GearShift

Donny Sketch Party 6!

2011-05-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

I hope you guys love GearShift as much as she does!

Enjoy!

Im making this!

Peace out cool cats!

Don

It just wont die a death!

2011-05-03T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hey gang!

I know its been a while. It has been exactly a year, to the day since I last posted here. Some sort of record, at least for me. And again, I return to designing things for SL.

Its odd coming back now. All of the designers I knew and grew within SL are now gone. Its sad in a way. I was speaking with Zabitan about it. Zabitan was really encouraging towards me starting this whole clothing design thing. He mentioned that we are just in different times in our lives. Its true, I used to have a lot more free time. Things change, commitments take over. Commitments with partners, work - you can move on.

Thinking about it, it would be so easy to just give it all up and walk away. But I definately still have a passion for it. I definately enjoy the freedom of creativity I have with it. My designs are my own, I create what and when I want and Im only limited by my imagination. Its a far cry from my fulltime job as a designer. I have boundries I have to stick in when working with other peoples brands - and Im not always given the freedom that I would like. Not to say I dont like it...I love my job, its just different.

I think as a seasoned SL designer you can feel like you have reached the limit of what you can create and achieve. Some of my friends have achieved so much in SL, making some serious moolah. I think its possible for you to just exhaust all of your ideas for where you can take things. Things can get stale and you can lose that drive and passion for your brand to succeed. When your starting out as a designer, everything is new and fresh. And you have enthusiastic ideas on how you can develop and change things in SL. (Your going to CHANGE the world!) When your at the top, you almost have to create new avenues to push yourself.

With GearShift, I have poured so much time and effort into it to just leave it there and let it die a death. I still believe in my ideas and feel Im far from achieving all I can here. I do still love it, which is why Im here.

So anyway, on to some of the new stuff Ive made. There are a few new offerings made available at the block. Ive completely remade my jeans template which Im quite proud of. Ive introduced them to my store as 'Rogues'. I also have a new shirt inspired by my new friend Rico.

Im also currently taking part of the great event Culture Shock. I have three exclusive items there. Including a brand new leather jacket. Leather jackets are definately back in!

For now, thats your lot. I'll be back to molest your eyes with my urban offerings soon.

Peace out cool cats!

Don

New line of jeans coming soon!

2010-05-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.

Im hoping to release a new line of jeans soon. Reworked textures and new sculpted bottoms. Watch this space.

Peace out cool cats!

Don

That street fighter feeling.

2009-01-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

I have become so obsessed with street fighter lately its ridiculous. Been playing it off and on for over a decade now, but Ive really been sucked into the whole street fighter resurgence with the imminent release of SF4. Have been playing ALOT and I mean ALOT of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD. I am so addicted, it totally brings me back to those days waiting for your turn in the arcade, putting your coin down and calling your go. But now, I can beat people from america and hear them whine about how much of a scrub I am. Its GREAT!
Incidentally, if you get beaten horrible by a scrub, what does that make you? Questions...questions.

If you fancy playing me at street fighter on the 360, why not leave a comment. It could be fun. At the very least you could shout obscenities down the mic and repeatedly call me a scrub. :D

Maybe some SF related goodies could be on the cards....who knows?

Okay peace out cool cats!

Don

Monkey Magic!

2009-01-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

Hey guys.
I hope you have all had a great holiday. For most its now the time where you wish you didnt have those extra mince pies or those couple of shots the night before. That sobering experience where you realize work is just over the horizon. That jolly magical Christmas feeling is all but faded and you now have to remember its 09 and NOT 08. Awesome...
Im acually trying to be positive, alot of good things have happened. With lots to look forward to this year. Im hoping that I can continue to create more for GearShift and continue to challenge myself artistically with my own projects aswell as at work. The work bit though, after some late nights and hearty meals in a warm house just dosent sound too appealing. (rubs belly)
Alot of people dont know this, but Christmas is a little different for me. For everyone else its all festive, you buy gifts, spend time with family and watch awful television. For me, its kind of like my birthday-eve. Yep, Im one of those unlucky December children whose birthday falls right after the birth of Christ. Which can be quite discouraging in the moments you open a card on your birthday... and then realizing that its been written on a cheap christmas card. One you imagine came in a box of 50. Its a tight tight man who cant afford to spend money on a real card. Its almost tacked on.

"Oh its your birthday? Oooooh.... oh....

sorry..."

But anyway, sure there are definate minuses on having a birthday on THAT day. But this year I treated myself. I bought tickets , great tickets actually to see Monkey: Journey to the west. Always been a big fan of the art of Jamie Hewlett since Tank Girl and I love the team up with Damon Albarn for Gorillaz. So when I heard about this show I just HAD to see it. Im usually the type of person who says - "Oh... that would be cool." And not really push to go do it, or see it. Mostly because of the financial situation Im in at the time. But I made it a point. I WANT to do something on my birthday, I want to see something cool. I WANT a present Im going to enjoy...even if it means buying it for myself. (and for my family)

I have to say that Monkey was amazing. It was so vibrant, so beautiful and felt so epic in scale. I was so engrossed during the whole visual feast. Its a fusion of animation, acrobatics, martial arts and music. I hope that the show gets to tour more of the world so that more people can experience it.

As an additional treat, or punishment depending on how you look at amateur singing that is. Of me playing the theme to the old Monkey Magic show.
click for Monkey Magic!

Ive released a few new offerings which you can read about in more detail on theblockbuzz blog. And Im hoping to put out some more things before the week is through. Just a few complications for me to worry about with a sim move. Which sucks, but Im sure will be better for the long run. Keep an eye out for more GearShift goodies!

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Sore Opening.

2008-11-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

Hi guys.
So those of you who are apart of the GearShift group would have gotten a landmark to the sim that Ive been nattering on about on this blog for what seems an age now. Its been a personal project and one Ive tried to see through with the same amount of focus I put into my clothing designs. Its taken a long time, but its been something Ive really wanted to do. I think for me I really wanted to open it the right way, I envisioned this big opening and inviting all my friends to come and hang out. New swag, free swag and a special competition.
But, I feel all my planning has been taken away from me. Linden Labs seems to have changed their policies on their open sims, now known as homestead sims. I thinks it ridiculous about the price increase that they are going to be putting in place with them, especially after they are gimping the sims. The sims once their new policies fall into place in the new year will see these sims only hold 20 people. Its outragous, they talk about unexpected load on systems and how the sims were created for low usage - their solution is to raise the price which I think will be for their maintenence but also tear out anything that I would find useful in owning it. Im so frustrated as Ive invested so much time, effort and money in making this project a reality. Now it seems like if I want to carry on with this project I HAVE to purchase a sim. There has been ample talk about these issues and Im sure that my thoughts are mirrored in the blogs and in other written media on the web.

With all the economic turmoil that is gripping not only the american nation, but affecting countries globally you'd think that maybe Linden Labs would maybe find a more subtle way in fucking the arses of its loyal users. All hail the almighty dollar right?

Bitter, me?

Well, I would really love to invite everyone to come and check out the sim. Explore, take pictures, mingle with the other few Gear Shifters that may lurk about. I really wish it was a more cheerful invitation. But I think, why keep it locked away when I will eventually have to move the whole thing.

Class is now open!

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Freebies!

2008-11-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

So Ive been MIA for a little bit. Ive been settling into quite a few changes, least of all a new job and a new home. They are good changes though and have been keeping me positive. I know, I know - the sim still isnt open. Im a real fuckface. (Makes his fuckface expression for you) But bare with me, I really want to open it right and me not being at the opening seemed...well quite strange. One thing Ive noticed, my store at The Block is starting to look smaller and smaller. Really need to open the sim 0_0. Maybe Im putting to much thought into it?
But again, things have been settling down and its allowed me to get a little creative for GearShift. Ive been really thankful for the support and kind words from those who buy from me. It really lifts my spirits and motivates me to keep pushing out new designs.

Ive put out some freebies for the GearShift group.

Thanks again guys, I really do appreciate all your support.

Love you!
Don

Code Monkey!

2008-09-23T01:32:00.000-07:00

I love Jonathan Coulton. That is all.

Peace out cool cats.

Don

Expose yourself.

2008-09-14T04:38:00.000-07:00

Ive been getting a bit of exposure lately. Which Im really greatful for. Wanted to show off an advert for the store with some original artwork. :D

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Running track.

2008-09-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
yea... Ive been kind of M.I.A as of late. So what have I been up to? Well, I got over being sick a little while back. Ive kept myself motivated trying my best to push myself with alot of new stuff for my sim openning. Ive been working on a new tracksuit template which Im actually quite proud of. I think there are a few track jackets out in SL already, but I hope the little details Ive added to the whole outfit help mine stand out a little from the crowd.
To celebrate the HBox fashion faire, Ive released a few tracksuit designs including a limited edition design that will be available ONLY during the faire. After which it will not be sold again.

I have 5 brand spanking new items available at the faire. For now, they are only available at HBox. So be sure to run down and grab some, theres a ton of really awesome limited products available from other designers too. Go on and treat yourself :D

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Welcoming new students...

2008-07-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

So once upon a time in what seems a million moons ago, I thought it would be fun for my first store to be based on a school. I cleverly (well not really...seeing as its not entirely unique) dubbed this idea the Rival Skoolz project. I bought a small plot of mainland (shudder) and went about building the school. The idea kept snowballing as the concept resonated with others I would tell about it. Soon I had half a sim and a whole idea of how I wanted this RPed fueled monstrosity to work.

Fast forward to today and since then cards have been cut, that sim sold and still no main store. Ive talked about this in prior blog entries, I know its starting to get old now. But truth is, I was really upset that I didnt get to see that project through back then. So Im excited to report that after months of work Im on the final straight before the opening of my first main store EVER! So in fantastic non-windlighted fashion I wanted to post some pictures!

Im hoping to have the opening next weekend. Hopefully by then I'll have a new monster machine to chew up the pixels and spit out beautiful. I have some new clothing Im hoping to present upon opening. Dont worry, Ive heard the cries. There will be new short designs at the opening as well as some other yummy goodness for you to pour on your avatars. I'll be posting another official post about the whole thing soon. Watch this space!

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Can anyone do anything better than Prince?

2008-07-12T05:16:00.000-07:00

Apparently he can.

<3

Peace out cool cats!

Don

I <3 Tegaki!

2008-07-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Im really enjoying the Tegaki blog. Its so fun to do quick sketches, Id forgotten. I dont draw nearly as much as I used to. So its fun to take time out and just put some ideas on screen. It feels very much like doing ballpoint doodles, you know the kind you used to do at school. I think I practiced my anatomy and drawing faces more then I did working on math problems.
I was wondering if anyone else has one. Right now I only have 2 friends. And Id love to join with others (who speak english of course) at Tegaki. And if your not at Tegaki I hope I can inspire you to want to take part. You can always check my progress with the small widget I have on the blog to the side. It scrolls through what images Ive finished and have posted.

Ive been really surprised at how quickly Ive been able to throw out these images. Its really satisfying to get down what you think in your head - usually when drawing your trying to achieve that, its rare when you get anywhere close. Well it is for me anyway. This particular image was inspired by the movie The City of Violence . I watched it and was really blown away by its slick visuals and fresh editing style. You could see a lot of western influences in it. Theres a great 'The Warriors' style moment when the protagonists go up against school gangs, each with their own look and flavour. The climax to the film was epic. Waves upon waves of henchmen in a pogoda style building, however unlike Tarantinos 'The Bride'. Its not a gratuitous gore fest with limbs flying, instead the director showed the struggle and painful journey of getting to the point of their revenge. I thought it was cool as fuck and hope you guys get to check it out.

(haha...I just noticed I drew them in ties in my image. Whoops! Ties look cool anyhow.)

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Tegaki!

2008-07-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
Ive been building my ship for the new Plunder sim. Its still under construction, trust me to wait till the last minute. But Im having fun doing it. You can check out its progress and all of the wonderful and unique ships at the plunder dock. Go to the Scout sim! :D

So I was checking out Elecs blog and he made a post about these wonderful Tegaki blogs. I JUST had to get one! They are great, it feels so nice to draw on them. The tools although primitive with a small selection of colours cant get in the way of the ease and just sheer fun of drawing on them. The lines are so crisp and flow really well. I'll be doing more stuff for my Tegaki blog in the future. I just gave it a quick run through before watching a movie. (No Mercy for the Rude.) I should do some movie reviews, Ive watched some just fantastic asian movies recently. Crows Zero, Chocolate, Dororo - to name but a few. But anyway - *laugh* to the point.

Check out my first piece for my GearShift Tegaki blog!
my 1st quick post!

Whats fun, is that I can do quick doodles. Nice for fun practice pieces. I hope I keep it up. This one was inspired by what Im wearing at the minute! <3 Its a lil messy but I like it. :)

Peace out cool cats!

Don

I really like texturing.

2008-06-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

So Ive been chipping away at this for what seems an age. And one thing that has become clear (well even more so) is that I am obsessive. I really do need to have things just right. Its like a strange sort of designer only OCD. God knows Im not this way with other things - like, I should probably clean up my living room...meh. Or, maybe throw away that milk...hmmm. Regardless of how disgustingly slobbish I can get. When it comes to PSing, things need to have weight, I hate things feeling flat, they just HAVE to be right. I cant explain it, but Ive been known to go back and rework something ten or even twenty times till I feel satisfied.
I was embarrassed the other day, I know its kind of weird to worry about trivial details. I know I would get things done faster. But it just weirds me out looking at builds that are flat and untextured. I bought a toilet the other day and it looked perfectly fine. I know people would see it, understand it and probably not pay any mind to it. Its a prop for a room. But I see that build and I just have to fix it. I was explaining to Vas that doing it helps me sleep better at night. I know I sound crazy, I freak myself out about this too. But I will sit there and texture a toilet just to have shit stains in a toilet bowl looking authentic. Just for my own nutty enjoyment.

Im sure some of you are thinking well, dont you already obsess about stuff like that for clothing? Yea, I do. But when it comes to an actual island its kinda different. With clothes you texture that coat, fix any problems and move on. With an actual place there are endless details. And thats what Ive been preoccupying myself with these last couple of months. The details...details that thankfully help me sleep at night. You know, cuz I get the crazy shakes otherwise.

