Avatar Rendering Costs and Prim Whores

I hate ARC (Avatar Rendering Cost) limits for doubles (events in some CCS sims where you earn double experience points for a limited period of time).  ARC 800 or below?  I mean really... How can a girl look fabulous with that kind of restriction?  I like nice, quality stuff.  Nice stuff is primmy.  So, what's a girl to do?  Well, I used to detach my eyelashes, fingernails, jewelry...and finally awesome hair...and don prim-less clothes and noobalicious-looking low prim hair.  Sadness.  Now, however......gladness!  I found stuff that works!  I still can't wear my eyelashes, fingernails or jewelry, but...it works!  Yay!

The Low Prim Goddess

800 ARC?  Bring it!

Hair:  Exile Tempest in Marble

Bikini:  BOOM Infinity Flourish Kini in Red (which I got on sale!)

Shorts:  ~Simply Orgasmic~ Stone-washed Cut-offs (which I've had for who knows how long and they're my absolute fav shorts)

Shoes:  Shabby Cat Flip Flops in Black

Sunglasses:  HOC Industries Ladies' Sunglasses 01 in Red (color change!)

Beneath the sunglasses:  BOOM Liquid Glaze Black Eyeliner with Lashes (wonderful!)

I'd be even less primmy if I wore a bikini without the strings, lost the sunglasses, and went barefoot, but I'm still way under 800 ARC :D

Fashionista

After giving up out of sheer frustration with being unable to figure out how to import my blog posts from Clothes Whore SL to here, I've finally added them to the "Fashion" tab by links.  \o/  Whatever.  LOL. 

:: Epi-licious on Clothes Whore ::

Clothes Whore SL.  Go there.  Me, Khloie, and Abby.  Awesomeness.

:: Clothes Whore SL Blog ::

Elephant!

Ah, the elephant.  Sacred to many, the elephant is symbolic of wisdom, patience, perseverance, strength, power, gentleness, and divinity.  Akasha was wise in acquiring this beautiful elephant who adorned her old parcel in Lomas - he reminds me of the gentility and strength in wisdom that issues from the Divine. 

The Gentle Giant

Spring Sprucing

So... it's Spring :D  Time to freshen up the look of the studio!

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I wasn't happy with the starkness of the seating/waiting area, so I put out another sofa and placed my new portfolio on the coffee table!  Love it - it holds up to 2,000 photos and you can flip through the pages easily.  It has some other super options too!

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I also added a screen to my little pink loft space to separate it out a bit more from the work area.  It helps when changing clothes as well!

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And...some fresh plant life for the patio table to complement the hanging lanterns.

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Talk Talk

It seems that all we do is talk in SL :D  That's ok, though.  When friends are separated by miles and time zones, SL is a nice way for us to have deep conversations without usage charges :D  Yeah, yeah, I know Skype works too, but the SL environments look better than my office LOL.

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Khloie and I discussing the state of our respective real lives and the weaponization of my Marshmallow Stick of Doom.

Fear the Marshmallows

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Akasha (in the back) and I having an afternoon chat about some of the weirdness within SL and the scary people who perpetuate it.

Tiki Talk

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Khloie, me, and Akasha (and Uriel in the lower left corner of the frame next to the vase) during a late night philosophy session.

Girl Talk

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Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here

In the Divine Comedy (La Divina Commedia, by Dante Alighieri, 14th Century), as Virgil and Dante arrive at the gate of Hell, Dante notes that it bears an inscription, "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."  This inscription implies the horror and torment of total despair.  It suggests that upon entering Hell, all hope is lost.  So it is - or should I say can be - with SL.

Yes, SL can be fun and interesting.  SL has some amazing content to explore.  SL provides a platform for people from all over the world to communicate, create, and roleplay.  The problem with SL is that it's insidiously seductive.  It sucks you in by feeding into your fantasies, needs, or fetishes.  The environments, situations, and games we create in SL can mesmerize us into a false sense of reality if there is an emotional, social, or psychological need that one thinks is being met by these SL experiences.  Whether or not these needs are appropriate or moral is certainly questionable and I will discuss them in greater detail in another blog post.  Suffice to say that the sad fact is that what you do and how you conduct yourself in SL can destroy your real life if you let it.  Don't let it.  If you're unhappy, dissatisfied, or whatever - address your problems, confront your demons.  Correct what's wrong in your real life by taking appropriate action and not hurting your loved ones or yourself.  Get help.  Remember who and what is truly important in your life.  Remember who you really are.  Don't buy into a hopeless fantasy that can ultimately destroy you and your loved ones.  The answers are not found by escaping into SL.  The answers to your problems are found by actively pursuing solutions to improve your real life.

Take SL for what it is... a temporary amusement.  Don't get involved in "relationships" that can devastate a real life.  Heed the warnings in this series (four parts):  Virtual Adultery and Cyberspace Love

More on SL and gaming addictions can be found in my February 19th blog here:  Gah!

I'm driven to blog about this issue because it is a very real concern that has affected the lives of people I know and/or care about.  If you know someone who seems to have a problem with online/sex addiction, please, PLEASE try to help them.  It's terribly painful to watch someone you care about degenerate and not be able to help them.  So first I posted things to my SL profile...and I blog now... and hope that they read what I've written.

