Espresso Yourself @The Pen

Last night I swiped a menu from The Pen (SLurl), a sort of beatnik-ish coffee shop created by Marianne McCann, during another Espresso Yourself Night and I thought I'd share it with you.

Espresso Yourself Night, every first Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. SLT at The Pen, located in the heart of Bay City - Mashpee, just off Route 66!

What is "Espresso Yourself?" It's a chance to take your spot on the stage and share. Tell a joke, share your poetry, read a chapter from your favorite book, sing a song. Just share! Voice or Text. Talent not required, but passion is mandatory. Also, no mimes.

The key here is to participate. How can you participate? Just choose an item off our menu!

1. ESPRESSO Our main stock in trade: Read a poem. Poetry is always encouraged at the pen. Share one of your own, or one by someone else. Read it on voice or type it out. You can even pre-record some sound files if you want to get really inventive.

2. CAPPUCCINO Share a favorite story. Could be something you've experienced that you want to share. Could be a story out of a book that makes you think or that you just enjoy. Maybe it's a story of your own, too, that you wish to share. All is encouraged.

3. CAFFÉ AU LAIT Share a picture of something you've built recently - or something you've built in the past - tell us about it, what were the challenges? What was fun? Share the experience.

4. CAFFÉ AMERICANO Free Advice. Tell Linden Lab how to fix Second Life, or tell us how to use it! This is soapbox time! Rant, rave, share.

5, CAFFÉ MOCHA I read the news today: tell us something you read in the newspaper/saw on the telly/spotted online that caught your eye. Tell us what's going on!

5. CAFFÉ MACCHIATO Random beauty! Show us a photo of something that caught your eye. Share something of beauty and tell us about it. Maybe it's a pretty thing from your first life, or maybe it's a gorgeous place in here.

6. CAFFÉ CORRETTO Surprise us: hand puppets, juggling, wacky gags, etc.! Do something different, weird, and wild. Delight the audience by going outside the box.

Just want to hang out? We'll let you can do that too: but you can still talk, still interact, and still be a part of the show. Everyone is a participant, even if you might not realize it.

Also, why not toss a few bones in the ol' tip jar, too, or buy a fresh cuppa? It helps keep the lights on. 

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During last night's gathering I took to the mic and ranted ...

A topic near and dear to all your hearts is Topless Tuesday, but with so many children here, I'll have to speak in euphemisms. Let's talk about Anthony and Maureen, two total euphemistic people not related to anyone in this room for examples. (Editor's Note: Anthony and Maureen were 2 meters away from me.)

I used to be a beatnik like you, then I took a mic stand to the knee.

Anthony works out, eats right, and waxes his chestorial region so he's considered fairly attractive. According to the government, he may display this attractiveness anywhere that is not prohibited by a specific law, such as in a restaurant or where it may start a riot.

Maureen also works out, eats right, and has no relationship with gravity whatsoever so her torsicular portion is considered by many (more than by just Anthony, that is) to be freakin' fantabulous. Regardless of this, though, the government feels that Maureen should not proudly display the results of her sterling genetics and careful lifestyle for fear that someone might ... well, who knows might happen. Something they deem might be untoward such as floods, locusts, and mime insurrection.

Is this fair? Nay, I say, and not in a livestock way. Tis not fair that women (for Maureen in this example represents all women) should be banned from such expression for fear of whatever some minds fear. And so, I thought I'd bring Topless Tuesday to the Second Life MySL feeds.

Let's de-stigmatize the female form. Certainly, there are situations whereupon it might be inappropriate. Funerals, perhaps, or Sunday-Go-To-Meetin' events, and the like. But they would be just as inappropriate for men, too. The problem lies not in the presentation, but rather the reception. I challenge all of us, men and women alike to elevate our maturity along with our eyes and show women the same respect as we show men.

Perhaps I'll rant again next month. See you there?

L$800 of fun for L$80

Last night while my wife was AFK I checked out My Second Life (you know, the microblogging feed The Lab gives everyone for free?) and found an "advertisement," if you will, for Espresso Yourself night at The Pen, Marianne McCann's coffee house in Bay City - Mashpee (SLurl) this coming Tuesday from 6pm to 8pm SLT. Apparently, there's a No Mimes policy (see here) so I thought I'd have some fun with the rules and all it cost me was L$80 plus some time.

