In conversation with Mimi Juneau - Lacy Muircastle Reporting...

The name Mimi Juneau is synonymous with fashion in Second Life.  She has been a proud supporter of all things fashion related for close on ten years now.

I’ve interviewed Mimi several times during my time as an SL journalist, the last time being five years ago.

I thought it was high time to catch up with her again.

Much has changed in Second Life over those five years and the biggest of those changes being the introduction of mesh and the online Second Life Marketplace.  Whilst we all know that the only constant in life is change, not all change is positive or necessarily for the greater good.  But nevertheless, we relentlessly move forward.

I sat down with Mimi in her store, Mimi’s Choice, which is now on Redgrave’s Sim.  One of the most significant consequences of the changes in SL has been that she’s had to let go of her own sim.  Happily, though she’s back with her friends the Redgrave’s, which is where it all started for her back in 2007.

Mimi’s Choice turns ten later in the year, and Mimi is enjoying what she does more than ever.  She still says she’s just a poor reseller, but actually, she’s much more than that.  She’s an icon of fashion and a thoroughly lovely person to boot.   She continues to work as hard as she ever did, representing a number of high-end designers. 

Sadly she’s had to reduce the size of the store but she is pragmatic about the situation and basically, has taken the stance of rolling with the punches.

Mimi will happily assist those that ask for her help.  For instance, my shoes and feet were mismatched to the mesh body that I was wearing and she kindly pointed out the error of my ways.  My problem is that I’ve never really taken to mesh as it’s all such a damn hassle.  You need a degree in order to make your avatar look even halfway decent and to be honest, I don’t have either the time or the inclination to learn all the ins and outs.  Nevertheless, I digress.  Mimi will go so far as being your personal shopper to help you navigate the plethora of stores out there.  For example, if you happen to be a male avatar and don’t know where to begin to look for decent hair, just ask Mimi, she knows all the good designers.

Mimi’s Choice has to compete with subscription boxes these days.  These subscription boxes contain items from a number of designers and are issued, in some cases. as regularly as monthly.  For example BishBox and Luxe Box.  These boxes have added a new dimension to the resale of Second Life fashion and interior décor, to the detriment of the likes of Mimi’s Choice and add pressure to the SL fashion designer’s bottom line.

If you’re looking for a proper old fashioned shopping experience then Mimi’s Choice is where to find it.  Half the fun in acquiring new clothes and accessories is looking at what’s available and comparing what’s out there.  At Mimi’s Choice, you can do that all under one roof where everything from, hair and shoes to the latest glam gown is waiting for you.

Mimi is still enjoying her Second Life journey even if it’s a bit of an uphill battle these days.

As for the future of Mimi's Choice, she said that she will continue to provide an environment where designers of Second Life can come together in one unique environment and exhibit their top items for the masses of SL to enjoy.

She concluded, “Times have changed and will continue to do so, but Mimi's Choice will continue as is for as long as possible.”

To keep up to date with what’s available in store check out Mimi’s Choice blog – http://mimischoice.blogspot.be/

The SL Enquirer and our readers wish Mimi’s Choice a fantastic tenth anniversary later in the year and many more to come.

Location of Mimi's Choice:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/REDGRAVE%20Skins%20Fashion/176/83/46

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Whispering Sands Live Promotions, promoting live music in Second Life

We have the perfect entertainment match for your function. Are you planning a wedding, group launch, corporate team event, year-end party, charity drive, fashion show, birthday bash, an anniversary celebration? Or do you need to put your music venue on the grid? Let us manage all your event's musical needs from sourcing the artist right through to timing the performance.  We have many years of experience, a proven track record and many happy clients.

Want to book a singer or make that event special and memorable?  Talk to Us

Currently we represent 15 performers covering all Genres and time zones.  We’re in our third year of business and know how to make things go smoothly for the club owner or manager or even for individuals booking a special event.  You work hard to have a venue that people want to come too, or you want to make your event something that everyone will remember, we can help with all that and this is how........ 

If you’re looking for a specific performer or you need to fill a particular time slot, we’ll take your information and check the performer’s availability or who else may be available at the time you require.  We will contact you the relevant options for you to make your choice from.

