Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

So it turns out that the girl I was really interested in, actually did like me, but was keeping a distance because she thought I was just a flirt, and a mutual friend had told her to back off!

Bloody interfering "friends"! Now she's 200 miles away, and seeing someone else.

Damn my "friend" and damn me for being so shy the girl didn't notice.

We kissed on our second meeting and I wished I'd pounced then. Dammit all to hell!

As she'll read this I'll just say "If it doesn't work out with your new boy, you know where I am. If I'm coming to visit you, I have no reponsibility to our mutual friend, and we can see how things go properly."

Isn't love complex?

With apologies to Dona Summer

Well I seem her every morning in the schoolyard
when the schoolbell rings
and when she passes in the hallway
well she doesn't seem to notice me
She's got a crush on my best friend
but he don't care, 'cause he loves someone else
I'm standing on the outside, not the inside where I wanna be

Love's unkind, love's unkind
love's unkind, love's unkind
'cause she's not mine

Just the other day I was praying that she'd give me a chance
hoping she would choose me for her partner
for the high school dance
I was standing outside the class
but it wasn't me, but my best friend, she asked
I went running back inside teary-eyed
and left the two of them behind

Love's unkind, love's unkind
love's unkind, love's unkind
'cause he's not mine

Spoken:
Oh, how I love her, but I can't even let her know
'cause she loves my best friend
but he don't care, he loves someone else
and I asked my mama, and she said: love's unkind
love's so unkind
She said: just keep it alive
'cause you may find love's unkind

Love's unkind, love's unkind
love's unkind, love's unkind

Spoken:
Oh, Why did I have to love her so
why did I have to love her so

Renovations :)

If you haven't been around for awhile, the first thing you may notice are some of the changes happening to the City of Nidus over the past few months. We have a new Ground Zero, with a few new objects to go with it, and we are in the middle of designing the new Starbucks as well as have been workig on the new floorplan for the arcade.

What this means for the visitors (that means you) is that instead of us using hundreds of objects and wasting your download times and frames per second, you will instead begin to see a steady increase in FPS as we continue. What used to be a very low 5 FPS we are now at around 20 - 30 FPS. I think we are making some progress in this area.

The Starbucks is by far incomplete, but since the building's outer shell was complete we decided to put it in place of the old Starbucks and work on it around GZ instead of the backwaters of the world where we test everything before release. We'll be working out the textures and layout as well as some custom interior based on actual photographs of the outside as well as the inside of Starbucks.

The Arcade (while it curently looks aweful) is definitely in the planning stages. We have put together a much more detailed floorplan based off of an old hometown favorite of MPL Knight; Blockbuster Golf and Games. MPL Knight is a native of Sunrise, Florida,and growing up he remembers playing the VR Games at this arcade center. Recently it was brought up that Blockbuster Golf and Games was shut down and sold to become an Ikea in his hometown.

So based off of pure memory, MPL Knight has decided to try and recreate Blockbuster Golf and Games general layout (based on what he remembers as a kid). We'll see how this turns out.

In other news... nothing much. Still working diligently in all fields: the GothRock band Myndkill has agreed to do a concert in our arena in the near future. We are still working out the details of this and if we want it to be a fully live show straight from the studio or not. Check the VR5 website for details as we post them.

Metaverse 3.6c was recently released on the website and corrects previous problems with changing installation directories. Now the installer will not only allow you to choose your own custom directory, but will change the appropriate settings in the aworld.ini file to accomodate. Generally speaking, this means that choosing something other than the default directory will not disable any of the features we have built in.

In cooperation with SWChris of the AWE fame, we are also releasing AW Enhanced for Metaverse. This add-on pack for Active Worlds replaces the low resolution textures used in AW world with higher resolution and crisper looking textures from a local directory. The normal version availible from SWCity runs about 10Mb for download, and the one we are releasing is around 3Mb. There is no noticable change in detail with our version, and should be an easy download even for Dialup users.

For more information, check out http://www.vr5online.com

Welcome to Hell

As if our office wasn't already as much like a circle of hell, we've had our air-con break. Naturally when we called them they suggested opening windows in the mean time.

Unfortunately some brain-donor architect decided to make a building where the windows cannot be opened so as not to break the air-con.

Fantastic! Now we are stuck in a greenhouse, and because the building is East/West facing we have permanent sunlight. And because some idiot set up the desks wrong we have to have the blinds shut or we can't see our screens.

