Shirt: .: Somnia :. Striped Queen {Fall} {J}
Skirt: ...:::Beautiful Dirty Rich:::... Frozen Plain Skirt: ...:::Beautiful Dirty Rich:::... Frozen
Socks: ...:::Beautiful Dirty Rich:::... Frozen
Boots: SEY Layer's boots[D](Black,fur)
Skirt: ...:::Beautiful Dirty Rich:::... Frozen Plain Skirt: ...:::Beautiful Dirty Rich:::... Frozen
Socks: ...:::Beautiful Dirty Rich:::... Frozen
Boots: SEY Layer's boots[D](Black,fur)
Skin: *League* Sia Fair Champagne -Frex -Cleavage
Freckles: L.Fauna EXTRA FRECKLES [Tan]
Hair: *~*Damselfly*
Eyes: pc eyes by LL - poison ivy - medium
Eye Lashes: Miamai_NoAlpha Lashes_N01
Nails: Mstyle Short Nails - FRENCH - (20)
Ears: *Dreams* Tied with a Bow Snowy White Twitchy Ear
Tail: Psychotic Neko Extreme Corset Tail ***
Tiny steps echo across a wooden floor and come to a stop.
There is a moment of silence and then the lights come up.
"Over here. No, down a little. There ya go! Kitty center stage.
They say all the world's a stage.
And I say, Forget Barnum and Bailey's, this is it folks. This is the greatest show on Earth, and we're living it.
Except there is no dress rehersal, no retakes, and no scenes left laying on an editing room floor.
Life, is live-action in real time with no commercial breaks.
Everyone has a role, and there is no part too big or too small. Every moment is a vital scene that you alone complete.
So while that spotlight is on you, give it your best, all that you've got. Because you never who's watching and who's heart you might touch, mind you might inspire, or soul you might comfort.
We've only got one chance while the camera is rolling, cause once it stops...
...the rest is silence. "
stage lights fade to black as house lights shine on the rest of the world.
(c) sierra sugar 10/6/2011
There is a moment of silence and then the lights come up.
"Over here. No, down a little. There ya go! Kitty center stage.
They say all the world's a stage.
And I say, Forget Barnum and Bailey's, this is it folks. This is the greatest show on Earth, and we're living it.
Except there is no dress rehersal, no retakes, and no scenes left laying on an editing room floor.
Life, is live-action in real time with no commercial breaks.
Everyone has a role, and there is no part too big or too small. Every moment is a vital scene that you alone complete.
So while that spotlight is on you, give it your best, all that you've got. Because you never who's watching and who's heart you might touch, mind you might inspire, or soul you might comfort.
We've only got one chance while the camera is rolling, cause once it stops...
...the rest is silence. "
stage lights fade to black as house lights shine on the rest of the world.
(c) sierra sugar 10/6/2011
Post partially inspired by the tremendous loss of an inspirational man, Steve Jobs, and partially inspired by personal loss in my life.
NEW POSE FROM eMOTIONS - "In the Spotlight" set, "Too Bright"
Skin:[rQ]Pale@TYPE.o4-B.o2 (lightBROW)
Hair: *~*Damselfly*~*Etta II White Pearl
Nails:[ Love Soul ] Prim nails+Ring*baby doll*Silver
Ears:*Dreams* (aka Somnia) Tied with a Bow Snowy White Twitchy Ear
Tail: PN Extreme Corset neko tail
Shirt: A Netherworld - Incantation Corset - Black (J)
Pants: Zaara : Ishaya Velour slacks *black
Necklace:Kunstkammer String of Tahitian Pearls (black)
Bracelet:Kunstkammer Tahitian Pearl Bracelet
Pose: eMOTIONS - "In the Spotlight" set, "Too Bright"
NEW POSE FROM eMOTIONS - "In the Spotlight" set, "Too Bright"
Skin:[rQ]Pale@TYPE.o4-B.o2 (lightBROW)
Hair: *~*Damselfly*~*Etta II White Pearl
Nails:[ Love Soul ] Prim nails+Ring*baby doll*Silver
Ears:*Dreams* (aka Somnia) Tied with a Bow Snowy White Twitchy Ear
Tail: PN Extreme Corset neko tail
Shirt: A Netherworld - Incantation Corset - Black (J)
Pants: Zaara : Ishaya Velour slacks *black
Necklace:Kunstkammer String of Tahitian Pearls (black)
Bracelet:Kunstkammer Tahitian Pearl Bracelet
Pose: eMOTIONS - "In the Spotlight" set, "Too Bright"
Never Forget (click to see larger image)The mourning sun glares on a street
once enshadowed
By Twin Towers standing as guardians
over Manhattan.
