Flickr Wars and Plurk Drama

I’ve more or less been staying away from both save for a few uploads, faves, and comments on flickr…and random video sharing on plurk.

All I have to say is, after months of watching some flickr drama (and may I say that we all laughed)…I’m glad to see two parties have reconciled and are having fun again.  I was thumbing through contacts, and I already knew I had been “demoted” to contact, or removed from a list, and most recently I’ve been blocked.  Wait.  Actually, I’m not sure if it was recent…for all I know it could’ve been 2 months ago.  Anyways.  All of it done in the name of “guilty by association.”  Hmmmm…I don’t think I said anything wrong.  Oh wait.  No.  No.  I may have laughed and made some seriously sarcastic remarks about immaturity and grownups acting worse then teenagers.  And I would be an expert on this, as I work with teenagers everyday. 163 of them to be exact.  Wait.  I may have made a comment or two about inbreeding.  … It IS known to cause stupidity.  And immaturity at such an age would in fact fall into that category.

“Both decline of IQ and increase of mental retardation are consistent with rare recessive alleles at about 325 loci. There is no suggestion of a discrepancy that might be due to polygenic dominance or confounding of consanguinity with unfavorable environment. These data indicate that the risk for mental retardation in matings of normal parents increases from 0.012 with random mating to 0.062 for first-cousin parentage but that dominance deviations are a negligible cause of family resemblance of IQ. Implications for frequencies, mutation rates, and radiation response are detailed.” … See? (Yes I am a nerd and understood that whole lab write up)

Anyways.  I just find it both amusing and irritating that someone would talk a whole lot of shit and do sneaky crap and then go around and actually block people for being guilty of association with the person they don’t like.    But I have it on record that said person has also given person A shit for doing work for person B who has drama with person C, and person C happens to be said person’s friend.  Wait, did that make sense? Your mom’s brother’s girlfriend’s mom is hot?  What?!  Oh.

Oh and plurk drama.  Nah, there’s not much drama there.  If there was, I don’t pay any mind to it.  There’s just a lot of skanking and karma chasing going on.  It’s almost as if getting karma points for telling me they scratched their ass and actually managed to wake up this morning…AGAIN…gives them cool points.  Virtual cool points at that.   I’m JUST sayin’.  And I won’t even touch on the skanking…

Anyways, I’m not sure sentiment is stronger…the fact that I’m amused, or the fact that I want to punch some people who definitely deserve it.

Your 1st Life Tab

I’ve got a new “muteD” blog for you.  So, let me get on without any further distractions.

People, avatars of Second Life, and even some friends…It is called your 1st Life Tab.  I don’t care if you’re one of the “RL is RL and SL is SL types,” but putting your avatar picture in your 1st Life Tab is just about as lame as bling.  Is it supposed to make a point?  You thought it was cute/funny?  Or was it an attempt at sarcasm/wittiness/irony and you completely missed the mark?

Oh I already know that I’m gonna catch some crap for this, considering I probably have some friends/contacts who do it.  Go ahead, feel free to explain yourselves in the comments section below.

But remember it’s a 1st Life Tab.  And really, if we want to get technical about it.  I find it particularly annoying when people put “RL is RL and SL is SL” and THEN have the nerve to put a 2nd Life picture in that tab.  If that’s the case, leave the damn tab alone.  As far as I’m concerned you’re a hypocrite just for mixing the two in one tab.  Oh I can go into so much about the whole RL/SL topic.  For example, how can someone say “SL is SL and RL is RL” and then use voice, or talks about your RL jobs, etc etc?  *hands a dictionary with the word ‘denial’ highlighted*  Anyways, sorry for the tangent.

If you’re really that opposed to putting your RL picture up, why not be creative?  An icon of something else.  I’ve seen phrases; I’ve seen logos; I’ve seen pictures of flair/buttons; I’ve seen pictures of cats…hot dogs even.  Something.  Anything original.  But, another picture of your avatar? … I’ll save any further comments based on the fact that I don’t want some people I may personally know to get all butt hurt about it.

