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December 2022

New Improved Passports V3 | New from Parade of Homes | Meet the Ambassadors: Dariah | Events & Announcements | New Locations/Holiday Greetings

NEW IMPROVED PASSPORTS V3

We have fantastic passport news, which many of you will have been hoping for. We are pleased to announce a huge improvement in our Bellisseria Passport HUDs. We've listened to what you like, and don't like, and addressed your concerns.

Screenshot 2022-12-19 at 07.48.31You reported frustration at occasionally losing stamps after a crash or a bad TP.  It wasn't our fault. It was  just one of SL's little gremlins. Remembering always to take off the HUD while travelling reduced the problem, but was not ideal. After a lot of research, we've found a solution.

Another issue was having to add more HUDs as your passport filled up, sometimes ending up with duplicate stamps. We've found a solution to that too.

When you collect stamps with the new V3 hud, they are saved on our database and linked uniquely to your passport. If you crash, have a bad teleport, or suffer any other glitch, you will NOT lose your stamps, Not even if you were wearing the passport at the time. The V3 HUD “talks” to our database and knows exactly which stamps you have collected. It also knows if  you already have the stamp, so you won't get any more duplicates.

If you lose your V3 passport and apply for a new one, your stamps will all be there. You need do nothing to recover them. That isn't even true for an RL passport, so is a big improvement!BBB Passport Upgrade Board_001All new Bellisserian passports will – from now on – be version 3.00. If you want to upgrade from version 2.00, there will be (of course, because where would we be without it?) some bureaucracy involved.

Please keep in mind, that we have only one volunteer to take care of making and sending out all personalised passports. So it will take time for you to receive yours. Everyone applying will receive one, but most likely not within the usual five working days. In the meantime, you can still collect stamps on the current Passport. You will be able to transfer them all when your new passport arrives. Please remember to continue detaching your old huds to minimise the risk of losing stamps. It would be frustrating to lose any just before you receive your safe new version!

Please go to our HQ and click on the upgrade board. It's been there for a while, but we didn't make it prominent as we were testing the system. Besides, we didn't want our sole passport-issuing bureaucrat to be swamped! Please fill out the form the board gives you and drop it in the usual mailbox (both indicated on the photograph). 

When you receive your V3.00 passport, you can transfer stamps from your old Passport and Visa Extension HUDs yourself. We've created a simple and speedy technique for this. The V3 HUD comes with stamp readers, which will add your stamps to our database – detecting and removing any duplicates in the process. Full instructions are included in the package.

The passport has a new look and feel. It's now a one page HUD,  showing your passport and a visa page together. Beneath the visa page are buttons to scroll through your pages of stamps. The button to minimize/hide the hud remains the same.

Heartfelt thanks to our Chief Scripter, North for being such a genius in devising this massive upgrade. Our thanks also to BÓÒ, the BBB CEO, for founding our bureaucracy and bringing passports to SL.

We hope you will share our enthusiasm for this new passport. We think it's a real game changer!

If you're carrying one of the Mainland or Generic SL passports issued by the Continental Passport Control Board, please don't feel left out. We plan to update your passports to V3.00 as soon as we possibly can.

Article and photograph by the BBB Passport Department | additional photo by The Gazette staff photographer


NEW FROM PARADE OF HOMES

There's a new article about Christmas fantasy decor in our sister publication, Parade of Homes Review. Check it out here.


MEET THE AMBASSADORS: DARIAH

This is the second in our series Meet the Ambassadors. Today we meet Dariah Raynier, the ambassador to Heterocera. I was particularly excited to meet Dariah because her work as ambassador has had a strong positive influence on my own Second Life®. She organized a tour of Mount Campion National Forest that sounded fun, so a friend and I went along. We both ended up falling in love with the park and are still enjoying Mt Campion months later.

Dariah
I had no idea that Heterocera had such amazing places until Dariah showed us. She has organised other tours that show off the beauty of the mainland. This inspired me to purchase my dream parcel alongside the Sea of Fables, and am now a happy mainland owner.

QUESTION: What SL Continent are you an Ambassador for? And where can people find your embassy?

I am ambassador for the continent Heterocera. Our embassy is located here in the Tersa region, which belongs to Hiraya Town. The SLRR station Tersa is by the Embassy so visitors can reach us by public transport or explore the continent by rail from here.