So here are some details for you to enjoy.

Peeping Toms and women only bathrooms. :D

Yay!! Space Invader soap!

Sleep :D Oh and stickers!

Picture by Leila.

Picture by Damon.

I decided to tackle the Rival Skoolz project once again. Its largely scaled down from my original idea. Mostly because I dont know how to do the things I want to achieve and finding reliable people to help is next to impossible. So Im concentrating on it being an attractive place for people to explore with my mainstore slap in the center.

I'll have more official posts soon and all that jazz. Really, I just wanted to do a post about the toilet. Ahaha! Heres to shit covered bowls everywhere!

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Strength In Numbers!

2008-06-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

I just got The Music's new album today Strength in Numbers. And its fucking amazing! I remember them way back in 2002 and their track 'Take the long road home.' Thought they were awesome but they up and disappeared, but they are back this year with a new album and I am in love!

Yep, I still havent released anything yet. - something special is coming...just a bit more.

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Dont throw stuff at Josh homme.

2008-06-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

I know I havent released anything in a while - or updated my blog. Lets just say there is something very special in the works.

But anyway -

Just wow.

How shit must you feel being torn apart with 50000 other people around you? And I thought being made fun of in front of class was bad.

That kid got owned. I hate people that do stuff and think, hey Im gonna get away with it. Being a dick for the sake of being a dick. Y'know? That kid in my opinion got JUST what he deserved. <3 QOTSA!

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Muto by Blu.

2008-05-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

Let this slowly drive you insane. The imagination in this piece is just amazing.

Peace out cool cats.

Don

Members only!

2008-05-25T10:55:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!
I have some members only items just for those apart of my GearShift group! The Knight hoodie for guys, which comes in black. And the Allure hoodie for girls which is cropped and very cute.

You can join by doing a search for GearShift in groups on SL. OR, you can run down to my store at the block and click on my sign.

Photograph taken by the talented Leila!
Vas sporting the new hoodie. Its hawt yo! Become a member today! <3

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Best issue ever!

2008-05-21T23:37:00.000-07:00

This made me laugh so hard! I wanted to share it with everyone.

Made by the talented Broder Kubrik. Rock on.

Peace out cool cats.

Don

Gears in motion.

2008-05-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ive been meaning to blog here for a while...Ive been so busy lately.

So Ive comfortably settled back into SL and Ive consistently been releasing new clothing. It feels good to be enjoying SL again and Im in love with designing for my store. Im all inspired and motivated to create new clothing and I feel that after coming back from my break Im reaching another level of quality. The new sculptie prims are allowing me to create more realistic clothing, it brings that new dimension and its exciting to be working with something new.
A good friend of mine Snips has been putting me through my paces when it comes to sculpts. Coming back into SL I knew that I wanted to improve. Seeing the influx of new designers really made it apparent that I had to change with SL to stay competitive. Snips was great about listening to my ideas and telling me what was possible and what was too outlandish. I didnt really know what was all possible with sculpts until working with Snips. We've made a great team so far and Ive really pushed myself with my textures to fit the flow of the sculpts. Communication has been the key, I have always drawn out my designs for Snips to make my ideas clear. I thought Id share some of those sketches for people to see. :D

So, in other news. The show that Im apart of got put back. But it should be going down soon, its for Hommes magazine. Im happy I was able to get all 8 outfits for them together and am excited to see how the event goes down.

Ive also been trying to help promote the Block. Ive been not only pro active about my store and its releases Ive also wanted to help give The Block that push, its been nice to be around my friends and feel inspired and invigorated by working with them. You can catch the Block blog here! Im excited about seeing the new stuff all the Blockers will be getting out!

Im currently working on some more clothing. A completely new jacket that I think people will enjoy as well as some suits and blazers. Im also hoping to purchase land for myself...think its over due for me to have my own mainstore. Watch this space.

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Mmmm...fresh!

2008-05-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.
So some of you may have spotted the hoodies Ive put out not long ago. There are currently two flavours available : Guile and iCON Red. Ive really been inspired by Bape. I love their patterned textures and Ive tried to offer some unique patterns of my own. I have two more styles yet to release : Ronin and Scribe. Which should be available very soon. The designs are available for both men and women.

The hoodies come with various wearing styles. You can roll up the sleeves, wear them down. You can wear it with the shirt/tank provided or with another of your choice. And of course, you can wear the hood up or down. Aemilia was kind enough to make some hair for the hoods when worn up which you can also grab at my store or hers. I really wanted to offer as many wearing options as possible.

I also have some jeans that I have been working on. Ive really put in the time with them and the prototype version is looking really sharp. I'll be putting out various versions which I will be unveiling at an upcoming show (this Saturday I believe...more info soon) with a whole heap of new yummy goodness. Lots of exciting stuff happening at GearShift. :D

Peace out cool cats!

Don

Stronger.

2008-05-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

So yea, HI! Remember me?

First thing you'll probably notice...other then a NEW post. Is that Ive actually taken time to redesign my layout. *wipes brow* Finally!

A blog post is certainly well over due. My 'absence' lasted I think at the very least for 8 months and while Ive been back in SL for maybe a month or so, I'm still getting used to all the changes. Changes to SL of course, changes to SL fashion, changes in attitudes from people and changes to how my store is received.
One of the first things I noticed when getting back was how many people had cut me. I cant really hold it against them. Ive heard it from quite a few people and the shared consensus was that I probably wouldn't come back. I guess it really is out of sight out of mind. But for every person that gave up on me, there was someone genuinely happy to see me back regularly.
Time in SL really is condensed, being away for just a week can see you miss so much. So with my extended absence it really was like a system shock trying to compute everything that HAD changed. For the first few days I pretty much camped out at my work space trying to create new things. I felt really sheepish and the idea of IMing people just seemed awkward at best. I think friendships in a virtual environment without constant attention can easily break down. Your always meeting new people, sharing new experiences. So those that aren't regular can be left behind or forgotten and replaced. People I think can quickly turn from being a friend, to just another name on your list, to a collection of letters on a card that can be deleted - its all just a click away. So the idea of trying to build those bridges again was a scary thought. I didn't want to be rejected, thats how I felt. But people can surprise you, with as much thought as I was giving everything - analysing how big a douche people thought I was . There were those that just didn't care about any of that - they were just happy to see me at the end of the day. Of course there are still people I think that probably humor me with light conversation - I guess that connection kind of burnt out with me being away. But then I cant expect everything to be as it was, people move on and Ive begun to accept that.

So other then dealing with issues like that Ive been trying to get back to that designing thing. GearShift is and will always be something special to me. Its an outlet for me to share my ideas with people. And Im so glad to be back working on things that get me excited...things are fresh again and Im definately enjoying it. Before my break I was trying to develop another project called 'Rival Skoolz' It was going to coincide with my mainstore. Things sadly fell through with that, a few people let me down and with a new RL job, I couldnt see the idea through to completion. Looking back, I think I was tackling something a little too big for me at that time, its definately a project I want to see acomplished - But its a project for later down the line. I think my priority back then should have been getting GearShift grounded. So thats one thing Im trying to do with me coming back. On returning its almost like starting from ground zero. So I have a little work ahead of me re-establishing my brand name. And I have a few things that people have been excited about. Lets watch this space.

Peace out cool cats.

Don

Absence note.

2007-08-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

I havent been on SL lately...its been a while. Truth be told I cant stand being in it for more then a few minutes at a time. I think Im burnt out, burnt out from people...burnt out creatively in SL. I just feel every time I get on with the specific WANT to finish a design or outfit my desire quickly fades. The fun factor from SL seems to have disappeared. I love SL I really do, its just right now I need a break. A period to rejuvenate and think clearly. Im sure I'll bounce back stronger and can finally put out the designs I want. For now, I will be coming on every so often to check note cards and fix any customer problems.

Peace out cool cats.

Don

Lion 52 Racing outfit.

2007-06-25T05:04:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
I know, I havent been on regular these days and my blog has suffered. My apologies. Some exciting stuff has been happening in my real life that took priority for a little while. I got a new job which is actually pretty awesome. I work as a 2D animator and graphic designer at a London based firm. Its all very exciting, my office is in Covent Garden so its RIGHT in the center of everything. Ive been getting settled so have been using my spare time to finish off my SL projects. One of them was a biker outfit which Im proud to say I have finally finished. Its pretty involved with various prim accessories and I hope fans and customers will enjoy the attention to detail I have put in.
Theres a lot of pictures in this post, bare with me.

All the accessories come ready to wear for most average male avatars. But are flexible enough to resize. The helmet comes with a hair and non-hair option. I should be getting it out hopefully sometime this evening. The outfit comes with - The Jacket and prim collar, the leather pants, the elbow and knee pads, the gloves and its prim padding, the boots and the belt. And dont worry girls, I havent forgotten about the female alternative. :P

Peace out pretty kitties.

Don

New Biker boots!

2007-05-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

Just finished some new biker boots. Still unnamed but Im quite happy with them. They are based loosely on 'Kings' boots from Tekken 5. I still have a few more accessories to finish before Im done with my biker outfits. But watch this space. :D

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

GearShift Academy!

2007-05-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

So, I started texturing my main store. Its been well overdue. Its been sitting there half built for months now. Broder and Snippy decided to help so I dragged them along and they fixed unaligned prims and built some new bits. While I textured and pulled things together. Its starting to take shape...Im sooo fucking ready to release my fucking uniforms already. XD

I never forgot about my Rival Skoolz project. It just got put on the back burner for a lil while.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

GearShift Riders!

2007-05-24T04:08:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!
Heres a sneak peek at an outfit Im working on. So far Ive finished the leather racing jacket template. Its turned out really well I think. The full outfit will contain ALOT of prim accessories, including boots, elbow and kneepads and helmet. Im considering a Ghost Rider version to continue the comic inspired apparel Ive been releasing. I love Ghost Rider, shame about the movie. >_<;

Its not a strictly guy outfit however. You guys may remember a lil sketch I had in my 'Donny Sketch Party 4!' post. Yep, its an outfit that Im making too, so girls will have a fun variant for themselves to wear. :D

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Guitar Zero!

2007-05-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
Was super bored so decided to play some songs and record myself. Just played a couple of songs for fun. So get ready to cringe to my amateur guitar playing, with all its buzzing and lame strum patterns. I included all the takes because its funny when I fuck up...you guys can laugh at my skitzoid cursing!

These are all done on an acoustic guitar with a lame mic. I dont have a professional set up or anything. XD

Always your way This is a song I totally adore. Its by a London band called My Vitriol!

New shoes A lil bit of a new song Ive been learning. Its by Paolo Nutini and its kinda bluesy, if you dig that stuff. And its about shoes! HAWT!

The next lot are takes of me playing Basket Case by Green Day. Im still kinda learning the song. I get so angry when I dont get things right and turn into a skitzoid sailor apparently.
Take 1 : Im so lame!
Take 2 : fucking balls!
Take 3 : Basketfuck

Enjoy the madness!

Don

Donny Sketch Party 5!

2007-05-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

The other day I did a sketch while chatting with Saeya. After I finished it I started looking through some of my artwork and noticed I might possibly be obsessed with smoking artistically. *laugh* I fucking hate smoking in real life, its pretty much a habit Im not going to take up. I made a weird little pact with some friends when I was 13, we all promised we would never be like the poser 6th formers in my school and that we would not smoke. 11 years later and Im the only one left in that lil group who kept those principles. I just find it funny that Ive been so attached to it visually, not only in my art but my avatar is now pretty much a heavy chain smoker. I'll post some art from my lil archive, some art is as old as 2002 so expect varying artistic ability.

Okay, Im also obsessed with drawing boys. ^_^;

Well peace out pretty kitties.
Im out for a fag break. :P
Don

BlockParty 5!

2007-05-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
Wanted to thank everyone for showing up at the party this past Saturday. I had so much fun. As always, it wasnt without its problems in the beginning. I completely spaced on giving Jonny the stream information the night before. So, with some quick thinking and help from Zab we cooked up a little banner which could load the stream OUTSIDE of SL. Jonny did show up later to fix the stream in world so it eventually worked out. In my experience however, The Block parties are never without their teething problems at the beginning but they always manage to finish strong.
This was definately the biggest party I believe we have had for the Block. Just the amount of people in one place was just so exciting. We managed high traffic through out before crashing the sim at 96 nearing the end. Whats a block party without a crash or two?
I think the live music went down well, I'll be sure to play some more songs next time round. And I'll do my best NOT to drop my guitar pick during a song. And... >.> sorry for the mic breathing. *laugh* But apparently some people liked it? 0_o
I was also REALLY excited to have tracks from Elec Tone which went down a treat when I played them for the crowd. All in all it was a great experience and I am so looking forward to the next one. Lets hope it is sooner, rather then later.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

The adventures of Penis power!

2007-05-16T05:31:00.000-07:00

I got the second poster finished yesterday night. You would not believe how hard it is a task to get a hold of some of the designers, even for just a moment. Everyone has either been super busy or stressing with pressures from RL. But thankfully I was able to scrounge up some popular Block regulars for a few minutes.

You'll have probably started noticing the posters throughout The Block. And I have been whoring them like crazy. For those that are willing, I'll be sending out a LM-giver prim with both posters in some group notices this evening. So if you were feeling generous you could maybe put them up at your establishment/home/area of interest.

Last night was actually pretty interesting. Trying to think of something new for a Block party I wanted to book some live musicians for the event. I remember a friend telling me that the owner of a live music venue was a big fan of my store. So I thought it would be interesting to inquire about having a musician play for us. The owner 'Lucius' was very sweet and extremely helpful. He managed to organise a demo with one of their regular performers. Apparently he has quite the following so I was excited to hear what the big hubbub was about. I invited Vas, Devo, DT and Posy and we listened to him play two live songs for us. The performer was EXTREMELY talented and I was excited to have him play this Saturday, he has a great voice and I thought his style of music would of gone down well.

