Virtual Steamlands Salon

I am very excited about SteamCon. It will be my first Steampunk convention, and my Debut as Mrs. .........well that would be tellin' now wouldn't it?
You will just have to come and see for yourselves, October 23-25th, 2009.
The link to the website is in my links on the right.
I have requested a room where we can meet up and mingle at the Con and they offered a small room (40 people capacity) after 10pm on Friday night. So it should appear in the Official Program listing as the Virtual Steamlands Salon.
I have not done anything like this before, so I hope all goes well. Everything has been falling into place in a most lovely but disconcerting way for all the arrangements being made for wedding and honeymoon. I do not ask too many questions, just whisper "thank you" and keep going.

A Dream and some Steam...

It should come as no surprise to those who know and love us that Mr. Volare and I are unapologetic geeks. Our geekery spans a number of genres and decades. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that we are planning our offline wedding around the Seattle SteamCon. Much to the annoyance of several friends and relations, we will be marrying on a Thursday evening. This is because the Con starts on Friday and we will be spending our first three days of married life at the Convention.
We would be most pleased to see our friends and acquaintances who wish to join us there and perhaps wish us luck!

OK....so I was a bit busy

Having successfully escaped....er completed my treatments, I am back to work. Lots of things happening of course, but to summarize the most current events going on:

Relay For Life hospital and teaching facility has been completed in Caer Firnas. Come and explore Our Lady of Hope. You might learn something, or at worst can state you have been inside a virtual lung, a virtual colon, a virtual esophagus and stomach and several other virtual body parts you can walk through.

Caledon Oxbridge University continues to provide a place for those new to our world to orient, learn, and create. Newcomers activities will be ramping up this summer with some fun things planned.

The East Avarian Company has officially opened Caledon to trade with Avaria, resulting in an opportunity to finally use all those mushrooms and minerals I have collected......and who would have thought I would EVER run out of coal? The secret entrance the game is located at Oxbridge University (come explore). And could someone let me know what ingredient substitutes for saltpeter to make the gunpowder? I am at a complete loss for any nitrates in all my exploring.

Finally for today: the return of the Duchess Sandwich! Perusal of past blog entries will reveal a hint to those who do not remember the infamous and scandalous dance. We offer an auction for a chance once again to Ride the Blue Ball and be the "meat" in our Sandwich. Two naughty Duchesses will bring back the good old days for one memorable night, when the auction winner will be treated to a "Duchess Sandwich". June 20th after 8pm, during the Circuits and Relays Ball in Steam SkyCity. The auction bidding box is located at Loch Avie's Relay for Life Boardwalk.

Much fun and activity in Caledon! And few rants of late, I fear. Blame spring and love and too busy DOING to spend time complaining :)

Steam SkyCity ReAnimated!

Caledon Steam SkyCity is proud to present:

The SSC 2nd Annual Mad Scientist Convention - SSC ReAnimated
May 2nd, 2009 3pm and 5pm SLT
Has your research turned to archaic subjects?
Do your formulae come from ancient tomes as
much as from modern journals?
Are you meddling in things Man was not meant to know?
From Frankenstein to Tesla, and from Flamel to Herbert West,
some scientists cannot leave well enough alone.

Join us on Saturday, May 2nd at 3pm for the Speed Building Contest, Avatar contest entries must be received by 4pm with winners announced during the Mad Scientist's ReAnimation Ball starting at 5pm.
There will be two build contests with a grand prize in each catagory and a dance in the evening.

*Unnatural Creation Avatar - Building starts now, with judging on the day of the convention. Create an avatar from scratch. Is it a murderous robot? A living Construct? Did you summon Cthulhu from a test tube? Let your imagination run wild, and show us that science really can "open strange doors." Avatars will be judged on creativity, quality, and fit with the theme. No parts from other avatars - must be wholly your own creation. Judging between 3pm and 4pm SLT.

*Speed build- one hour, theme related to "weird science practices" will be announced at the start of the contest. Building starts at 3pm, and stops at 4pm. Judging will be based on quality, originality, and how well it fits with the announced theme.

Do not let the narrow-minded views of fools and stagnant academics hinder you. This is Science!