(on second thought…screw it) EDIT:  I was talking to my soul sista about the topic.  And it was a point I thought of, and in the middle of my stuffy nose, sore throat and muddled brain…I forgot to make it.  And so a rough quote from my dear Solange: adding another SL pic “is sooooo avi vain.”  Yupp, I’m sorry.  As if a 2nd life tab, 10 pick tabs, and flickr isn’t enough.  If you’ve put money and time into your avi, we already know it probably looks hot.  And I know we’re all SL avi vain to some degree.  But that takes it to another level.  You saw a space to upload a pic, so you felt the need to fill it with your pixelated self…AGAIN?  Save the space, and save us the energy from rolling our eyes…please.

On a somewhat related note.  If you’re one of the people who does the above, at least you’re not considered Jana’s douchebag of the month.  No, the reward goes to the Russian figure skaters:  Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin for their seriously offensive routine.  But the douche of all douchebags goes to: Evengi Plushenko for being the biggest sore loser of the decade.  The guy lost by 2 points, at least he got a medal.  But to cry like a baby and then have a Platinum medal made and reward yourself on your own website?  You just made yourself the butt of all jokes for the week to come.

Valentine’s Day…Screw it.

Another Jana opinionated blog (*coughs* rant *coughs*) that is non-SL related.

This may come as a surprise to some.  Actually, it might not come to you as a surprise at all if you know me well.  But I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day in the way that most people do.  Never have.  And to be honest, I hope I never have to.  I can be simple, and give a card or something small and homemade.  But I find those people who go out and buy flowers and buy gifts and make expensive reservations to be utterly fucking ridiculous.

I used to be a florist.  On Valentine’s Day alone, we would mark up the prices 3 times more expensive than what they were on any other day.  And you know what?  There’s absolutely nothing special about those roses.  They won’t last longer, they don’t smell any better, and they don’t get any extra foofy stuff.  Well, maybe they got a few extra fillers and ribbons.  Reservations at one of the most sought out restaurants in my area: an extra $100 on February 14th.

WHY?!  It’s one day.  ONE day.  Why do people feel more obligated to tell someone they love them on one hallmark day.  I never got it.  I’m the type who does small AND big things for a person all year long.  I don’t need to hang hopes on one day.  And it’s one of the first things I make clear when going into a relationship.  I don’t make a big deal out of receiving a damn thing on my bday, a holiday, and for damn sure on Valentine’s day.  If someone chooses to celebrate, I prefer small things.  And I make it fairly clear, that I will make sacrifices and give and show love throughout the year.  So save the $150 extra dollars you might spend on one day, and put it somewhere more practical.  … … … and to be honest, it’s worked out well for me in the past.  No pressure on Valentine’s day for either party.  And I’m secure enough in myself to be okay with not “celebrating valentine’s day.”  I know who loves me and how much they love me.  And they know how I feel.

The second thing that really bugs me about this day, is the same thing that bugs me about Easter and Christmas.  Granted, Christmas is a time of giving, therefore I can be more forgiving about it.  But I really hate how Valentine’s Day and Easter have become Hallmark holidays.

Whatever lies you were told about St. Valentine’s…don’t believe them.  Little is actually known about the Catholic Saint.  You’ll probably read that there are three possibilities of who it may refer to.  But little is known of any of them.  It’s mostly speculation.  There is little to no proof or even a hint of reality stating that Valentine was a priest who was secretly wedding lovers and that’s why he was martyred.  There is also no proof that Valentine was a priest who fell in love with a jailer’s daughter and wrote a note that said “From your Valentine” to her.  (I guarantee you that the Catholic Church would NOT make a Saint out of such a man.  That is hardly a miracle.)  If you heard either of these stories and believe (or believed) it, you were fed a spoonful of bullshit.  You ate it and most likely enjoyed it.  The only thing that can be said definitively about Valentine, is that he was a martyr.  There are three popular possible Valentine’s, all of which are believed to have been martyred.  However, there are officially seven Valentines in the Roman Martyrology.  The Catholic Church declared his holy day (all saints have one) to be the 14th of February.  This is MOST likely to be the date that he was martyred (or close to it).  February 14th, as I understand, is very close to a pagan holiday which celebrates lovers.  I have not looked into it.  I also remember reading that birds pair off for nesting season, which is in mid February in parts of Europe.  Geoffrey Chaucer is given the credit for associating the whole love nest thing to February 14th.  Anyways.  St. Valentine first mentioned: somewhere before 496.  Chaucer: 1343-1400.  Try playing telephone for 1000 years.  See what I mean?