However, the performers ego was HUGE. After TPing him to The Block things just started to break down in conversation. DT was there and like a professional was very delicate and diplomatic with his responces...I was so greatful for that because I was just in shock by the things I was hearing. The performer wanted to strike up a kind of deal with us and The Block, have him wear our clothing exclusively so he could promote us. Though he didnt spit it out properly, he basically wanted us to PAY him so he could wear our clothes. You have got to laugh at that sort of mentality folks...thats one of the funniest things Ive had proposed to me in SL. Heres me thinking I was doing pretty well as a business in SL. I didnt realise what I needed to improve sales was have a bedroom singer wear my shit.
After talking with Zab about it later that evening he told me to nix him. The Block has a pretty chilled vibe, so for someone to climb on mic and potentially bombard the audience with ramblings about HOW GOOD he is between songs...well, that probably wouldnt go down too well. So although I wanted to introduce something NEW to the block party...The Block itself needs to be the priority.

I dont quite think he realises how big hes fucked up. The Block Parties have always been pretty popular and this opportunity could of been very good for him...not only in what I was paying him, but his tips for that day and the potential notoriety he could of achieved from playing The Block . Oh well, I'll see what I can do about bringing something fresh this weekend. If anything, at least you guys are safe from having to hear someone tell you that they are sorry they have to leave...but someones screaming for some hot loving. *shudder* Cheese like that is stab worthy. God bless you Mr. Egotistical Performer!

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Block Party 5 is coming!

2007-05-15T02:14:00.001-07:00

So the Block party is happening this weekend. For those that were disappointed that things didnt go down LAST weekend. Well, just be cool. Its getting sorted for this Saturday and its going to ROCK so hard. So rejoice block kids, its happening.

Ive been putting together some posters for the event. Following on from Noams great movie themed poster from a previous party. Can you guess which movie this poster is inspired by?

Im trying to get some of the other designers to make a secondary poster with the colours inverted. Then I'll put the images of them on shirts and tank tops which you can get at the party ABSOLUTELY free! Coupled with the great limiteds that will be available people are sure to come away with some top quality fashion booty!

Im not 100% on the time of the party, which is why its not on this version of the poster. But I imagine it will start at 12PM SLT... or there abouts. As usual I'll be spinning the tracks so be sure to come down and chill with the rest of us.

Just be cool.

Don

Get your fresh issues at GearShift!

2007-05-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

Been a lil hectic this past week. Ive had to actually buckle down and finish three new stores. I used to love getting a new place when I first started out as a designer, but now setting up new stores is probably one of my LEAST favourite things about the designer experience. Dont get me wrong, I understand its importance and will put some effort into my store set ups. But, I do sometimes leave it till that last minute.

There are two sims opening to the public this weekend, Downtown and the NEW Block. Im actually kinda psyched about my stores there. I put a little more thought into their conception than usual. They are both themed as comic book stores which I thought was amusing. Im probably a lil more partial to my Block store as I built it from the ground up. Though, they are both at such nice locations its hard not to love them equally. Definately fun for the whole family!

This comic rack was built by the awesome Posy, a testament to how much she rocks!

Ahhhh...refreshing! Im now Geared up for the rest of the day! GearShift cola, now with extra GEEK!

Both sims will be celebrating with a party I believe. Im still a little cloudy about the time of the Block party opening, but rest assured I'll be there kicking it with the mad tunes. The Downtown sim will be rawking out with their party starting from 12 SLT. I'll be grabbing the mic at around 4SLT so be sure to come down and support the sims. Good times!

Peace out pretty kitties!

"Whooooooooo... PARTY!"

Don

Geared Up!

2007-05-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Did you ever hear the one about the 3 people at the bus stop?

Peace out pretty kitties.

Don

Donny Sketch Party 4!

2007-05-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

Hey gang!
Its that time again. :D

Awww, Yay! She loves me. :D

Painting I did of my granny. Ive done a few paintings and doodles of her during my life. This one I did when she died in Ferbuary. Love you gran.

This one was a group pic with Artemis. Shes so very talented. I had fun, it was done sometime last year. Artemis said the guy I drew was a jerk. OMG, he is isnt he? I want some candy too. But Id share with everyone... I WOULD! >.>

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Polo flavour.

2007-04-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Im a little annoyed this afternoon as my web server seems to have gone down and I cant get a hold of the admins. Gahh! I can see the avalanche of screaming people wondering why their website went down. 0_o; Well, at least this time I can actually use the server going down as a legitimate excuse. Rather then using techno-babble to cover my lazy ass for having not done/finished things. - So if your reading through this blog and are wondering why images are missing. Well, now you know why. ^^;

Anyway, so I havent gotten out my guy releases. Im sorry, I was hoping to get things out before the weekend. But I didnt finish some polos that I had ideas for... But having got the chance to play with them this weekend Im hoping to get them out sometime today. They are comic inspired, cuz well if you didnt already know I am just a huge geek. Yup, thats how I roll yo! Venom and Punisher love for the masses!

I think the Venom top is one of my favourites. The logo wraps right around, just like it does on his suit. XD *squeeee* The polos are gonna come with optional prim ties. Ive finished the build on the ties, just gotta work on the textures for them.

And I STILL have to finish a bunch of stores. I suck so bad, Im definately gonna have to buckle down and finish them. One of the stores Ive been building is going to be themed as a comic book store. :) Its looking pretty snazzy, just gotta finish texturing bits and build my shelves for my clothes etc.

So thats it from me. Im gonna go see if I can get my servers running. *cries*

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Tanks and kicks!

2007-04-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

Things are getting a lil hectic reaching this weekend. I have quite a few stores I have to set up. SL wasnt entirely friendly to me last night, I couldnt log into SL at all or the website. It wasnt until about 12pm today when things were able to roll for me again, so thats set me back a little. But Im sure I shall have things sorted for an exciting block weekend.

Im SOOOOO behind on so many things. I have a back log of shit Ive made but havent released. My Ryu hair, my uniforms, more tracksuits and some polos. And my mainstore STILL isnt finished. I'll release the goodies little by little, Im sure once these shopping sims are open I'll have time to work and build on my store again.

I have released some new tank tops for girls just recently. Its one of those things I get nagged a bit about. Are you doing more womens clothing? So I finally got off my lazy arse and put together some tank tops to appease the people. Im actually quite pleased with the template I got through. Im a sucker for detail, so heres hoping you guys enjoy them. Big thanks goes out to the awesome Leila who helped pose for my ads. ^_^

Ive gotten into this habit of just releasing a WHOLE bunch of stuff together at the same time. After chatting with Rosie I realised it might be better for the store if I stretch out my releases. It would keep people checking back at the store, and keep my name in the forums a lil longer. So, with this installment of my releases I got out 5 new tanks and the Relics Casual for girls. ^^; I have been meaning to get them out for a while, the textures have been done for a month or so. Well, better late then never eh?

So having taken care of the girls with that release I have some stuff coming up for the guys. Im getting out these polo and sweater combos, Ive been sitting on them for a little while and am actually pretty excited about them.
Ive been feeling a lot more confident about my designs. I dont think my designs are as cluttered and over-bearing as before. I think Ive always had a nice technical understanding of putting my templates together, but now I feel my designs are a lot more solid. Something that I feel Ive accomplished if anything in my time as a clothing designer here in SL is that my brand is pretty unique. I mean, my designs and the overall flavour of my items are my own. The GearShift identity is completely different from say FORM or Renegade. I think its important for every clothing designer to have their own flavour that sets them apart, the little quirks and character of your brand are all things that can see you have longevity and success...well, thats what I think anyway. *laugh*

The polo and sweater combos come with prim collars. The set can see you wear the sweater with the polo, or they are perfectly able to both stand on their own. I'll be getting them out with some more goodies for guys just before the weekend.
Well, I'll leave you with that kids.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Check bottom for expiry date.

2007-04-26T04:06:00.000-07:00

Ive been kind of out of action for a few weeks. More real life work getting the better of me. Im slowly trying to get back into the swing of things, but with my time off Ive felt Ive lost touch with some people. I have no idea when things started to turn sour with friends. Is it the time? The older you get in SL the more jaded you become? I dont know.
I havent been on top of other peoples drama, outside of reading cryptic emo blog entries I havent had the chance to talk and find out things. Just the other day my card was cut. Since I wasnt the only one to get the boot I could only guess it was their solution to a bigger problem... a dramatic answer to a problem? Maybe. I was left with a sour taste in my mouth, on one hand I was worried about what happened with my friend...but I also felt a little betrayed. Was I really that easily disposed of? Knowing all the time we've spent together? Only they know.
But that got me looking at my friends list and I started thinking about who I actually talk to. Its kind of sad, Im supposedly out-going and talkative...yet I could count all the people who will say hello to me on one hand. I felt lonely, Posy told me everyone goes through it in SL.

When did SL become a job? Thats what Ive been thinking about. Even before I disappeared for my break all I tended to do was check how much money I was getting in. Log on to check IMs and make sure I was cashing out. I Really dont want to become that jaded hermit designer who sees SL as just another income point. I do like chatting to people, I like those weird geeky conversations. Like trying to remember the lyrics to old cartoon theme songs. - Like 'The Raccoons' ^_^; Discussing who would be best suited to play Kratos in a possible God of War movie...or if anyone saw the last Gekirangers episode.

People move on, thats the nature of SL. Time does move fast here and that speeds up the process of everything. Relationships, friends and fads. I just hope the next set of close friends I make dont have weird secret issues or have the flair for being a diva. Oh Oh... I also hope they have longer expiry dates.

/end emo-ish rant

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Wataaaaaaaaaaaah!

2007-03-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
So its been a lil while since my last post. Ive had a busy couple of weeks. Alot of things happening in the Real World that Ive had to deal with...A death in the family saw me become quite the little hermit. It also saw me become VERY hyper active with my releases. Alot of people didnt know, mostly because I dont like bringing people down like that. And well, its my shit I have to deal with. Theres not really alot anyone else can do about it - so I took on the mentality that just getting on with it would be best. Ive been continuing my creative streak and have finished a few new offerings for you all.

I recently just finished a new full outfit that is currently for sale at my store at the block. Its obvious where my inspiration originates, I always thought the original jumpsuit was just SOOO kickass and sexy! Well, I did my own little variation on the outfit. Mine being a trendier take as it comes in a tracksuit form. A few people who have seen me roaming the streets with it have mistaken it for the bride's outfit in KillBill. GET IT RIGHT PEOPLE, I was looking at the ORIGINAL inspiration of Bruce Lee from Game of Death...NOT KillBill. Mr Tarantino obviously has great taste!

Well, the outfit comes with quite a few extras. Both clean and dirty versions of the tracksuit. (The Dirty version coming complete with HUGE footprint across the chest) The sporty yellow kicks and is topped off with a prim zipped collar. Also in the package for fun, I included two Bruce Lee gestures.

Ive also finished some new Relic Casuals. They come in a few different colours, black, white, red, blue and green. These Relics are much more in tune with Pumas or Adidas trainers with the sporty lines. I still think the casual shoes in SL are still heavily dominated by sneakers. I dont have anything against them of course, but I personally dont wear them very often in my casual attire when Im out and about. I hope these offerings will put a smile on the faces of those people who like wearing fitted Diesel shoes. I know Im probably going to get moaned at for not having girls sizes available yet, but please bare with me. They will be coming.

I recently hung out with Nex, he asked about how things were going with my 'Rival Skoolz' uniforms. Im sure he was convinced I had given up on the project. Which I told him wasnt the case. I HAVE been hard at work on my mainstore which is taking shape and the uniforms are going to be available upon the Grand opening of my store. Ive been enjoying creating things on a short tangent to help increase my stores inventory. The store and the Rival Skoolz project are going to be a main priority across the coming weeks. I know its been a long time coming, but if you know anything about me by now...you should know that I always work VERY hard to produce high quality goods. May take me a lil longer sometimes, but I always try and keep things very professional. That goes for my store and the project too.
Im sorry, no pictures just yet. I know I promised them... But SL sure is being stupid right now. I cant TP anywhere and things rezzing seems to be an impossibility right now. But to those who HAVE seen the build have had alot of nice things to say about it. You know, next to comments on how BIG it is. (Its a School damn it, of course its gonna be big!)

I really want to get out my shoes, but like I said. SL is being just impossible for me right now. But I will try and have them out and available sometime tonight...that is if SL decides to be a little kinder.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Hadoken!

2007-03-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

I dont think Ive ever been as productive in SL as I have been lately. Ive been dealing with a few personal things in RL that have got me down. And creating things seems to be the perfect escape for me, the busier I am...the less my mind has to wander.

Recently Ive been on a huge nostalgia trip. Playing old games, listening to old cartoon show themes and my new creation is indeed a nod to an old obsession. Man, in 1992 I was soooo hardcore for StreetFighter 2. I think everyone was... I still enjoy the occassional rumble on it with friends on one of its many incarnations. I bought the whole first series of Udons StreetFighter comics and in my first couple of days I read all 400+ pages. Alvin Lee's artwork is beautiful...not only did it inspire me to listen to a whole load of SF remixes...but it inspired me to make new hair. Noam told me that someone did indeed make a Ryu hairstyle already. But, Im hoping mine is better :P

Theres still a few things I want to perfect on it. Im not really happy about the strap texture... I rushed it just to see how the whole thing would work together. So, I'll definately fix that. Also, I guess I could get out a few different colours and designs. It would be more work for me... but I like to give customers options. ^^;

I dont know how many people would want Ryus hair. But... I think its cool anyway. XD

Ive also started building my mainstore. Wooooooo! Im excited, Ive never actually built anything big so its another first for me. :D Still a bit to go, but Im working hard to make it JUST right. Its a school...Im hoping to maybe allow for possible RP to go on with my Rival Skoolz gear so Im making it pretty detailed. XD I'll post some screenies of it in my next post.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Punch Drunk!

2007-02-27T00:35:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
As you know, Ive been pretty busy lately. Been doing my best to release a few new things. Ive been putting the finishing touches on another new accessory. If you've ever played Tekken you'll recognise them straight away. They come in a variety of styles and colours including black, red, electric blue and pink. I'll be getting them out sometime tomorrow. Id rave on about them more but I dont feel like writing an essay right now XD

So for now... enjoy the pretty pictures.

