Are You Sabotaging Yourself?...

When we fall prey to rumination, we intensify the stress we are already feeling by focusing on the negative and continually reliving it. When we're in this pattern of thinking, our focus is more on what went wrong than on what we can do to fix things.

...too much stimulation via the WWW is what keeps me up...there is Pinterest you know...

I always want to fix things and make them better, but I know I can only fix me. Stress can also impact our ability to get quality sleep. But by practicing good sleep hygiene, such as avoiding using televisions or computers before bed, going to bed at the same time every night, and darkening the room, you can get better sleep.

Maybe some chamomile teas this time instead of diet coke...

What you eat can impact how you feel. Just as lost sleep can impact your reactivity, so can the wrong diet. If you have ever crashed from a caffeine high or a sugar rush, you already instinctively know this.
Music holds the power to put us directly back into to a place when we listened to it, usually entering into the mood we were in when we listened and then the pieces of memory fill in with people and situations. Maybe life was not perfect, but the music makes me feel good when I hear it." Is there a time frame or type of music that puts your memory back into a good place?

Be proactive in trying to solve your problems. 
First, identify problems in your life and then start taking actions to solve your problems, one step at a time.
Set your own expectations. 
Negative ruminating thoughts can creep in when we question our self-worth. Praise yourself for your successes and forgive yourself for your mistakes. Constantly work on building your self-esteem by taking care of yourself and doing things you enjoy and excel at.
Create a support system. 
Having friends and family members, and maybe even a therapist, any of whom you can call on for help when something goes wrong or when you’re having a bad day, is so important. These special people may distract you from your ruminating thoughts and are also likely to boost your self-esteem.

The White Aura...

...maybe these are relatives???

Auras are fields of energy surrounding the human body, and every living thing on the planet. And Earth, itself, also has several fields of energy around it which protect its inhabitants. Auras around people tend to flicker with various colors which change according to our emotions and the energies around us. There is usually a predominant color at any given time.

...you have to have some balance in what you do...

A recent test about my aura revealed that I am mostly white with some silver as well. Not all of the description is true for me since I may be tarnished with some darker aura from the past.

Qualities of White and Silver

White is the purest color, in that it is comprised of all the colors of the spectrum. It reflects every other visible wavelength of light, even the ones only available to those people who have tetrachromacy (the ability to see extra colors). It is the equivalent of zero; it holds the potential for every other color and color quality. This means that it contains positive and negative in equal balance. 

I once took a trip to San Diego and a medium was doing a reading on my friend and he(his name was Alex) then asked me if I wanted one and I said no. He said, oh I see some abilities within you, you have a third eye. Sometimes when a psychic is connected to the spiritual realm, he or she will have a white or shimmering silver aura emanating from the crown or the third eye chakra.

If you have a white aura, you will have an incorruptible spirit and people will be drawn to you because it feels good to be near someone with a higher vibration. Because of this, you need to be aware of energy vampires; people with very low vibrational energy who need to sustain themselves by drawing energy from you. A shimmering silver aura generally means that you have well-developed psychic skills. Your connection to the realm of spirit is almost a constant one. You are able to tune in and out at will. You will also be sensitive to the auras of other people and, if you can’t actually see them, you could easily train yourself to do so.

Find out your Aura...and let me know what it reveals. 

The Toxic Digital World or is there life out there?

We live in a digital world; just short of being pixelated or virtual ourselves, the things around us continue to get smarter, faster, more connected becoming increasingly more digital. Customer relationships are digital; Business channels are digital; Our conversations are digital, and our social interactions are slowly being affected by this digital world.

It can be like a fallout of toxic rain if you are not careful. In a way, technology has made things easier for us to communicate and get information. There are negatives as well when the digital world has taken over the real-life world but also there are good points. There is life, this is our lives now, we live in this digital world.

~Conversations that now happen through social media and have taken the place of traditional interactions is causing people to leave their houses less and less since they do not need to leave to communicate with others. This can lead to social isolation. Essentially, instead of spending time in person with friends, we just call, text, instant message them or send a 10-second snapchat.~
(well yes but for those who cannot leave the house it is a great way to stay in touch.)

~Some people only lead lives in the virtual world in which they have even gotten married in online video games such as Second Life. Second life is a virtual world where avatars do the kind of stuff that real people do in life, however, some players even choose to get married online via this game.~ 
(yes and no)

~People who suffer from low self-esteem may continue to search for a feeling of worthiness online, paying more attention to their posts with low likes than high ones, because in spite of their need for positive feedback, they have the habit of confirming their negative self-image.~

I feel if that is what makes you happy and it brings you a smile and you feel so much better, why would it be wrong? Instead of finding the negative impact on this, why not turn it around and look for all the good in it. How else would you be able to read this blog? 
Exactly!!!

something new is coming

He has such great ideas...I know he just doesn't like my mess.

