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Through My Own Eyes

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At this moment, I am having a hard time seeing the screen to type. Sadly, that is not an unusual occurrence for me these days; but in this case, it is because of the tears blurring my vision. Tears because I am finally writing this post.

I know I just kind of disappeared several months ago. I apologise to my readers for not giving notice; I owed you all an explanation and I want to do that now.

I have a condition called Macular Degeneration. It is not uncommon but it can be devastating nonetheless. It causes a blurring and darkening in the centre of my vision that affects my ability to see things clearly. It also affects my depth perception. It has no cure; I will never regain full vision. All I can do is try to slow down its advance. My right eye is much worse than my left, but my vision in both eyes is slowly deteriorating. I can still see to work, but anything that depends on depth perception is increasingly difficult. This, sadly, includes photography in Second Life.

For over five years, blogging was my passion. Staging a scene, styling my avatar, selecting a pose, finding just the right goddamn angle and Windlight setting all were challenges that I embraced. And I was pretty OK at it. I met many wonderful and talented people, forged friendships and family through it and just had a good time. But as my condition worsened, I found it harder and harder to find the joy. It became a chore and a source of stress and distress. In January I made the decision to resign from blogging for groups and creators as I didn’t feel I could adequately give them the coverage they deserved. My plan was to just blog whenever I felt inspired. But I found that removing the deadlines didn’t eradicate the stress; I simply wasn’t good enough anymore to meet my own standards. So…I just walked away.

During the course of blogging, I developed several Windlight settings. I mainly used these for portrait photography, but a few of them are kind of pretty but some of them are rather stark and bright. I hadn’t really realised, but I think I was trying to bring a bit more lightness into my world. At any rate, I have uploaded these to MediaFire and you are welcome to download them and use them, if you would like. You can find them here: Peep’s Windlight Settings . If you need help installing them, there is a good post on the Second Life Forum that explains how to do it.

I still log into Second Life on occasion, but I feel lost without having a photo to shoot, a blog post to prepare, a room to style. I am trying to find my way again in Second Life – I still love the creativity of this virtual world and I haven’t been able to give up on it. So, if you see a half-blind avatar wandering around but still looking somewhat stylish, stop and say hello. I still want to see you through my own eyes.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:
Dress: Salt & Pepper S&P Gabriella Lara flower by xxSaltandPepperxx
Necklace: *PROMAGIC* Laxmi-Necklace-RoseGold by Promagic
Hair: Lamb. Dream by Lamb Bellic
Mesh head: .LeLutka.Head.May 3.0 by JadenArt
Mesh body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V4.1 by Onyx LeShelle
Mesh head applier: DeeTaleZ *Appliers* for LeLutka Heads *Shannyn* EASTERN by Steffi Villota (available at Uber through August 22)
Mesh body applier: DeeTaleZ *Appliers* for Maitreya Mesh Body “Freckles” EASTERN by Steffi Villota
Eyeshadow: alaskametro<3 “Duochrome” eyeshadow – Lelutka by Alaska Metropolitan (available at The Mesh Body Addicts Fair August 2018)
Lipstick: alaskametro<3 “Whimsy” makeup palette – Lelutka HUD by Alaska Metropolitan (available at The Mesh Body Addicts Fair August 2018)
Pose: IMAGE ESSENTIALS IE – Soft Caress 3 mirror by kay Weston
Windlight setting: Boho Teal2 (PeepS)

And Suddenly

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My sister used to say, “When I was little, Christmas seemed to come once every three years. Now it seems to come every three months.” The same could be said for the turning of the calendar to a brand new year. 2017 was a year of more downs than ups for me, but as 2018 sneaks up on me, I am grateful for the bright spots in my life. Although I have had some health issues this last year, I could be worse than I am. I don’t love my job in real life, but I can take pride in knowing that I do it well. While I have had to cut back on my blogging, I still find pleasure in the process.

While I have never been primarily a Home & Garden blogger, I have dabbled in it over the years. Expect to see fewer of these types of posts on my blog in the future, but when I do one, it will be because of inspiration from some of the finest designers on the grid.

As always, I love anything from [ keke ]. These New Year’s inspired offerings by Kean Kelly at Shiny Shabby and Uber were my starting point. If you plan on hosting a NYE party in Second Life, make sure you include these beautifully made party decorations.

