This, I gotta tell ya, is more exciting than drinking a milkshake of Einstein-Bose condensates! So where did I leave ya last time? Lessee now… and I'll roll the joints, er, jaunts from there, so to speak.

????

1. Ryen Jade called this one (good timing duuude)! So be it! =) Here we are, a cyberpunk quartet… Oz Spade, Ryen, moi, and Nick Fairlight. Discussing visionary?ideas, goofing around. Of note: Oz was eating KFC. I am honored to be in such company. (In an alternate alternate universe, I have become but a common Island Sandbox griefer. Oh the?dishonor.?:P )

2. Sweeeet story behind this one. BANG!!! What did I tell ya? ;)?Nick was filling me on some stories of the past, including how he once unleashed this AMAZING fireworks show of his while friends camped out and watched. From a time before I ever came to SL, when the metaverse was much smaller and I hear that community — —in some respects at least?–?was more closely-knit. These fireworks are truely symbolic of the beauty of Second Life — not only what Nick made but what they were made for. The particle effects are wonderful to watch — I wouldn't say "random",?because there is clearly a form and function to the display. There are nice whistling and crackling sounds to accompany the pulsebursts and skitters and all manner of colorful extravagance. Initially, we watched from atop Ryen's apartment, but I had an urge to zoom up, and so we did…

3. zooming in closer to the cosmic rhythm. BANG! BANG!! BANG!!! Full of sound and fury, signifying everything.

4. Somewhere along the line, the idea that we should set up a nice fireworks show in the Welcome Area arose, and so Nick and I headed to the n00b spawn1ng z0ne. Scouting around for a place to launch, Nick sagely decided to cover two spots. Musing briefly about how we might be reported for noise pollution by some killjoy, it didn't happen, and the show went off awesomely. Nick let the 'works fire off towards the heavens above, the moon shining in its full glory, as Morris builders paused from their construction to witness the spectacle. In an excited frenzy, I headed towards the WA and shouted out for all to come and see the show, see the show!?A crazy celebration of Second Life spirit is what it was in the best of ways, and then, without prior warning, Nick and I disappeared into the night.

   ???

5. It wasn't before long that we ended up at Nick's Metis place, where he promptly proceeded to show me some of his vehicular contraptions, including this flying wheelchair that enabled us to do a great ET impersonation. I BELIEVE!!!

6. Ah, of wheelchairs, trains, aeroplanes, and things that roll… yes, that's Spittoonie Island you see. Spittoonie and "fun"? Synonymous. It all started when Rickard asked me to join him in a chairfight. Sadly, said chairfight was motion-broken and it looked more like we were doing some sort of Scanners telepathic challenge, minus the exploding watermelons-as-heads. So, heading for greener pastures and taking things as they came, vehicles soon were rezzed for the enjoyment of all involved. Casval Epoch of the blue hair (the one who told me that watching virtual movies looks better in mouselook when you show your avatar bits — he was right!) took us cruising along on his Jeep.

7. I'm getting sort of a Halo vibe from this one. It was just too fun, pulling out guns and aiming at the aerial vehicles made by Rickard Roentgen as we trolleyed around the island, navigating little molehills and bigger mountains.?Simply Ariel looks good with a gun, doesn't she??It was a late hour and there?wasn't really anyone else around — I must seriously state that while I am constantly in pursuit of crazy fun, I do not like to cause trouble to others. And so, onwards ho!!

8. War of the Hammerheads in the sky! Taking the battle from ground to air, we soared through the sim, getting a spectacular view of the theme park from above, and?colliding into each other as we did so. Up in a skybox, we found a Plinkoesque game called "Klinko" or somesuch thing. I reckon it will be in action soon, courtesy of Spittoonie resident mastermind Jack Digeridoo.

   ???
   

9. Hammerhead bowling! STRIKE!!! At one point, us ladies got on the pins and proceeded to become targets for the mechanized wrath of the aerialsub hybrids.

10. A picture of the torrid Torrid Midnight as she anticipates to pilot a Hammerhead for her very first time. And thanks again Torrid, for the neon clothing.

11. Chillin' at Oneironaut Escher's ADD-incarnate pad with him and Dan Rhodes, creative and esteemed members of the SL community. Like the sands in an hourglass, these are the days of our lives. Note the detailed sketch showing how much a labor of love this project is. For Onei, the time's often 4:20!

12. And here… I sit on top of the new Coffee Talk building, as architected by Lordfly Digeridoo. Coffee Talk used to be a little stand in the center square of Midnight City, which is now occupied by a population of snowpeople good and evil.?(I will never forget the line "Aren't knockoffs great?") And now, we have expansion, and so, we have this! Note Torrid's?and my Hammerheads parked on the?roof.?As I watch the solar orange glow and radiantly emanate its pixellated warmth towards my pale face, I realize: "What a tranquil, glorious, beautiful sunrise." While virtual, I treasure moments like this, and as the sun rises in SL, I go to sleep in RL . . . content in anticipating what lies ahead.