Orwar

That never ends well for me. Or maybe it ends too well ... Ahem.

And I'm lawfully evil!

$40, and picking from a premade list? My first SL account was made back when you could still write your name as two parts on sign-up. When I decided to give SL another go and wanted a fresh start, that was no longer possible. I didn't get why, but I figured that since the first name I wanted (i.e. my name), I'd just go with that - and add the surname I wanted in my display name. I just don't get the point, since you can put whatever you like in your display name anyway. I also don't get why they ever stopped allowing two-part names to begin with.

Posts, doesn't matter if it's starting a thread or commenting in one. Besides, the whole 'points' thing is actually quite interesting, psychologically - apparently we (people) are quite prone to seeing 'likes' in social media as acceptance, which may give us endorphin kicks, whereas not receiving likes at a rate we expect, may actually bring us down psychologically. Our species is so much fun!

But it's not the amount of 'points' you have, it's at 500 posts that you can change your forum title. If that's what you were referring to. If you refer to having a high ratio of faves to seem popular .. Well, I think that putting up a lot of photos in the vanity threads will be quicker.

... Well, thank you forum, for eating my post when there were new replies and I tried to refresh. Grr! But, in spite of this, a meh day that turned into a good day, turned into a great day - and now into an excellent day. After the interview and shoot was completed, I had someone show me some absolutely magical things that I never knew about in SL - and then I nabbed myself a new home; a Victorian Linden home!

Hm. I know that abortion is a sensitive subject to many, and that no one really wants a 'man's opinion' on the matter, but my mother has worked as an operation nurse her entire life and for some years she worked at the maternal clinic in my home town, and some of the things she have told me has been beautiful, whilst others have been very dark. One of the things that I found distressing, was that she once told me about a young woman she had worked on. She came into the clinic like clockwork, once every few months, to have an abortion. Why? Because she and her boyfriend didn't want to use a condom, or any other contraceptive, but they also didn't want a child. That woman has burnt through a lot of resources (i.e. time and money) for the clinic, and added to the wait times for other people who come in with actual need for medical help. If a woman is made pregnant by mistake, or against her will, then I think that abortion is probably the best option in most cases. Same if circumstances change, say their partner is killed in a car accident or they have a breakup during the early stages of pregnancy and suddenly there's no home or income with which to raise a child. But that some people do it so lightheartedly, abusing a generous system, then at the very least they should pay for it - but in our healthcare model that's not the reality. Besides, the philosophical concerns may not be so entirely without merit as some like to portray it. Is a woman's body hers alone to decide over? Absolutely - but at what stage do we recognize human life? I've heard the scientific side, and also of the sometimes distressful brutality of late-stage abortion. The debate has raged here in Sweden, whether doctors and nurses working for the maternity clinics have the right to choose whether they want to conduct or assist in terminations or not - the public outcry from most liberals and socialists were 'absolutely not'. As a result, many simply changed specialization or went back to general practice, resulting in longer wait times and worse quality of care for all women. Can someone be forced to conduct an abortion against their will, when they've chosen their profession because they wish to bring life safely into the world? I think that the law actually went in favor of the nurses' having a choice on whether it should be part of their job or not, but it remains a sensitive topic here. Either way, I don't think that it's as black or white as the political discourse often presents it.

Escapades Endured.

The day started a little rough with a bad night's sleep, but the afternoon has been very pleasant, with another interview and demo shoot completed. My window has now been open all night and all day, because apparently the landlord thinks that we want to be slow-roasted throughout winter. Now back to photo-editing like a madman.

Date Ra-- *ahem* Date Night.

Domination complete. Must be a thing, 'cause--

Whilst using an avatar which doesn't appeal to you is, well, unappealing, don't see it as a sprint to perfection. My avatar has evolved a lot over the years, with the advent of new technology (mesh, then bento mesh), input from others (mostly when it's "I'd love to dance, but you're just too short!"), and personal preference. My avatar used to be a pot-bellied system ruffian who then became a police constable due to my role in the region I settled in. Then that region closed, and a friend introduced me to a very different side of SL, where I eventually got a partner who decided that being a system avi just wouldn't cut it. A few years on, and a few makeovers big and small later, and I've turned into something quite different from what I started out with. There are still traces of my past in my appearance though; the scar is, whilst not exactly similar to the original, a representation of the scar that was part of the system skin I used to wear. Beardiness is a must, I always was bearded, and wouldn't upgrade to a mesh head until I found a beard for one. I did have to give up on my mohawk .. Which may have been a good thing, according to some. Oh well. I'm now quite happy where I'm at, but also open to new changes - Genus' male head may well be the next big thing for me.

Only trust mustachioed news anchors!

Girl runs in panic, screaming. KNIFE

... Aside from the obviously sloppy and rushed edit ... If you ever like a darker makeover ..?

One could hope. Most BDSM venues in SL would instantly turn empty, though.

Bwaha. First time that rolled, I thought for a split second that the folder coming into screen was someone trying to shove a Twinkie into her face.

