Diamond Addictions Are Dangerous: Custom Ring Design

so staying with my diamond loving & expert auntie LynnB for a week is going to cost me thousands!....[grins] but i've been thinking of resetting the e-ring from my first marriage for a long time. and somehow in our giddy delight of going over our baubles we came up with an idea (the trip to Tiffany & Co. and having a private champagne showing of the new Bizet series didn't help with the inspiration! - see the 2tcw princess Tiffany Bizet that was only $29,000 on the left) anyway ... taking the middle 1.o2 tcw E -VS1 pear and tilting it on its side...putting the .24 tcw trillions offset next to it and adding in 2 smaller ideal rounds .12 and .20tcw diamonds all with raised bezels set into a comfort fit platinum band will be, i think, just gorgeous!!! i emailed off the photoshopped mock up above to 3 different custom houses that my auntie has used in the past (Brian Gavin Diamonds, White Flash & Quest) and i'm looking forward to see what the quotes are for the diamonds, the cad design, the workmanship and the platinum....i really don't want to go white gold...but i worry about the size of the band.
i'll keep you, my dear readers, apprised....if it is going to be too dear i may have to save up a while for it....but the end product will be worth it as i don't wear the e-ring any longer just keep it tucked in my parent's vault. and what fun is that!!???

oh the Tiffany Keys!....so after trying on hundreds of thousands dollars of Bizet & Tiffany Legacy rings i ended up buying only 2 necklaces... the large oval key and a coordinating sterling bead chain (auntie lynnb got the small) and also a Tiffany Notes necklace....very, very pretty! and of course very, very, pretentious! LOL i can't help it..i have a thing for Tiffany & Co. always have....expensive habits i have thank goodness i can (selectively) and occasionally indulge it.


of course i'm the freckled pink one on the right!

Squirrels are the BEST!

i've always liked squirrels...or squirbels as i am wont to call them. and having squirrel friends in Second Life makes sense to me as it does to have my factory kitten Buster and 3 VKC dogs....but squirrels are just a joy! i have a shoulder squirrel from our dear New Babbage Urchin  Myrtil (as seen above) and last Christmas she won 2nd place in the Ice Sculpture build contest with her adorable icy sittable snow squirrel.

i even have squirrels that scamper about my factory & treehouse grounds....proudly showing their golden acorns.

they chirp and hop about merrily

...when spring came my beautiful ice sculpture magically turned into a squirrel sitting topiary of lush green...

and it is proudly displayed in the Llewellyn Industries Factory side garden. a great piece to pose upon and all are invited to try it out! thank you so much little Myrtil dear for your talent, creativity and shared love of squirbels!

Behold! the Invisible Woman!

With the new SL release i've noticed something ODD whilst changing gowns in my dressing room....when i take off certain undercrackers my torso disappears!

Shocking! Amazing! What foul sorcery is this? Is this some way SL has devised to keep out Mainland rampant tacky nudity?

If so, i wholly approve! My torso comes back when shrugging on an undershirt, corset, shirt, or jacket....OR gloves..(pasties do work, as well something i only discovered by errrm sheer accident and a suggestion from Miss Writer!)

The viewer may click upon each image for a more detailed version to better examine for clues to this terrible occurrence!

In the interest of Science! i humbly submit these photos that prove this anomaly. Please do excuse the lack of proper garments in this experiment...for how could you see proof positive of this anomaly if i was properly bustled, corseted, and gowned?


Questions!
So i submit to you, Science! minded members of our community...is this the effect of long term exposure to the beloved soot of New Babbage? Some new magic that has descended upon us since that we magical and furry types in our town? The after -effects of something Dr. Gelving Obolensky has devised? He is already infamous for his Frock-Be-Gone Ray Gun! A truly hideous & shocking invention that is for sale at Cad & Bounder for $395L.....here are his claims:
"Beset by annoying suffragettes? Bothered by irritating plucky girl reporters?

Well, worry no more, as Cad & Bounder, home of the finest in villainous goods, provides, for a quite reasonable sum, the Frock-Be-Gone defabricating ray gun!

One quick pull of the trigger and those meddling females will be fleeing in embarrassment!

Comes with a stylish holster and belt, glowing lamps, and other assorted worky bits, guaranteed* to intimidate your target!"