Which means the light is insufficient to see with, so the lights come on.

So to summarise:
Permanent sunlight through huge glass windows.
Insulating blinds.
Fluorescent lights.
Hundreds of computers and printers.
And a broken air-con

Mix this with a computer system that doesn't work, and excessive bureaucracy, and you have Hell!

Night Terrors

I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. As I was standing there I went dizzy and collapsed. When I was "with it" again, I was on the floor with one arm in the toilet (eeew! but hardly my main concern).

When I'd calmed down a bit I called my mum's boyfriend (the only reliable driver I could think of) and they both ran me up to Accident and Emergency.

After what seems like hours, I got a blood pressure and blood sugar test a once over with the stethoscope, and the thing where they shine lights in your eyes, and get you to follow their finger with your eyes.

Turns out it was just that I wasn't getting enough blood to the brain - kind of an extreme form of when you stand up too quickly and feel dizzy - but with the bruises being on my ribs and near vital organs, and the panic of being alone and worried, it just made it worse.

I'm good now, but I'm going to get as much mileage as I can from showing off the bruises!

"Can everyone stop getting shot?"

Yesterday we went paint-balling. I'm glad I did it, but I don't have any plans to go again.
Don’t let anyone tell you it doesn't hurt - I have four fantastic bruises on my chest, and a great big welt on my left arm!

It was fun though. Tension, panic, hearing the balls ricochet off your cover, it’s all good.
My crowning moment was defending the red base from five blue guys after my mate's gun jammed. I took three down before I got clipped (by a coward firing blind round a corner!). Unfortunately, when the marshal confirmed I was eliminated, I stood up with my arm in the air to show I was out. I then got hit by four shots, prompting me to yell "I'M DEAD! STOP SHOOTING ME!"

We were supposed to be going out in the city afterwards, but to be honest I was shattered, so I went home to get a good nights sleep...

Two horse race

I've just come back from the polling station, and I'm disgusted that I had to spoil my ballot paper.

We only had two candidates, Conservative and Labour.

I dont want either. If it was a true democracy, not only would I be able to state my displeasure, but I'd also be able to nominate who I'd like to see on the council.

Remove the standing fee, and then lets see who'll win - Tony's Cronies, the Right Wing Fogeys, or Fred who drives the minibus for the local daycare centre?

I'll always vote for the underdog, even the Liberal Party. Lets give somebody else a chance to screw it up for a change.

EXCEPT the jizm monkeys at the BNP. They can go hang.

I can't feel my face!

I've just had two fillings (ouch!) and thanks to the anaesthetic I can't feel the left side of my face.
The numbness goes from my top lip to the corner of my eye, which also means when I blink I get a twinge.

I also cant have any hot food till the numbness wears off, and no hard food for 24 hours. I'm going to have to let my cereals go soggy tommorrow morning!

And I can't smile properly.

At least I can talk...

Hello nurse!

Fear me - I now have a baby-pink leatherette nurses dress and hat!
I'll need to shave my cleavage, as its a bit low cut, but it looks fantastic. And all for the bargain price of five English pounds. Hooray for end-of-line shops!

I'll have to get a pair latex gloves and practice some "Carry-On" type phrases...

Now which patient wanted the "hot beef injection"?

Movie Mania

We love ASDA! Ater food shopping I looked at the DVD aisle, and came away with Final Fantasy VII:Advent Children, and Night Watch, both in double-disc editions for under £15 each. Yay!

edit: One of the characters in Advent Children has the FF7 "won battle" theme as a ringtone!

Future plans

Off to Leeds in a few weeks time. More Wendyhouse, but less crossdressing. Might be a bit of cosplay though. I should fit in with all the EGL/EGA crowd if I turn up as Tuxedo Mask.

[practices throwing roses]

RPG deluge!

I was suposed to be going to a gig last Friday, but the guitarist broke his finger (ouch). Instead I wet to see my gaming buddies and came away with a car boot overladen with roleplaying books!
I've passed the Battletech stuff further down the food chain, but now I have Shadowru goodness, and my own copy of Call of Cthulhu! Woo!

[reads Cthulhu]
[loses marbles]

Forbidden Fruit, or something

Wow! Some friends have declared me "off limits" to a very sexy young lady in my acquaintance!
I'm forbidden fruit!

I hope she doesn't listen to them though.

[daydreams]
[sighs]