Once you have narrowed your choices down to one or two people, we’ll contact the performers either in world or in real life and reconfirm that they do not have real life plans for the scheduled time and can physically be there to perform the show. This provides huge time benefits to our clients. Venues spend less time having to look for and contact individual performers to determine who can do the show, and performers spend less time having to get to know the requirements of new venues.  After both parties have agreed upon a date and time for the performance, Whispering Sands Live Promotions will ask the venue for a landmark for where the show will be performed and if there is any dress code required to attend the show.

And that’s not all folks… generally speaking you’d think that was it until show time, but it’s not when dealing with WSLP.  To ensure your booking goes smoothly, we reconfirm the show or event.  What that means is, to prevent confusion and possible double bookings, all of our confirmations are done by a single person.  Prior to sending out the confirmation, we double check the performer’s calendar and if available the venues calendar to make sure there are no conflicts or double bookings.

The confirmation includes all the details for the show; date, start and end time, location with land mark, performers name, venue name, the venue contact name, performer’s fee, dress code, the performer’s bio for event listing, a promo pic of the performer, and the performer’s stream details for the show. The confirmation with all of this information will then be sent to both the performer and the venue providing both parties with everything they need to know for the show.  This helps prevent any miscommunication or misunderstandings about the booked show.

Everyone understands that promoting a show or event is necessary. If no one knows about it, there won’t be anyone there. Of course the performers want as many people as possible to attend their shows to hear them perform, but this is not the primary reason we do as much promotion of the show we possibly can. The primary reason we do what we do, is because the performers are providing a paid service to the venues. Part of the service they provide includes attracting as many people as they can to the venue, and so that the venue can show both the performer and the audience what they have to offer.   

So how do we promote the show?

After a show is confirmed, we add it to both the performers’ individual calendar and to our master calendar. This adds the show to our daily schedule that is listed down the right hand side of our website which averages about 100 views a day.  On the day of the show we ensure the show is included on our daily schedule Facebook post which lists both the performers name and the venue name.  These posts average 350 to 400 views a day.  We arrange to have an individual Facebook post for the show on the day of the show and it is shared across multiple Facebook groups, twitter and Google plus. We add the show to our hosting schedule to make sure a host is present to promote the show in-world on the day.  Most importantly we ensure that the show is listed in the Second Life events search under live music. Because this requires land permissions only the venue themselves are able to do this.

The day before the booking we reconfirm calendars, check events listings to see if listed and if not gently remind venue that it needs to be done as this is where the huge majority of the people who attend shows on a regular basis look to determine which show they will attend for that particular hour.

On the day of the show we ensure all promotions are going out, that the host who has agreed to do show is taking care of her stuff... all of this to help get people to attend YOUR event.  If something happens in real life, for example health wise, and the performer we have booked for you cannot make the show, we will ensure you get a replacement performer to make sure your event still goes ahead and that you don’t have to panic about it.

Showtime is always hectic for all involved... making it look seamless and easy is our job.  We schedule everything from sending notices, letting the performer know who is following them, what they should be promoting, getting tags to rezz, greeting people as they arrive, and just making things go as smoothly as possible for you.

You will have noticed that 90% of what we do is done on behalf of the performers in order that a better quality show is provided and that they provide the best service they can offer a venue. This is why Whispering Sands Live Promotions is the only place to come when looking for performers.  The worry of chasing down artists, booking and confirming and then reconfirming and checking for issues is not your problem.  As they say...  try us, you may like us!

Please have a look around and get in touch if you would like to use our services.

 http://wslpromo.net 

Management Team:

Jorrdan Jarman

Keileigh Galaxy

LilMissBo

Troy Nelson 

Winter Fleur

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SLE Valentine's Poetry Contest Winners

And here they are, our three winners for our 2017 Valentine's poetry contest...

Three very different poems.  Thank you to all of you who entered, we appreciate the support.

First Prize Winner:

Written by shortfoxwife in dedication to her husband and beautiful children.

I'm sure this is something you have heard, 

"Love is more than just a word."

When I think about what love means to me, 

Its not about what I hear, its what I see.

