raftwet jewell goes on and on

I often wonder why so many of us take the time and money to participate in virtual worlds like Second Life. In the last five years, I have been diligently learning how to build, how to sell, how to get land stats, how to manage groups, how to be a resident and how to cope in here. If anyone ever told me, before I created my avatar, how hard this place could be for anyone, I might have run away from this project completely.



So much has happened in here including friendships, love, broken relationships, bad business deals, and the rest of the shenanigans in here, that I can not believe that I am still here on this grid! It's been sometimes a rocky road and sometimes smooth sailing. But... it has never been boring. Well, until now.

I don't want to expand on that thought just yet, but all of you old avis on the grid probably know what I am talking about. The grid has become... ahem... rather sanitized. Kinda. Maybe it's just because I have been here soooo long that nothing surprises me anymore. I play in here and build. I explore places and write. I go and listen to so much virtual live music that my head spins. And, when I go clubbing, I am usually bumped to death, and it is rare to receive a hello anymore from even the hosts. (Gee, you would think I wasn't registering on the grid anymore...)



But, I am ready to tackle all the stuff that gets thrown at me. I will take breathers more frequently and sometimes I might not be on the grid at all. But, I do want everyone to know this... I love this place, Second Life, more than any of you will ever know. The wonder is still here no matter how sanitized it gets, the grid is alive with imagination and artful fantasy.

Now, here I go... about to start my fifth year in 2012... raftwet jewell signing off... but only until tomorrow.

raftwet jewell = rafee jewell = me!

RAFTWET Jewell in Second Life



raftwet jewell = rafee jewell = me!, originally uploaded by rafeejewell.



OMG! Was I bored? LOL!


RAFTWET Jewell making faces in Second Life. This photo was taken on WETLands in world one day when I was goofing around with my SL animations.


I must apologize to everyone! I have been gone much of 2011 with projects in real world gaining much of my attention. I did try to network all the projects together, though. I never did forget all of you out there in the virtual world of Second Life. I really got waylaid from doing most of my duties that a lot of you have grown to know.


Everything this year was rather sporadic. I know this. I will try harder to be on the grid regularly. Maybe not everyday, but I will do my best to get here. My hat goes out to each and everyone of you... now I am heading over to THE A LIST! blog to write something over there...


RAFTWET Jewell Resources:
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youtube.com/raftwetjewell

Raftwet Jewell in Virtual Metaverse
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the a list! in second life

raftwet jewell virtual world

RAFTWET Jewell in Second Life



raftwet jewell virtual world, originally uploaded by rafeejewell.

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WETLANDS in Second Life

RAFTWET Jewell in Second Life



WETLANDS in Second Life, originally uploaded by rafeejewell.




Originally, I posted this photo way back in January 2011. 2011 has not been a great year for me either in Second Life or Real Life. My birth land, Japan, was hit by a terrible earthquake this year and I watched in horror as my family home was washed away into the sea. The images were awful to watch and my heart sank as I watched everything unfold before my eyes.  Then my very good friend died along with my cat who was 12 years old.  So much has happened this year that I took a bit of a break from Second Life... just to mend!


Both of us have been very busy in real life. My partner and I have been together now in SL and RL for over three years, and we both enjoy our group, THE A LIST! very much. We do apologize for not letting many of you know about our personal status... but, that is our business... right?



Posted this for Raftwet Jewell! All content belongs to me and only me... photo from raftwet jewell flickr.

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raftwet jewell as a blonde!

RAFTWET Jewell in Second Life


raftwet jewell as a blonde!, originally uploaded by rafeejewell.


Last month, I turned 4 years old. I am not even sure if I was on the grid. The rezz day just slipped by without much notice as I was literally busy in real life that day. The rezz day was just another day except that another year had passed for me as a resident of Second Life. Four years... it just seems impossible that I have been here this long.

My regions are still here: WETLands and RiverLand, both dedicated to outdoor water sports such as surfing, rafting, paddling and swimming. The two regions are natural park-like settings created for the avatars to safely hang out with friends. There is a small outdoor ballroom on WETLands that usually have a few couples enjoying the peaceful serenity on the land.

Mainland is rarely visited much anymore as time is precious in world with other work such as THE A LIST! administrative tasks. The group seems to keep both of us incredibly busy every time we are on the grid. My other groups just run on auto pilot. They are mostly fun groups with little drama and seem almost silly compared to the seriousness of the networking group.

I am currently selling Archan which is a highly commercial area. I am putting Bisque up for sale this month as I no longer use the area anymore for anything but a little store and a small rafting area. (If you know anyone, tell them to contact me for sale or rentals on the mainland.)

I don't go clubbing as much as I used to do because of personal reasons. Gone are the days when I would spend most of my time on the grid at a club or venue. There are so many other things to do, and I find myself exploring and visiting different places in Second Life when I have time.

One of the things I love most is playing with the look of my avatar. Sometimes it's a new skin or shape, but mostly it's about make-up and hair... just like in real life! Being in real life California, makes me think of all the Southern California blondes on the beach. So "Rafee" gets a make-over frequently and becomes the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, West Coast girl that seems to scream "California!"

In real life... brunette, brown eyes, jeans and a t-shirt are more my style!