Vorpal Bunneh of Springtime

Caledon's Steam SkyCity is hosting the Vorpal Bunneh of Springtime this weekend for the 2nd Annual Steam SkyCity Spring Egg Hunt.
Last year's hunt was such a festival of pain for all involved that we could not wait to bring it back this year. Once again, we will hide eggs in excruciatingly difficult places, and then sit back and wait for your cries of frustration with fiendish glee. Courtesy of our Simple Shopkeepers and Honest Businessfolk, the Clues that Won't Help will fail to lead you to the prizes provided in brightly colored eggs. As we were contacted by several international organizations after last year's hunt, and came under some pressure from certain groups who oppose torture, we will now offer additional Photo Clues on Sunday after noon - for sale in a Relay for Life Vendor in Steam SkyCity's main corridor.
Please come join us for the fun....

Stirrings of Spring

Spring is beginning to stir in much of the Northern Hemisphere...ok, my bit is still frozen solid but at least it is getting lighter now!
As we stir from the winter's lethargy, activity begins to increase. In that note:
The Gateway is opened at Caledon Oxbridge University, and the penalty for making suggestions has been assessed...I am now one of the two Deans. This glamorous job consists mainly of being chief charwoman, disposing of prim litter and the occasional annoying avatar, as well as providing guidance for problem solving. It is such a joy to see the newcomers rezzing into a wondrous world. I had the very pleasant experience of chatting with a visitor recently who was touring OIs (Gateways) in preparation for opening their commercial Gateway. She stated that ours was the first she had visited with people present who could assist newcomers and visitors. NCI is doing an amazing job in CoManagement of the Gateway and in helping us get up to speed on dealing with all the challenges it presents. Muttenchops Chaplin, the Dean on the NCI side and my colleague is very patiently helping me learn to do this well. If you have not visited it is a must-see, many talented folks did an amazing job with both tutorials, the build and the contents.
Spring also means the start of Relay For Life. This is the first year I have been a team member and I am very excited to be working on this. Kiralette Kelley, our team Captain has already set up a Ning for the Team, and projects are coming along rapidly for a great year. In years past, the push to generate contributions combined with the long season has led to a lot of short tempers and bad feelings by the end of the season. With the current economic crisis, Des has requested that the focus of Team Caledon be on Education and Prevention this year rather than focusing on competing with other teams on fundraising. As RL job is in nursing, this portion is most close to my heart, and I am working on a number of projects with a goal of saving Real Lives.
The Wind in the Willows reading continues this weekend in Tanglewood at the Tinyville Library. The Wild Wood has grown up in the last month, and there will be new places to explore. So come by Saturday at 10am SLT and stay for Tiny Kites in Tanglewood for spring kite flying starting at 11am.
The Spring Egg Hunt will be returning to Steam SkyCity this year. March 27 - 29th there will be eggs hidden over the entire sim, containing prizes. The hiding places are always fiendishly difficult, so clues will be given....Clues that Don't Help. We in Steam SkyCity relish the cries of torment this annual ritual generates, and will be present to revel in your pain. Have fun!
And speaking of pain, we will once again be hosting the Mad Scientist Convention for Misunderstood Genius and Unappreciated Pioneers of Technology. This will run May 2-3 at the 2nd Anniversary of the Hotwiring of Steam SkyCity.
Oh yes....and there is also that whole trying to plan a wedding thing I am up to as well.

The Visitor

You disembark from the train with a bit of trepidation, unsure of your reception in this strange new place. Your movements are awkward in this strange attire, and you are afraid of making a fool of yourself. But friendly folks greet you and make you welcome, offer you a place to stay, clothes to wear, directions to make your way in this strange new place. You are shy and a bit afraid, as everyone seems rather grand, and formal, and talk a bit strangely. They use words and phrases that are unfamiliar to you. You are embarrassed to ask about things they seem to do with ease....this culture is new to you. So with some help you manage to make your way around, you figure out how to be in this strange new world, and soon you are no longer merely a visitor.
Oddly, you feel more isolated now than when you got off the train. All the friendly folks are helping others, and everyone seems to know everyone else. Conversations go along about things you do not understand, and questions asked are far too complex for you to answer. You decided to be brave and go to an announced dance, but the dance floor was crowded, and you could not move and kept bumping into people...you retreat in embarrassment and hide in your room, looking out the window and wondering how to fit in to this world. You ask a question one day, but your question gets lost in all the conversations. People you meet are polite, but busy.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Newcomers events are being planned right now to assist all the new friends we haven't met yet.
Hold out a hand, take a little time, and be a hero to someone...