"We Had It All..Just Like Bogie and Bacall" (from Key Largo)

Dear Diary:

I love watching old films so Berry's Monday Meme was a perfect reason to show my two favourite people from the black and white era.  To me, the iconic romantic couple from the 1940's was Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.  There always seemed to be an electric current running between them when they were on the screen.

 

The couple acted in four films together but the one that brought Bacall into the limelight was "The Big Sleep", a 1946 film noir in which she played a nasty manipulative woman, opposite to Bogart's law abiding detective.  The film was described as a story concerning the "process of a criminal investigation, not its results".  In her role, Bacall was described as a dangerous looking female with a sharp tongue.  She did play the same type of woman in other movies and she always did it well.

"The Big Sleep" was added to the National Film Registry in 1997.  The Library of Congress said the film was "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

Thanks to my friend Sam for posing as Detective Philip Marlowe, to my Vivian Rutledge.

Good Night for now.

Sam is wearing:
Suit: hoorenbeek Pinstripe suit
Hat: Couture Chapeau fedora

I'm wearing:
Hair: Truth Hair Venus
Blouse and skirt: Meli Imako Mesh Ladies Blouse with Pencil skirt (SL Marketplace)
Shoes: Gos Charlotte Mary Jane pumps

Pose: Rack Poses

Saturday is For Shopping

Dear Diary:

Sometimes I get an itch to go shopping.  That often happens in both my worlds but this past Saturday I managed to get the scratching fixed by travelling the grid in my second life.  I did hit many of the major events so here are my favs.

I absolutely loved this coat from Amitomo.  It comes in a two-pack of six different patterns.  There's a woolen turtle neck sweater underneath that comes in complimentary colours.  It can be found at Chapter Four. 

My next favourite purchase was the scarf from Mikunch, found at The Seasons Story.  I had a difficult time deciding what scarf to buy.  The scarf comes in three different designs - tied at the back; around the neck or the "snood" look.  Each scarf comes in a variety of plain or mixed patterns.  I really liked them all but decided the snood  version looked the best with this coat. 

The boots made by Baiastice, from Fameshed, are a great addition to the outfit.  They can be found in many colours, most that would go with any outfit.  The tassels down the side add a little decoration to the boots.

I tried to pick a wonderful location to show off my shopping endeavours and I did find a great sim.  Timeless Memories has many places to explore or just sit to enjoy the magical landscape.  The sim is excellent for photo opportunities. 

An awesome day for spending some Lindens.

Good Night for now.

I'm wearing:
From Chapter Four:
Hair: Mina Hair Vera
Coat: Amitomo Oversized coat and turtleneck (set 2)
Jeans: Coco skinny jeans (blue) (gacha machine)

From The Seasons Story:
Hat: C'est la vie Lil beret (black) (gacha machine)
Scarf: Mikunch snood (art)

From Fameshed:
Boots: Baiastice Rhino Ankle boots (cerise)

Pose: Marukin

Location: Timeless Memories

My Second Life Problem

Dear Diary:

What a way to start the week!  It's always refreshing to be able to complain about things when other people know what you're talking about.  Strawberry Singh's Monday Meme brought a few problems to mind but I settled on one that's been bothering me lately.

I realize to be able to wear mesh clothing the best way, you need to fit into a "standard" size.  I fought this for awhile.  "I'm not changing", I said to myself, "I worked hard on getting this "gorgeous" body so I'm keeping it like it is".  How pompous was that!  And besides, whenever I wore some of the beautiful creations, I was sticking out here and had missing spots there.  So I changed....and modified...and altered...and mutated until I was devoid of any gender at all - no hips, no butt, no boobs.  Of course I saved all of the shapes I made, calling them a multitude of names that I quickly forgot what I made them for.  I had so many shapes I didn't know who I was.  I didn't have any clothes that looked great on me.  So now I'm back to my old shape and adjusting only when I have to.

Wow!!  It's good to vent!!  I feel so much better.

Good Night for now.