QUESTION: Please share your favorite thing about this continent.

I have worked in transport since 2009, so I always look at every continent from that perspective. What fascinates me most about Heterocera is the density of the railway network. All parts of the continent can be traveled by rail. When I have time, I also like to drive my Land Rover over the roads, whose network is also well developed.

When I think of my ferry routes around Heterocera, I must emphasize that some stretches of its coastline are not quite so easy to navigate. Unfortunately, there is a gap in the connection at one point on the west coast. There is exactly one water region missing between the Tiger and Togata regions. If this gap could be closed, it would make the west coast and the entire continent even more attractive.

QUESTION: Do you have suggestions for places to visit in your Continent?

First, of course, I would like to promote Hiraya Town. I walked through this town one evening in my early days as an ambassador and was pleasantly surprised by the many details, the houses and the winding alleys. Whoever planned and built all this deserves the highest respect. I encourage Bellisserians to visit Hiraya Town and explore the variety of this community.

A second highlight for me is the national park around Mt Campion. Hiraya Town is an example of urban design on Heterocera. Mt Campion Park is the highlight for nature lovers in Second Life®.

QUESTION: How long have you been an ambassador now? And what motivated you to become an ambassador?

I have been an official ambassador since my inauguration on 28 May 2022. We had a very nice ceremony in which many visitors took part. It was a special honour that the Mayor of Hiraya Town, H.E. Mrs. Yuriko Kimura attended our event.

QUESTION: What was the most special event you either held at your Embassy or sponsored for your continent?

So far, I have been able to organize two events: the visit to Mt Campion National Park and the tour to the Great Wall of Heterocera. Both events were highlights for me, because both were very well attended -- we had a lot of fun on the tours and we learned new things. Any kind of event organized by our embassies is always special. I don't want to forget our dance party at my inauguration day. We had a DJ, Mandy Dorfler, and she played very good modern tunes.

QUESTION: What is your favorite thing about Bellisseria that you tell residents of your continent?

Of course, I always introduce myself personally and explain my function. In my conversations I promote Bellisseria as a continent with a wealth of activities. I share that it is certainly special as a tourist destination. I share about the BBB Passport Program, and how the community leaders and landowners can benefit from participation in it. I think that way both sides benefit from working together

QUESTION: What do you like to do in your spare time (or when you are not busy with your ambassador duties)?

I run DR Ferry Services, with 28 routes on all continents. This is 40-49 hours of work per month. I also work as Harbor and Land Manager for the Snug Harbor Estate (Blake Sea). Here I mainly take care of the marketing. And once a year I contribute as a volunteer stage manager to the Linden Music Festival and the Second Life Birthday music events.

I have recently built a new house in Snug Harbor and I am in the process of decorating. If I finish that before Christmas, then I'll rest for a while. Leisure time can also be work!

Question: Tell us one thing about yourself that most people do not know.

Now come the very private things: I collect teddy bears, especially the Lindens' and the Moles' bears. At every Second Life Birthday, I nag the Lindens and Moles to ask for a bear. And they always give me one.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get a bear from the late Ebbe Linden. The only thing I remember is a good conversation with him. I told him that all Lindens and Moles have done a good job. This may sound a bit emotional, but it was. I started SL in 2009, after a critical health crisis. SL gave me back some confidence and happiness.

QUESTION: Do you have anything else you would like to share?

I somehow lost my two SL dogs: My Cutie McPie (husky) and Rosie Flowers (Chinese crested). I always walked with both of them in Bellisseria, took them to events or they joined me on my ferries. At some point, they must have run away. So if you see them, please let me know.

Article and photo by Teresa Firelight


EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.

SL PoH OH welcomes

... Anja von Basten/Yana Nova's 1313 Mockingbird Lane
est. 12/2021 A Christmas feeling

exterior interior deco

 

... Ingrid Ingersoll's House
est. 12/2021 Need some Christmas ambience? Come on over!

exterior interior deco

 


NEW LOCATIONS / HOLIDAY GREETINGS

 It's the holiday season and so, understandably, there are no new locations this week.

Let us take the opportunity here – on behalf of all the volunteers at the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy and the Continental Passport Control Board, as well as the entire Bellisserian Corps Diplomatique – to wish all readers of The Gazette happy holidays and all the very best of health, happiness and luck in the New Year!

