Depending on RL commitments, I hope that Tomorrow evening I will be able to be able to finish and post my notes from explorations of Glengarry and the Southern Duchies (Cymru, Greystoke, and Caer Firnas). However, my Aethernetic News Retrieval service delivered a link from one of my favorite Literary Sites, Flashlight Worthy Books , that I thought many here would find enjoyable, posted in honour of Ada Lovelace day. I was happy to discover that I had read about half the books and graphic novels on the list, and was even more delighted to see titles I had not encountered! I hope you enjoy this, and explore the site further if you do–it is one of my favourites of its type!
Chapter 1: Getting my Bearings Wednesday, Mar 18 2009
Uncategorized 8:37 pm
In which the author tours Steam SkyCity, Victoria City, and the Oxbridge sims (among others), takes part in piratical expeditions and a rocket test, and is offered a position as a Volunteer Librarian…
First, my apologies for such a gap in updates–my first few weeks in Caledon have been a whirl of gaiety and adventure that I’ve scarcely been able to catch my breath long enough to scratch down a few notes here and there, much less to make a journal update! I do not yet know how often I will be able to update my ramblings, between my typists (too?) many work and home commitments and a development I’ll discuss in more depth later in this entry. However, I think weekly updates are a realistic goal.
I: Places
After settling into my room in Steam SkyCity, I resolved to explore the entire sim from floating Skyboxes to underwater Giant Planetary Gears. The ship itself was packed with a wide array of shops and taverns, many of which offered freebies. After loading up my inventory i flew down to the two islands below: Dreadnought Isle and Aether Isle. I started with the larger of the two, and found a delightful contrivance built for skydiving! I eagerly strapped on the freebie parachute i had picked up near the airships landing strip, and launched myself skyward. Dawn broke during my descent, and i was captivated by the beauty of the early pink sunlight bathing Steam SkyCity, the spires of nearby Oxbridge, and other nearby sims. I landed, detached my chute, and continued my explorations of the island. After having a alarming encounter with a Vorpal Bunny at Fluffy Bunneh labs, I paid my respects to Lady Ada Lovelace at the Freeflow Academy of CodePoetry, and explored the catacombs underneath Falcon Tower and the power station, where I had another close encounter with flesh eating Zombies! Having had enough excitement for one day, i took the lift to the top of the airship mooring tower to watch the stars for a while, and then called it a day.
Next on my agenda was a more thorough tour of Oxbridge and its neighboring village. While i had explored some in my first couple of days in Caledon and taken a few newbie classes in the NCI institute in the Village, I wanted to review the area now that i had mastered the basics. After strolling through the classes and library again, I wandered through the village, making note of particular establishments I hoped to buy items from once my allowance began. I was particularly taken by a architecture firm’s collection of Victorian homes, and I think it may have been at that moment where my dream of building a home in Caledon began. I ended my explorations by hopping a train down to Caledon Southend, riding the Ferris wheel on the boardwalk, taking the train back to Oxbridge Village and trying Caledon’s new air transport line for the journey back to Sky City.
The third note worthy place I explored was Victoria City. After being invited there to take part in a rocket launch sponsored by Miss Minako Masala, (in which my explorations to the higher stratophere were blocked by an unfortunately placed skybox), I returned to explore more thoroughly. In addition to visiting most of the buildings at groud level, I inadvertantly stepped on the seal in the foyer of the Guvnah’s mansion and landed in a large network of tunnels underneath the city, which i spent quite some time exploring.
I also spent time in some of the quieter, residential sims, including Windemere (where i was very tempted by a lovely land parcel until I was reminded by my typist that we’d decided not to rent real estate until I’d been here at least 3 months), Dundee, and other places that events or my interest took me. Most of the rest however, have yet to be explored thoroughly, so I’ll save them for another missive.
II People and Gatherings:
One of the first things I learned here is that Caledonians like to party! I attended no less than half adozen dances, balls, literary readings, tea parties, and assorted events in the past 2 weeks, and declined invitations to many more. Easily the most notable was the Space Pirates of the Caledonian Ball, where we shot into space, danced all afternoon, and raised an impressive sum for SLRFL! I attended several smaller events as well, where i met several wonderful people (not naming names, for fear of forgetting someone!) who all gave me a warm welcome, invited me into conversation, and generally made me feel as though I’d lived in Caledon for years. Finally, I spent a very enjoyable hour chatting with Sir JJ Drinkwater on the state of libraries in Caledon and SL in general, and was happy to accept a position as a volunteer on the his staff. We have a few ideas for some new projects for the Caledon Library system, which I hope to mention soon.
III. Belongings, clothing, and vehicles:
Being a cheapskate in the vein of my typist, I spent most of the rest of my time on the grid scouring Caledon for freebies and playing with many of my new toys neccessities back in my lodgings. After some fiddling around with a freebie hat to change the colour and reshape it to my particular avatar’s non-standard head, I was able to put together a outfit that I’ll be wearing most of the time on-grid, and several gowns more suited to formal events and special occasions. Much to the consternation of my mother, I find that flowing skirts get in the way while hiking mountains and parachuting from aeroplanes, so in daily life you’ll see me in trousers or a tailored skirt that also matches the oufit shown below. However, when the dance music starts up, out come the hoopskirts and ruffles!