As dust and tears settle on a now
unfamiliar skyline
Their thunderous demise still
echoes the Nation.
Instead of bringing this great county
to its knees
We rise shaken and bruised, refusing
to admit defeat.
We join together as one
to show
A united front towards
a common enemy.
Our flag continues to wave, The Star
Spangled Banner continues to play
And prayers are lifted unto heaven
on Angels' Wings.
Today, amidst the rubble and chaos
brought to this land
We, The United States of America
proudly STILL STAND!
Spangled Banner continues to play
And prayers are lifted unto heaven
on Angels' Wings.
Today, amidst the rubble and chaos
brought to this land
We, The United States of America
proudly STILL STAND!
(c) sierra sugar 9/12/2001
Growing up I remember my parents talking about the assasination of John F, Kennedy and how even decades later they could perfectly remember even the smallest detail of that singular moment in time. I couldn't understand it. That is, not until September 11, 2001.
Ten years ago today I was married to an enlisted Navy man serving shore duty at Patuxent River, Maryland, which is located just South of Washington DC. We lived on base and he worked on the electronics and radar systems for the F-18 fighter jets. That morning, like any other morning we both were at work and the kids were in school, him on base and the kids and I off base. That's when I heard the news. A patient called to say she wouldn't be in, she was watching the news and a plane just flew into one of the Twin Towers in New York. I couldn't wrap my brain around that concept.
I went to put the news on for my boss and I. I remember standing there with my phone in my hand as I had called my husband but it just rang and went to voice mail. I vaguely remember hearing his voice mail message, as if through a hollow tin can, as the second plane flew into the other tower. When the first tower collasped, that's when my legs gave and I crumpled to the floor. By the time I was finally able to make my legs work and stand both towers had collapsed. I don't remember crying but my eyes burned and my cheeks were wet. Every number I tried to call got some message about circuits being overloaded and the call could not be completed. Being that close to DC I didn't know whether my husbands squadron was going to get called out. My family and friends didn't know if we were ok.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when my phone actually rang. It was my husband. He had literally two minutes to talk. I remember him saying be quiet and listen. Get the kids and get on base NOW, they are locking everything down. No one in or out.
My boss told me to go and I did. I couldn't get through to the school but it didn't matter. Cars were lined up, buses were loading kids already, and the office was in hyper drive checking IDs and signing kids out. From that point it took me 3 hours to get on base as every car and person, kids included, went through a complete security check including metal detector and pat down. They looked in cars, trunks, behind seats, used big mirrors to scan the under carriage of every vehicle. Only those with valid military ID that showed they lived on base, or listed as critical crew were being allowed in, everyone else was turned away. And at 6pm no one, living there or not, was getting on the base, period. We were locked in for 3 days.
That night every navy wife and husband not on duty turned off their lights and sat in their front yards for a candle-light vigil. Even the kids were solomn and still for that hour. There was nothing we more we could do at that moment but pray and hope.
For days we watched nothing but every video, news cast, interview, and heart-wrenching story from that fateful morning. Until I finally couldn't take it anymore. I turned the TV off and took the kids to the park on base. Every moment of that day, every face seen on the TV, every tear, and every loss will always be etched in my memory. And every day I am thankful that for all the heartache and loss that day, my family was spared. I only wish so many others would have been as lucky.
For days we watched nothing but every video, news cast, interview, and heart-wrenching story from that fateful morning. Until I finally couldn't take it anymore. I turned the TV off and took the kids to the park on base. Every moment of that day, every face seen on the TV, every tear, and every loss will always be etched in my memory. And every day I am thankful that for all the heartache and loss that day, my family was spared. I only wish so many others would have been as lucky.
Never Forget!
Broken, originally uploaded by ~sierra sugar~.
"I'm done hopin' we'll work out. I'm done with how it feels, spinin my wheels. I'm done thinkin' you'll ever change and I know my heart will never be the same, but even on my weakest days......I get a little bit stronger."