Thank you for your support this year.

The Gazette will return, if the fates allow, on January 7th, 2023. Until then, please enjoy the holidays, take delight in your friends and families and come back to Second Life® refreshed in 2023 for our virtual world's twentieth year.


Meet the Ambassadors: Fiona | Please help us keep up to date | Events & Announcements | News from Parade of Homes | New Locations

MEET THE AMBASSADORS: FIONA JOGICHES

This is the first in our series of Meet the Ambassadors. We are interviewing each of the ambassadors so you can get a bit of a feel for who they are and what they do. I should mention that the order in which the ambassadors are being interviewed is completely random, as no ambassador is more or less important than any of the others.

Today we will start with Fiona Jogiches, who is the ambassador to Gaeta I and Gaeta V.

Fiona Jogiches
Question: What SL Continent are you an Ambassador for? And where can people find your embassy?

I am the ambassador for the continents that compose Gaeta. My embassy is located here.

Question: Please share your favorite thing about this continent.

It's quirky, and also includes an unfinished and isolated sister island which has it's own feel.

Question: Do you have suggestions for places to visit in your Continent?

There are many wonderful locations on both of the Gaeta continents. Let me share two of them with you:

  1. Lundy Art Gallery and Museum is located right on the far edge of Gaeta 1. It is worth a visit, as it has some great sculptures and more. It is located here.
  2. You may also want to check out the new BVLA HQ and Test Center (Bellisseria Vehicle Licence Agency). It is new addition to Gaeta 5, with links to Bellisseria. It is located here.

QUESTION: How long have you been an ambassador now? And what motivated you to become an ambassador?

I've been ambassador about 11 months now. I took the role to introduce mainland people to Bellisseria, and vice versa.

QUESTION: What was the most special event you either held at your Embassy or sponsored for your continent?

The inauguration was fun, but I've enjoyed helping set up the new BVLA HQ in our wonderful continent.

QUESTION: What is your favorite thing about Bellisseria that you tell residents of your continent?

Community – I love how Bellisseria has built a wonderful community.

QUESTION: What do you like to do in your spare time (or when you are not busy with your ambassador duties)?

I like making homes special.

QUESTION: Tell us one thing about yourself that most people do not know.

Sorry, I'm an open book. But I can tell you something about Gaeta maybe people don't know. The main island is actually Gaeta 5, the incomplete island is Gaeta 1. Gaeta 2, 3, and 4 never made it off the drawing board, and as such don't exist!

QUESTION: Do you have anything else you would like to share?

I'd like to say that the Honorary Ambassador role isn't easy. Sometimes relationships between Mainland and Bellisseria can be strained and misunderstood, it takes diplomacy and patience to help improve that.

Article and photo by Teresa Firelight


PLEASE HELP US KEEP UP TO DATE

On the initiative of Her Excellency Yukiko Yeshto, Honorary Ambassador to Sansara, our stamp team has been reviewing some lapsed locations in the Gazette Online Travel Guide. The following places no longer have a stamp terminal and have been removed from the guide. 

Name Location
Hedwig BE
SLRR Obscure Station and Rest Stop HE
Bjarkavik - Rungardvik's Sailing Outpost BS
Dragon Freight HE
Feline Fellowship BE
Calypso Bay PE
Breathing Space Art Gallery BE

We apologise to any readers who have been disappointed in visiting these locations. Change happens and we embrace that, but we have no way of knowing a stamp terminal is no longer in-world unless the owners of the land or you, our readers, tell us. If you experience such a disappointment in future, please let Robert Rhodan know by IM or (better) notecard in-world. Or email us using the link in the sidebar. Thanks in advance for your help.


EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS 

If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.

AMANDA'S FINAL PARTY AT SLEA

Screenshot 2022-12-16 at 01.36.37

AmandaT Tamatzui's time at the Second Life Endowment for the Arts (SLEA) is coming to a close on the 26th of the month. For those of you unfamiliar with the SLEA, it's an arts institution supported by Linden Labs, who provide a number of regions to be allocated to SL's artists for special art exhibitions, installations and events. Artists apply to SLEA for grants of land, setting out their proposals as to how they would use them.