ANYWAYS.  I’m no saint (no pun intended), I’m far from.  But it’s always bugged me that a Saint’s name has been replaced with some holiday where businesses can rip off customers, or people feel obligated to do something, or people start to feel insecure because of a stupid man made hallmark day.  I’m also not a crazy obsessive Catholic who gets pissed off at the world.  I simply find it disrespectful.  I was a girl who went to a Catholic School for 9 years and almost went to a Jesuit College.  Learning the history of the faith (whether one follows it or not) allows one to respect it more.  In the same respect, I know pagans who get upset when people use made up ideas of media driven images for witchcraft.  I know my sister doesn’t particularly like the fact that the image of Buddah can so easily be used irreverently.  etc. etc.  And I can understand those frustrations… I’m not really sure where I’m getting at anymore.  I just opened up a can of worms in my own train of the thoughts, and decided to keep  typing away.  (If you made it this far, you must be really bored…or find my ramblings somewhat entertaining)  … … … So I’ll kind of end it there:

1.  Why is it so important to feel like you have to spend or that someone needs to spend money on you, just this one day out of the year?  (And if you say it’s because you want to show them you care…why can’t you do it on January 14th?  Or March 2nd?  Or April 11th?)

2.  Well…I was going to ask how does it make you feel that St. Valentine’s Day is a crock of shit.  But in reality, it’s still the Saint’s Holy Day…even if nobody but some Catholics remember that the day isn’t for buying a dozen roses for 69 or 89 bucks or 99 bucks, but a day to remember that a real man died brutally for his faith.  (And that’s regardless of whether or not you even follow the same faith.)

Just something to think about.

GIA Style Card // Pure

*Cross post from www.glance-international.com

A new week, a fresh start. Today I decided to go with an outfit that is all white. White is something of a specials shade. It makes one think of purity, precision, and perfection. It is hard to keep white looking perfect, especially going with an all white outfit. Not only that, but I’m bringing to you another creative and unique look. You know me, I’m a nut for mixing and matching. Show your fashion creativity and keep on reading today’s style.

Sometimes I like to start my outfits out at a base point. There is a piece of clothing that I’m thinking of in particular, or sometimes I want to make an outfit based on a certain colour. Today, I wanted to wear this new lace body suit from Baistace. It comes in four colours but I chose white. Being a body suit, it leaves you plenty of options to find to complete the look. Again, I was struggling to find a way to make this new hot item unique and different, a combination surely no one has completed yet. The great news is that it lead me to searching around and discovering a lot of items in my inventory that I had forgotten about. I settled with this incredibly sexy corset skirt from Leezu. It’s absolutely amazing. The light sheer ruffles are flirty and then the high slit on the side is daring. This skirt also comes in four different colours for your choosing.

Finishing the outfit was a simple task. I settled for a beautiful pair of white shoes from Courtisane. Their shoes are simply amazing. You won’t find more unique and high quality shoes anywhere else. The unique styling, the tie, and perfect white colour compliment the outfit perfectly. Lastly, I settled on the idea that this outfit needed a pair of earrings and an updo to complete the look. The jewelry is a pearl earring set from JCNY while the hair is from W&Y which has some absolutely fun and amazing hair styles.

<3 Jana

Bodysuit: *Baistace Macrame’ body suit (white) *worn as a shirt layer with sleeve and collar attachments
Skirt: [LeeZu!] Mia Corset Pants-Corset Dress (white) *worn as a jacket layer with attachments
Shoes – *Courtisane* Marquise Sandals (white)
Earrings- JCNY Antique Pearl Drop Set
Hair – W&Y HAIR 37 PACKA

My New Hobby

Stupidity my friends, is NOT an attractive quality.

Okay.  Some people just can’t help it.  They were born with the wrong set of chromosomes.  But don’t you ever find it humourous when people try and sound smart?  And then they just end up looking like idiots because they’ve gone and made up a whole new fucking word?

Everyone has seen WTFug.  If you haven’t, you should.  It’s great laughs.  The souls of SL who are inept in fashion displayed so brutally on the world wide web.  Well, I’m bringing to you some words and phrases from some really special people.  I’m not talking about the “unique” type of special.  No.  I’m talking about the “short bus” kind of special.  Think of it as a “WTFug did you just say?!”