Immediately I bought a nice L$75 mime costume (with makeup) from Sour Pickles (SLurl) and got to work, adding some funny hair and a pair of black-and-white trainers. Interestingly enough, I have some mime animations in my Inventory. Ask no questions and I'll tell no lies.

So I went to The Pen and staged all these shots for the My SL feeds with commentary promoting the event adding individual comments to each picture. This and the previous picture are about rehearsing for my performance on Tuesday.

Then I saw the "No Mimes" fine print on the sign ... *gasp* ...
(Yes, it's all staged and no mimes were hurt in the production of this photo essay.)

If a mime cries and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound?

Of course, I mounted a protest!

Then I went inside to enjoy some delicious coffee and rethink my protest sign. I tipped the cash register L$5 and that is how my fun total was brought up to L$80 for the day. Easily L$800 worth of fun.

Resignedly, I sat down to plan a new act. Perhaps air guitar?
The "G" in G-rated sim stands for Guitar, right?

Yes, this is my kinda fun. If anyone complains that there is nothing to do in Second Life, tell them that sometimes they have to make their own fun or look a lot harder for events like those at The Pen.

Marianne plans to have Espresso Yourself every first Tuesday of the month from 6pm to 8pm SLT at The Pen (SLurl). Everyone is welcome to participate ... dance, sing, read poetry or prose, tell stories or jokes, show pictures, or just stand and stare at everyone. Just no mimes, it seems.

Free Fun at Misp!

Recently I bought a bumper boat rezzer for the Isle of Lesbos so the ladies can have even more fun at the resort. No, that's a lie. I bought it because I wanted it and installed it at both the Isle of Lesbos and at home so I could ride a bumper boat whenever I wanted. So L$1500 later ...

If you don't have that kind of spare cash you can ride the bumper boats free in Misp, the home region of White's Works (SLurl), the store where I bought the rezzer. It was there that I test drove the product before buying it. I also considered the paddle boat and the jet ski, just two more of the many vehicles you can use for free. A large race track (see pic) fills the sim so you can try for free various motorcycles, scooters, and go karts, too. Other games and activities are available. Thank goodness the vehicles auto-delete when you are done riding them. While writing this post I crashed several, littering the sim with carnage.

How bored was this person?

You would think that with all the activities available in Second Life®, like a wonderful amusement park that I recently found (Web), people would have better things to do than to cause grief. This pic was taken when I happened to come across someone with too much time on their hands and too few brains in their head. I watched as they attached one huge object after another to their avie, tacked on particle generators, and wildly gesticulated for no apparent reason.

Of course, I ejected them -- directly to their Home spot -- and added them to the regional ban, but I had to wonder "How bored was this person?" Odds are they weren't actually bored, but instead they were griefing (I know they have a history of trying to be a nuisance). It is sad to think, though, how pathetic their life must be that this was fun to them. As far as I could tell I was the only person within some 150 meters so they weren't really that good at griefing. Further, the attempt was poorly executed considering how common this kind of harassment is in our world. So how bored? Apparently not bored enough to get it right.

The Longhorns need YOU

The University of Texas Longhorns are sponsoring a charity carnival, raffle, and silent auction in-world (SLurl or search University of Texas Landing Point for Project Jason) to raise L$100,000 for Project Jason (Web & SLurl) and Team Fox (Web & SLurl). Free entry & free rides (including go carts and bumper cars!)

When, you ask? Friday April 24th to Sunday April 26th.

The event will feature special live performances so mark your calendar with these dates and SLT times:

Friday April 24th

6pm – 7pm Dann Numbers

8pm – 9pm Harper Messmer

Saturday April 25th

3pm – 4pm Vienna James

8pm – 9pm PheobeAnn Theas

Sunday April 26th

12pm – 1pm Phemie Alcott

4pm – 5pm Gregg Huet

8pm – 9pm Dale Katscher

About Project Jason: to create and increase public awareness of missing people through a variety of outreach and educational activities. Project Jason seeks to bring hope and assistance to families of the missing by providing resources and support.

About Team Fox (in affiliation with Michael J. Fox): to provide guidance, tools and resources for the thousands of amazing people all over the world who are walking, running, blogging, jogging, paddling, pedaling, eating, drinking, shopping and dancing to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson's research.