I'm wearing:
Skin: LeLutka Lola (light)
Eyes: Ikon Sunrise (deep hazel)
Lashes: mock Cosmetics Priscilla
Hands: Slink AvEnhanced hands (casual)
Hair: Truth Hair Joanna
Tee: Strawberry Singh T-shirt #SecondLifeProblems (SL Marketplace)
Jeans: Emery mid-rise Skinny Jeans Kooks
Glasses: K_gs Kumaki Glasses Mito
Earrings: Caroline's Large Hoop (silver) (now on SL Marketplace)

Pose: Icons of Style

Do You Work in an Office Like This?

Dear Diary:

In my Grandmother's time, women who started working in an office were in a large open room where everyone had a desk, usually facing the front of the room or the door area, to give a welcoming appearance to the office.  But that quickly changed over the years.

In the late 1950's, Robert Propst was seen as an early inventor of ergonomics.  He studied office workers to see where he could correct their useless and meaningless actions.  He designed the "stand-up" desk in order to curb the look of wasted time in just sitting.  Obviously this was not met with a lot of appeal by the employees.  Almost 10 years later, Propst came up with the idea of a "movable" office with walls that could be adjusted to make a new floor plan but at the same time giving each office worker a personal space.  This was perceived as a "flexible" environment.   Many offices are still using this design.  However, the furniture arrangement has not been met with approval.  It's depicted as cold and stagnant, with a lot of negativism expressed by the employees.  (Read "Dilbert")

Today, most of our office settings have not changed that much.  Generally there still are the cubicles.  Buildings have tried to add gym areas, coffee shops or health care areas to give a well being to the workers. 

But the cubicles still exist.

Good Night for now.

I'm wearing:
Hair: Calico Hair Luna
Business suit: Meli Imako Business suit (SL Marketplace)

Cubicles: Cubicle (SL Marketplace)
Office chair: C-Outlet office chair (black) (SL Marketplace)
Laptop: Shared media laptop (no longer available)
Books and pencils: d-lab
Lamp: Lisp Bazaar Jacob lamp (yellow)

Shakespeare in Sartorial Splendor

Dear Diary:

Berry really does challenge us every week but I thought the Monday Meme this week was going to be colossal but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

I flew into several places but it seemed that everybody was in a hurry and as soon as I had them in a good position for a pic, off they would go!  I thought I should go to a place where people would not be so frenetic and just want to look around so I decided to visit The Men's Department.  And there, I found the perfect person. 

 

Shakespeare

 

First of all, I really liked his look.  He portrayed an air of casualness but skated around with complete confidence.  I watched him for awhile and decided that I wanted him for a picture.  From our conversation, I think he was trying to achieve a look and he got it SO right. I didn't get his clothing choices but he put it together very well.  I liked everything about him, including his name.  I was nervous about asking but he was very friendly and cooperative. Our conversation went something like this:

 

  Me: Hi Shakespeare....would you mind if I took your pic?

  Shakespeare : hello Yes sure
  Shakespeare : with this silly hair? lol
  Me: Super!!!  Thanks And you look great! 
  Shakespeare : ah thanks
  Shakespeare : decided to change today, to teen look
  Shakespeare : where you want to take it, here?
  Me: Yep...just stay there
  Shakespeare: ok
  Shakespeare : lol ok , why you want my pic?
  Me: I'm doing it for a blog challenge...do you want me to send a link when I post it?
  Shakespeare : sure, if you want to share it
  Me: Can I use your name too?  You have a cool name
  Shakespeare : use my name?
  Me: Yes, like mention who you are

  Shakespeare: yes yes you can use it

  Me: Wonderful...you're the best!!

  Me: btw....why Shakespeare?
  Shakespeare : ahhh I like the bard
  Shakespeare : you?
 Me: Me too  :)  That's why I noticed you
 Shakespeare : nice to meet you
 Me: Nice to meet you too  And thanks again...appreciate it

What a great time I had!  And it reinforced how truly nice people are.

 

"We know what we are, but

not what we may be."

William Shakespeare   1564-1616

 

Good Night for now.



A New Store to Me #12

Dear Diary:

The other day, while shopping around, I came upon a store that I was instantly attracted to because of the name.  I found Moose Clothing.  I come from an area that has a lot of moose so the name made me check it out.

