060: Dancing at Rumpus

So after my visit to Innsmouth, where I scared myself thoroughly (see my previous post), I needed some company and some good dance music -- and found myself at Rumpus for their regular Thursday night party. Last night's theme was best in black. That's me in my little black shirt; I've either been working out more than usual or I shrunk it in the wash. Oh well, it was the only black shirt

I could find at short notice ...
Rumpus is owned and steered by Jackhammer Rod Jackson [prowlrshardbody Resident]; if you haven't seen it, he's combined a dance club with a wrestling club and created a very popular location. In the backgrounds of the pictures I took of happy dancers last night, you can see the wrestling rings, locker rooms ...

rumour has it that the penalties for losing a match can be very onerous indeed. But that's for another visit.
Last night was devoted to dancing to a set provided by DJ Scary Jester, who's been DJing for quite a while now and always lays down a smooth set of fast house. The dancing pole was managed by Randy Wantmore, who DJs himself in other locations that I've seen, and

hosting was split between Rod Jackson himself, who was there for a while last night, and Fritz Stoneshield.
Rumpus offers two very, very popular parties each week; Thursdays 7 to 9 PM SLT, with DJ Scary Jester, and Sundays 6 to 8 PM SLT, with DJing by my neighbour and friend Karl Kalchek. Try it out next Sunday. That is one busy party.
It seems like all the best looking muscle

guys go to Rumpus! You can make your own mind up from the pictures ... might see you Sunday!

038: Jak Calcutt sits on my deck

When I was running around looking at the Second Pride sim (my piece is here), I ran into Jak Calcutt, who designed it. He's kind of a neighbour; he and his partner Karl Kalchek (great DJ who plays at a number of clubs, including an excellent set this afternoon at Rumpus) live in a beautiful estate next door to my little log cabin. Well, I liked the Second Pride sim, said so, and we've been trying to get together for an interview ever since. Finally managed it this afternoon ...

[18:09] Rusty Redfield: *click* there we go.  Okay! I'm here with Jak Calcutt

[18:09] Rusty Redfield: who is actually my next door neighbour, but quite a distance away LOL

[18:10] Rusty Redfield: I ran into Jak at the recent Second Pride build, found out he did it and figured I'd get an interview!

[18:10] Rusty Redfield: Welcome Jak!!

[18:10] Jak Calcutt: Thanks, Rusty

[18:10] Jak Calcutt: good to be here..

[18:11] Rusty Redfield: my pleasure -- let me just set up my interview document

[18:11] Jak Calcutt: sure..

[18:12] Rusty Redfield: Perfect, thanks

[18:12] Rusty Redfield: okay, ready? Question one:

[18:12] Rusty Redfield: 1. Why do you stay in Second Life?  What keeps you here?

[18:13] Jak Calcutt: My love of building, and exploration of this amazing place. Meeting the interesting people I do, from all over the world....there are not many barriers to people you never would have met and shared expereiences with. ....and of course my partner in sl and rl Karl Kalchek......

[18:13] Rusty Redfield: that's rare here to be partnered in both worlds -- did you meet here?

[18:13] Rusty Redfield: sorry, I'm just that nosy guy LOL

[18:14] Jak Calcutt: We met here in SL and ultimately I moved to live with him in RL.

[18:14] Rusty Redfield: wow, amazing

[18:14] Jak Calcutt: yes it does happen.....

[18:14] Rusty Redfield: and that segues beautifully into question 2:

[18:14] Rusty Redfield: 2. What are the qualities that attract you to people in Second Life?

[18:15] Jak Calcutt: A willingness to talk and to listen, without any expectations from one another. I have friendships with some really great people and we may not speak for a few weeks but we can pick up where we left off, without feeling we are being neglected. A sense of humor, creativity and just knowing how to have fun.

[18:15] Rusty Redfield: <grin> I hear you. It's hard to believe that people come here to not have fun

[18:16] Jak Calcutt: Yes ..... it is such a fun place...

[18:16] Jak Calcutt: how can you not.

[18:16] Rusty Redfield: exactly!

[18:16] Jak Calcutt: ...and the men are Hot :)

[18:17] Rusty Redfield: good heavens yes -- I could just sit around and stare LOL

[18:17] Rusty Redfield: Now, this next one, I encourage people to blow their own horn

[18:17] Rusty Redfield: so don't be shy LOL

[18:17] Rusty Redfield: 3. What are you working on, as a form of artistic expression or in order to earn money, or both?