It's weekend, SL is being slow and wonky. It might work tomorrow - and also, profile changes (especially name) can take several minutes before it 'kicks in'.

I honestly can't tell the difference between Republican and Democratic US politicians. I wouldn't want to vote for either side, from the little I've paid attention to. I vaguely describe my political alignment as libertarian, but also value some aspects of socialism (i.e. what we here consider the basics; schools, hospitals, eldercare, infrastructure, etc.). So I guess from a 'Murrican point of view, I'm a communist. Whilst from a Swedish point of view, I'm a super-conservative nationalist.

No. The seam will always be there, and its prominence will depend on the lighting setup - which also means that you have no means of controlling how others perceive it on their end, with their graphic settings and windlight options. What you can do is use a neck sleeve, I think both Signature and Catwa include options for them. It's either that, or covering it with an accessory, such as a scarf or choker. Personally I don't like the neck fixes, as they net you more clipping edges than the single seam between the head and body itself, especially when you're moving.

If you are younger than 18 years old (in real life), only General content will be available to you.

I've done that! I must have cursed fingers or something.

I'd like to know, how come I wake up before my morning alarm goes off on a Sunday, but can easily snooze until lunch time on any other weekday. I'm terrible in the mornings, I'm hardly functioning until lunch since I have no appetite at all when I wake up, and need to caffeinate and nicotinate myself for a few hours before I'm any good. I've never tried the American style mac and cheese. I'm a little terrified of the thing that comes out of the boxed, pre-made stuff I've seen. But, there's a dish that's very popular in Sweden (often brought up as one of the favourite dishes served in Swedish schools by students of all generations), that I think might be similar - and, of course, there's a luxurious Orwarian version of it, simple yet delicious: Ingredients: Pasta. Usually Fusilli. A bit of regular, plain, wheat flour. A bit of butter - yes, real butter. (Duh) Milk. Cold milk. Salt, black pepper, nutmeg, white pepper - freshly ground spices, always. Cheese (details further on). Ham (also, details further on). How to: First of all, set a big pot of water, well-salted, on the stove. This dish is really quick and easy to make, so you'll want the pasta boiling ASAP. In a pot on medium-high, put some butter and let it smelt. Add flour to the butter and whisk it until you have something that looks a bit like pie dough. Whilst I refuse to say how much of anything to use, as cooking and rocket science should be kept apart, the ratio of flour to butter is roughly 1:1 by volume - or 10:6 butter to flour, by weight. What you're doing here is a basic roux - if you are eligible to be in Second Life, i.e. 16+, you should know what a roux is. Cook the roux until the raw flour flavour is gone - or until it smells like baked pie crust. At this point, add the milk. And remember Chef John's roux mantra - hot roux + cold milk = no lumps. Heat it up, and as it does it will thicken - how much it will thicken depends on your roux to milk ratio. You now have a basic white sauce, or Béchamel sauce. Once it reaches a simmer, it will have thickened to how much it will thicken to; this will change slightly as we add the cheese in, but if you feel at this stage as if it's too thick, add more milk and make a double batch (trust me, having leftovers of this in the fridge is not a bad thing!). If it's too thin, well, either make more roux in a separate pan, or just thicken it by putting a little bit of flour and milk in a shaker and shake like you were paid to shake, and then add it to the sauce - but remember, if you add flour, you'll need to let it simmer for at least 4 minutes from that point on - and remember, what you've got here is milk in a pot, you do NOT want to burn it. This is a good time to add your nutmeg, white pepper and black pepper, and a little salt - but don't over-salt it, and don't put the salt away just yet, as you may well want to adjust the saltiness after you've added the cheese and, more importantly, the salted, smoked ham. Grate your cheese. Now, let's talk cheese for a moment. In Sweden, your 3 'standard' cheeses (that are Swedish - I mean obviously we've got cheddar, edam, and all the other usual suspects). These are: Herrgårdsost, Grevéost and Prästost. Were you in Sweden, you're probably use Prästost, which has a very strong 'cheese' flavor, and a high fat content, which makes it excellent for sauces and casseroles, or for topping hamburgers and such. Whilst I'm partial to Grevéost, myself, I've found that in this particular dish, the 'nutty' flavour of it is a bit overwhelming. So when you select your cheese, pick one that tastes a lot of cheese, but not too much of anything else. Dice your ham. Now, if all you've got is regular boiled or smoked ham, that's fine. But what you'd probably use in Sweden is kassler. What is kassler? It's de-boned cuts of ham, that have been cured and smoked, wrapped up in a little net to create what we sometimes call "a poor man's fillet". It's absolutely excellent. Add your cheese and ham to the sauce, and stir it until your cheese has completely smelted. At this point, make sure to taste for seasoning (I generally salt very gently before this point, as kassler adds a lot of salt - and the cheese adds some, too!). Easy as ost- och skinksås. Apart from serving this in schools, it's usually also one of the first dishes you're taught to cook in Swedish schools (once they dare let you near the stove, that is).