Amanda's proposal was to build a 3D version of her real life artwork in SL, so that visitors would walk inside her imagined world and become part of the art themselves. She's opening her fourth (and final) art installation with a party on Sunday (18th December) Please see the image for details. She hopes to see you there.

A new stamp for your passport will be available.


NEWS FROM PARADE OF HOMES REVIEW

POH imageIn last week's "Parade of Home welcomes .." announcement, we reported two new locations with Christmas decorations: Stella Carver's Stella's Place and Spediye Chrome's JoyFull. Teresa Firelight has written articles about each of these homes in our sister publication Parade of Homes Review. You might like to check them out if you're looking for decorative inspiration. Teresa commented;

If you want to get some ideas for subtle but highly effective Christmas decorations, I recommend you come check out Stella’s Place.

The Christmas Seasonal Decoration section in Parade of Homes will stay open until the end of January, so if you're proud of your Christmas decorations, it's not too late to send in your application! 

Photograph by Teresa Firelight


NEW LOCATIONS

Three existing locations have moved this week. One, the Limoncello Space Station, has taken its existing stamp with it. Its slide image and location have been updated in the Gazette Online Travel Guide (GOTG) and the in-world Stamp Finder HUD (StaFi).

BBB Stamp Locations 1 v2.00.001

 The other two are the Airship Limoncello and The LG Tower – both locations for the Limoncello Art Gallery. They featured the name of their old region on their previous stamps, so will be issuing new ones. They therefore appear here as new locations.

Another New Location this week is Port Caletta Airport and Docks – the gateway to Heterocera. The new stamp reflects this transport hub very well, featuring its air, sea and rail connections. 

Finally our very own AmandaT Tamatzui, stamp designer in SL and artist in both SL and RL, is opening her fourth and final art installation at the Second Life Endowment for the Arts (SLEA) this weekend. You can not only obtain the new event stamp shown below, but the three previous stamps are also there if you missed them. All are available until her time at the SLEA comes to an end on December 26th.

The LG Tower PE BBB Stamp Location LG Tower Screenshot 2022-12-14 at 13.34.54
The Airship "Limoncello" PE BBB Stamp Location Airship Limoncello Screenshot 2022-12-14 at 02.55.59
Port Calleta HE BBB Stamp Locations 1 v2.00.001 Screenshot 2022-12-14 at 02.59.02

ATG 4th SLEA PE

Event from 18th to 26th December

BBB Stamp Location ATG4 @ SLEA.001 Screenshot 2022-12-16 at 03.34.42

Limoncello News | Meet the Ambassadors | Events & Announcements | New Locations

LIMONCELLO NEWS

Long-time readers will remember that The Gazette began as a supplement to Limoncello News, the (then) weekly magazine of the Limoncello Art Gallery. The gallery's home base is in Bellisseria – above gallery-owner (and your editor) Dave's houseboat – but it has existed since 2007.

It began on one deck of an airship moored above the region of Nanga in Satori. It was a personal collection open to the public and, in particular, the tenants of the apartment rentals on the ground below, the cabin rentals in the airship itself and the space station above it. Eventually the rental business died, but the gallery, by then numbering hundreds of artworks, lived on.

Despite his sentimental connection to Nanga, Dave has taken the plunge and accepted two of Linden Lab's current offers. They're waiving setup fees for private regions this month and they're offering Premium Plus residents the opportunity to buy a Homestead Region, without first buying a full one. So Dave has bought his own private island – named Nyunanga – and will move his gallery there.

Nyunanga  new home of the Limoncello Art GalleryThe Satori Post Office will remain at Nanga as Dave is keeping the small plot on which it stands. The recent stamp for his space station will move – with the station itself – to a geostationary orbit over Nyunanga. There will, however, be new stamps for the LG Tower and the Airship Limoncello gallery as both designs feature the Nanga name.

The new stamps will feature in our New Locations section when the move is complete and Nyunanga is open to the public. You might also like to keep an eye on our Events & Announcements section for news of the region-warming party!

Dave is a huge fan of SL Mainland and loves its quirky, anarchic feel. However he's also loving an environment free from sky-clutter! No domes, no sight screens and a bit less lag. If you're a Premium Plus member in particular the current deals are sweet. We recommend you go grab an island of your very own and – of course – place one of our passport terminals there!