Theres quite a few adverts Ive gotta make for them. But I imagine they'll be done sometime tomorrow...maybe. >.>

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Its ALIVE!

2007-02-23T04:05:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to report that my main computer is alive and well. It was repaired on Wednesday and since then Ive been trying to get back into the groove of releasing and creating actively. The computer burning out there came at such a horrible time, it through my whole flow out of whack! But I think I'm slowly getting back on form and am ready for some nice big releases.

Some exciting news though, some of you may know about it already. But I have purchased my own land. So yes, I WILL have a GearShift mainstore in the near future. I have some exciting ideas for it, lets hope I can pull them off in the build. XD The dreaded computer burnout really did come at a bad time, but Ive had time to think about what I want for it...so watch this space.

Ive got out a baseball cap today. It was going to be a lot more involving when I originally thought of it. But I decided to release it early to get out something fresh from GearShift. My absence in releasing items has seen my sales go a little stale lately, but I'm gonna do my best to inject new life into my store inventory.

The Pirate Cap comes in two packs. Natural and Punk, both packs come with three different shades of hair. If people dig the hat, I'll see about improving it and adding different colours and designs. Maybe a scripted texture switch? We'll see. :D

This morning, I was just walking around Koreshan. I went to finally check out Noams mainstore. Although I did have my secondary computer to check in on SL, I could only really do basic things. Going to big locations would just see my machine lag...so I decided to wait. Its a great store, Noam did such a wonderful job. I hadn't been to Koreshan since Noam last took me there quite a few months back. I think back then it was mostly barren space, apart from Chicanery and a few others. But I decided to just take a little stroll today and WOW. Its such a deliciously created sim, its such a fresh idea to have it designed like a theme park. Every store is created with such enthusiasm its hard not to just smile when your wandering around the vibrant landscape.

Koreshan, I salute you!

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Who wants to be famous?

2007-02-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

This is a topic that has been on my mind for the longest time. And it has to do with 'fame' or the pursuit of it in Second Life. Ive been wondering for a while if this was something that was appropriate for my blog, but after reading a reply to something I wrote in style disorder I guess its something other people have been thinking about too.

Not everyone is out to be popular (what does that even mean in Second Life?) or get something for free. - GillianWaldman

There have been a few conversations Ive had with people over the past couple of months that have dealt with this subject. But one I had with Rosie kind of stands out about what 'fame' is in SL. She explained that popularity exists in all aspects of social groups and communities and SL is no different. The popular ones of SL tend to be the content creators, its these people whose names we remember. And I guess its true, its their clothing that we wear, its their inventions that we use and its their creations in which we explore.

I respect hardwork and talent, its ego and attitude I find that sours my view of some content creators. Personally, creating in SL has always been an outlet for my ideas and creativity. 'Fame' isnt something that fueled my desire for creating clothes, it isnt what keeps me up in the early hours of the morning making sure that seams are aligned. Its love, its inspiration, its challenging myself and its these pure ideals that I believe are what make good content creators. When I was starting out in SL it was the attitudes of the designers at the block that I admired. They were approachable and talkative, they were helpful and supportive especially to someone new. Naively for the longest time I thought this was the attitude of ALL designers in SL, I was wrong. But it dosent stop me from believing it is an outlook that should be adopted. I think it would do wonders for the mindset of the casual SL-er and their position for putting creators on pedestals.

A couple of days ago there was a short conversation I had with someone that brought this point to light. I like to think Im very approachable and do my utmost to help anyone that needs it, be it something to do with my store or where to get something. I like conversation and am ready to chat with pretty much anyone. This person explained in IM how they were envious of me and the friends that I was with. He was to shy to approach us when we were at deviant kitties, I told him that we are all very friendly and dont bite. I wanted him to understand that Im just a regular guy, that he shouldnt put so much emphasis on me being a store owner and putting me on a pedestal, that next time he should just hang out. He told me that because I was a designer it allowed me to have 'certain' friends. I couldnt believe what I was reading. Yes, Im a designer. It may be what I do, but Im sure its me the person that people want to get to know, its my personality that gets me friends. Being a designer has NOTHING to do with that. His comments made me feel really awkward, I dont ever want to alienate anyone so I expect the same kind of respect in turn. Im not saying I dont enjoy compliments, but when some people come on really strong it can make you feel quite out of place. I cant speak for all designers, I know there are those who really enjoy the fame induced ego stroking... but I like being treated like a regular guy.

I think this seeps out into other aspects of SL other then content creation. The idea of fame in SL is something that is important to too many people. If your going to start working on something creative with SecondLife as a basis, great! Im all for encouraging new content creators and pioneers of new kinds of media for SL. But take the time to consider what your doing it for. - If the reason is for people to say : "OMG its so-and-so, dont you own generic-store184?" Then your deluded into a pathetic superficial ideal.

Phew, big rant eh? Well, its been on my mind for a bit. Hope it makes some sense. ^^;

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Crash and Burn.

2007-02-10T04:22:00.000-08:00

Ive been working REALLY hard leading up to this weekend. Some of you might remember me mentioning 'Project: Rival Schools'in a previous post. Well, I was getting ready to make my first release with outfits from it this weekend - I was excited! Life however, has a way of shitting on your plans and laughing mockingly in your face.

Yesterday, my computer decided to conk out at around about 8PM GMT. I was crushed, I was in the middle of getting some promotional photos done and some extra goodies. I was really wanting to make a big post explaining what I had planned. Share my enthusiasm for what I have been working on the last couple of weeks. Well, my power supply decided to just burn out. - Crushed...that's maybe an understatement.

So right now I'm using my secondary computer. Its specs are severely lacking...and I dont really trust it to run SL properly. Well, not in the way I'm used to. And this machine has outdated design programs. I am pondering upgrading my PS from PS6 on here to CS. But, this machine rarely does what I want it to do...I don't know if the software upgrade is the best answer. Ive just talked to tech support and have booked to have my power supply replaced, makes me feel better about buying that insurance now. But that's not till Monday, and I'm not sure how long they'll decide to have it in. Its a fairly simple job, but we all know how tech guys are - they assume everyone is stupid. So what essentially might be an hour or two job, they can
lengthen dramatically...conscious free.

I'm so mad right now, all I can think about is wanting to just release my clothes. I think GearShift is in severe need to have some more inventory injected into it. Recently Ive been kind of getting down on myself about how long I spend working on templates and my creations. I do a lot of hand airbrushing and texturing, I spend ridiculous amounts of time zoomed in shading and highlighting folds till Im satisfied they look right. I add fabric textures, I make sure you can see stitching...but really you can only see some of these things if you zoom in closer.I'm obsessed with details like this, I think I have some kind of designer OCD. Do consumers really appreciate things like this? Do they even realize that Ive spent the time to make sure the stitching has the faintest of outer-shading to give it visual weight? I doubt it, my brain is wired differently I guess. Regardless of how I had been feeling - this weekend was there to set things right. That release would validate my hard work ,and all would be right in Don's small kitty world. This is what I had been telling myself anyway, you know...until things got a browner kind of shitty.

So with that ranty vent, I'll leave you with this small visual offering. Its a promotional shot of some of the outfits Ive been working on. I know theres probably some of you wondering, WTF is Rival Schoolz then you bastard? Well, the short explanation would be - imagine Battle Royale mixed with Volcano High. Yea, you'll get the gist of what I'm doing. I'll be sure to post more about the actual project when I don't feel this overwhelming need to stab someone in the face. I'll have more pictures :D

Oh, and if you dont see me on SL for a couple of days. Now you know why. *cries*

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Block Party 4 : The curse of Ivan Drago

2007-02-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

The Block Party kicked off today and as usual wasnt without its trademark problems. Yep, I couldnt get any of the streams I had to work so it was without a DJ for a short while. Thankfully, the resourceful and adorably cute-alicous Pushbutton was there to save the day by finding a stream that I could rock on. I LOVE the people at the block, its the only place I can crank out tracks from anime and get a big cheer. *embraces his fellow geeks*
Living in England, the whole Super Bowl thing is lost on me. But from what Ive heard...its pretty big in the U.S . Which is why I thought it was a strange choice to have the Block Party on Super Bowl Sunday. But apparently Zab had planned it weeks in advance and didnt realise it was on the same date, go figure. With that said, we werent without the lag. Though, I dont believe we crashed the sim...surprising. The nutty banter was in full force, comment of the night had to go to Hely with 'orgasmic carrot dinner'. A short but interesting yarn about a young woman pleasuring herself with carrots, then using the said vegetable in her husbands dinner. Can you say yummy?

One of the best things about the block parties has to be the exclusives. And we had them in spades this time around with some great items coming from Zab, Keishii and KO. The limited edition items are on sale however ONLY for today... so if you havent gone to the block and blown your linden load on our offerings then you'll be left unfulfilled later as they'll be gone. Go grab them quick!

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Donny Sketch Party 3!

2007-01-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

More doodles for your viewing pleasure. This set coming from art I did for Noam's Rezday and Posy's birthday.

The art for this was done for the invitation for Posys SL Party which Im trying to organise with some much needed help. ^^; But I think it came out cute. Posy is easy to draw because shes soooo adorable.

This was a gift I made for Noam on his Rezday. I didnt know he was having a party until I got TPed by Posy. Eeeeep... I quickly had to do something for Noam and decided to draw a strange doodle of Noam looking miffed and beaten up. Since he was wearing Zabs kick ass bruised skin. Its very very sketchy, but I think it has an endearing 'fuck off' quality. :D And Noams having his RL birthday soon so I get to do another picture of Noam. I love drawing Noam XD

And theres another Block party next weekend. Noam did such a fucking cool poster, it rocks so hard that I want to have it on my wall in real life! I have to think about a limited... ^^; Im right in the middle of my Project: Rival Schools thingy. So I might kick out a special Block academy outfit...we'll see. And yea, I still have to talk about it properly in a post. XD I promise its coming soon! WITH PICTURES!

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

The bane of any digital designer!

2007-01-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

Im back, yes Im getting back on my blogging saddle. I was kind of out of it for quite a few days. I think Nex thought I died... No no big brother, the gear name will live on. *laugh* But yea, a few things like that dreaded RL work thing had to be attended to, the watching of dvds and the playing of games. A little mini-break ^^; not that anyone noticed Im sure...well other then Nex. >.> Who thought I had died... Im not dead!!! Ive been kinda continuing my current trend of hermiting in my home... I havent made a visit to the block in a while. And I havent caught up properly with friends. Im sorry...Im not purposely being a prick, Im just hunkering down with some work.

But yes, Im back and am working on a big project. A few other designers are kinda helping out on a few things and have given me their blessing to kick out some awesome. BUT, I'll be sure to talk about it in another more exciting lengthy post. Not that its really a big secret, but more that I dont have the energy to write a big post right this second. I havent really named the project either, but to anyone thats been asking Ive been using 'Project: Rival Schools' temporarily. Its lame and theres already a kickass videogame by capcom that flies that named banner. Big minus 50 points for unoriginality.

What I did want to take time out to talk about was losing your work to a crash/powercut/error/stupidness. Oh my I have nightmares about it and it definately is the BANE of any digital designer. These events dont usually strike often but when they do, they CRUSH your very soul. Your left in a babbling dribbling mess, rocking back and forth in the fetal position. Its not pretty! *nods solemnly*

The only real way we can try and save us from what would become scarred memories is to click save. Alot of you are smirking to yourselves thinking - I save, Im not stupid like Don. Well, I thought I did too. It happened to me a week or so ago when coding a site, my Flash crashed suddenly. I was crying to Noam in IM. >_<; And I thought it happened to me again just a short while ago as I worked on a new template. My computer suddenly decided to crash on my return from my Pepsi Max break. As my computer slowly rebooted I can remember myself sitting there with my heart in my throat wondering if I saved. My hands clasped together and reciting the mantra of "Please God...Please God...Please God!" Thankfully, my work was intact as I loaded my PSD file. But Im still sort of shuddering from the actual thought that I could of lost ANY work. Seriously, save after every major change! Make it a habit, it could save your life... well okay, not your life but maybe a few white hairs at the very least. XD

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Donny Sketch Party 2!

2007-01-08T23:09:00.000-08:00

Yay, a small edition to my lil sketch party post.

This sketch is of Posy and myself. Its for a special occasion coming up for the both of us. :P I think it turned out really well. It captures a moment and says alot about how I feel. ^^;

This was a birthday present for Arbers. I missed her actual birthday as I hadnt seen her online for a bit. Ive been getting on at different times lately. >_<; But, I wanted to do something special for her so I asked her what kind of sketch she'd want of herself. And she said she wanted a hedgehog costume... so this is what I thought up.

Well, I'll be sure to post some more doodles when I get them done.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Add a dash of venom.

2007-01-07T00:05:00.000-08:00

How many of you are huge comic book geeks? Come on, I want to see those hands. Anyone? Well - okay, how many of you are fans of the Spiderman movies? Ahhhhh there you guys are.

Wel, if you havent been following the news or caught the trailers of Spidey 3 be sure to check them out. But what Im actually excited about is that they are including one of my favourite characters Venom. Im going to refrain from going into geek-speak and explaining all his backstory, but those who dont know of Eddie Brock or Venom and want to...then click here. Thank the interwebz for Wikipedia!

But - I already knew that I hear some of you cry. True, the news of the Spidey villans has been out for months. But its what I stumbled across yesterday after learning there was leaked footage that has me squirming. Its actual footage of Venom from Spiderman 3. Its the big toothy Venom we all love! I found a slowed down gif showing Venom in all his symbiotic glory.

I guess it can be considered a spoiler, which is why I wont post the visual gif on the blog itself. BUT if your interested in seeing it, then click here and indulge yourself in its black venomy goodness.

Well, I just wanted to share that. Yes, Im a geek. ^^;

Until next time true believers!

Don

Donny sketch party!