[18:18] Jak Calcutt: I host to earn money to fuel my artistic expression and shopping. I love to create and build in SL.... maybe someday to make money; but my satisfaction comes from the process as much as the finished result. Oh yeah and to pay my tier and shop....

[18:19] Jak Calcutt: I seem to have the need to constantly be building....

[18:19] Jak Calcutt: and creating..

[18:19] Rusty Redfield: what kind of shop do you have? is it like a building workshop?

[18:19] Jak Calcutt: I don't have a shop, I Love to shop....lol

[18:19] Rusty Redfield: OH duhhhhhh you want to pay your tier and to shop

[18:19] Rusty Redfield: DUH, sorry

[18:20] Jak Calcutt: I have a build platform

[18:20] Rusty Redfield: a platform? like a skybox, but for building?

[18:20] Jak Calcutt: Shopping is my downfall

[18:20] Jak Calcutt: yes mostly just a homemade platform

[18:21] Rusty Redfield: so what sort of assignments do you want people to give you? I loved the Second Pride sim, as you know

[18:21] Rusty Redfield: that great chapel building

[18:22] Jak Calcutt: Well those were for the public and the chapel was a personal endeavor that I wanted to create since last year... it just took a while to figure what I wanted to build and do it.

[18:22] Jak Calcutt: Most of what I do is personal...

[18:23] Rusty Redfield: you did your house?

[18:23] Jak Calcutt: Though lately I have been asked to do some things..

[18:23] Jak Calcutt: Yes I did.

[18:23] Jak Calcutt: I built it on the spot to fit the land

[18:23] Jak Calcutt: ....and the view..

[18:23] Rusty Redfield: wow, well, okay, my millions of readers, please don't crash our sim, but it's big and gorgeous and you should check it out LOL

[18:24] Rusty Redfield: and the view includes a shipwreck, which I love, and the northern lights at night

[18:24] Jak Calcutt: haha...

[18:24] Jak Calcutt: yes

[18:24] Jak Calcutt: well the shipwreck is for the club down below

[18:24] Rusty Redfield: oh, the not-to-secret club? LOLOL

[18:24] Jak Calcutt: I have a small Jazz club below...

[18:25] Jak Calcutt: lol...

[18:25] Rusty Redfield: wow! something else I didn't know

[18:25] Rusty Redfield: very cool

[18:25] Jak Calcutt: I see I need to give you a tour... :)

[18:26] Rusty Redfield: yeah! because I totally haven't pervecammed the inside of your house or anything ROFL

[18:26] Jak Calcutt: I have been so busy with Pride that I have spent very little time at my own house

[18:26] Rusty Redfield: it looks gorgeous. I'm obviously on the wrong side of the tracks LOL

[18:27] Jak Calcutt: nah...

[18:27] Rusty Redfield: well, we'll set up a tour, I hope.  Okay -- number 4:

[18:27] Jak Calcutt: your tracks look fine to me...

[18:27] Rusty Redfield: 4. If you could give advice to your earlier self in the first month that you spent in Second Life, what would you say?

[18:28] Jak Calcutt: That's a great question and I would not change a thing... every choice I have made and the people I have met, have led me on the path to where I am today. I met Karl my SL & RL partner.... every choice I made brought me to him. I would not change anything.

[18:29] Rusty Redfield: yeah I think you hit the SL jackpot.

[18:29] Rusty Redfield: so -- what would you say to OTHER new people in their first month?

[18:30] Jak Calcutt: Take it slow and learn the viewer and building tools. ...and ask questions of people.

[18:30] Jak Calcutt: I was very fortunate...

[18:31] Rusty Redfield: fair enough.  I should say that everyone I talk to is ready to help new people, and new people all think we're scary and unapproachable LOL

[18:31] Jak Calcutt: I learned a lot on my own but I also had someone help in the beginning.... just don't be afraid to accept it.

[18:31] Rusty Redfield: good heavens yes.  I learn best when someone explains things to me.

[18:31] Rusty Redfield: okay! getting close to the end

[18:32] Rusty Redfield: 5. What do you like most about the way that your avatar looks?  