A little levity based on truth...  Sarcastic Gamer

If you are interested in reading the Divine Comedy, an epic poem which can be described as a complex allegory that includes a variety of themes, it is available online at:  The Divine Comedy at the Electronic Literature Foundation.

Randomness

I've not been in-world much this week and when I have been there, I've been mostly AFK.  I did shoot a few photos during the short time I was engaged in some sort of activity, so here they are.  I love the first one... it reminds me of saints' prayer cards...

My angelic self gazing toward heaven and lamenting the decadence and depravity around me :P

So angelic...don't let the black streak in the hair fool you... *cough*

Slinking around...

Studio shot.

Studio shot for the Clothes Whore blog.

And of course...Epi sleeping :D  Pasqua's keeping watch :)

Uhm...

I know I said that there would be no more animals for a while BUT... I did say that I was going to post a photo of Epi with her saddle on, so... yeah... Here it is :D  Thanks to Auntie Khlo for the lovely tack!  (Tack is saddle and bridle in equestrian lingo.)  Don't anyone say anything about my feet not reaching the stirrups... 

Epi resplendent in her violet tack!

Day 8 in the Life of Epi and Pasqua

My girls on day 8.  Look at how big they are now!  Okies...that's enough with the animal photos for awhile :D  I promise that other stuff will be blogged!

My Menagerie... and Some Snapshots from Lomas (LOL Ya Gotta Love Virtual Reality)

Sigh.  I so detested those damn Breedable things... and now here I am all gushy over my babies Epi and Pasqua...  It's all their fault - Khloie, Slayer, Akasha, and Abby.  They thought they'd piss me off by giving me one, but it so backfired LOL.  The second I laid eyes on the just born Epi (don't you love that they named her after me?) I was hooked.  She was too darn little and cute :/  So of course I had to have a bunny too - it's almost Easter after all.  Baby Pasqua was born just an hour after Epi.  They are both white with violet eyes :D  They share the corral in Lomas and are happy and loved by all of us.  My horse Michael didn't quite know what to make of the wee Epi but he's become very protective of her and the tiny Pasqua now.  My kitty Uriel stays in my studio (he's an indoor cat LOL) so he's not met the two new babies yet, but I'll bring him down to meet them soon.

And no, there will be no breeding.  That is not negotiable LOL.  Epi turned 7 today and can be ridden - that's as far as it's going :D  Photos of Epi in her beautiful violet saddle and bridle that Auntie Khlo bought for her will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, here are my babies (click each photo to see them larger):

Just born Epi! (Photo by Khloie)

Just born Pasqua!

The scene when I arrived to discover I was a mamma... Slayer, Khloie, Abby, Akasha, and me...and my namesake :D

Michael meeting Baby Epi on Day 2.  I'm sure he was thinking "WTF?"

Auntie Akasha visiting with me and my babies on Day 4

Me and My Girls on Day 4

My Girls and I yesterday - Day 6

The Handsome Michael, named after the Archangel :D

The Adorable Uriel, also named after the Archangel :D

Uriel relaxing in the studio...He still misses his old friend Schultz...and so do I...

Here are some photos from our fun during doubles in Lomas... complete with icky low prim hair!  I hate having to keep my ARC at 800 or less :/

Beach Babes with Bad Hair: Akasha, Khloie, and Epi

Epi and Khloie meditate...

Our Tiki Refuge - that's Khloie to the right.

The Tiki Bar - and La Epi snoozing in the hammock.

And finally, some random shots from Lomas :)

Nice view, eh?

Sun and Shades... and Deep Thoughts.

Me & Akasha - and her blunt - discussing life.

Hermanas

Khloie, Epi, & Michael playing in the water - and Mr. Peepers soaring above us!

Me in my studio. Always thinking...

Me...and Me!

Erin Go Bragh!

Happy St. Paddy's Day to all!  I'll post over the weekend - I'm out!  Have fun and be safe tonight!  And remember:  Guinness is good for you!  Slainte!

La Epi in an emerald garden...getting her Celt on :D

Bleh...

I haven't felt much like posting. I think the state of the world is getting to me. Things are not good, people. If you pray, do so. If you don't pray, then manifest positive energy. If you can't do that, then just think positive thoughts. Be kind. Have compassion and empathy. Forgive. Love - for real. Get out of your isolated little worlds and care about something other than yourselves and your own immediate gratification. Get real. Life isn't about your individual pursuit of pleasure or fun at everyone else's expense. Pay attention to what matters - and who matters. Everything and everyone else is just transient shallow bullshit.

From Chic to Shabby Chic!

Angels & Demons Photography has moved! Yep, it's been a hectic week moving to a new sim, but my new studio is super cute!!! It's very different from the one in Elior, which had a NYC studio gallery look and feel. This one is a bright little seaside cottage - in the sky! Just in time for summer! My new studio feels as much like home to me as the first one did because it reminds me of the seaside cottages here in NY. Come visit me! Don't be surprised if you find me there RPing/working in a bikini! \o/

Here it is!

Ta dah!

Outdoor activity!

Outdoor fun!

Inside with my cycling photo gallery :D

 

Love the collage! Thanks Khloie!

My equipment - OK, only some of it :)

Alcove!

What a surprise...It's pink :P

:D

Relax!

And here's the original studio/gallery:

The cycling galleries' original home.