Second Life

The Purple-Haired Pixie

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Feisty. Playful. Just a little naughty. A bacon-loving, shoe-fanatical, shopping-crazed, music cover-addicted, purple-haired pixie. That’s Hope Seranade. An Irish fireball with a giggle to make your heart sing. She’s one hell of a DJ and and even better friend.

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My favourite internet meme is one that says “I’m pretty sure I was supposed to be a princess. No, seriously. Someone needs to fix this.” I laugh at it, but think, yeah, I’m pretty sure I was. And I think that about Hope, too.

When Hope asked me to do her photographs, I had a lot of choices for how I wanted to portray her. I decided to forgo the bacon 😀 , but I had to include the shoes! And I dragged out a pose prop I bought on impulse, but didn’t really think I’d ever use. (Hey, it was on sale – something Hope would understand!) Instead, when Hope put on her pretty princess dress, I knew it would be the perfect backdrop for her.

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But I also wanted to show the “rock chick” side of Hope. The edgy DJ who loves nothing more than to ferret out covers, play new music, mix up the tracks so her audience is always listening…anticipating the next tune. And waiting for that Irish lilt to carry across the airwaves, laughter always underpinning her words. No matter how much Hope may be hurting – physically or emotionally – when she plays music, her spirit soars. And anybody listening in can feel it and take that joyful ride with her.

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I work with Hope at Breaking The Rules in Second Life, but she’s more than a boss or coworker; she’s a friend and I’m blessed to have this purple-haired pixie in my life.

That Fiery Redhead

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Bright. Quietly outspoken. Loving and protective. Those are words to describe my Second Life sister, Kali. She doesn’t say a lot, so when she speaks, I – and others – listen.

Kali asked me to do profile pictures for her, and I have to admit, I was nervous about doing them. Kali works in graphics, so I was worried about living up to her standards and discerning eye.

In the end, I decided to focus on two things while I was doing her photos. First, choosing poses and lighting that reflected who Kali is to me. To show off her beauty and her style.

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But I also wanted to play with effects that helped me capture her style and personality. Her sensuality, mystery and that fiery redheaded nature she has. And they call her “Legs” for a reason 😉

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She’s a redhead. With a heart of gold.

Washing Away The Tears

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I lost someone I love yesterday. If you follow my blog or scan down the page, you will see my post about tears. I’m still grieving, and I will be for a long time to come, but I need to move past my tears and try to accept that she is gone.

So, this morning, I took down my curtains and washed the windows in my apartment. Well, at least the inside of the windows; one of the perils of being an apartment-dweller is the inability to reach the outside. Regardless, the simple act of mixing the vinegar and water, washing and polishing helped me to bring back the sunshine. Both emotionally and in reality. As a metaphor, it describes what I am trying to do to recover from my loss.

The photo above is one I took a few weeks ago, but never shared publicly. The original intent was very different from what this version represents. I played with an overlay that was similar to the background to bring a bit more sunlight into the image. I’m looking back – at the memories and laughter she brought to my life. And there are still shadows. But the sunshine is spilling softly around me, brightening my life, lifting my mood.