My smiling husband, full of pride,

As he gives our son a piggy back ride.

It's singing songs on some old back road,

Living for today, no fear of growing old.

It's painting a picture with my little girl, 

And staring in awe at her cute, bouncy curls.

That ecstatic moment when your man takes a knee,

Promising to love you for an eternity.

Watching movies, making love,

Saying your prayers to The Man up above.

Next time you're brightening someones day,

Remember it's your gestures, not just what you say.

Second Prize Winner-

POEM by Sizzelle

What cliche betrays the heart of the needy, the timid, and the weak?

The silence of the bold is the passion I seek

Heart shaped bubbles and chocolate truffles, empty calories won’t fill the soul

And, if a diamond ring makes your heart sing,

Then you’ve sold yourself for a drop of gold

Oh the impetuousness of youth they say

But the grey and the restless also play

Little games on clever phones

The lucky lovers roll their bones

They turn and turn until the grave

Then gladly go their separate ways

I will not settle for fear of silence

Or tolerate the video violence

The games … the films that you adore

In which you are hero and I am whore

I pity those players trapped by your rules

I pity those brainwashed media tools

Who propagate the Book of Lies

‘Till all we trust withers and dies

They sell the roots of their family tree

For fifteen minutes on TV

My love is mine and all I need

My love is mine in words and deeds

My love is secret and I will not share her name

… For money or for fame

Third Prize winner:

To you  - by Laurel B

It was instantaneous

You blew my mind

How did it even happen?

But there you were

You wandered away a few times

I should have known better

I couldn’t let go as much as I tried

The magnetism was too much

Time went by

I loved you more and more

I tried leaving you

But our friend said you needed me

Then you left

I knew she existed

But it was supposed to have been me

You said we were soulmates

You were supposed to rescue me

But you went off and married her

Then you came back

How could you?

Our love was intense

Our love was ferocious

But was it all a lie?

Was it even real?

We called it a day, it was inevitable

The colour to life has faded

I think of you everyday

My broken heart is yours forever

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SL Enquirer Valentine’s Day 2017 Poem Contest

Whether it’s the memory of Love, Love that has stood the test of time, or the rush of young Love, that’s what we celebrate each February 14 on Valentine’s Day. What could be more romantic than to express through your own poetry about that special Love for your loved one to read (and for our readers). So it’s time to send us your poem about those tender feelings and romantic thoughts to our poetry contest.

Express your love – in 250 words or less and tell the metaverse what makes your Valentine special!

Write a poem about, or to your Valentine and submit it via email to lacy.muircastle@gmail.com or lanaijarrico@gmail.com

Be sure to include your avatar name and for whom (fiancée, spouse, parent, child, lost love, etc.) your poem is written.

2017 Prizes:

First prize is Linden$ 5000

Second Prize is Linden$ 2000

Third Prize Linden$ 500

Lanai Jarrico and Lacy Muircastle will select the winners.  Entries must be received by 12.30 pm SLT February 12, 2017. The winners will be notified on Monday, February 13, 2017. The winning poems will be published in the SL Enquirer on February 14, 2017.

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Be my Valentine - Lacy Muircastle reporting...

February 14 as a date became a day for love, and it was all thanks to Chaucer.

“Be my Valentine” - the word’s that make the heart beat faster and the world seem dreamier.  I remember at school (back in the day…) how we bought pink cardboard cut-out hearts and wrote a little messages on the back.  Then we’d wait in excruciating anticipation to see if we’d get a heart ourselves on the day.  It was always a successful fund raiser even if it left a few bruised souls in its wake.

 Chaucer the author of Canterbury Tales wrote a poem in 1382 entitled “Parliament of Fowles,” , the birds:

“Birds, take heed of what I say; and for your welfare and to further your needs I will hasten as fast as I can speak.  You well know how on Saint Valentine’s Day, by my statute and through my ordinance, you come to choose your mates, as I prick you with sweet pain, and then fly on your way.”