I profile perv.  Who doesn’t?  But I have a new amusing pastime while profile perving: looking for some seriously jacked up words.

Spelling errors I will let slide (sometimes).  I only say sometimes, because a profile should be edited FFS.  If you’re an English speaker, grab a damn dictionary and learn your own language.  For those who don’t speak English as a first language, you’re forgiven…I’m sure I’ve made up words in Portuguese.

How did the new “hobby” begin?  *snickers*  Because, I’m being a snarky lil c**t.

Disclaimer: I misspell words ALL THE TIME.  I even switch words out.  In fact, my friend didn’t let me live down the fact that I once put “common” instead of “come on” on this blog.  I didn’t even bother to change it.  But it doesn’t mean I can’t laugh at others…hell laugh at me too, I don’t care.  But one thing I DON’T do, is butcher words or make up new ones.

Winner#1: “surpise” and “satrical”

I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, that she just spelt the words incorrectly.  But there are a few reasons why I can’t let this one slide.  If it’s in a profile, you have the damn time to make sure that you spell things correctly.  “Chill out Jana.”  NO!  You know why?  Because she felt it necessary to use fancy vocabulary words throughout her profile to make herself sound intelligent.  And then she can neither spell “surprise” nor “satirical.”  Oh, not to mention she uses “satirical” as a noun instead of an adjective.  … I’m sorry hunny, did you mean SATIRE?  Stop using thesaurus.com.  It’s revealing your true lack of intelligence.

Winner #2: “hallujiah”

Pretty self explanatory.  Hallujiah?!  SERIOUSLY?!  It’s not a mere slip of the fingers for misspelling folks.  They don’t even sound the same.  How do you miss another “L?”  I can’t listen to Leonard Cohen the same way anymore.  *scoffs*

Winner #3: “konogable”

Yeah, this person was praising her teacher for being konogable and sharing all of his kono…actually I don’t remember (and I don’t care to remember) what made up word she used for knowledge.  Whatever he was teaching her, it sure wasn’t English.  I’m not sure who should be smacked harder.

Winner #4: “encourageable”

Doesn’t seem so bad.  Right?  WRONG.  Now let me preface my following comments with this: It’s not wrong to use quotes from famous people.  In fact, I do that too sometimes.  But, be original for fucks sake.  So, Winner#4 has a profile that is riddled with quotes from other people.  You know, one of “those people” who like to use insightful quotes to sound enlightened because they can’t come up with their own thoughts and translate it into words.  This is what I would call a complete lack of originality.  Well if you describe yourself as being a princess, or being precious, and then as “encourageable” … of course I’m going to point my fingers and laugh at you!  There are few things that are as precious as some little girl trying to sound smart and sweet and unknowingly calls herself “incorrigible.”  No really.  Do people think that encourageable is a word?

I know.  I KNOW!  Jana is such a bitch.  She’s picking people apart.  Oh “common!”  You know you point out people’s shortcomings for shits and giggles now and then.  I just thought I’d assert a little arrogance.  I mean, I don’t really do it in RL…so why can’t I do it in SL? (By the way, you gotta learn to laugh at yourself and your own shortcomings too.  Feel free to point out any of my grammatical errors and spelling errors.)

<3 Jana

P.S. thank you Solie for catching another one of “common”-like errors.  lol

Lady in Red

GIA Style Card (cross post from www.glance-international.com)

I hope you’ve all had a restful weekend so far. Today’s style, I bring to you something hot and fresh. Literally, I’ve been waiting for a few weeks for this release. Not only that, I added my own flair to the outfit for those of you who like to get experimental with your fashion. Keep on reading to learn about this look and get the locations.

We’ve posted it a few times. GLANCE even hosted a show last week for djod Karu’s latest release for DIRAM: Scandalous. After seeing the show, I made sure to remember to head over to the store to get the outfits I had been eyeing. You know what’s better than showing up at a store to get an outfit you’ve been waiting for? To find that it comes in various colours that you can choose from! One of the first outfits I went for was AMEL Attire. I’m presenting to you the red version of the jacket, but this wonderful outfit is available in a few varieties. Of course, if you follow my style, by now you might realize that I love to mix and match outfits. It makes styling fun and you can create truly unique looks. So instead of going with the bodysuit that goes with this AMEL, I decided to mix it with a great pair of leather pants from COCO. The texture on these pants are to die for and the zipper cuffs make any pair of shoes look ultra sexy.