There is much talk about love and holding on, never giving up, always being patient. The movie "A Walk to Remember" quotes 1 Corinthians with this definition of love:
We deserve better than to stay together, simply because we are afraid of being destroyed should we part.
(paraphrased from "Eat. Pray. Love.")
No one ever said life and love were easy. In fact, for most all of us those are the two most difficult things we will face between birth and death. We spend our entire lives living to be loved or to find love, whether within ourselves or in someone else. Some of us are lucky enough to find that blissful peace, many of us never will, and eventually all of us will suffer the soul crashing pain of loss.
When love is new and fresh it is beautiful and exciting; the highest of highs along with the invincible rush of adrenaline. From our early years with our first puppy love crushes through adulthood, love attacks us and attaches to us in many forms. Even the most mild of afflictions can leave us breathless and wanting for more.
It is that euphoria that drives us to find new love or to hold onto old love. It is an addiction we feed, whether it is to find that grounding love in ourselves or see that reflection of acceptance from another’s eyes. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. Love is wonderful. Love is working together as both partners and individuals. Love is supportive and encouraging. Love is passionate and thrilling, and at times peaceful and calming. It cannot be described in mere words. But it is all things good and healthy, even the battles serve their purpose to make love stronger. But love misplaced can be crippling, and painfully debilitating.
Too many times so many find themselves in the grasp of the memory of love. Not even hope, for hope is usually a good thing. But the memory that lingers of what might have been if only…. We make excuses for why it went wrong. We deceive ourselves with lies on how it will get better. And we stagnate ourselves and our lives in a rut of painful familiarity clinging with white knuckles to one of the most perilous of words in the English dictionary:
If.
If I did this they will love me again. If this changed things could be better. If I was a better person…. If I had a better job…. If we lived somewhere else…. If I moved…. If they changed…. If they settle down….. So many ifs and each one of them sink into us like hooks, anchoring our hearts in a loveless place filled with anger, confusion, self doubt, and fear. It is a deception. The emotional wolf in sheep’s clothing teasing us with possibilities that logic dictates will never happen. But the heart almost always over-powers the mind, because the call of Love and its warm metaphors is more appealing than the sterile coldness of logic.
Stronger than any opiate. Real, honest, true, and reciprocated love has the power to bring about peace, serenity, passion and fire, trust, and respect. But when love is gone or never was, and you refuse to see and move on, it also has the power to make even the strongest person hollow and weak. Yet so many of us, myself included, have held on to something that wasn’t real simply because we were afraid of what was to come. Or rather, what wasn’t.
The guise of love, painful as it may be, was easier to handle than the thought of being alone. And that simple fact is what eventually will cause a person to lose themselves completely. Happiness does not come from another person. Love cannot be commanded or controlled. We cannot will someone to love us simply because we want them to. And life will in fact go on with out them. And if we let go, truly let go, we open ourselves up for the most pure and honest of loves to find us. But we must have faith and stop holding onto the ifs.
I always say, “Never give up.” Never give up on yourself! Don’t settle for any ifs or what might have beens. Believe enough in who you are go let go and live.
Let go of the lies. Let go the anger. Let go of the pain. No more yelling. No more unbearable silence. No more not being seen. We all deserve better.
We deserve better than to stay together, simply because we are afraid of being destroyed should we part.
~sierra
In the normal chronology of life six years can be a significant amount of time. If a person lives to be 60, six years is 1/10th of their life span. If an average adult marriage lasts 30 years, six years is 1/5th of that time. To a teenager six years is longer than one spends in high school or for many even college. But in terms of virtual chronology six years is more than a lifetime, to many it may seem like an eternity. In an age and environment where technology is outdated nearly as fast as it is developed and changes are measured in terms of gigabytes per second, a year marks an extreme passing of time.
It also marks the virtual age of Sierra Sugar. Six years ago today Sierra was “born” if you will into the virtual world of Second Life. Seeking an escape from the grind and drama of the average raid oriented guild in MMORPGs, a friend of mind recommended this “new” game. Knowing my affinity towards The Sims, he thought SL would be a nice change of pace from the XP grind of WoW. Little did I know what I was stepping into.