Photo and blog by raftwet jewell and posted in flickr and this blog in blogger.
All rights reserved

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FaceBook and THE A LIST!

Many of us have taken to the social network of FaceBook. This is a network that has the majority of the world spending incredible amounts of time socializing and sharing information. Mark Zuckerberg's baby has become a must-have on the desktop, laptop and phone. So, last year, I took THE A LIST! there, too.



Second Life has an official page there with over 100,000 plus friends and users. So, it is an important network, and I would advise that you create a profile and a business page for your interests. THE A LIST! is announcing many of our notices and events there, too. FaceBook is another place to get the word out about your djs, clubs, venues, live musicians, events, artists and anything you need to tell the world.

You can also enhance our efforts by hitting the "Like" tab on each of our business pages: THE A LIST! and RAFTWET Jewell's business pages in FaceBook. We will all grow so that our numbers grow, too.

I have also set up THE A LIST! flickr group for Second Life; a place to add your photos about your own places in Second Life and the events that you want to publicize. What I will do is pump up those groups through FaceBook, Twitter, and many other social networks for your interests. The group is an invite only, but all you have to do is hit the invite, and I will add you. Please note that all photos submitted must be PG Content Only.



If you send a notice out in THE A LIST! in Second Life please make it less than 420 characters (I think that is the limit) as FaceBook does not allow longer shouts. And, if you want to send out your own shout, you can do that by just joining us there on FaceBook and do your own notice.

I will edit your shouts from the SL notices, so please make sure it has Artist Name, Time of Event, Genre, Dress Code and Where the thingy is otherwise, avatars may be confused when they see it on Twitter or Tumblr or another blog. (Update: please add slurl to your info as I may be FB'ing your notice offline through my email. Ex: [Name of your Region] (128, 128, 23)

If you send out funny characters in the notice, please note that the RSS feed will be borked. The info will not stream throughout the universe of the internet, and you will end up missing out on expanding your own networks.  Each of you want to cultivate anyone out there that might be interested in your venues and artists. Besides, I don't want to make an error in editing your important information!



If you have any questions, let me know. We (Xavi & Rafee) are both here to help!

<3 Rafee <3
RAFTWET Jewell
2011

rafee pictures and photos in second life

photos by raftwet jewell on flickr.com


rafee art photo, originally uploaded by rafeejewell.


















2011 is here and the parties continue.


2010 is now officially gone.


art, music and fashion are at the forefront of all the artists, musicians and creators for this new year.


stay tuned for more!
the lifestyles of THE A LIST!

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BURN2 : raftwet, xavier at nish mip art installation

BURN2 : Burning Man 2010


BURN2 : raftwet, xavier at nish mip art installation, originally uploaded by rafeejewell.




I took so many pictures of BURN2 the last few days. I thought I should at least post a few. So many great things to see and experience on the dry playa, that it would take forever to go through all of it.







Lag was a bit much on the opening day, but I expected that. I used an alt to navigate around; one that had hardly anything in inventory. It really helped to have no scripted huds or attachments, too.




My favorite artists and their works are here. I am gaga over Nish Mip (she recently won UWA's 3D Design Challenge) and her cyber robot club/lounge "Robot Summer City." I could have hung out there all day.

Next favorite was Gracie Kendal. I have a few of her pieces from 2007 when I first ran across her work at a now defunct art gallery on the grid. Her Burning Man "painting" of swirls and textures had me walking and flying through it. There is a story told... an important one.





The cartoony, Mario-build was fabulous. Legos stacked and pieced together creating a huge monumental build. You could see it from across the sims! So sweet and charming and it brought a big smile to my face.




I did spend one entire afternoon with the Stilt Bitches Flying Circus. The freebies were so great. Stilts, costumes and fire juggling were given away. Everyone was dancing. I couldn't tear myself away.










I have only gone to a couple of parties as I have been super busy lately with other grid matters. I hit Barbs Kurka's "Barb's Psytrance Tent" a few times as I seem to know most of the dj's over there.





Live music was awesome. So many talented musicians are playing at the Center Tent. Make sure you go at least a few times to catch the different genres of music there.





It will be impossible to see everything. But, the weekend is almost here, so I hope to check out more!












All photos taken by raftwet jewell and uploaded to flickr for this blog.

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Silly Girl and Musical Noize

Giggles... some real life silly for the crazies in all of us... LOL!

Thanks to terroreyes.tv for their ridiculously fun castle take on Zach's latest musical noize!

Enjoy!


Zach Hill - The Sacto Smile from Sargent House on Vimeo.




We love music!

Oh, that silly girlie..... hee hee!

omega point flying

Omega Point Flying Cyber Aircraft in Second Life


omega point flying, originally uploaded by rafeejewell.

Wow and double wow and even triple wow! I have been to Omega Point, not once, but three times.











Each time, I have found something I didn't see before. The place is mysterious and filled with fantasy. Beautifully built by the creators with an artistic passion, I fell in love with this place.













Goooooo! Go explore this place before it disappears off the grid. Please allocate at least the evening for this one. Or go back repeatedly like I keep doing and discover even more!

Uhhh, did I mention the shopping at Omega Point? Gowns, tuxedoes and more!






Raftwet Jewell, the first whitewater rafting avatar in the virtual world!
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