2007-01-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
Just wanted to put up a couple of sketches of friends and gifts for others. XD Sorry they arnt really finished or painted. And yea, Im a very messy sketcher. ^^;

Posy bought a big blimp the other day which was very cool. I kept thinking of Luputa and Sky Pirates so thought Id put something together with these inspirations since Rudra did such a lovely drawing of all of us. ^^; I think it turned out really nice, Id love to colour it when I find the time. :D

This one I did as a gift for Noam, I wanted to do lots of nice winter pictures of all my friends. But fuck, Im lazy! I also planned to colour this one too, I think I got Noams face really well in this one.

This was another unfinished picture I did for my friends Char and Heaven. ^^ Its of us all sitting together just chilling and Char seems to have fallen asleep. I think theres a trend starting to show here maybe. Sketchy unfinished doodles. >.>

You've probably seen this one in my profile. ^^; Yea, its a big coloured picture of my head. YAY!

Well, I'll be sure to post some more strange pictures in the future!

Until next time pretty kitties!

Don

Boy has got heart...a hand...a foot...

2007-01-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

As of yesterday I have been sucked into another new television show. Posy told me about it ages ago saying that it would be something I would enjoy. But I kept forgetting to get my hands on it. But the day before yesterday when reading through the IGN.com 'best of 2006' list I kept seeing Dexter pop up in its awards, it peaked my interest. Now, having seen the first 5 episodes of season one... I can safely say that it is definately one of my ALL TIME favourite shows.
Im guessing its heavy dark humour isnt going to be for everyone, and I applaud showtime for producing something outside of the black and white confines of whats morally right and wrong. For those of you seeking something different, I URGE you to see 'Dexter'!

The show is told from the point of view of Dexter. He works for the Miami police department as a blood splatter anayalist. But blood isnt just his job, its his life. Its kept deep within him, his close friends dont know, neither does his sister. The only person to truly know Dexter was his father, who shows up in flashbacks as a symbol of Dexters bloody moral code. Dexter is a serial killer...of serial killers, his father knowing things werent quite right with him decided to steer him onto a more rightous path. I guess he was picking the lesser of two evils teaching him that some people deserve it. Its a twisted kind of logic, but it dosent stop me always rooting for Dex to get his man or woman. I think all of his flaws only make him much more endearing.

Seriously, if you havent seen it yet watch it. Cmon, its a television show where the hero is a serial killer. How awesome is that premise? Pretty damn awesome if you ask me. XD

Untill next time my bloody kitties.

Don

What does your shirt say again?

2007-01-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

Ive had my new Tshirts in SL for a couple of days now, but I thought it would be nice to help commercialise them a tad more with having them on my blog.
I talked about working on a new shirt template a while back, and Ive had it finished for a while. But I only started working on the new designs as 2006 was coming to a close. Im really quite pleased with the actual template for the shirt itself, I think its lined up pretty nicely and the textures help bring a more realistic quality that I think my last template was lacking. My last shirt template was the first thing I ever worked on with regards to SL clothing. And I think after more then 5 months working on clothes in SL Ive gotten better. I think some of the shirts Id designed before were too cluttered in design, Ive mentioned it before and I think I over complicate things sometimes. Ive really tried my best to remedy that with this new series of shirts. Ive had alot of fun making them, working with new ideas and experimenting with colours that were indeed lacking from my previous collection. I think most mens wear comes in muted colours, blacks and greys. Thats fine, I like that too. But I wanted to inject something a little different into my designs, I really hope people will enjoy them. ^^

Going over what I said a little earlier in this post. I really have been designing clothes for a while now. Its kinda scary looking over my time in SL, things have moved so quickly for me - time really does fly. My store is still pretty small, my offerings still buckle under the weight of other established clothiers. But I think my 'gear' differs enough to keep people interested. Ive grown comfortable with my brand and I make enough of a profit to know I have a place in SL fashion...however small that place may be right now. ^^; I remember having a little talk with Arbers at the block a couple of days ago. She mentioned the reason we dont get blogged so much is that people dont understand our style. I think its more a case that us 'dirty revolution clothiers' fit only a small portion of the SL fashion industry. We dont fit everyones tastes, we arnt mainstream. Ive always created things that interest me, that I want to wear or see. I think thats a shared mentality of most of my designer friends - those 'dirty revolutionaries'.
From a purely business standpoint it would make sense to make dresses, to create more formal attire. Id probably make more money... But would I enjoy it? No sir. I'll always create for me, that way when I make those sales its more personal. They are not only buying my hardwork, but also buying into my idea of cool, my sense of style. And I think thats a pretty cool thought! :D At the end of the day, I think you have to do what you enjoy - otherwise whats the point?

So right now, Im trying to get through my little designer notebook of ideas. I have a few things I want to finish. I think some girl tanktops would be nice to get out and would be a nice addition just after getting my new shirts out. I also want to get out some skirts and belts. I think the addition of white versions of my relic classics would also be perfect for some of the lighter shaded designs I have out. Watch this space.

Well, until next time my pretty kitties.

Don

Rise from your grave...

2007-01-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yay for Altered Beast referenced titles!
So, I hope you all had a great New Years and Christmas. Yes, Im back after a lengthy absence from blogging. Ughhh... Im bad I know, Donny needs to be beaten.

So did you all make resolutions you dont intend to keep? Yes? Good good. :D We are off to a good start then.
Did you get all the prezzies you wanted on Christmas?

Christmas is always tainted for me, I guess I cant appreciate it as much as my birthday is the very next day. As a kid theres always two days you look forward to out of the year. Christmas and your birthday... and well, with those days being so close it can get a little anti-climatic. As a kid Id always like to soften the blow by having people enlarge my ego by saying -"Hey, you get double presents!" Well, this is only rarely true. Usually people are just cheap and give you the one. And on that rare occasion I do get two it turns out they are two pairs of socks. AWESOME! ¬_¬
You get used to having everything closed on your actual birthday...having to deal with it so much growing up, but the thing I hate the MOST and really just drives me crazy... are people who write happy birthday in a Christmas card. Are they SOOOO cheap they cant just get a regular birthday card? It further enlarges the fact that your special day is overshadowed by Christmas. - Im not bitter really...really. *twitches*

I want to thank everyone that did show up for my SL party, it was really nice. JB DJed and everyone showed up in costume. Woooo! Actually, that reminds me... if I COULD pick my birthday on ANY day. I would pick Halloween. Seriously, if your born on that day it must be sooooo cool. You get oodles of candy, you get to have crazy decorations up and you can dress up any way you want. AWESOME! I bet though, somewhere in the vastness of the interwebz some poor guy is writing in his blog about how much Halloween birthdays suck. Dude! How emo!!! *laugh*

I did get alot of really nice presents from Posy and friends in 2006. Thanks for making my first birthday and Christmas here in SL so special. Noam made me the most awesome picture! Look how cool I look! XD

New Years was awesome however, I hung with some friends and watched fireworks. MAN, the fireworks in London were so awesome. Im glad they didnt cancel them, there was a lot of horrible weather. Oh and I ate spring rolls... Mmmmm! And slightly drunk Guitar Hero jam sessions FTW!
SL New Years was interesting, there was a really great party at DTs and Vas's place. I could of sworn we went through quite a few different new years. *laugh* Time Zones...YAY!

Wooo! How hawt do Posy and Arbers look? Thats such a great picture! I believe Deeks was nominated party photographer and did a ton of shots. ^^;

Well, I hope you had a great holiday season guys. Heres to 2007!

Until next time pretty kitties.

Don

Expanding GearShift.

2006-12-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
I think its time I put GearShift out there and began expanding on my stores. I think Im doing quite well and am really proud of the progress Ive made in my time here on SL. I still remember my humble beginnings of peddling shirts for free at 'The Block' all those months ago. Zab, Keishii, DT, Noam and Posy were all really supportive and gave me a lot of great advice starting out. I believe that my small success in part is due to their guidance and their willingness to give someone new a chance.

Right now Im hoping to expand my brand. Im looking to find more stores where I could have GearShift. I was hoping that maybe you guys could maybe offer suggestions on places you think would be a good fit for my store. I really dont know alot of the best places and feel a lil embarrassed that I havent explored enough in SL. ^^;

Or even if you know good spaces for land. A mainstore has been on my mind for the longest time. I think it would be great to have a space I can call my own. I think now that Im doing well enough to support something like this its something I should follow up. XD I really have NO experience in land what-so-ever and this would be completely new to me. Im sure I'll have to be sat down and have the whole thing explained with diagrams and pie-charts.

If you guys have any advice or suggestions, please follow up with comment. And remember! - A Kitty is for life, not just for Christmas.

Peace out pretty kitties!
Don

Cast in amber

2006-12-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite bands have a limited release of their live album available. I rushed to get it when I heard about it as it comes with a sampler from their latest studio album...which I have been dying to hear for YEARS. The band is 'My Vitriol' and they hail from my home city of London. I remember seeing them on 'top of the pops' in 2001 and instantly fell in love with Som Wardners sexy good looks. I was really bummed I didn't get to see them live last month but look forward to them touring again soon and getting another glimpse at this super sexy band.

Som Wardner = the hawtness!

I just love their style. They are a really good looking band, seriously - and really technically gifted considering they are still quite young. I love their layered guitar licks, the melodies, the hard riffs. Could I be any more of a fanboy?

Photos of 'My Vitriol' at KoKo last month.

Ive been pimping them out to as many people that will listen to me. They actually have a selection of tracks that can be streamed online FOR FREE! You can catch them here where you can browse through the tracks from their 3 albums. Some of my favourite tracks are - Always your way, Deadlines, Grounded and Moodswings.

Thats it for now pretty kitties.
Don

Audible malfunction!

2006-12-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ive been feeling a little under the weather for the last couple of days. A cold isn't new to me, and I guess its expected at this time of year. But today I woke up and my throat felt itchy and irritable. When I tried to speak a squeaky collection of syllables struggled to push forward...my first thoughts were - 'FUCK!' I have been looking forward to going Karaoke next week...but it looks now with my voice out of action I wont get to. *cries* Im hoping for a speedy recovery...lets cross our fingers.

I told Rudra about me losing my voice and she replied with something funny.
Rudra Dal: That's like...awful! It's like Superman losing his powers!

*laugh* awwwww!

Damn it, wont people STOP feeding me Krytonite in liquid form? HONESTLY!

Ive managed to get out some new shoes which you can grab at my store at the block. I have yet to move the new footwear to my other stores, but I'll get round to it. I'm in serious need to update my 'Unlimited' store. Ive really got to make that a priority. The shoes however have been doing fairly well...Id like to get out MORE versions but I think its time I move onto releasing my new shirts and other wearable apparel.

Its my birthday coming up and Arbers got me the greatest gift ever! I really wanted to get a 'Nintendo Wii' but with it being like gold dust over here the idea of me getting my paws on a Wii remote seemed very unlikely. But Arbers went and made me one for my life in SL. Its really awesomely textured and built with alot of attention to detail. Arbers and I are both very big Nintendo fans, and we cry on each others shoulders about not having the console - But now, this cushions the blow. We were playing with it while I set it up at my house, I made attachable versions of the remotes and the console can actually give them out. We took things a little further after some crazed fanspeak about what else we could do for it, and after reaching the limit with the small scripts I had available I took it to my friend Tylor who has experience working with SL streaming movies. We want the console itself to play streamed videos of gameplay or trailers/commercials available from a drop down menu. As well as some other nifty things using the controller, animations and sound effects. - Watch this space. XD

Well, Im gonna go get some rest and recover as best I can.

Until next time pretty kitties!

Don

OMG Shoes!

2006-12-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

Ahoy hoy gang! So... yes, I have been a lil out of it for quite a few days. Catching glimpses of Don out and about have been few and far between. No I havent joined a Korean biker gang, though...now thinking about it Im wondering why I havent. Wait, maybe the not being Korean and not owning a bike has something to do with it...just maybe. - And no I havent gotten my dirty lil paws on a Nintendo Wii...God how I wish that were the case T^T. *laugh*

Ive actually been hard at work finishing my new running shoe and sitting and being tortured by it at the same time. I have finished my new shirt templates but have yet to truly finish new designs with them... I dont think my small kitty brain can quite handle too many things going on at the same time. For a while there during my social absence I was starting to feel really guilty about not releasing new items... but I think AFTER I put out these new shoes, all will be forgiven. :D

These shoes have seriously been a pain making AND texturing.Getting prims to do what I want has been a point of pure frustration at times during this project. Im still fairly new to building...and its scary when I come to a problem and I dont automatically know the right way to solve it, so horrible amounts of time are endured going through trial and error. Thats why I tend to stick to photoshop which I have years of experience in...its comfortable and I know where I am with it. Saying that however, finishing a project like this is alot more rewarding...through all the moaning, lapses of anger and at times even the feeling of defeat - when you do reach that other end there is this real sense of accomplishment, especially when its something your new with. And you think : "Holy shit! Did I make that?"

Texturing these shoes has also been a long process. When I originally textured these shoes they actually looked quite different. It had a material texture, but one I think you usually associate with those converse sneakers. When I finished the build, looking at it and realising I had to texture all 40+ prims I just sat there and went 'blegh!'(Yes, its a designer term) I really wasnt sure what I wanted to do. Arbers luckily was there to save me (thanks sis!) and put me right on track, she said that it would probably be nicer if I had a suede texture over them. I followed her advice and am much happier for it, they started to really resemble the kind of pumas I had in mind. True to form, I scratched and stained all my textures and branded them in my own 'GearShift' style.

It wasnt until I actually had to APPLY them that problems were starting to arise. Last night SL really had me smacking my head against the monitor. My girlfriend can testify to my crazed mental state last night...Im actually still twitching. My textures kept jumping randomly when I put them on...they would suddenly twist 90 degrees out of my control. And when you have many individual prims like I have, especially the small ones in my sole - it can REALLY REALLY become a tiresome chore fixing them all.

I still have a few things I need to texture on them, the bottom of the sole and I might re-texture a bit in some areas, nothing major though. I think it might be cool to have lil flexi laces swaying from either side. I think I might add that as something extra...we'll see. Oh and dont worry girls, I havent forgotten about you. I WILL have female versions of these. Now I know how the texturing of this build works with this first version... I can size up ones for your lil footsies and pump out a few in cute girly colour combos.

