **New@Hair Fair 2014**
Skin - *League* Jen Pale Bloom (Cleavage D) Hairbase

Facelight - *League* Windlight Facelight Softer

Eyes - .ID. Real Eyes - Hazel [No Location Currently]
Hands - Slink, Avatar Enhancement Hands - Elegant1 R & Flat L
Feet - Slink, Avatar Enhancement Feet - Mid Height
[Note: Above Textured With Slink Advanced HUD from *League* ]
Lashes - [ glow ] studio, Innocent. eyelashes - gentle w/ *League* Avatar Eyelash Hider
Nails - PUMBY* Golden Collection - Slink Fingernail/Toenail Applier

Shoes - Essenz - Philadelphia (Cream)
Top - *Les Petits Details* - *Justine* Shirt Sand (Mesh)
Skirt - *Les Petits Details* - *Justine* Skirt Old Blue (Mesh)
Ring - *HolliPocket* Bunneh Fufu Rang-R-Woody Dark **New@Project Limited**
Bracelet - :NuDoLu: Bracelet retro des chaines - Or [Previous Arcade Gacha Item]
Ice Cream - /// offbeat /// icedays gacha block ice 04 [Gacha Item] **New@The Chapter Four**

Poses - 
. Infiniti ., F-Basic 013 M,  014 M, 016 M, 
Tillie's Posing Studio V 5.0 - Standalone HUD
Avatar Eye Control/Expressions - 
AnyPose Expression HUD [Free On Marketplace or Inworld @Phate Sheppard Creations]
Location -
Harmony City (220, 163, 23) - Moderate

Pretty Life

 [Full Credits At The Bottom of Each Post]

So much has changed in the 4 years I was absent (by choice) from SL, and yet some things never do. Great friends that have welcomed me back have made it so nice, and new friends make it a new adventure too. As a Blogger, it is a huge challenge, not to mention an expensive proposition, to start anew. There are new features to learn about and showcase, new designers, new and really exciting changes to fashion in general, but then there are the things I missed. 

As always, I blog items I love, and I try very hard to be sure that I blog original content. I am mindful of copyright and IP rights, and I want to fall on the right side of the line in what I choose to showcase. However, there is going to always be the back story that I am missing, and even if I ask old friends and fellow bloggers a thousand questions, there will always be some drama that I have missed. So please feel free to comment, drama free, if any of the items I am wearing are from suspect sources, and I will apply due diligence to be sure that I cover my bases too. I want to celebrate the best and the most wonderful things about SL, and that means getting a little help from my friends to be sure that I am living a guilt free "Pretty Life".

Credits:

Top - *ionic*, My second hand cardigan (black & white)

Pants - *Fishy Strawberry*, Tapered Cargo Pants (Grey, No Belt Version)

Boots -  Maitreya, Stagioni Xtd Leather (Artichoke)
Necklace - MG Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Wicked little Heart (Short Version, Texture Change Gems)
Hair - Magika, [Hair, Un-rigged Version] Plenty

Skin - *League*, Jen Pale Bloom

Hands - Slink, Avatar Enhancement Hands - Elegant1 R, Flat L

Shape - My Own (with help from the fabulous Anessa Stine)

Eyes - .ID., Real Eyes - Hazel
Lashes - MMS - Thora Lashes by Minnu Palen (No Longer Available)
Poses - **KoumB** by Koumia Bellah (No Longer Available)

Song In My Head: Jakalope - Pretty Life

The Book Meme - Blogger Challenge

So it's no secret that I am back on the grid again, at least not to those who are still active in SL. I have always loved the things that connect us and make us unique, and when I saw blogger extraordinaire, and all around darling, Strawberry Singh had issued a blogger challenge called The Book Meme, I wanted in. I am a huge book nerd and proud. Here is my Q & A, you can still get in on the challenge by copying these questions and pasting in your own answers.

Are you a bookworm? -- Absolutely! I always have at least one book on the go, and often more than that. I have a list of  "1000 Books to Read Before You Die", and I am crossing them off as I go.