In a world where any person can be and create anything their heart desires, Sierra was created as and has remained a virtual extension of her real life user. The only deviation from that real representation was the addition of kitty ears and tail, call it a personality trait expressed visually. Many use Second Life as a way to be something they are not or could never be. I have used it as a means to express who I really am. The person who was always a bit too quiet, or too shy for her own good could finally have a voice and be seen. It allowed me to step out of myself and take a good look. It showed me many things I did not like, and quite a few I realized I did. It has afforded me opportunities for amazing friendships, incredible love, unending creativity, and yes even unbelievable heartache. Through the laughter, the tears, the good times and the bad, after six years Sierra still remains.
Six years is definitely an eternity in Second Life time. And in those six years I’ve seen this virtual world change exponentially. It was a much smaller world back then. The grid could easily be traversed by foot, vehicle or hot air balloon in the course of a couple hours at best. There were no private islands and mainland was being bought up in large quantities by a budding virtual real estate entrepreneur, Anshe Chung. The only known custom skin maker was Munchflower Zaius of Nomine fame. There was no flexi nor sculptie. And any average Second Life citizen could enter into chat with a Linden simply by asking for help in world.
In 2005 if you logged in and there were 8,000 people online you know the world was going to crash. I remember the first time I saw there were 12,000 people online. And again when there were 20,000 online I sat back and went “Wow!”. Now on any given day there will be on average 65,000-75,000 online. Again, just “Wow!”.
In my six years in Second Life I've seen people meet from half way around the world, fall in love, meet in real life, and make it work. I’ve witnessed the growth of virtual support groups and learning centers. I’ve both witnessed and personally experienced extreme acts of kindness and generosity given to “friends” in a virtual world shared so closely, where yet the real world separates them by hundreds and even thousands of miles.
Residents of Second Life span the globe and their charitable interests are expressed accordingly. Funds have been donated in large quantities not just for RFL, but also for the relief efforts of Katrina, Haiti, Japan, Abused Women, education, Mobility, and various other charitable organizations. Our first year in working with the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life, citizens of Second Life barely raised $100,000 USD. Yet that amount was considered a significant achievement brought about by merely a bunch of virtual gamer geeks. The past two years Second Life RFL teams raised over $2.5 MILLION USD each year. Again, just “Wow!”.
In six years here in this Second Life I’ve also witness heartbreaking sadness and acts so inhumane rage and disgust can’t even begin to express accurately. Negativity and evil exists in the real world just as surely as it does in a virtual world. It doesn’t make it right or any less wrong. Human nature being what it is can we really expect others to behave differently simply because it is virtual? Not really. We are who we are no matter what platform or environment we choose to represent ourselves and interact with others. Evil, in what ever context you wish it to be, simply is. We acknowledge it, avoid it if we can, and move on.
Being the perpetual optimist I try to not dwell on the negative. To quote another strong woman from a different era, yet just as equally virtual in its own sense for the time she was created, Ms. Scarlett O’hara once said “Tomorrow is another day!”
And yes it is. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.
~sierra
♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸
Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself
Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms
There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong
♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸
Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself
Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms
There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong
♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸♪.¸¸.•´♫•.¸¸.•♬*•.¸
I love that song. It brings back some wonderful memories. Even though that time has passed and the person I shared it with and myself have moved on, it still is one of those songs that brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart.
Our Time. That's what we had. And I'm hopeful somewhere down the road there will be special someone to have time with again. But for all of you out there who have that special someone, this pose is for you. For your love. For your hopes. For your dreams. For your time, alone, together, in peace and happiness. Our Time, that perfect pose to sit and talk about everything and nothing. Our Time, when it feels like home simply because you are together.
Our Time is part of the Pro Posers Hunt #3. Be sure to follow the hunt and blog here. Don't miss out on all the wonderful gifts you can find during the hunt. Join the Pro Posers group to take part in the hunt as well as get special group only gifts and discounts.
~sierra sugar
Fall is such a beautiful time of year to me. It means change. The golds, the reds, and sometimes purples are so colorful and vivid. They invoke that feeling of hope. Its a time of reflection and to find some inner peace. Days grow shorter as the air become crisp and cool. And through it all the sunshine filters through inviting us to bask in its glow.
"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely.
Sunshine almost always makes me high."
Location:
Alirium - Beautiful sim with different levels to explore the seasons.
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/alirium/76/117/21
Shopping List:
Pose: !Bang - Girl set 150-159, stand #152