I still actually have to name these shoes... I havent actively thought about what that could be yet. But Im sure it will eventually hit me. Ive been toying in my mind about price... I have been thinking about selling these for 300L, do you guys think that might be too much? I could go for the usual 250L but... I think my shoes are a lil more detailed - Im really thinking about how much time Ive been spending on these. I dont think people would mind so much about paying for quality...lemme know what you guys think in a comment. :D

Okay pretty kitties, I'll leave you with that for now!

Don

Hes marinating in his own ragu!

2006-12-07T02:29:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I come baring craziness in digitized form. Always willing to entertain... so swallow it lovingly my dear readers. :D

For the gamers in us all.

For everyone else, Joy to the world...the bitch is dead. ROFLMAO!

Seriously, if you dont watch Robot Chicken, whats wrong with you?

So onto some issues that have been on my mind. Some of you may know that I DJ every week. Ive been DJing regularly for months now and it has been something I have enjoyed. It started out as a joke because someone said I had a nice voice, Ive always wanted to try being a radio DJ... I like to think I can be witty and charismatic when I want to be. You know, when Im not suffering from Tom-Foollery-itus or being just plain stupid. What better place to realise a fantasy then SL? And praise jebuz that the fantasises Im living out arnt leather-clad or chained... I know there are many SL-ites out there just living the dream. *laugh*

I love the buzz I get from crowds, its nice to know people are digging your music and its great to find a common ground with people from playing a certain track. 'Hey, I remember that.' 'Thats a great show, I remember hearing that theme.' Im very social, I like getting out there and chatting to people, DJing has been a nice outlett for that. I dont think Ive ever actually DJed for the money, the tips can be nice but having a store has always made me comfortable money wise...now even more so. I can see why everyone and their uncle is a DJ on SL, its an easy buck if your good at it.

For a lil while now Ive been thinking seriously about quitting it. I hate sometimes when DJing can get in the middle of me creating something. There have been times when Ive made a concious decision not to make something when it gets to close to a DJ set, just because I dont like stopping when Im in a groove. Yesterday I completely forgot about my set, its been the first time Ive done that since starting. Ive always tried to be prompt and professional about it, Ive always left my shit at the door as I know people dont want to hear me whine and moan about real life. My attitude to the whole thing has been if Im going to do it, Im going to do it right. I have always been VERY loyal to the Heavenly Rose, they gave me my first set and well...Ive been there ever since.

The fun factor however I feel is being drained out of it slowly, and its seeming more like a job now. Its sort of becoming stressful and I think that has alot to do with Catrina who manages the DJs at the club. I dont think our personalities mix, try as I might...I just dont think we can be friends. Catrina and I have a lil history, way back when I started and I met her and her alt. So whenever Im doing something that includes her, thats always playing in the back of my mind. An issue occured a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly had to leave to go deal with a family crisis. It was something serious, I let her know this and she just treated me with this condescending attitude, I could just taste the venom. I know that it was very short notice, but FUCK does my loyalty and professionalism to the club not allow any leeway? That REALLY upset me, I guess its been festering since then and its seeping out now because I know she has ANOTHER problem with me.

I cant be AS serious about DJing as her, I dont need to DJ for the money and I DONT need to DJ to feel important. So I think its time I just left... JellyBean told me something a while ago that makes sense in this situation. 'If its not fun, run!'
Im sure I could get hooked up at SPE or another place if I REALLY felt the need to DJ. Theres always the Block Parties. XD We'll see how it goes, but for now... DJ Donovan is signing off.

Wow, that was a big rant! *laugh* Arnt you glad I made you watch the funny videos first?

Well, I really have been busy creating things and one of my MAIN obsessions right now is my new running shoe. Ive been promising them for a while now and I have finally started building them. They are still a work in progress, and I guess the wood texture leaves alot to be desired. But the shape is something Im quite happy with, I really didnt want something clunky...and well, I feel it looks like a shoe. XD I hope this lil snippet of info gets you a lil moist and excited for its release. *laugh*

Ooooh, Ive also been working on my new shirt template which is almost complete, be sure to expect another huge GearShift item dump soon. :D *watches the forums*

Well, until next time pretty kitties!

Don

BL0K-Unit Ninjas and shirt tactics.

2006-12-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

Some of you might of seen me skulking in the shadows recently. Ive been scaling the buildings at The Block and running through the BladeRunner-esque Devils Moon, as my new alternate persona. I and a few other Block regulars formed the BL0K-Unit Ninjas and enjoyed a night of crawling over japanese rooftops, asian kung-fu speak and of course posing for pictures.

Maybe we'll be joined by other Block regulars. I sooooo want to initiate MISSION: Gor sim infiltration. With ninja deployment from our BLOK ship. *makes note, talk to Nanao about possible ships!*

Aside from the fun ninja adventures Ive been really happy that sales have been enjoying success. People seem to be taking notice, its such a strange sensation as I used to really struggle with sales before. Now things are more comfortable, Im glad people are enjoying my stuff.
Today however, I woke up and was staring at some of my shirts. Im really not feeling some of the older designs. I think my outlook on design has changed, Posy explained that we evolve as designers. Its true, that template Ive been using seems outdated when I look at it now. And the designs, well they are some of my early designs and although they still hold an interesting appeal... I want my new shirts to reflect my stance on design now. My hoodies and Jumpers are doing really well, they are fueled with my new design outlook. - Now thats not to say I hate my older designs, and it dosent mean Im going to stop selling them. I think what I will do however is place them under a season one banner and begin inflating my store inventory with my new evolved outlook. *nods*

I have a few interesting things in the pipelines. A V-neck sweater/collared shirt combo. Some pinstriped trousers and Ive been wanting to make some fitted pumas for what seems an age. And I think Im well over-due for some new jeans!
I have some unreleased inventory I still have to get out. Anthony from RHCP styled knitted gloves, new grinder cuffs and a guyver inspired hoodie called 'Bioboost'.

Oh, if you guys havent heard already. The third OFFICIAL Block party is taking place tomorrow, from 2 - 5 SL time. Be sure to come down an grab some of those Block limited items and chill with us all. I'll be there spinning the tracks at the first DJ set, so come down and say hi. :)

Well, until next time pretty kitties!
Don

I WAZU ROB BY TSUU MEN!

2006-11-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun videos to cheer up your day!

See, its fun AND educational! Now you know what to do when in the same situation...japanese style. "Spare me my life!" The very words that send villans running in fear!

I want to go to Korea now!

Okay, okay... now for some boring writing and stuff. I released the new jumpers yesterday. I rushed to get them out before the new patch, got the prims about done JUST before seven when SL went down. Didnt get to go back on SL hours later, thanks Lindens :). Well, apparently I had the wrong things in one of my vendors, and one of them wasnt set for sale. OOPS! Quickly amended that and gave the new items to those who bought the wrong items. >_<; Im such a tard! They are now available at my others stores...woooo! Exciting :)

SL is acting all screwy since the patch. Nothing seems to be working properly, cant see my money, cant TP anywhere, cant attach anything, cant see my avatar and a whole host of other loverly things. Lets hope things will get cleaned up.

Anyway, until next time pretty kitties!

Don

Magic numbers.

2006-11-28T07:41:00.000-08:00

I bumped into a few people the other day as I frolicked the dirty streets of the Block in my school uniform. TeHe! I think I scared Zab a tad, its okay Zabby...its alright to want me. *blows kiss* Was a funny night, testical transformers and headbanging...awesome!

Its alright, embrace the feelings...bask in the sexy. Now breath, there ya go. :D

My bestest friend Noamy seems to be taking a break from SL now. I thought Id write how I feel here rather then leaving a lengthy reply on his blog. When I first started making friends at the block, Noam and Keishii were the first two I REALLY latched on to. Noam was soooo cute, I remember we went skating together once and he gave me a parker. I had the biggest crush on him...But Im happy with how things are right now, Im glad hes part of my secondlife.
I think one of the reasons I get on with Noam so well is that we are into the same things. Our brains seem to be wired the same way, Noam says we share a brain...it reallys does feel like it at times. The last couple of weeks we havent really gotten to hang out as much as Id like. I dont know, but Ive felt like Ive been treading on thin ice with him. Im always afraid Im making him angry, or boring him...or feel hes busy. So I try and give him space...I really dont want to smother him. And now I feel really bad hes going away, But I understand why hes doing it. I know hes been stressed, so I hope this break can put him at ease. SL can really get under your skin sometimes...I guess its time for Noam to detox. I really dont think Noam quite understands how much I adore him, I care about him so much. *clasps air for an empty hug*
Noam if your reading this, I'll be here when you get back...Im missing seeing you already.
-So in closing : Noam, I love you and I want your babies! THERE, I said it! *laugh*

*coughs* Okay... *brushes mushy side off...clears throat and deepens vocal tone* So anyways, Ive been making clothes ALOT! Ive really gotten into my groove now and Im really enjoying making my clothing. Its strange, people are starting to take notice of me. Yesterday I got given a spot at Velvet, a really well designed club. Its funny because I was at the very same club when they gave an offer to Noam a couple of weeks ago. I dont think the owner knew who I was then ^^; I asked if she remembered me from that time. She said, yea... that she found my store a week or so later and went apeshit. Im really wanting to expand my stuff, I know there are alot more urban clothing stores out now. But I would really like GearShift to have its own unique flavour. Ive been experimenting more with colour, Im tired of staying in the safety of all the grey and black. Im doing a few different shades with my new winter wear that I hope people will dig.

Thats Canimal in the photos. Ive been hanging with her alot last couple of days and she is very cool. She shattered alot of what I assumed of her on our first real day of hanging out. Shes very down to earth and approachable and has a wicked sense of humour. :) And shes not american! *hugz his european sistah!* *pinches her oompa lumpas*

Ooo, I also got this jumper done yesterday. Weeee... Im loving the colours. I think I might release a few things today. No point in doing a crazy huge clothing dump on the forums. Im reeeeeeeeeeally wanting to get my new shoes done, its definately next on my list! *Runs off to make more stuff*

Until next time my pretty kitties!

Don

New zipped collared jumpers!

2006-11-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I bet some of you after reading the title are wondering - 'What the hell is a jumper?' And others are thinking - 'Yep, this guy is definately british.' Kudos to those who know what they are - but to the uninitiated its what we limeys call sweaters. Yah, I was actually chatting to Posy about these things a while back. They are in my lil black book of designs and are now officially ticked off as of today. I own some zip collared fleece tops in real life, they were initially the inspiration. But instead of using a fleece-like texture I gave it more of a knitted look. I think they've come out quite well, Im also quite pleased with the zipped prim collar. I made the lil zip flexi...so I assume it moves around when your walking. - Not that its easily viewable though seeing how small it is. But Im sooooo obsessed with small details like that, as much as making things dirty - if not more.

That graffiti-ed spot outside 'Miau Haus' at the new block is definately a hawtspot for photos. While taking them I bumped into DT owner of Desert Moon, he was wearing his female shape for some new dresses hes designing. He looked hawt with boobs, as did his newly designed dresses. - I myself dont really have a female shape, I enjoy just running around in drag...I so have the bum to pull it off. XD I spent some of my morning with my friend Char, her boyfriend was huge in comparisson to lil old neko me. He looked like a schoolyard bully! - This is where the topic of school uniforms came up, and my funtime escapades at Nakama with Posy and Noam. I put it on and wiggled my lil spiked tail. - Ive decided to hang around the block tonight in my schoolgirl uniform. *laugh* Be sure to look out for me. XD

Im going to try and finish some more goodies before my next release. Im also wanting to make free goodies for members of the 'GearShift Collective'. Yay! *goes off to design.*

Thats all for now pretty kitties!

Don

I didnt do didnt do didnt do.

2006-11-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

So I have been listening to this fantabulous song by boy kill boy. (How awesome is that name for a band?) Its called 'Shoot me down' and is definately my fave song of the moment, Im listening to it as I write this. *nods head to its delicious melodic twinkling*
Here for your listening and viewing pleasure is the video. Huzzah for youtube!

I love the song... but please, did anyone else laugh uncontrollably at the falling down the stairs? Poor guy... not once but three times. *laugh*

So anyway, on the SL front. I have released my hoodies - YAY! Four hoodies for guys and two for the gurlies. Hoodies definately seems the flavour of the month, I guess it must have to do with the winter season. *smiles*. I did promise glorious hoodies however all the way back in my first post. What a long wait its been 0_o. They seem to be doing well, Im glad that people seem to be enjoying them...I really wanted the design of the hoodies to be unique to GearShift. I wear hoodies alot IRL and could really picture myself donning these offerings to go hang with friends. I'll be sure to get out more variations when time permits, my time will be a little limited this week due to some RL engagements - but never fear... I shall return. :)

Oh man, while working on this post. It looks like my webserver seems to be going screwy. I'll have to have a word with my friend who owns the server tomorrow, some images I uploaded earlier arnt coming through. 0_0 Yippie, another thing for me to do. T^T

Well, yesterday morning I managed to finish a sign for my store at The Block. Im quite proud of it actually. I feel all established now, having this hefty piece of metal above my door way. I lugged it to all 4 of my store locations and put them up, including my 'Unlimited' spot. I set that store up in a hurry, it looks a lil crappy at the moment. I'll be sure to grunge it up properly when I next get a chance.

Awww. And Canimal gave me free goodies for singing on her blog. THE AWESOME! Yay for freebies, I should go busk for some more. *laugh*

Anyway, Thats all for now pretty kitties!
Don

PowerPuff Girls Z!

2006-11-18T06:40:00.000-08:00

So how many of you like watching the powerpuff girls? Come on... raise those hands. :) Okay, so heres an interesting little fact. If you knew this already, who woulda thunk huh? But to those still in the dark...here ya go.