Is this the work of a devious evil genius?
Is this some kind of environmental disturbance?
What are your thoughts my most excellent & learned readers?
Stray thoughts, outlandish theories, suppositions and spurious guesses are ALL welcome as comments!

Darling Java Bean, My Dark Hot Mistress

Mmmmm bitter java bean, dark hot mistress...
Conjurer of my daily happiness and stimulation
Topped with froth...... I adore you.

---

My beloved new Keruig gives me my coffee fix every day (Thanks Mom & Dad for the B-day pressie!)...BEST PRESENT EVER!
i've always been a coffee snob..not as much as some, but i do love my dark bitter cuppa joy!.. so i never thought i could love a coffee maker as much as i do....this machine has made my mornings Sooooo Happy!

According to one of my favourite coffee websites (which just so happens to have been started by our own beloved darling Miss Ceejay Writer) Cocoajava.com

"more and more people are switching to the great taste and convenience of Keurig coffee makers. Keurig brewing systems make the perfect cup of coffee every time. Simply insert the no mess K-Cup® Portion Pack into the brewer and hit the brew button. The K-Cups quickly brew one cup at a time, in under a minute" By R.L. Fielding

the site also has a great comparison of all the machines in the line. the one i own is pictured above is the :

Brewer Name: Keurig B60 Special Edition Home Brewer
Description: The Keurig B-60 raises the bar for single cup brew technology. It offers the features of the B-50, plus 3 brew-sizes, blue backlit LCD display, and chrome accents. Makes up to 8 cups before refilling 48 oz. water reservoir.
Features: Always ready and brews in under 1 minute. Programmable controls for auto-on and off, adjustable temperature, and digital clock.
Cup Size: Choice of 3 cup sizes, 10 oz., 8 oz., and 6 oz.
By R.L. Fielding
Dimensions: 13.5" H x 8.5" W x 11" D

This amazing gorgeous little machine also does other things like quick prep meals!....read the article Alternate Uses for Your Keurig Coffee Maker for more great ideas like for lunch AND a sweet treat!

Review of Sources to Buy K-Cups using my favourite Emeril's Original Big Easy Bold K-Cup Coffee to compare prices and shipping offers with a box of 24:

• Keurig website Price: K-Cup Box (24) $13.95 (free shipping over $45) **BONUS** Register your Keruig here and automatically join the coffee club get 10% off all your coffee orders and GET buy 2 boxes get 2 FREE the first time you order.
  
• Amazon, sold in bundle of 2 boxes of 24 count for $23 but divided out is $11.50 per box (w/FREE Super Saver Shipping over $25!)** best shipping!
• CoffeeCow.com Price: K-Cup Box (24) $10.99 (FREE shipping over $45!)

I also go to Bed, Bath & Beyond (when i need it NOW!) with a 20% coupon but B,B&B only has boxes of 18....so consider that...either way...i LOVE this Coffee!!!!

The Battle of New Babbage

The Second Life Steampunk City of New Babbage waged a war against the wily (and dear friend) Evil Genius Dr. Gelving Obolensky...the conflagration consisted of many boats, steamships, rafts, and submersibles even some Caledonian militia joined with the New Babbage Militia and the mele went splendidly as i viewed from my Hot Air Balloon (seen in forefront) all until i crashed and found myself on the bottom of the Vernian Sea! how did it end up? i don't know yet! still waiting for the military men wrangling out the pesky details!
As a side note: the Primgraph was there.....reporting on the battle, nibbling finger sandwiches and secretly lobbing cannonballs. Of course it was the Primgraph that reported first the start of this revolution.
After the battle commentary:
primperfectsays

to her enthusiastic staff observing the Battle of Babbage: "You are PRESS. We are NEUTRAL. Stop throwing cannonballs."

FrauLowey

puts away the Meteor Control remote and puts it back in the Baron's coat pocket.

Ceejaysays *snickers*

Ceejaysays Rumor has it your staff are not happy and would like an ambulance plz.

PJ_thinks that technically it just deflected off my hands and "towards" Dr. O.

primperfectsays Tsk. Daredevil photographers throwing themselves into the front line ...