[18:33] Jak Calcutt: Jak is the same avi he was when he was about 4 or 5 weeks old. I can make cosmetic and shape changes and still look like Jak. Sort of like RL. I have not changed my skin since then, only my shape and tattoos... and besides Jak is hot... :)

[18:33] Jak Calcutt: lol

[18:33] Rusty Redfield: you said that and I thought it was pretty amazing.  I don't think many people are basically the same as they were at 4 or 5 weeks, so you knew you'd gotten it right! (and yeah, he IS hot LOL)

[18:34] Rusty Redfield: I mean, jeeze, I just about look like a different SPECIES than I did at 5 weeks

[18:34] Jak Calcutt: I found Belleza....

[18:35] Rusty Redfield: there you go! Yeah, that's an excellent skin place

[18:35] Jak Calcutt: spent the change and never looked back

[18:35] Rusty Redfield: so I'm guessing you think the group fee is worth it! LOL

[18:35] Jak Calcutt: group fee?

[18:35] Rusty Redfield: if you pay -- I think it's like L$500 -- you get a free Belleza skin once a month or something

[18:36] Jak Calcutt: oh no I never did that...

[18:36] Rusty Redfield: ah okay -- I've talked to some new people who did that until they hit the skin they liked

[18:36] Jak Calcutt: just bought my skin and maybe went back for a more tan version...

[18:36] Jak Calcutt: and never looked back.

[18:36] Rusty Redfield: yep yep, exactly

[18:36] Rusty Redfield: and the rest is refreshing it every once in a while

[18:37] Jak Calcutt: I still stop in now and then

[18:37] Jak Calcutt: just to see what is new.

[18:37] Rusty Redfield: new ink, new hat LOL

[18:37] Jak Calcutt: yes love hats...

[18:37] Jak Calcutt: in SL and RL.

[18:38] Rusty Redfield: LOL this is my haircut in RL -- I shaved my head this morning in both worlds LOL

[18:38] Jak Calcutt: cool... I like crews... have one in rl

[18:38] Jak Calcutt: and beard..

[18:39] Jak Calcutt: Thought is a goat in rl.

[18:39] Jak Calcutt: though*

[18:39] Rusty Redfield: I'm just about this hairy myself so I just wait a couple of days and shave out what I want that week LOL we're almost there.  Last question, which I added recenlty because I heard from people who wanted recommendations about places to go from experienced residents ...

[18:39] Rusty Redfield: 6. What’s your favourite place to spend time in Second Life?

[18:41] Jak Calcutt: I love to travel and explore, so I have no one place and many places I go, ....there are some places I repeat visits to frequently.... one is a certain Roller Coaster. One of the Best in SL.

[18:42] Rusty Redfield: oo oo ooo can you share? is it busy? or one of those wonderful things that just sits there waiting to be discovered?

[18:42] Rusty Redfield: I have visions of getting an angry note from somebody whose sim just crashed because I printed the address of the best roller coaster in SL ROFLMAO

[18:42] Jak Calcutt: no and yes... but I will share with you later and leave it up to you whether you share... :)

[18:43] Rusty Redfield: haha perfect.  well, everyone can find their own damn roller coaster.  Get out there and look, you lazy slugs! hahahaha

[18:44] Jak Calcutt: LOL

[18:44] Rusty Redfield: Listen, I have to thank you for your time, you've been great

[18:44] Rusty Redfield: anything you wanted to be asked, but I didn't? Or any piece of philosophy or guidance you want to share?

[18:44] Jak Calcutt: Thank you Rusty...was a great pleasure..

[18:45] Jak Calcutt: ..now if you have time we can go seet the Roller Coaster.

[18:45] Rusty Redfield: ooooooooo interview over! HAHAHAHA

[18:45] Rusty Redfield: if you have philosophy, I'll add it in later <laughing>

[18:46] Jak Calcutt: I do.... Be kind to everyone.

[18:46] Rusty Redfield: I like that.  Simple and useful.

[18:47] Rusty Redfield: thanks Jak Calcutt and I'll refer everyone back to my pictures of the great Second Pride build

[18:47] Jak Calcutt: aww.... thanks Rusty... it was a labor of love.

[18:47] Rusty Redfield: Okay we're going rollercoastering!! *click*

The first line of this article has a link to my article about Second Pride; thinking back, I think the part that stuck with me the longest was the chapel, and I hope in retrospect that finds a home somewhere. And we DID go rollercoastering on the coolest SL roller coaster I have ever seen.  I took a ton of photographs and I'm going to put them up separately; I need to research a little more about its story so I do it justice. But here's a teaser picture!