I found a few things I liked but decided to show this cute jacket with the leopard leggings.  The jacket has knitted arms that come with the jacket but are not detachable.  The jacket comes in 4 different colours.  The leopard leggings come in many choices from subtle to vivid.

The store has a lot of dresses, mostly short and strapless but there is one nice maxi that I might go back for when the weather gets warmer.  There are not many casual items but that could change with the next season.

Maybe the store doesn't hold a lot for a casual gal like me but I do love the name.

Good Night for now.

I'm wearing:

From Moose Clothing:
Coat: Magma Coat (green)
Leggings: Katamashi leggings (leopard)

Other items:
Lipstick: Madrid Solo u-color-it Grace
Hair with hat: W&Y #41 (no longer available)
Boots: Coco Designs suede ankle boots (dark brown)
Earrings: je suis precieuse hoops

My Yearbook Smile

Dear Diary:

When I read that Berry was starting up the Monday Meme again, I was thrilled.  And to start off the new challenge, she has chosen an especially dear-to-my-hear topic.

I went to a school that required wearing a uniform.  That was ok by me.  I was very nerdy in Grade 9 so I didn't mind.  It was a way of fitting in.  But as I progressed through high school, I - uh - came - uh -  "out of my shell" as my Grandma would say.  So I tried to recreate what I looked like in the very first of my yearbooks.

This is a pretty good likeness of me in my Grade 9 school picture.  I did wear glasses and braces so my smile would not be as bright as I would have liked it.  (Who wanted to show all that metal?)  My hair was limp and shapeless and never would stay in place.  (Who really cared about hair?)  I loved school and was a good student.  However...

By the time I graduated high school, I had lost the glasses; lost the braces; went to a stylist instead of a barber and had enough self confidence for my whole class.  The quote under my picture was actually written by a friend in my Grade 13 yearbook.

Doing the Meme was so much fun and brought back a ton of memories.

Good Night for now.

I'm wearing:
Hands: Slink AvEnhanced (elegant)
Hair: W&Y #154 (no longer available)

Uniform: Lemon Tea hanamachi school girl
Glasses: k_gs Kumaki glasses option

Background: Strawberry Singh (download here) Thanks Berry!!
Pose: oOo studio

A Shopping Spree with Chloe

Dear Diary:

My friend Chloe and I love to go on shopping expeditions together.  We don't always have the time to do it but when we do, the plastic is melting!  One of our favourite events is Creation jp.  We both admire the Japanese creators and manage to pick up a few things to add to our closet.

Chloe decided to go for an "edgier" look than I did.  In both worlds, she's definitely the one to take chances.  I loved her pants from chronokit so much that I went back and got a pair for myself.  The pant comes in a few basic colours with a colour change belt, and that guarantees that there will be something in your wardrobe to match it perfectly.  The detail on the pant is precise and shows lots of creativity.  In the package, a boot version of the pant is available too.  Chloe did an amazing job of putting all her purchases together for an awesome look.

I'm thrilled with all my buys too.  My hair from elua is a style I go for - a little messy, a bit casual with a natural look.  I usually go for a sweater dress for its practicality.  You can dress it up or down.  This one, from  Fishy Strawberry  has pearls running down the back - a really nice touch.  In particular, I love the glasses from Kumaki.  There are lots of options for colour change of frames and/or lenses, and a choice of normal placement or one on top of your head.  I've tested round glasses before but they never seemed to have the right look.  These are the best I've tried.

It was a fun day.  Take a trip out to  Creation jp when you get the time.  It's well worth it.

Good Night for now.

Chloe and I are wearing from Creation jp:

Chloe:
Hair: Boon OPA206
Vest: Gizza Brooke draped vest (camel)
Pants: chronokit Long Sarouel pants (khaki)
Neckpiece: studio Akini Ala-neo plain (gold)

Me:
Hair: elua Demi
Dress: Fishy Strawberry Pearls Sweatdress (pale wisteria)
Glasses: K_gs Kumaki Glasses Mito

Background and pose: Katink