The Author, ready for a day's exploring
For now the en garde foil is mostly ornamental, but I hope to find an opportunity to learn to play soon! I’ve also collected about half of the items in the Caledon Scavenger hunt list, and have found it a great way to meet people and explore new places in this large realm. In addition, many of those items have been very helpful!
Next up:
While I am mainly going where the winds and my new friends take me, I particularly would like to spend some time exploring Wellesian–I looked around a little before the RFL kickoff, but saw a few things that require further exploration. I also would like to ride all of the rail lines, stopping and exploring as i go. I hope to spend a little more time experimenting with building objects and scripts, with an eye toward building (or at least personalizing) my eventual home and its furnishings. In addition, I’ve caught the research bug for all things victorian and steampunk, and while Sir Drinkwater has created a great resource, I’m going to see if i can find a few things that might be good additions to the collection. Finally, I’ve heard from home and should be receiving my allowance soon, and hope to use that to buy a few little things that have caught my fancy in my explorations. If you see me wandering around the realm, please feel free to strike up a conversation! Also, please comment here if you know of an area you would like me to explore and report on.
Regards,
Sophia
Prologue Monday, Mar 9 2009
Uncategorized Prologue 11:29 pm
In which your author introduces herself, and resolves to explore the width and breadth of this land
I pray that you will indulge a brief introduction of your author, and an explanation of how she came to Caledon and endeavoured to undertake a journey through all the Sims of the land. If this pleases you, feel free to subscribe to my serial tale, as I expect my journey to take many days of rambling. However, is the journey itself not the destination?
To begin this journey with the beginning of my life in Caledon, I first arrived in the Oxbridge Cathedral on a warm February Sunday. My typist had chosen this landing spot out of sheer luck, and her selection proved serendipitous indeed. I soon exchanged my default garb for an avatar and clothing more suitable to me and my surroundings, and proceeded through the halls of Oxbridge, drinking up knowledge of my new home. Several fellow students and professors exchanged pleasantries with me, and I even was aided in my quest to find temporary lodgings by the Guvnah himself! As I settled in to my temporary room in Steam SkyCity, I knew that this was a place where culture, intellect, and friendliness were prized.
My arrival at Oxbridge resulted in a bewildering case of amnesia, almost as if I had not existed prior to that moment. However, I’ve learned this is not uncommon upon “rezzing” at Oxbridge, and over the next few days a few details of my history returned to me as I completed my course and explored the University grounds. My father Gustav was born abroad, and came to these shores as a young man, where he promptly made his fortune as the owner of an aeronautics factory. Papa was something of a tinkerer, building prototypes and such in the back garden. While his mechanical aptitude did not come as naturally to me, I enjoyed helping him with research and adored watching him work on his newest project. My mother, Lady Hypatia, was the eldest daughter of a declining noble family and her marriage to an up-and-coming industrialist was a common type of alliance, with each side gaining social status and financial security respectively. The fact that they had loved each other at first sight upon meeting at a ball was a happy accident that served to make a good match stronger. She spent her days keeping up with the administration of the household, volunteering as town Librarian in our small village (a pastime I took up myself during summers home from school), and writing delightful tales of skyfaring adventurers.
My childhood was a charmed period of riding horses and flying a small airship papa built for me, exploring the village and surrounding countryside with the other local children, and reading anything I could get my hands on. As their only child, it was their wish that I someday attend Oxbridge, gain a proper university degree, go on a Grand Tour of Caledon’s great sites, and after spending a period of time as an independent young woman, return home to continue my father’s work with the knowledge gained from Oxbridge and from making my own way in the world for a time. And that is all I remember, save a thunderous explosion that troubles my dreams sometimes. However, somehow I know that this is where I am supposed to be, and that I am doing what my parents wish of me. I have written letters home that I hope to get a reply from soon, and in the meantime I look forward to using the knowledge I’ve gained at Oxbridge to build a small home, contribute to the intellectual life of the community, and journey through the realm of Caledon, looking for adventure. I hope you will enjoy my humble attempts at describing my impressions of this beautiful realm as well as I explore sim-by-sim, looking for the ideal place to make my home.
As for my typist? She sees herself as fairly dull and commonplace in comparison, but I am trying to persuade her to share a little bit about herself in this journal as well. Future adventures may also introduce you to my pen friend Phalla Weatherwax, a rat (played by my typist’s spouse) who hails from a mysterious and exotic woodland called Lusk. I’m trying to convince her to join me on my Grand Tour, but being a rodent, she is less intrigued by the new and unfamiliar than in finding food and lining her own comfortable nest. I’ll keep trying to lure her out, though—I’m a feline after all. 