PJ_says its my burden

Kittywitch LOL

Ceejaysays I ran over to lend aid! And found you lot eating finger sandwiches with the crust removed! Really. *shakes head*

PurplePenny sends chocolate from completely neutral mainland.

primperfectsays We are The Pimgraph. When we cover a battle, it's vital that we do it in style. ((Eats chocolate))

capt_redsays smiles and nods] it's good that the Victorian Press are refreshed even in the midst of a conflagration!

primperfectsays I brought cake. It seems a good policy. Always take cake to the Revolution - they are unlikely to have any themselves.

And this is why, dear friends, i love my Steampunk Victorian friends and city of New Babbage, Caledon in Second Life! FUN!

#NECC09 Conference - Washington, DC

(click for full size image)

WARNING: OOC rambling post with many parenthetical interjections
(if you're one of my regular readers (and i LOVES you! look how many countries real lil ole me!) and are here for SL shopping advice or SL travelogues, pls. read my past blog posts...thanks!)

so the NECC conference in DC was just brilliant this year! the Twittering backchannel conversation was so stimulating and i made so many new Twitterfollowingfriends! 100+....lovely, smart, & cool collegues who can continue the discussion about Educational Technology - explanded my Personal Learning Network!.....so..... i've decided to become transparent...my worlds are colliding anyway... my interweb & SL life and my RL life...this blog will still mostly be about my SL adventures and library/technology & education work in Second Life (what little i do between changing clothes and being a Victorian Steampunk chick) but i'll maybe add more RL or at least not be so cicumspect about who i am and what i do...(as a library media/technology specialist and a graduate instructor at Johns Hopkins Uni)....but because of my early years on the web (and don't we all have these stories? and try and one up each other about how hip and cool we were with appletalk, mudds, WBS, TTRconferencing, compuserve, gopher, and a 14/4k modem with a 100 foot phone cord?) i learned to stay mum about who i really was...doing my thing and being internet aware...lots of pseudonyms! i won't list ALL of them here..(sheah, right...like duh!) anyway...mostly i didn't want my students to see what a snarky smartarse i am and to be able to let off steam with my opinions...i still worry...teachers have been fired over what they've blogged about...i like my private life well, private. i do historic re-enactment where i play a pirate wench for gosh sakes! otherwise i'm pretty tame [blinks and smiles sweetly]....so anyway...how much of your RL do you let out there? i mean...really. so, hmmm not going to over think this but i may make some past posts private. and or start a technology blog that keeps the saucier side of me out of it...(omg, not ANOTHER BLOG!) or i guess i can just blog my technology thoughts on my library blog but that has always been just for my kids & community and as a program pomotional piece...hmm WWJVD (what would Joyce Valenza do?) maybe i'll be semi-transparent then. so, ok educators....fellow technology teachers...if you found this and are looking for me i'm sure you can find the real me by what i do or you can leave a comment here and i'll hit you back. k?

so one of the highlights of the conference (for the heavier and more techy stuff check out my wiki) i got to meet the lovely, gracious, funny and adorable Miss Eleanor Anderton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eleanor is one of my oldest friends in Second Life....along with Miss Serafina Puchkina and June Wozniak...anyway....it was Miss Anderton's Shopping alerts that got me in the inventory laden addicted clothes buying stocking wearing mess that i am today in SL....and i love her for it. we were trying to connect for a couple days...and with so many sessions to attend and 19,000 people there..it wasn't easy. finally in a session on creating PLN's in SL and i was hoping with this crazy red hair of mine i'd stand out...and finally as i was leaving i heard the sweet dulcet voice yelling "RED!" and Squeee!!!! huggies galore! YAY! i very nearly jumped up and down and well....YAY! we giggled over things and made our way to the second life playground where we picked up our special SL badges and our Second Lifer (snarf) ribbons because apparently having as MANY little ribbons on your badge is like crack to my geek tribe and well....we started gossiping about shoes and stuff and the people around us were looking at us a little oddly....see? Second Life is that thing that sucks you in and swallows you up! seee?!!!! LOL anyway....it was just lovely...but i'm happy i'm home and can sleep in my own bed...Mmmmm

so ok...semi-transparent. i'm out and proud...as Capt_Red, a Second Lifer and a Librarian....and a redhead! \\FTW//! oh and now i'm plurking....oh the madness! thanks Sera & Ele! gah! more stuff to keep up with....what WILL i do?! LOL

i'm in love....

kiz-yogosapphring-yg, originally uploaded by Kismet0116.

with this ring....the only thing i would do differently would be in platinum or 14k white gold. WOW! but isn't this gorgeous!??