MEET THE AMBASSADORS SERIES: AN INTRODUCTION

You probably know that SL has multiple continents, but did you know that most of them have Honorary Ambassadors? They are not Linden Lab employees and nor are they chosen by LL. But they are encouraged as a resident-sponsored community-building activity. The Lab supports the project by providing a small parcel of land for each Embassy and Abnor Mole has regularly participated in grand opening ceremonies; handing the keys of the Embassy to the new Honorary Ambassador.

So what does an Ambassador do once they have been given the keys to their Embassy? That is what this series will explore.

Let me start by giving you a bit of general information about the role of Honorary Ambassador. The Bellisseria Bureau of Bureaucracy (BBB) is responsible for overseeing the seven Embassies, which represent Bellisseria to each of the continents. Ambassadors work with the BBB but are not BBB Staff. The one exception is Fiona Jogiches, who was already on the BBB staff before she became an ambassador.

The Honorary Ambassadors are unpaid volunteers, looking to make SL better for its residents, just like the BBB Staff.

Bellisseria embassy 11The actual number of mainland continents is open to debate. The Second Life Wiki lists fourteen of them (four  of which are old-style Linden Home continents in the slow process of being replaced by Bellisseria; a continent that is still not listed there!) So, for the purposes of this article, I am assuming ten mainland continents, plus Bellisseria.

At present Bellisseria has seven Ambassadors serving eight continents, as Gaeta 1 and Gaeta 5 share the same embassy.

The Ambassadors' jobs are bi-directional. They represent Bellisseria to their continent and their continent to Bellisseria. The way they do it depends on each ambassador's personal style and interests. Some may choose to have party events where music and socializing are the theme. Others may organize outings and tours. Still others may do art or educational activities, etc.

The goal of this series is to interview each of the seven ambassadors and learn about them, their embassies and the continents they represent. We will meet one ambassador a week for the next seven weeks.

Article & Photo by Teresa Firelight


EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.

SL PoH OH welcomes

... Jolie Jinglepaw's A Room with a View
est. 11/2022 A Christmas feeling

exterior interior deco

... Stella Carver's Stella's Place
est. 10/2022 My Continental: A little mid-century, a little traditional, all decked out for a cozy christmas.

exterior interior deco

... Nova Morgan's Linden Home (Fairy Fantasy)
est. 12/2021 Now decorated for christmas.

exterior interior deco

... Spediye Chrome's JoyFull
est. 12/2022 A Joyful holiday scene for you to enjoy.

exterior interior deco

... Gemma Cleanslate's Peace Houseboat
est. 12/2022 Now setup for Xmas. My home has been decorated with treasures from over the years of collecting (mostly freebies ).

exterior interior deco

lll

ASTRONAUTS & ALIENS PARTY

The costume party aboard the Limoncello Space Station on 11th December at noon SLT is now (see article above) also a "farewell to Nanga" party for Dave. We hope you'll join him and Amanda to celebrate before the new station fires its manoeuvring thrusters to relocate. If you don't have them already, you might like to collect the two stamps from his art galleries below before they're replaced with new ones. 

Don't forget there's no life support on the dance floor, so if you need to breathe – come equipped!


NEW LOCATIONS

An historic (by SL standards) destination for romance is now issuing passport stamps to its visitors. Hypnotic Romance was established in 2012 and has seen its share of dancing and smooching since then. Collecting a passport stamp on a date may seem odd but – hey – looking for the terminal will fill those awkward moments before the ice is broken, right? There are also beautiful natural surroundings to talk about. Our staff photographer said she struggled to do justice to the beauty of this location.

There's an event stamp too this week; for Amanda & Dave's Astronauts & Aliens costume party (see Events & Announcements above). The event only lasts for an hour or so, but if you miss it the stamp terminal will be in place until the 18th December.

Hypnotic Romance PE BBB Stamp Locations Dec 10 22.001 Screenshot 2022-12-08 at 21.33.05

Astronauts & Aliens Party, ST

Event 11-18 Dec

BBB Stamp Locations Dec 10 22.002 Screenshot 2022-12-09 at 00.31.59

New Licence Plates | Holiday Card Exchange | Candlelight Processional | Black Friday Confessions | Events & Announcements | New Locations

NEW LICENCE PLATES FOR YOUR SL VEHICLES

The New Year 2023 will start with an expansion of our transport licensing services and a full facelift for the already existing driving licence. The new vehicle licence plates for 2023 have already been available to you (on application) since October.