Which do you prefer: hardcover, paperback or electronic? – I tend to read in bed a lot, so my kindle is my new best friend. But there are some books I love so much I have multiple versions of, those special hardbound editions. I also repurchased a lot of my favorites for my kindle so they would be at my fingertips always.

Which book is your favorite? – Such a hard question to answer, since I read so much in so many genres. But my desert island pick would always be Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Call it cliche, but I have read it so many times and it never gets old, I cry every single time.

Which children’s book is your favorite? – My favorite book from childhood is one my mother read to us at bedtime, the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. It is so very sad, and so very meaningful. It is about the things we treasure that should never be forgotten, no matter how much we grow and change.

What’s the last book you’ve read? – I just finished re-reading the entire Outlander series, all 7 fat books, by Diana Gabaldon. I am so in love with these characters, and can't wait for the next book to drop in June. The best news ever is that STARZ is producing a TV Series based on the books, and the leading man, Sam Heughan is dreamy as Jamie Fraser. It is coming this summer as well.

Name your top five favorite writers: – Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Diana Gabaldon, gosh... is that 5 already? I could name dozens.

Name a book that had a strong impact on you: – A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. This book is remarkable.

Favorite & least favorite book genres? – My favorite genre seems to be Science Fiction and Fantasy, but I read everything from Classics, Biographies, Graphic Novels and Manga too. Least favorite is hands down Self-Help books, I just can't stay interested in them.

Favorite & least favorite book-to-movie adaptions? – The BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, is pretty much a dream come true, I can have that series on rotation 24/7 and never get tired, I know it word for word.  As for the worst, I think that Tom Cruise killed Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. The movie is worth watching as a stand-alone, but Lestat is an eternal teenager and the couch jumping Cruise is just awful.

Have you ever bought a book based on the cover alone? – I usually have to read something off the cover or inside the flap to get a taste of the book, but I am sure I did it a lot when I was a teenager with those awful teen romances from the 80s.

Where do you usually buy your books? – When I walk buy a used bookstore in downtown Toronto, I always go in and get something, even if it is just a copy of a classic novel I have read, and want to share with my nieces and nephew. Otherwise, I have to carefully approach amazon.ca and stay as short a time as possible, else I go broke endlessly.

Do you go to the library? – I don't unless I am taking courses at the University, the higher my education level goes, the scarier the libraries are. The University of Toronto has a dozen different libraries all over the campus, it's like trying to find needles in haystacks.

How many books do you own? On my main kindle it is about 300 titles to date, on my shelves, lets just say there are layers on layers in front of layers and no room left on any of my four large bookcases in my office. It's the first thing people comment on when they come into my condo, they always go wide eyed and say, "I guess you like to read!" There are over 1000 books in my place, and I have boxes of them in storage.

If you were to write a book about Second Life, which topic would you focus on? I think it's really interesting how you begin to identify with your avatar, how it becomes a part of you (for so many of us, anyways). I am interested in that, how we become attached to our shape or skin, or not. Whether we carve out an identity or niche, or find one. Our nicknames become somehow part of our psyche, that fascinates me and I think it would make an interesting project to talk to people about those attachments, inventory not excluded.

**Meme instructions: Copy and paste the following questions and answers into your post, delete my answers and input your own. Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in the comments on Strawberries Blog here so we can all come and see. If you create an image for this meme, feel free to share it in the Blog Memes Flickr Group.

Credits:

Top - DCNY, Mesh Striped Crop Top (Bluesy)

Shorts - The Secret Store, Balloon Shorts (Carbon) @ COLABOR88

Shoes - Baiastice, Lunar Ankle Boot (celeste) @ COLABOR88

Hair - Clawtooth, Lady Stardust - Blueberry Pie @ COLABOR88

Skin - *League*, Jen Pale ChinaDoll 

Hands - Slink, Avatar Enhancement Hands - Elegant1 R, Flat L

Shape - My Own (with help from the fabulous Anessa Stine)

Eyes - .ID., Real Eyes - Hazel

Lashes - MMS - Thora Lashes by Minnu Palen (No Longer Available)

Props - floorplan. pride and prejudice novel, AF Open Book

Skybox - llorisen // ciaran skybox (Includes Texture Change Cushions and Poses)