The popularity of Chaucer’s poem, which likely stems from a pre-existing general belief, at least in medieval England, that February 14 is the day when birds choose their mates, is what truly cemented the idea that Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romantic love.  This belief may have been recorded in medieval bestiaries, popular early books that compiled stories about animals, mythical and otherwise.  Never mind that not all birds mate for life.  Penguins do, as do geese and falcons.  But ducks, for instance, do not—yet the Mandarin Duck is a Chinese symbol for fidelity.

The first known Valentine Card, and reference to someone as a “valentine,” date to only a century after Chaucer’s popular poem.  On 14 February 1477, an English woman named Margery Brews wrote to her love, John Paston of Norfolk:

“Right reverent and worshipful and my right well-beloved valentine, I recommend me unto you full heartedly, desiring to hear of your welfare, which I beseech Almighty God long for to preserve unto his pleasure and your heart’s desire.”

Renaissance images of amorini (little love gods) or cherubic putti were also shaped by Classical images of Eros figures and contributed to the gorwing tradition. Of course, much of the Classical tradition of a winged Cupid or Eros – as seen above in the Romantic Era Cupid sculpture in the Louvre by Antoine-Denis Chaudet –  a prankster often shooting love arrows into unsuspecting humans has also been absorbed into modern Valentine’s Day imagery.

At the British Postal Museum, the first known heart-shaped card is preserved, a sheet of paper from 1790 that folds, origami-like, to literally break apart the painted heart-shaped exterior.  Outside, the card reads: “My dear the Heart which you behold/Will break when you the same unfold/Even so my heart with lovesick pain/Sore wounded is and breaks in twain.”  When the heart is “broken” open, one more line of text lies inside: “My dearest dear and blest divine/I’ve pictured here thy heart and mine.”  These antique valentines, from 1477 and 1790, do not sound so far removed from modern-day Hallmark cards.

The general heart-shape that we now associate with love and Valentine’s Day, which does not look much like a real human heart, may be found in Renaissance art, including Donatello’s relief sculpture, Miracle of the Miser’s Heart (1447-50), as Oxford professor Martin Kemp notes in his recent book Christ to Coke: How Image Becomes Icon.  A Catholic cult developed around the Sacred Heart around the Counter-Reformation.  A burning heart came to be associated with Catholic mysticism and the supernatural phenomenon of “incendium amoris,” the fire of love, in which a worshiper has an out-of-body experience (ex stasis, from which comes the term “ecstasy”) and literally becomes burning hot with spiritual love for God.

While variations on the heart image have been around for centuries, it was not until 1977 that the cartoon heart image was codified by designer Milton Glaser, as part of the “I (Heart) NY” campaign, wherein the heart-shape acts as a rebus, an image standing in for a word or idea.

This Valentine’s Day we hope your hearts desires come true.

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If your clothes could talk - Lacy Muircastle reporting...

If I were to take a peek into your wardrobe, what would it tell me about you?  You can learn a lot by a person’s clothing.  Things like your age, social economic situation, personality, and more.

If a woman walked into a room wearing a fuchsia dress, for example, you can be pretty sure that person is not a wallflower. We’d deduce that she liked attention, and was confident just because of the colour of her dress.

What you wear can inform passers-by of your type of employment (well not so much in SL), as well as your ambitions, emotions and spending habits.

And now it's even launched a whole new type of psychology.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner literally wrote the book on this phenomenon, which she calls the "psychology of dress." In "You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You," she explains not only how psychology determines our clothing choices, but how to overcome key psychological issues your wardrobe might be bringing to light in your everyday life, or even at work.

"Shopping and spending behaviors often come from internal motivations such as emotions, experiences and culture," says Dr. Baumgartner. "You look at shopping or storing behaviors, even putting together outfits, and people think of it as fluff. But any behavior is rooted in something deeper. I look at the deeper meaning of choices, just like I would in therapy."

How We Use Clothing as an Aid ... and a Weapon

Clothing is used as an economic and social indicator because generally speaking in this day and age there aren't official marks of rank such as a caste system or aristocracy.

Dr Baumgartner explained "When you don’t have a specific system, people come up with their own." It's what "helps you figure out where you fit in. Especially now, with the economy, with people losing status, maintaining a sense of who we are becomes even more important. Our clothes help place us where we think we want to be. "

She cited the Real Housewives TV series as an example: "Look at the way they focus on money. When they fight, they use logos and designers as a way to put each other down. They're using clothes and accessories both as a tool to know where they fit in and as a weapon against others."