After deciding on the main outfit, all I had to do was finish upwith my shoes, hair and accessories. Easy. I already developed a look that looks conservative at first glance, but is edgy and exciting with the leatehr pants. So I continued the theme. I put on an updo from Clawtooth that is simple. The store offers the hair in a multitude of colours from blacks and whites, to blondes, to brunettes, or gingers. I through on one of my favourite belts from COCO, whichis also available in brown. The jewelry was easy to choose. Pearls are classic for a jacket like this. So I put on a necklace from Pacadi and earrings from an Alyssa Bijoux set. The last item on today style are the shoes. There was no question about it, I’d have to wear heels, open toed, and red. I went straight for my favourite pair of Maitreya Golds.

I hope you all enjoyed today’s style: mixing in the hot and new with some other classic pieces from my inventory.

Have a great week!
<3 JanaD

Hair: Clawtooth -Mrs.Mittens (Black Beauty)
Jacket: *Diram* – AMEL Attire -red (La veste + attachments)
Pants: *COCO* ZipperLeatherPants
Belt: *COCO* WrapSkinnyBelt_Silver
Shoes: Maitreya Gold – Shanti Cherry
Earrings: Alyssa Bijoux - Draping Pearl Necklace
Necklace: [Pacadi] – Oiffe Necklace (silver)

An Affair to Remember

Cross Post from www.glance-international.com

I have a delicious style for you today. It’s a fairly simple style card. I didn’t mix and match like I usually do, but I just had to wear this outfit today. When I first found out Beauty Avatar had closed without warning, I was extremely disappointed. I guess you could only imagine how happy I was to receive notice that they reopened as Glam Affair. The first thing I did (after reading a million notecards and notices) was go to the revamped sim and shop at Glam Affair. Continue reading to find out about today’s style.

Glam Affair, simply put, is quite an amazing store. Aida Wing has really brought us a beautiful build. All of the recognizable Beauty Avatar outfits are there, but you can also see that newer and exciting items are coming in the Glam Affair line. I, of course, bought several outfits. I settled on this snug black outfit. I’m still in winter mode, keeping my neck covered in draped frabic, and my arms warm with a silver sequined top under the dress. Hower, the dress is short, to show off some leg and keep it sexy. I accented the all black look with a silver belt from an outfit at Phoenix Rising. It lays perfectly on the hips to bring out the shapely curves.

Again, this is a short style card since I really only chose one dress/outfit coming from Glam Affair. But, to really have fun with the outfit which is entirely sexy, I go this fun updo from Vanity. The impossibly straight bangs are fashion forward. I also chose to wear another skin from Dutch Touch. The makeup is simple overall, but the eyeliner is exaggerated to show off the eyes. And finally, the eyes are from a great little shoe store known as R2. rei2 Aya has some amazing boots and stilleto pumps at an incredible affordable price. Every fashionista should check it out to see if there is at least one pair of shoes that appeals to you.

Have a great week everyone.
<3 JanaD

Skin: Dutch Touch – ::CleO:: PUNk2 (Olive)
Hair: Vanity – Bust Stop (noir)

Dress: Glam Affair – RONDA Dress
Belt: Phoenix Rising - City Nights
Shoes: R2 – Anela Onyx (normal)

The Problem That Is Avatar

I have made no secret of it: I am enthusiastically annoyed by the fad that is Avatar and being a Na’vi in SL.

Yeah.  I know.  “She’s bitching again.  Great.”  What can I say?  I have an opinion, and I voice it.  I have a tendency to be uncouth about it.  I know.  But what’s the point in being diplomatic when it’s unnecessary.