PowerPuff Girls Z! Yes, the PPG have gotten transformed into uber kawaii chibi gurls. (OMG a mixture of german and japanese buzz words.) Yep, Cartoon Network teamed up with TV Tokyo and its undergone a complete transformation. The PPG are sooo amazingingly popular in Japan, to them it seems natural. But I find it really interested that a show that was inspired heavily by anime from the outset with sprinkles of american sensibilities has in turn crossed over to Japan and then been remade. Imagine if you will, the american show crossing the sea to have sordid sex with a japanese anime show - only to find that their hijinx led to some freakish pregnancy. Its like a cross-bred bastard cartoon child. *laughs and pokes the freak show* Isnt it cute? Yay for cross pollination!

So without further a do, heres the intro to the show!

And now that I have comepletely raped your mind with this confuzzled choice of pointless information. I shall ride off, like BraveStar.

Untill next time pretty kitties.
Don

Leave me a message!

2006-11-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

Heya!

I was reading Arbels blog and totally dug her waffle machine. Ive read willow and arbers comment about this before but I had NO idea what it was. I thought it was soooo cool that I just had to get one for myself. So why not get on it and leave me a voiced message! Click on it to the side and leave me random stuff I can hear... YAY!

*waits patiently for his first message*
Don

Its super robot fighting time!

2006-11-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

I bet alot of you must be tired of huge rambling posts by myself. I know, I sometimes can get into one. Seeing all that text...omg scary! So heres a short fun-filled post for you all.

I stumbled upon this a month ago and thought it was soooo great. I love the terminator and robocop. Someone with a great passion for both movies went out of their way to splice together footage from the movies to make an action filled short. Just amazing!

Wasnt that fun? Yes... I thought so too!

And now for something a lil different.

*laugh* that silly Neo!

Until next time pretty kitties!
Don

And the superstars sucked into the 'supermassive'.

2006-11-16T04:18:00.000-08:00

So Im sure everyone is sick and tired of hearing about the copybot. So, I'll try and make my rant on it brief before moving onto less drama filled things.

On the day that the sky started to fall, I like everyone was upset. I did my best to stray from the hysterics, I really wanted to find out more about it before booking my ticket to hell. I guess Im glad for not being in the fashion-superstar loop in situations like this, Keishii told me of what was happening in the sellers guild and I was like - 'OMG really?!?'.

I think alot of the paranoia stemmed from Robins original post on the blog. We designers really want to feel safe and protected. Robin spoke vaguely about the bot and its capabilities, and their impartial stance on copybot left us all with a sour taste in our mouths. When a big crisis like this occurs we want to look to the Lindens and feel a safe secure embrace, with a lulling voice telling us 'Everything will be okay, we'll look after you.'What we got instead was more along the lines of 'Hey, we cant do anything...we'll try. But right now I guess it sucks to be you.' For people working in the business of people in metaverse...they sure dont know how to deal with people.

This of course started the mass hysteria, avatars were running to supermarkets buying up cans of digital beans to stock in their bunkers. Children were running around soiled and naked and feathered chickens flocked to the streets...utter chaos! The amount of rumours I heard about what this bot could ACTUALLY do I would later find are in fact false. Thanks to Zab and a group of other designers we sat in with Cory and tinkered to find out exactly what it could do.

Heres a brief summary. (thanks to Chronocloud for this.)

What can the CopyBot create a copy of?
- fully textured objects attached to avatars in proximity
- fully textured objects in proximity

What can the CopyBot not copy?
- any object contents, including scripts, animations, sounds and textures
- clothing
- shapes
- textures (objects are textured but the CopyBot does not get the original textures)

Implications:
- If CopyBot copies you, only your attachments can be transfered, not your shape, clothing, appearance.
- If CopyBot copies your attachments, the attachments will be simple objects without any special functionality since they will not contain scripts, animations, etc.
- If CopyBot copies your product vendor, it will only get an object that looks like your vendor. It will not contain your product or any of the vendor scripts.
- The same is true for unattached objects.
- You can turn off object creation in sims containing unattached objects you do not wish to be duplicated

On the PXP comment fiasco -
I find it funny that some people can jump on bandwagons and run around beating babies with bats with only misinformed hearsay and small balls of truth. Sometimes people are all to ready to follow the popular crowd without once questioning the reason. Of course the situation is a serious one, but I dont think punishing our customers by closing on the idea that they could potentially be a prick is right either. Id like to stay positive and believe that the huge majority of people are going to remain true to us. When it comes to music I like to support the artists I love by handing over my hard earned cash, I think this mentality is true for customers in SL. They will rally to support those designers they like because they appreciate our hardwork and time.
I really do admire the way designers have come together with a singular voice, I just think we could be using it in a better way. At the end of the day, all of us designers are in the same boat, the threat of theft is not a new one...its been around in other shapes long before November 14th. If copybot has done one thing, it has lifted the vale of the false sense of secruity we all had. We are all potentially at risk from theft, not just the big names...but us smaller stores too. Lets work together as a community to help each other, if you spot something or someone sinister...well spread the word. I know its important that LL looks after us, but I also think its important that we be united - petty squabbles arnt going to be constructive to our cause. ONE LOVE!

Okay, so I lied about it being brief...sue me! OMG!!!1 Dont do it really, copybot is stealing all my business. T^T

Sooo in the background I have been making more clothes. Ive decided to hold out on my release of my new stuff....Grrr, for obvious reasons. But yesterday I managed to sell 8 of my hoodies. AND they arnt even released, holy shit! *laugh* Friends have been wearing them and people have been asking questions. Wow! Way to build hype! So lets hope this is a sign that they will do well. *grins*

Also, on a strange note. Yesterday I met someone who lives like a 10 minute drive from my house. How awkward is that? Im so used to meeting americans on here that even meeting my european brothers is a rare treat. Meeting someone so close to home is just new to me. It really is a small world after all. XD Hes a musician, actor and is actually pretty cute. *smile* I said we could maybe collaborate on something, and seeing as Im usually into some kind of strange media project working on crazy ideas...its definately a possibility. :D

Well, I'll leave you with that pretty kitties!
Don

Charlie and the Copy-Factory.

2006-11-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

So I have been working on these hoodies for ages now. Distractions finally pushed aside I am now on a creative streak and am pumping them out like small asian kids stitching up Nikeys.

I am so absolutely excited about the hoodies, Ive been painstaingly zoomed in...airbrushing, aligning, uploading, re-aligning, re-uploading...rinsing and repeating. Its nice to see hardwork finally coming to fruition when your wearing it and have that warm feeling tickling you on the inside. I feel a little guilty that this feeling is being produced without the help of toys or the soft moist sensation of tongues. But *orgasmic spasm* Im enjoying it in any case. And its great timing too as for some new stores Im having to set up. The Block is being built bigger, badder, faster and stronger - much like a giant dirty-bricked 6 million dollar man. Zab and DT carefully crafting this urban mass, raising their hands collectively like the Gods of urban streets only can... they 'throw down that hawt fire shit'. Having been in its glorious gritty presence I am happy to report that it looks fantastic. This coupled with the fact that I got a spot at another new shopping spot 'Unlimited', definately has me in good spirits. *falls victim to another orgasmic spasm*

Today I came online and was greeted by Sinjun. I thought yay! I must throw hoodies at her and watch her force her well-endowed full figure into my tight little cropped offerings. After showing off some of our new inventory fodder I thought it would be cool to get some photos of us in my new hoodies. So after grabbing a quick TP down to the BladeRunner-esque 'Devil Moon' we snapped each other in various poses.

So after sitting on some girders in the park, Sinjun told me of the copybot. She showed me the link to the SL blog and I was just disgusted. It was news I couldnt get at a worse time, serious flashbacks of late nights working on clothing danced in my mind then shattered into a million tiny pieces. The copybot is an object that can copy avatars, attached objects, textures...your very uniqueness. Rather then rattle on about its actual possibilities I'll direct you to the actual blog.
I havent had a business long here in SL, but the actual idea of this copybot is seriously worrying. And from the very fury penned in the comments it looks like Im not the only one. Its really disheartening that the big guys at LindenLabs arnt taking enough of a negative stance on this. I want to feel protected and secure as an artist, as a designer. Robin Linden argues that the copybot dosent actually fall into copyright laws, they discuss briefly on ideas to make it so that your creations can be identified as your property. But if someone can just take my created items for free then wouldnt the value of my creations quickly drop to nothing? I dont think there are alot of people who realise the heartbreaking effect that this can have on us designers. Especially those reverse-engineers out there... I myself have put soooo much effort and time into my created offerings. The idea that someone can take my items, can take my time, can take my effort - for free...well thats just a kick in the fucking teeth.

Jakkal Dingo Says:

“Copying doesn’t always mean theft”.

No of course not. Copying just means you’re taking someone else’s hard work, without paying for it, and doing with it what you please. What’s the point of having “no copy”?

You know LL, artists are some of the most territorial people in existance. You’ve just told them to bend over and get ready for a massive art raping. You’ve pretty much just made it so no one is going to be willing to build anything in SL for fear it might get stolen.

There are ALOT of scary questions and points being put forward, - what will happen to the economy? What about the possible griefer attacks this tool could be used for?
It looks like a scary time is ahead for us...So what will I do you ask? Well after taking a big break earlier, sighing and contemplating I decided I can only continue what I enjoy to do here in SL and hope that things work out for the best. Im going to continue making clothing and accessories and hope that my small business does not get hurt.

Well, until next time my pretty kitties.

Don

Balancing act.

2006-11-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

*dodges thrown fruit and veg from readers as he sheepishly makes a late post*

Okay, I know I havent blogged in a while. I sowwy, I was finding it difficult to find interesting tid-bits to entertain you all with. I did however get some advice, a couple of days ago while sitting with my foot firmly lodged between the digital buttcheeks of Rosie. Jelly said that I should just write about how Im feeling...and whined why there was a lack of an entry brandishing the fact she has added my name to voiced gesture.

Oh - I cant just write small thoughts down. No... I must punish you with long-winded extracts from my very mind. Im a disturbed sentence-sadist!

Well, Ive been feeling a little lacking as a designer. My library of clothing at GearShift is pretty puny at the moment. My stack seems to crumble at the sight of some other designers inventory. Ive had this reverberating voice saying - 'Make clothes...Make clothes.' in a chilling sort of psychotic mantra. Im starting to feel guilty that I havent released in a while and Im scared people are going to give up/forget about me. - I finally got to speak to Noam yesterday which made me happy. He told me that I shouldnt let it bother me as much, that I shouldnt make it seem like work and that it should be fun. He said people wouldnt forget me. :3 That really made me feel so much better! He also called me hun, I think that was a first. *smiles*

I keep a small design book. In it I write ideas about clothing and accessories so that I wont forget about them. Usually Im talking with Posy when an idea would hit me in the face and the start of a random but magical collection of sentences would leave my lips. "Hey, you know what? Wouldnt it be cool if..." Which Posy would reply with - "That sounds cool, you should make that." And I think... Oooo idea! And Id pen it in this little black sketch book with doodles and scribbly writing. Now this book has pages of ideas that Im slowly trying to get through. One of them that Im working on right now is a new hoodie. Ive been chipping away at this template while trying to balance freelance work. Im sooooo close to actually finishing it, I can literally taste the feeling of release when I have it on a prim on a wall. Just a few things I need to fix but Im liking how its turning out.

Still a few minor things I need to fix. Im a glutton for detail, so I keep finding myself going back and adding little highlights. Tightening certain areas and generally sculpt it into a piece of clothing I feel is solid. All I can think about right now is wanting to get into Photoshop and happily airbrush away, work however is being made a priority. Im having to have a site ready for this evening so the hoodie will have to wait. *strokes Hoodie* 'My precious.'

Well, I'll leave it there pretty kitties. I'll be sure to ramble on again soon.

Don

Enter the Geek!

2006-10-29T00:45:00.000-07:00

So, I havent been as active on SL lately. Last couple of days have been a little hectic leading towards my special weekend. Im literally a couple of hours away from being at London Expo which I am really excited about. It was such an awesome experience when I visited last May, and it was my first time at such an event. I had never been amongst so many cosplayers and it was so much fun walking around pointing, laughing and asking sheepishly to get our photos taken with some of the really attractive ones. Its always exciting to be amongst some industry professionals, artists, actors and even musicians. I remember sitting for a while at the manga-alley and doodling with tons of other would-be artists. Ive met so many cool people my last visit, some of whom I'll be meeting up again with today... I cant wait to see what mischief I'll get into and what new wonderful people I'll meet.

Its also a chance to catch up with some old friends. Chat, mingle and successfully flirt my way back into their hearts is what I have on the cards for today. Its also an opportunity to squander large amounts of cash on shiny things... shiny things Im sure my eyes will latch onto while sprawling through the marshlands of retailers there. Oooh, so pretty much what I do in SecondLife then. *smiles*

So - the housing issue hasnt been officially settled yet. I havent been able to spend as much time in SL and Posy has suffered problems since the last update. I feel a little bad about it - but its out of both of our hands. Im sure things will be settled soon and everything will happy- happy, joy-joy!

I still havent been able to release new clothes liked Id hoped. The whole pirate issue sucked any fun out of creating anything there for a while and some real-life freelance work took priority. *sighs* Im pinning for next week for another clothing-release dump... lets all cross our fingers shall we? - Its safer then holding our breath! *laughs*

To those of you who have been wondering where your Donnie has been, well now you know. The stories of me suffering from a pirate related death are completely untrue... Im alive and well and mewing happily. I'll return to active SL duties soon, more drama, more innuendo and more time for me to play with my balls . . . of yarn. XD

*waves excitedly from RL*
Don

A bridge over troubled water...

2006-10-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

So the last couple of days have been full of drama, huzzah! Rosie told me that SL goes hand in hand with it and I have to agree. If there is one thing Ive learnt from my stay here, its that SecondLife comes infused with drama and we breathe it like polluted air. But Im more the sort thats willing to digest it in small bite-sized pieces...not king-sized buffet portions.

Ive just logged onto SL and Ive recieved a notecard from Noam. I decided to get an early night yesterday, so I must of missed out on the fun-time gathering.

The note reads:

Hi Posy and Don,
I talked to the neighbor and everything is pretty much fixed. Since you guys aren't on I can't explain everything, but basically we had a normal civil discussion and he's a normal guy. There are 3 things we came up with to settle all this crap.