Grum always has the best ideas. Who would have thought a nifty alien, I mean elf can be soooo smart?  He is the one responsible that the Basement Club is back in the Basement and the Gallery is at the Retreat for everybody to enjoy. 

Something new is coming as well: The outside garden with dancing under the stars is completed. The chapel is going through some renovations. Rather than having weddings here, we will actually have a hang out for future DJ sets as well as other fun activities. The chapel is now called "The Unholy Chapel at the Retreat".

...taking things out and changing the chapel...wow it really is much bigger than I thought...

So stop by and see how the changes happen. Some of the gacha items that were here in the chapel are now available at the Priceless Gacha and treasures store. So go get them before they are gone.

Handy kind of elf to have around...thanks Grum for all your ideas and input :)

SL16B at the Spin masters Stage

It was such a great experience to be able to DJ at this event. Thank you, SL for letting me do this. 

I also want to thank all the people who showed up and danced and of course my friends: Grum, Dandy, Candi, and Draki...thank you guys for being there. HUGS!!!

Second Life is turning “Sweet Sixteen”

Wow! 16 years of this amazing, ever improving virtual world. I have been here for almost 8 years and I am still here.

It is time to take the bus to the events. There is lots of shopping, of course. Don't miss out of all the free gifts. 

When I first came to Second Life I wondered how the DJs streamed their music into SL. I wanted to learn to be a DJ, but I had no clue how this was done. So I learned and learned and learned some more.

And I became a DJ in Second Life. My first place was the Basement Club. I also have DJed at Runaround Sue's, The Leopard Lounge, Takahashi Coffee Bar and Music, The Club, and Totally 80s.

This year I do have the honor to DJ at the Second Life celebration. Mark your calendar 6-7 PM at the Spin Masters Stage on Monday, June 24. Stop by if you have time.

To Wait or Not?

If you start to think of your physical and moral condition, you usually find that you are sick.

It’s like buying a lottery ticket every Wednesday and Saturday and waiting in week after week for your numbers to come up. When people tell you you should come out, do something different, not play the numbers this week, you decline because you’re scared that the one time that you don’t is the one time that you’ll win. Your rationale is that life will begin once you win the lottery so you’ve invested yourself in the fantasy. Sometimes you win three or four numbers but you never hit the jackpot. One day you realize that you’ve literally wasted your life gambling on some seriously long odds. You thought the risk would be worth the reward but you end up regretting putting all of your eggs in a basket without a base…

If you’re waiting around for someone, you’re waiting for your numbers to come up. Unfortunately, the fact that you have to wait in itself demonstrates that there isn’t enough or anything going on right now.

Waiting around says “I don’t consider myself a valuable, worthwhile enough person to go and live my life without this person who doesn’t actually want me or the relationship I want with them. I’d rather fanny away my life and time that I don’t value hoping they’ll see the light because I don’t believe I can do better plus I’d rather avoid feeling ‘full’ rejection at any costs”.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.                  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

GeoCities and MySpace (the good old days? Maybe not)

A CHERUB'S FESTIVAL

One glorious Sunday afternoon

I walked through a field of vanilla

so sweet to my senses

as I was humming a heavenly tune.

So I laid beside a flowing brook

and dreamt of angels in the clouds

so peaceful to my soul

as I opened my eyes, to the sky I looked.

A rainbow of colors so bright and gay

appeared all of a sudden up there

so vividly to my eyes

as I stood up and jumped to catch a ray.

I felt as I was in the clouds so high

where a cherub festival was played

so joyful to my mind

as I learned in my dream to fly.                 ~anjelikka

I remember in the old days having a website called Angel News Network on GeoCities, the name ANN was taken later by Oprah herself, taken without asking, but that is another story in itself.

"GeoCities was kind of "Facebook" in those days. GeoCities was an important outlet for personal expression on the Web for almost 15 years but was discontinued on October 26, 2009. GeoCities launched in 1995 (it was originally called Beverly Hills Internet) when there were just a few million people online. Back then, the idea that anyone would want to carve out his own space on this strange new medium—and that you could make money by letting people do so—bordered on crazy. (Two other free hosting companies—Tripod and Angelfire—started up at around the same time, but they proved far less popular than GeoCities.)  In an early press release, David Bohnett, one of GeoCities’ co-founders, hailed the idea this way: “This is the next wave of the net—not just information but habitation.” Look past the tech-biz jargon, and his prediction is startlingly prescient. Today, few of us think of the Web as a simple source for information; it’s also a place for dissemination, the place where we share life’s most intimate details. In other words, it’s for “habitation”—and GeoCities helped start that trend."