Anyways.  The first time I saw a picture on flickr of a Na’vi, I thought it was beautiful.  The SLartist did a great job with highlighting and colors.  And then all the lemmings followed.  I can’t log on a day to flickr without seeing a damn blue skinned avatar.  There’s even a group:

I feel like I’m being harassed and drowned in some seriously piss poo pictures.  It’s the dumbest fad since MC Hammer Pants.  Okay, maybe not THAT bad.  But it’s bad.  James Cameron has a tendency to evoke this kind of emotion from me.  I remember everybody  making a monumental stink about Titanic.  Were we not watching the same movie?  “I’ll never let go Jack!  I’ll never let go!” ::Teeth Chatter….silence…gurgle…drown::

I suppose the other half is the fact that everyone thinks the damn Avatar movie is the Best Movie in ages.  Are you SERIOUS?  The movie has great effects.  I’ll give them that.  Genius really.  Beautiful.  But Best Movie of the year?!  I can name 5 movies without even thinking twice that were better based on two things: plot and screenplay.  No, make that three, don’t forget to include acting.

In no particular order: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (you have to admit, they do a great job at adapting the book to the big screen), Precious (this takes you for a real emotional ride), Sherlock Holmes (my holiday preference over Avatar),  The Lovely Bones (the little girl actress was amazing and Mark Whalberg was moving), and Inglourious Basterds (my personal favorite).

I suppose, if people wanted to do it just because they love the look of the Na’vi.  Fine.  But swearing up and down that James Cameron has made the best movie of the year makes me want to puke up this morning’s breakfast.  The sim I live on got turned into a Na’vi forest.  Just great.  ::rolls eyes::  Good thing I stay in the sky, 1000+ meters high.

Really, it’s just another fad.  People brain washed by years of poorly done B movies.  There’s no appreciation for good screenplay.  I blame shitty reality TV and a general lack of culture.  I see plays that are more riveting.  Hell, the high school musical rendition of Grease that I saw in December held my attention better than Avatar did.  Four of the movies I listed were adapted after books.  Good books at that.  And Quentin Tarantino tips his hat off yet again to spaghetti westerns and old war combat movies.  Something that can only be truly appreciated by those who know older films and such.

Anyways.  I went off on such a tangent.  I didn’t hate Avatar.  But all of its unnecessary hype is making me hate it.  Thus logically, I hate seeing blue people.  The whole obsession with elves after Lord of the Rings never bothered me because 1) I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve read Tolkien’s books, 2) the silver screen adaptation was better than I could have ever hoped for, and 3) good acting.

Here’s a suggestion to the misguided lemmings:

READ A DAMN BOOK.

GIA Style Card // Daring

Style Card by JanaD

Please refer to www.glance-international.com if you are interested in this style.

I will be cross posting my styles here for you.

Working at an SL Fashion Agency

Cat is out of the bag.  I work for a Fashion Agency.  and  I LIKE it.

Here’s the cool part.  I’m getting challenged to learn and use new techniques in processing SL photos.  The people I work with are really awesome to work with.  I already knew two of the girls who work there from a past studio job.  Instantly, they put me to work.  And I get paid well for my pictures.

Here’s what I like about GLANCE.  From the people that I work with, there is no sense of self entitlement.  We all know I hate that.  You know, the profiles with the long lists of “degrees” and “certificate” they recieve in SL.  “Master Photographer” or “Certificated this and that”…You know how the list can go on.  Have you seen my flickr lately?  Yeah, check it out.  I have a lil picture telling the tale of SL numbnuts who come up with crap like “Bachelorette Degrees.” … Anyways, back on topic.  So here’s what I’ve learned about the Fashion Industry in SL.  (I already knew it though.)  There’s a lot of self entitled dumbasses who actually think SLebrities exist.  But there’s also a lot of cool people.  They’ve got great personalities and are down to earth.  There are a lot of people who you wonder about.  And I often ask, “Should it be legal for someone this dim to have a child?”  And there are the people you can actually hold an intelligent conversation with.  It’s really no different from the people you’ll meet anywhere in SL … …

Comes down to this.  The Fashion Agency isn’t so bad.  I’d never model.  Not my thing.  Forget that.  I personally have no patience for costume changes, runway work, etc.  If that’s what fulfills one’s SL, so be it.

And I still hate the self proclaimed SLebrities who think people should kiss their ass.  Oh, and photographers who get emo because they lost a contest. GET OVER IT.  Someone was better than you.  Several someones was better than you.  There’s always a bigger fish in the sea.  You wanta win?  Learn how to process pictures.  Having a good graphics card and being able to press “save snapshot” is only part of the equation.  Stop your bitching in group chat and start doing something about it.

End rant.  I swear I’ll write a positive post one of these days.

I love GLANCE?