Clothing That Projects a Good or Bad Image

There's no one piece or style that makes a person look successful. Dr. Baumgartner recommends the basics when trying to project a positive image: the little black dress, the blazer, the pumps. "With classics, history has done the work for you. It has lasted throughout time, so you already know it works," she says. And what is it that makes a classic a classic? "It has multiple functions, and it's appropriate for different age ranges and body types. It became a classic because it works no matter who you are."

On the other hand, there's no one piece or style that makes a person look unsuccessful. "Anything where it looks like you didn’t take the time or make the effort comes across badly," says Dr. Baumgartner. "The worst clothing is the kind that tries to undo, ignore or hide where or who you are, or the kind that shows you didn't pay attention to your body/age/situation ... Any clothes that prohibit you from doing your job well send the wrong message."

What Your Clothes Say to You, Not About You

A study by the Northwestern University examined a concept called "enclothed cognition." Researchers define it in their report as "the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer's psychological processes," meaning what your clothes are saying to you, not about you. And how they make you feel.

The researchers distributed standard white lab coats to participants, telling some that it was a doctor's coat and some that it was a painter's smock. All participants performed the same task, but those wearing the "doctor's coat" were more careful and attentive. Their actions were influenced by their clothing.

The same may be true of you. When your friend dragged you out of the house and told you, "Get dressed up! You'll feel better!" after your last breakup/failed interview/lousy day, she was onto something. "When you dress in a certain way, it helps shift your internal self," explains Dr. Baumgartner. "We see that when we do makeovers, and even actors say that putting on a costume facilitates expression of character. That's just as true for everyday life."

Enclothed cognition gives scientific proof to the idea that you should dress not how you feel, but how you want to feel. Which clothes make you feel powerful? Sexy? In control? Wealthy? The clothes you choose are sending a message to those around you, but also to you, yourself.

In "You Are What You Wear," Dr. Baumgartner features some of the most common wardrobe and perception problems. Do you recognize yourself in any of the below?

If you …	You might …	Consider:
Keep every piece of clothing you've ever owned	Be clinging to the past through the sentimental value of your pieces	Adopting the Golden Wardrobe Ratio: Get rid of 2 out of 3 items you own, including anything too big/small, ripped/torn or outdated.
Wear only neutrals, largely devoid of accessories	Be stuck in a psychological rut, too comfortable to shake it up, or too afraid to draw attention to yourself.	Deviating from your routine in small ways (a different route to work, a few new spring accessories--like these inexpensive ways to incorporate trendy polka dots--to jog your brain into feeling excited
Dress in clothing too large for your body	See your body differently than others see it, or as a reflection of the way it once was.	Bringing an honest friend shopping to find out what looks great on you, ignoring sizes and getting used to wearing clothes that really fit.
Have been told you're dressed inappropriately or too sexily	Consider the same outfit appropriate for every occasion (i.e. clubbing and family barbecue), or be looking for the wrong kind of attention.	Consider the image you want to project in given situations (at work, on the town) and choose outfits based on cues from those around you
Dress too young (or too old) for your age	Be trying to express the age you feel you are, but getting caught between your actual and internal age	Gearing your outfits toward your goals (like getting a promotion, meeting a significant other, traveling the world), rather than a specific age.
Are always in work clothes	Value yourself primarily through your work and work-related accomplishments	Recognizing your talents outside of work (great artist, compassionate, fun to bring to parties, etc.)
Covered in designer logos	Think you need to broadcast wealth in order to be treated well by others	Practice wearing "blank canvas" pieces and only accenting with logos to emphasize that people value you for more than your labels
Live in your "mom outfit" of jeans and a hoodie	Put the needs of your family before your own	Take more "me time." Remember: When mom isn't happy, nobody is.

What messages are you sending out into the metaverse and how do you think you can use your wardrobe to change how others perceive you—and even how you think about yourself?

You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You - Jennifer Baumgartner

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