From January 2023, our new driving licences will also be available. They have also looked the same for years, so it was time to give them a fresh new look.

Not only that, but more licences are coming your way. After all, Bellisseria has not just drivable roads, but sailable waters and flyable air! So we felt the need to expand our licensing services by issuing licences for boats and aircraft.

They will have the same "look and feel" as the driving licences, but with one minor difference. While the driving licences feature your full address, the boat and air licences will feature the licence-holder's title instead. Whether you are a Boat Master, Captain, Pilot, Steward or Chopper Jockey, make sure to fill in your title of choice.

As we still only have a one person production team, please be careful when choosing your title. We can't issue updates too often. Please choose wisely!

To give you all an idea how the new licenses look, here are examples of all three. I hope you enjoy them and I look forward to receiving your applications as from of January 2023.

Screenshot 2022-11-28 at 23.14.23
Screenshot 2022-11-28 at 23.14.23
Screenshot 2022-11-28 at 23.14.23

Article and photographs by Zoo Suki


CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY CARD EXCHANGE

Bri
Bri, the organiser of the festive exchange.

Bri (Brianne Slade) is making interesting use of our postal service. She's organising a Christmas/ Holiday card exchange. She's currently making a list of Bellisserians who want to participate. If you'd like to take part, please send her a notecard by December 8th, with your full legacy name. She plans to share the names with those taking part by Dec 10th and they will then have until December 24 to mail their cards.

She sent out a notecard via the Bellisserian Citizens Group with a link to our main post office in Bellisseria and a copy of our free greeting card starter kit. The kit comes with a few holiday textures but she's encouraging residents to get creative and make their own texture for the exchange.

We think this is a great idea and encourage readers to take part. We've included her notecard with our in-world group notices for this week's edition of The Gazette.

We love a great resident initiative to use our technology so thanks, Bri, for coming up with this festive scheme! 


CANDLELIGHT PROCESSIONAL TRIBUTE 2022

Candlelight Processional 2022 with Patch Linden_012
This event has become an SL tradition. It's a tribute to Disney's Candlelight Processional at the Epcot Center in Disney World. The SL version takes place at SL's Wedcot and yesterday, your editor attended the first performance for this year. It put him right in the holiday mood, taking him back to the happy, innocent Christmases of his youth. More performances are scheduled so do take the chance to go along if you can. 

December 5 2pm SLT Wedcot, the American Gardens Theatre
December 9 10am SLT Wedcot, the American Gardens Theatre
December 19 4pm SLT Wedcot, the American Gardens Theatre
December 22 6pm SLT Xeorealms

We don't have a SLURL for the last location, which will open specially for the performance. If you want to go to that one, please watch for notices in the usual groups in-world or head over to Wedcot and join their group to be sure of getting the information.

In the meantime, here's a link to a gallery of photographs of the event.


BLACK FRIDAY: CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC

Shopping clipartI think the concept of "a Sale" was invented as a clever way to separate people from their money, and get to them to spend on things they otherwise might not buy. At least that is the effect it has on me.

Black Friday through Cyber Monday sales have wound down now, and I find myself substantially more broke than I was before.

I began shopping early Friday morning, and did so until late Monday night. I saw friends pop online, but instead of socializing with them, I ignored their presence so I could spend my time frantically buying items that were on sale. Many of them things I would not have otherwise purchased.

There were some things I wanted to buy and waited for the Black Friday sale – such as high-quality mesh bodies for my six alts. If I stopped there, I would have been wise. But I couldn't stop… I mean, really nice heads were also on sale for 50% off. So, my alts got lovely new heads -- some of which required new skins or new shapes.

Then some really-nice clothes stores had 50% off sales – so my alts got some new outfits (and so did my main). Most of these new clothes are in my “To Be Unpacked” folder. I may actually get around to unpacking and wearing them by year end, but it will probably take me longer that. 

Many furniture and landscaping stores also had ½ off sales. I did a bit better with those.. but only because I ran out of time and could not shop as much as I might have liked. All the same, I bought a beautiful log cabin that I have absolutely no place to rez, and some other stuff that I probably won't get around to unpacking for 3 or 4 months. I did not buy because I needed them; I bought because they were at a great price.