"The main difference between GeoCities and MySpace is the social network: Both sites let you indulge your creativity, but MySpace gave people a way to show off their pages to friends. On MySpace, your site was no longer shunted off to some little-traveled corner of the Web. Instead, it was at the center of your friends’ lives—and so there was some small reward to keep hacking away at it. At least, that was true when MySpace was hot, which is no longer the case—just like GeoCities, it lost cultural cachet to newer, better sites that came along after. In this way, too, GeoCities was a trailblazer, the first example of another reality of user-generated sites: They’re extremely susceptible to faddism. You want a page on GeoCities or MySpace or whatever else only if other people are there too. As soon as the place becomes uncool (like, say, if people start calling you “GeoShitties“), everyone leaves in droves."

The Retreat and Basement Club

I finally have made some improvement on the Retreat and its outer space for the Basement Club. I had some help from an elf, they really work well. Now I know why Santa has so many around.
Join us on Discord for updates and news about the Retreat and Basement.

We soon have DJ Riker returning to us and he does a great set outside. This is also a place for anyone to hang out. 

There are single and couple dances, just touch the angel's balls and she will give you some. Do not hesitate to take a tour and visit the chapel as well as the Art Gallery. Behind the art gallery, you will find a teleport to the Basement Club.

There are several places you can sit and chill and take pictures...visit the zen pond and count your blessings. It is located right next to the Art Gallery. Stay as long as you like and bring your friends.
If you want to check out the Gacha Store...use this LINK

Greg's Bar

"Greg's Bar is the Ideal place to hang out! The bar is filled with the best drinks, billiard, darts, parties, live music and many others! All this is in the cabin in the middle of the woods."

I was curious about this place so I went and took a look. I am not a bar or club type of person, but this place has this certain European charm. It reminds me of the little "Gasthaus" in the middle of the forest in Germany where you can hang out and get a drink, meet some friends and play some games. It is calm and relaxing here.

Greg Noyes (grzesiek.noyes) the owner and creator of this lovely place has some such an amazing job on all the details. You really feel that you are here.

The decor is clean and very much invites you in. When you visit here, take time to really look around at all the small details that make this place special. You feel the dedication and love that went into the place and you feel that it is Greg's Place.

Greg's place is not limited to only an inside pub, it also has a beautiful outside space. I can imagine sitting out here on some cool summer nights with friends and hearing the laughter echo in the woods.

But symptoms can go away

Trauma comes in many insidious forms. If not addressed and managed in a nurturing and supportive setting, it can mess up your perspective and your capacity to love and trust. 

If you were traumatized at any time in your life or in earlier relationships, you can be left feeling untrusting and suspicious. If you do happen to accidentally or even somehow purposely repeat patterns that were traumatic, the experience can be disorganizing, disconcerting and alarming. It can make you feel as if you are destined to repeat the dysfunction as if you have no hope for a rewarding, reciprocal, mutually supportive and trusting relationship yourself. 

When trauma occurs, it is crucial to find a safe person and a safe space to process the trauma, to understand its impact on you, and to begin the work of disentangling yourself from its ugly hold. Doing so begins to dilute its power, which in turn can help you work toward not continuing to repeat damaging patterns in your relationships.

There is no cure for PTSD, but symptoms can go away. This will depend on the type and severity you have. PTSD can be managed with ongoing treatment. Without treatment, it can last longer or get worse over time. For me creating art in Second Life as well as in Real Life can be a great distraction from the trauma, but then it also adds to the damage. 

What you should never say:

"Why are you so uptight?"

Feeling edgy or jittery is not a choice for people with PTSD. Even with effective treatment, some people with PTSD still have symptoms, and the symptoms can erupt unexpectedly. If you’re thrown off by the way a person with PTSD reacts to you being in their space or to something you said, give them the benefit of the doubt. “Cut them some slack, give them space, and don’t challenge them on it,” says Nitschke. Instead, he recommends, simply say, “I’m sorry. I didn't mean anything.”

If you suffer from trauma and PTSD please do get some help. Find a trusted friend who will stand by you in the evil dark hours when you dislike everything. Chocolate helps!!!

The color "Yellow"

Home sweet home

The yellow color helps us find new ways of doing things. It is a practical thinker and not a dreamer. The yellow color helps make decisions and relates to clarity of thought and new ideas. Yellow also helps us focus, study and remember information. This can be useful under examination situations. The color yellow can also be anxiety-provoking as it moves rapidly forward in life, making us nervous. It can be associated with being scared, a coward, or envy. You’ve probably heard of the term “feeling yellow”. Yellow also has a tendency to make you more analytical and mentally critical, which include self-criticism, as well as criticism towards other people.