To set the scene, I blew my budget on the amazing ROIRO L’ Annulaire Gacha, available at Cosmopolitan. There are so many options in this gacha I normally would have steered clear, but I was captivated by the quality of the items and story that they tell when put together. Add in some furniture and accessories from Kuro and The Liaison Collaborative and suddenly, it’s time to celebrate.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:
From [ keke ] by Kean Kelly:
*Confetti: [ keke ] confetti . canarie (available at Shiny Shabby through January 15)
*From Happy Celebrations Box (available at Uber through January 23)
[ keke ] 2018 rosegold
[ keke ] serpentines . rose
[ keke ] glitter spheres
From Kuro by Luana Dawg (available at District 20 through January 19)
* Kuro – William chair (PG) brown
* Kuro – William side table
* Kuro – William books
From The Liaison Collaborative through December 30:
* Raindale – Whorouly carpet by KeiraLans (gacha prize)
* 22769 – Mulled Wine Bottles – COMMON by Paco Pooley (gacha prize)
* 22769 – Cashbox – COMMON by Paco Pooley (gacha prize)
* 22769 – Lantern Glass – COMMON by Paco Pooley (gacha prize)
* 22769 – Lantern Glass – COMMON by Paco Pooley (gacha prize)
* Sway’s [Wintertime] flower pot with plant . Sweater by Sway Dench (gacha prize)
* Sway’s [Wintertime] flower pot with plant . Winter Night by Sway Dench (gacha
prize)
* {E}lusive Designs Hanging Pails with Lights Gold by Dema Fairport
* Granola. Ruby’s Holiday Vase. Winter Pack. by Kimbra Iridescent
From the ROIRO L’ Annulaire Gacha by roiro (available at Cosmopolitan through December 30):
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Desk
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Desk Chair
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” DDC Various butterfly
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Desk Lamp
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Rose vase Blue
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Sample bottles
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” SB Wire light
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” SB Airplants
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Books-A
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Books-B
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Wireplant DROP
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” SB Kacho
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Rose vase Red
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Butterfly A – D
ROIRO – “L’annulaire” Collector’s house RARE

Winter Is Only Three Months Long

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Merry Christmas, everyone. While the day nears its end on the topside of the world, it is moving along toward evening on Boxing Day here on the other side. I wish for everyone a festive season and I hope that all your Christmas wishes came true.

If you are lucky enough to have a few Lindens leftover after today, treat yourself to this lovely dress and coat from Salt & Pepper, available at Uber. The dress will be perfect for a New Year’s Eve party and the coat will keep you cozy as you make your way to the event. The earrings from [ILAYA] at The Liaison Collaborative through December 30 are a lovely accessory to compliment the sparkle of the dress. And if you are a Maitreya VIP, don’t miss out on the seven group gifts set out underneath the tree at the main store. Onyx Leshelle has released updated versions of some of my favourites with Lara fit. The Radical boots were my go-to footwear prior to the release of Lara, so I am super happy to have this gorgeous burgundy pair!

Don’t let the cold get you down. It is a wondrous season and remember, it’s only three months long.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:
*Dress: Salt & Pepper S&P Selena Lara no materials by xxSaltandPepperxx (available at Uber December 25-January 23)
*Coat: Salt & Pepper S&P Susan Lara no materials by xxSaltandPepperxx (available at Uber December 25-January 23)
*Earrings: [ILAYA] Ava Earrings by Ilaya Allen (available at The Liaison Collaborative through December 30)
Boots: Maitreya Radical Boots – Burgundy Lara by Onyx Leshelle (group gift)
Hair: Analog Dog AD – soca – DARK REDS by Queue Marlowe
Mesh head: .LeLutka.Head.May 3.0 by JadenArt
Mesh body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V4.1 by Onyx LeShelle
Mesh head applier: Revoul Lefort.Saje Lelutka Applier in Tone 3 by HighCache (available at Shiny Shabby through January 15
Mesh body applier: Lefort by Revoul :: 2017 Body Appliers in Tone 03
Eyes applier: Avi-Glam AG. Vivid Eyes – Lelutka Applier – Daylight by Kendra Parfort
*Eye makeup and lipstick: Izzie’s – LeLutka Bento – Applier First Snow Make-Up Set by Izzie Button (available at The Liaison Collaborative through December 30)
*Body freckles: .::Nanika::. KIRA Freckles mesh body applier by sDEVAs

*Pose: an lar [poses] The Artemis Series – Two (m) by Katya Valeska (available at The Liaison Collaborative through December 30)
Photo taken with LUMIPro 2017 by Stefan Buscaylet