1) Move the Skybox down. I actually went to his ship and honestly, the sky box is huge and it's really really noticable and looks frankly.. bad from underneath. No he didn't handle it in the best manner, but I think he felt threatened like POsy intentionally wanted to destroy his view and thus he retaliated with the wall.
If you move the sky box down to 400 ish , there isn't anyone around and it's got no clouds and neither of your views will be crappy.

2) Don needs to be civil and appologize for calling him a Nazi and a Pussy. The only reason they continued to harrass Posy last night was because of what Don said. It took A LOT to talk him out of just declaring war on you. We talked for like an hour and everything was very cool and relaxed, so he's not some insane psycho teenager being a prick for fun. He was extremely insulted, especially since he didn't call anyone names. I explained to him that his logs came off as really bad and he did not realize that. It's all a big test in empathy here. I get the impression that he is a little stubborn, but overall a nice dude. He probably got it in his head that you two were the teenagers fucking with him and the Nazi/ pussy remarks proved his theory.

3) He's going to talk to his GF and get her to calm down. She's really pissed off and that's why she has been building all the little houses. I didn't talk to her, but she's apparently all ready to do some nasty stuff. He's going to talk her out of it though.

That's it. Posy I hope you enjoy your Waterfall. I'll help you move stuff tomorrow and get it all under your ownership.
Love you guys!=^..^=Noam

P.S.- The bill for my lawyer fees is in the mail.

Noam is my best friend and I trust his judgement, if he says this Agusto is a nice guy...then Im sure he probably is. But from what Ive been made to understand its looking as if my words were the catalyst for his behaviour the previous night. Did I call him a Nazi? Yes I did. Did I call him a pussy? Yes I did...and a fucking pussy at that. - But BEFORE you all comment with the "OH teh NOES thats bad - how juvenile!" Let me justify my actions by putting to light what our dear Agusto had said to Posy.

Agusto Aquitaine: hmmmm, i was gonna say omg! whats up with putting this ugly house up next to my boat??? and then thanks for ruining my view :-( and then call u a name.......like a teenager or inconsiderate..... i figured u would take offence to that so i built my wall, in conjunction with what i thought u found attractive considering the monstrosity that you put up there......so now that we have a dialog, we can discuss what we are willing to do with our beautiful pieces of art :) have a gread day :D (Let me remind you that this is coming from someone who dresses like hes in a YMCA video - lets not discuss art with him)

*By this point Posy had extended a housing wall to cover the brick wall he'd produced*

Agusto Aquitaine: see, now i think you might want to fix your transgression of extending that wall.....if you look carefully, you will notice that I also own the land on the other side of yours, and am VERY willing to clone my ugly wall on that side also and if need be, extend both sides to the ground, and above your building capability....
(All the messages he sent here were offline IMs)

Those look like bully tactics to me. Regardless IF our house was in his view, you DO NOT stamp your feet and carry yourself in the way he did. Agusto's first words to me were argumentative, I retaliated in how I thought was best at the time - ANGER. He might not have called me names, but conducting himself in such a manner - despite his vocabulary does not defuse the fact that his actions were that of a wanker. (for definition please see previous post)

If the situation were to happen again, I would of done exactly the same thing. I dont mince my words, I usually say what I think... If someone is going to act like a 'fucking pussy' I will tell them so. But I will apologise if just to put this whole matter behind us, I dont want any more stress to befall Posy and I would be much happier to continue making clothes and watching movies in the sky.

Well, thats all for now pretty kitties. Until next post!

Don

Ye' Pirate wankers!

2006-10-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

There are just some people whos sole purpose in life is to create drama, to disturb the peaceful balance, to do the one thing they have the talent for - be a complete wanker.

wank‧er Pronunciation [wang-ker]
–noun Chiefly British Slang (vulgar).
1. a contemptible person; jerk.
2. a male masturbator.

Our dramatic tale begins with Posy recently buying new land. It seemed a perfect time to build on the momentum of her successful skins, and take that plunge with a boost to her prim count. Now Posy is someone who loves challenging herself with projects, I was with her throughout the 'tasty skin' endeavour. I watched on as she carefully crafted this skin from start to finish and I was so proud of her when she finally released them. Well, a new home is a project that she has decided to undertake upon the rencent purchase of this land. I was happy to go with the flow, and so for the last couple of days Posy has chiselled and fashioned prims to her will.
However, it was made apparent to me yesterday that devious acts were taking place at the new household. Noam showed me the transcript of what had transpired and I was sickened at the very idea. Agusto Aquitaine is the owner of the neighbouring land just beside us, he owns a huge floating pirate ship.

To him our new skybox was an eyesore, it apparently ruined the view from his pirate ship. His soloution? Create a big prim wall to cover us. Now this errected monstrosity was placed RIGHT next to our home, destroying our view and blocking us from seeing anything from the left side. He had done this without openning a civilized dialogue to maybe discuss something we could all be happy with. He had done this to instigate a responce, to create friction and just continue his lifes work of being...yes you've guessed it - A WANKER!

The logic there just dosent add up to me, why would you cover something you thought was ugly with something just downright horrific? If we were to translate this decision process into something more everyday for instance...like pimples for example. Pimples, spots, zits however you want to call them ARE the bane of the face. Using his logic, to cover these eye-sores we'd grab a big handful of shit and lovingly smear it on the area of disgust. Sounds crazy right? I know - I totally couldnt get into his mind...until later that day when I saw him.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Agusto Aquitaine. Things were beginning to make sense, I mean - c'mon! did the village people lose a member? Pirates, yum...we all love us a bit of delicious Captain Jack Sparrow. Agusto however, reminds me of a gimped version of Sinbad the sailor, and he has sinned VERY badly.

Posy was already upset about the events that had happened, Noam and myself had done our part to reassure her that everything would be okay. That it didnt matter what these people thought and we would enjoy our new home regardless. So as Posy went to dine stress free, Noamy and I went driving around in his new nissan. Our kitty adventure took us all the way to the Nissan sim, where I would purchase my own from the comedically HUGE car vending machine. But as Posy returned to continue work on the house, so did our fashion-challenged pirate. This time however with his first-mate Teresa Mullen to errect another monstrosity by the OTHER side of us. He owns the land either side of the one Posy purchased and started to fulfill his threatened promises by taking away our view from the other side.

By this time, Agusto had already blocked me from IMing him. Apparently my use of the words pussy and fucking werent to his liking. BUT, he continued to IM Posy... she was distraught and he continued his bully tactics to get what he wanted - which Im sure was for us to move. Posy was shattered and was ready to give in... But Noam came to her rescue. We both told her it would be okay, that you shouldnt give them the satisfaction of leaving. Noam - a true friend, began building a wonderous lake and waterfall to help complete a new beautiful retreat for Posy. And as soon as Posy was able to relax and remove the control of these pathetic bullies there was NOTHING they could do.

Oooooh, on a side note however. Noamy DID actually create this really sexy tracktop! Im so in love with it!

Well, drama drama drama... Everything seems to be easing into a state of normality again. There isnt anything Agusto can do to upset/bully Posy anymore and Posy is back to her adorable self! *laughs*

Until next time pretty kitties!

Don

The butler did it!

2006-10-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an interesting evening in SL. It was my friend Thorns birthday and to celebrate his boyfriend had rented out this murder mystery event at Beyond the Prim. Ive not been to many different areas in SL just yet, most of my experiences stem from either chilling at the block, DJing at a club or just being unsocial at my house. So it was definately a welcomed change, and an enjoyable one at that. The party begun by getting acquainted with some of the other guests at the destination and waiting agonisingly for the place to load. I dont know what it is, but SL has definately been more sluggish for me on the rezzing end. When filled in however the buildings were well-crafted and equally deliciously textured. The event started by getting our photographs taken, it didnt go without its small hiccups however as my girlfriend struggled to not crash. But like the others, we too eventually got our photograph taken. Look at the scary ghost of David, trying to touch up Posy - What the fuck dude!

Apart from a sim crash nearing the end of the event, it all went rather smoothly. Aside from the party guests the murder mystery was populated with character actors who each had their own motive for the possible murder of David (the deseased in this mystery). We would find out a little from each character through various different set-ups, the initial introduction of each person, a game of charades and conversations through dinner. The actors kept strictly in character and it was really interesting watching their interactions with each other, their snide little remarks and comments. It was up to us guests to keep track of what was going on until we'd all have to guess who the actual culprit was. Even after successfully winning four special clues (you'd recieve them for answering questions correctly and winning games) I was the ONLY one to guess incorrectly. *sighs* Guess Im not as smart as Id like to think, but at least my girlfriend got it right. So YAY!

Oooo... also, I saw a new updated version of Zabitans new skin. And I have to say it is looking rather tasty, us boys are in for a treat. I remember having a conversation with Noam about how almost every guy was running around in that Dante ND skin, he said it would probably be easier to name those that havent got it. And you know what - thats SO true. I think we are all getting a little tired of these ND skins... it might be a perfect time for Zabby to release to the rejoicing of many Im sure.

On the GearShift front, Im going to try and have a few things released again this week. Ive been working on a new hoodie and I have some ideas also for some buttoned-up club shirts that I think could be fun. On the side, I have been experimenting with skins as I thought it might be a nice challenge. Im going to completely paint mine from the ground up, I have quite a bit of experience with actual life-drawing and digital painting. So Im sure I could get something rather nice done, its just finding the time for this mammoth project. Id really like to have more items of clothing out before I really commit to this. I have a growing to-do list for GearShift and Im trying to attack it one at a time. *laughs*

Well - until next time my pretty kitties.

Don

Aesthetics of boredom

2006-10-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my new friend Kir showed me some of his videos on youtube.com. Now Ive always had fun just randomly browsing the endless videos and strange web-cam rants that plague this portal like a sexual transmitted disease. But - Id never really thought of actually posting my own videos until yesterday. I wanted to show something Id made, but I didnt really want to go through the whole business of - 'Hey, do you have MSN messeger or anything like that?' then have to wait ages for this 27mb movie to transfer JUST so he could see it. So, I uploaded some of my movies and yay Im totally addicted. Im finding myself looking for other strange movies Ive made just so I can upload them.

Its a little known fact - especially to most of my SL friends...But I actually have dreams of becoming a director. I bet those who know me are right now thinking - 'Hell, I could of taken a guess you wanted to shoot porn.' or 'Hey, can I be in your pornos?' Well no, not that kind of director I mean a REAL director... no offence to any porn directors, Im sure your whole gonzo dp scenes are made with the upmost artistic intergrity.

I used to make movies every summer with friends, we'd grab a camera and shoot random things we'd think up on the spot. They'd all be inside houses and we'd be in our socks performing badly acted fight scenes with plastic gun props...It was great! As we got older we began to actually come up with scripts so that there was more form to what we were doing. We'd involve other friends and some of our projects got really complicated - with cars, blood etc. Ooooh, the editting was torture! We'd edit from camera straight to VHS, it was a sort of guessing/timing game to get ALL of a scene in as there was a short delay every time you pushed record and stop...you didnt want to bleed in seconds of another scene in. There was none of this digital editting we have now - back then it was hardcore cheap ass entertainment. - WOW, I just had a whole reminisce-type moment... I wonder what they are all doing now. *sighs*

Well - I uploaded this movie I did in my third year of university. It was an introduction for a verbal presentation I was giving about the Aesthetics of The Matrix. It was a whole scripted affair, my partners waited outside of the lecture theatre and I would stand there alone - apologising for my partners absence. I would then proceed to call up on the phone and ask where they are - at the same time as the movie was playing. He would answer and then we would watch the rest of the movie - following my partners journey to the lecture theatre in matrix fashion. The movie runs a tad over 2 minutes and contains some early experimentation with 3D - YES... cheap bullet time! *laughs*

Weeeee... fun, no? Well with that I shall leave you all to ponder my transition to the adult film industry.

Until next time!

Don

Monkey see, monkey do!

2006-10-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

So alot of my cool friends seem to be into this new fangled inter-webby thingy called blogging. Not wanting to seem out of touch I thought Id follow suit and make my own.

*waits for internet rejoicing to commence*

....

*notices no such thing will happen for yet ANOTHER ego-fuelled 20-somethinger and their delirious net ramblings*

So, I guess I'll start by introducing myself. Im one of the many square eyed copper-tops fuelling this huge virtual world called SecondLife. My name is Donovan Brennen and I, my wonderful reader(s) am a neko. *gasp* Yes, I have ears and a tail and prance around beguiling fellow inhabitants with my cuteness.
My SL experience although short has been such a rewarding one, Ive met so many wonderful people and found all new creative outlets for me to tinker with. One of my main obsessions in SL is creating nice things for people to wear at my GearShift stores. Although my library of wearable attire and accessories is small right now, I plan to keep expanding it and hopefully branch out to other things as I develop my skills.

So, Id like to use this blog to hopefully show what things I MAY be working on and releasing. Aswell as maybe throwing random artwork in and occassional rants. So hurrah for another addition to the already VAST blogging universe.

Hmm... so what to talk about? Well... I did bump into Fallingwater yesterday while hanging with the other 'alley kids' at the block. She owns this wonderful store called Shiny Things and I am completely head-over-heals in love with her shoes. I confess to geeking out a tad in front of her, Im always in awe of great designers. . .and Fallingwater is definately one of the best. She was visiting to research what other designers had done with messenger bags (she plans on making one). She was insistent on calling them 'manbags' which we all took great amusement in. She even had time to comment on my 'man-tail' *laughs* what fun! And in case you were wondering - yes, we did indeed throw in the obvious 'manbag' jokes. Har Har!

Im so excited that my new releases are doing well, my 'Versus' hoodie/jacket is selling nicely. I love hanging at the block and just chatting with potential customers, Ive met some really nice shoppers the last week or so and they've had such nice things to say about my work. Im still fairly new as a designer but hearing things like that really fills you with confidence.

So right now Im busy working on some new hoodies, I myself wear them alot in real life, so it only makes sense for me to give them a right seeing to in SL. So expect dirty textured hoodies to be hitting the shelfs of your nearest GearShift store soon. :)

Until next time.

Don