Dark yellow represents caution, jealousy, decay, and disease. Light yellow is associated with intelligence, freshness, and joy. This is how the color yellow affects you:

1.Makes it easier to make decisions and think clearly
2.Stimulates the nervous system
3.Sharpens memory and concentration
4.Encourages communication

Attention-grabbing: Since yellow is the most visible color, it is also the most attention-getting color. Yellow can be used in a small amount to draw notice, such as on traffic sign or advertisements.
Energetic: Yellow can also increase metabolism.

"How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun." -Vincent Van Gogh

The Man Cave

There are pros and cons to why he should have a man cave. First of all the word alone indicates a cave...don't animals live in caves or has he returned to the ancient civilization before proper housing?

...playing games even in the virtual world....what a nerd!

"We believe that every Man has a basic, primal, instinctual need to have a space to call his own. It's his territory." And Sam Martin, author of Man Space: A Primal Guide to Marking Your Territory says it doesn't matter if that territory is a whole room, a chair, or a corner, just as long as she agrees to let you do whatever you want in that space. It's not about solitude after all: Man caves come from a place of control.

...mmm fresh pizza, since he is busy I can eat some of his pieces too...

So all of us ladies will step aside for a moment to allow all of you men to pursue your dream of the ultimate man cave. If you are going to use precious square footage to make room for a man cave in your home, then it might as well be amazing, right? A man cave doesn’t have to be some grungy room with plastic lawn chairs strewn about. Rather, modern man caves are becoming the epicenter of the home.
Come and visit the Man Cave here....

What?

What, what, what? 

Don't interrupt the sorrow
Darn right
"We walked on the moon
Just lookin' for light"
Don't you see the sorrow
Of death and birth and death and birth?
"Bring that bottle kindly
And I'll pad your purse
I've got a head full of quandary
And a mighty, mighty, thirst"

...sometimes I have to take quick snapshots of us because Grum is quick...Come on! It's just a picture :)

Don't interrupt the sorrow
You're darn right
In flames our prophet witches
Be polite
A room full of glasses
He says, "Your notches, liberation doll"
And he chains me with that serpent
To that Ethiopian wall.

SONG OF THE SEA

BY RAINER MARIA RILKE

Timeless sea breezes,

sea-wind of the night:

you come for no one;

if someone should wake,

he must be prepared

how to survive you.

Timeless sea breezes,

that for eons have

blown ancient rocks,

you are the purest space

coming from afar…

Oh, how a fruit-bearing

fig tree feels your coming

high up in the moonlight.

Some poems do not have to make a lot of sense, but yet can be just as beautiful as sitting under the moonlight with an elf. Did you know they glow in the dark? 

Don't rush to wash off the sea salt 
drying on your skin;
the hopes it carries from other oceans,
those remain yet to be seen.

A rose in a field of daisies

Daisies symbolize innocence and purity. This stems from an old Celtic legend. Daisy’s are composite flowers, meaning that they actually consist of two flowers combined into one. The inner section is called a disc floret, and the outer petal section is called a ray floret. Because daisies are composed of two flowers that blend together so well, they also symbolize true love. ( I waited here all morning but no true love showed up.)

Start picking all the daisies because they can be eaten and are even medicinal. Daisy leaves are a common addition to salads. Wild daisy tea is used to treat coughs, bronchitis, inflammation, and more. Wild daisies are also sometimes applied to the skin for wounds and diseases.

A rose in a field of daisies she was merely a flower, trapped in the wrong garden.

The Poetry of earth is never dead

On the Grasshopper and Cricket

BY JOHN KEATS

The Poetry of earth is never dead:    

  When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,    

  And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run    

From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;    

That is the Grasshopper,—he takes the lead       

  In summer luxury,—he has never done    

  With his delights; for when tired out with fun  

  

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.    

The poetry of earth is ceasing never:    

  On a lone winter evening, when the frost      

    Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills    

The Cricket’s song, in warmth, increasing ever,    

  And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,    

    The Grasshopper among some grassy hills.

Grasshoppers Existed Long Before Dinosaurs

Famed fable writer Aesop portrayed the grasshopper as a ne'er do well who fiddled away his summer days without a thought to the future but in the real world, the destruction wreaked by grasshoppers on farming and ranching is far from a harmless parable. Although grasshoppers are extremely common, there's more to these summertime critters than meets the eye.