So here I am tired and broke. But I can take great satisfaction from the fact that I got some amazing deals and some beautiful stuff that I one day might have a use for.

Was my Black Friday Weekend shopping successful?? You bet it was!!

Article by Teresa Firelight


EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'd be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.

SL PoH OH welcomes

... Bebe Bunny's Bunny's Lil Burrow
est. 10/2022 Bebe tried to balance decorations outdoors and indoors to make the house look alive and a mix of modern and cozy

exterior interior deco

... Zo Harcourt's The Float
est. 1/2021 Like a remembered beach house with comfortable old furniture and a shabby kitchen. Changeable space for holidays and parties. There's always coffee and food in the kitchen.

exterior interior deco

... Brianne Slade's Victorian Christmas
est. 11/2022 Victorian home with decor of the era

exterior interior deco

... Luna Datura's Luna's Place
est. 11/2022 cozy country Log Home with Xmas decor

exterior interior deco

 

lll

Parade of Homes / Open Homes Listing Application Form for Seasonal Decorations

It's this time of year again when many of you beautify their already amazing homes with Christmas decorations. To share this, PoH-OH Listings offers to display your embellished rooms, gardens, and houses with an additional entry under a seasonal category – Xmas – from now on until end of January - without losing your existing entry.

To use this, simply fill in this online form.  The same form will also work for Easter and Halloween themes.

lll

Bellisseria Bike, Drive & Scoot presents its 4th Annual Winter Wonderland Holiday Dance Party!

HolidayParty2022 Invitation
Come join us for this magical event in your best holiday festive attire! The dance is on Sunday, December 4th at 12pm - 3pm SLT. This year includes freestyle ice skating and a Wonderland photo scenes! Come and take your winter photo pictures among several photo opportunities around the Wonderland area. Open through December 8th!

lll

Astronauts & Aliens Party 11th December 2022 at 12 noon SLT

Astronauts & Aliens Party Logo 2022All readers of The Gazette are cordially invited aboard the Limoncello Space Station for editor Dave & stamp artist Amanda's holiday season sci-fi costume party.

There's life support and artificial gravity throughout the station, but if you're going to dance with us on the shuttle bay launch pads, you will need a space suit. Unless of course you're from an alien species comfortable in the vacuum of space!

The party is at noon SLT on Sunday 11th December. Music will be provided by DJ Vivi. The dress code is Astronauts and Aliens.

You can come aboard using the SLURL above or you can use the transporter booth at the LG Tower, take the space elevator from the Limoncello Gallery's workshop, or arrive in real style by landing your small space craft in our shuttle bay.

However you arrive, Amanda & Dave look forward to welcoming you. Follow the corridor through the airlock next to the space station's Passport Stamp Terminal and suit up before walking out through the force field!


NEW LOCATIONS

As hinted last week, the Moles have placed a stamp terminal at the new Chippewa Town Hall. This is an excellent new community resource in Bellisseria (reviewed by Teresa Firelight in last week's edition) and we're delighted now to be issuing a passport stamp there. 

The second new stamp this week is issued at the request of Hazel Silvermoon, whose café is listed in the Parade of Homes as a Resident-owned Place of Interest. Since Robert Rhodan updated the PoH listings and made the PoH connection with us more explicit, more owners of listed locations are choosing to reward their visitors with a passport stamp. Visiting open houses and Resident-Owned Places of Interest is already great fun. It's great to see how design-minded fellow residents decorate their homes – and steal their ideas! Collecting passport stamps at the same time is a bonus. 

Robert is particularly proud of his stamp design for Hazel, which is based on original drawings licensed from Sketchily/Canva by Art Tomasoa Team (the RL studio of our BBB/CPCB artist/stamp designer AmandaT Tamatzui).

Chippewa Town Hall BE BBB Stamp Locations 1 v2.00.001 Screenshot 2022-11-28 at 22.22.57
Silvermoon Cafe and Hangout BE BBB Stamp Locations 1 v2.00.002 Screenshot 2022-11-28 at 22.23.48
BBDS 4th WinterWonderland BE BBB Stamp Locations BBDS Winter Wonderland 2022 Screenshot 2022-12-01 at 13.04.00