010: Johann Brakkus sits on my deck

I was at a party this afternoon celebrating the anniversary of Romanum, a Roman-themed RP sim where I lived for a while last year. I ran into a lot of old friends and one of them, Johann Brakkus (musclefight) thought it might be fun to sit on my deck for an interview. Here's the verbatim transcript:

[14:19] Rusty Redfield: <click> there we go, recording now

[14:19] Johann Brakkus: ok

[14:19] Rusty Redfield: I'm here with my friend Johann Brakkus, aka Musclefight

[14:19] Rusty Redfield: who's very kindly agreed to a spur of the moment interview!

[14:19] Rusty Redfield: we've just finished at a party in Romanum, hence the Roman clothes

[14:20] Rusty Redfield: okay, first question

[14:20] Rusty Redfield: 1. Why do you stay in Second Life?  What keeps you here?

[14:21] Johann Brakkus: Hmmmmm, Second Life is a nice escape.  I get to role play a character I would never get to be in Real Life.  I have made some wonderful connections with other people...friendships I dare say.  I think that is what keeps me here.

[14:22] Rusty Redfield: see, this is easy LOL

[14:22] Rusty Redfield: okay -- question #2

[14:22] Rusty Redfield: 2. What are the qualities that attract you to people in Second Life?

[14:23] Johann Brakkus: Being nice, friendly, respectful.  Able to have fun...and understanding my bad sense of humor!

[14:24] Rusty Redfield: hahaha I think you have a GOOD sense of humour!

[14:24] Rusty Redfield: it's true, though, isn't it -- some people don't seem to be here to have fun, I don't understand that

[14:24] Rusty Redfield: anyway -- sorry -- next question

[14:24] Rusty Redfield: 3. What are you working on, as a form of artistic expression or in order to earn money, or both?

[14:25] Rusty Redfield: (feel free to plug your own business here BTW -- that's why I ask these questions)

[14:26] Johann Brakkus: I don't work!  I am here to play and have fun!  I don't worry about earning money here in SL.  So no interesting projects or business ventures here.

[14:26] Rusty Redfield: actually, I hear that a lot from people.  some people say creating their av is their art project...

[14:28] Johann Brakkus: If I were plug a specific business...my partner Rod runs a fun club...Rumpus!  It is a wrestling themed night club, with parties 3 nights a week, and a wrestling ring and locker rooms available at other times.  I would like to see that succeed very much!

[14:29] Rusty Redfield: oh good! I was hoping you'd mention that.  yes, Rumpus is great -- the parties are always filled with hot guys



[14:29] Rusty Redfield: okay, next question

[14:29] Rusty Redfield: 4. If you could give advice to your earlier self in the first month that you spent in Second Life, what would you say?

[14:31] Johann Brakkus: I would say to make friends with guys who have a lot of experience in world.  I had a couple of friends who really helped me out understanding how this place works. How to build a great avi, how to find groups, meet folks and have a great time!

[14:31] Johann Brakkus: I would also advise them to keep it light and fun.  Try to avoid drama and entanglements.  This world is what you make of it!

[14:31] Rusty Redfield: that's a good answer! actually that's part of the reason I'm doing this blog and these interviews, because when I was starting out, this is the kind of information I searched for online and didn't really find

[14:32] Rusty Redfield: but I agree, you've put your finger on some good points, thanks

[14:32] Rusty Redfield: and last question -- 5. What do you like most about the way that your avatar looks?

[14:33] Johann Brakkus: Hmmmm...so I'm supposed to sound all full of myself now and spout off how great I look?

[14:33] Rusty Redfield: <grin> if you don't, *I* might

[14:33] Johann Brakkus: I've been told my eyes are great to look into...

[14:33] Rusty Redfield: I think what I'm getting at is, what do you think you've done successfully to make your av look the way you want it to

[14:34] Rusty Redfield: and they certainly are a beautiful blue-green

[14:34] Johann Brakkus: I have to say...and this may sound odd..I like the way my avi's body hair looks...it gives some nice texture, but is not overwhelming

[14:34] Rusty Redfield: see? that was easy

[14:35] Johann Brakkus: I think the build is well proportioned.  This is my more muscled avi...I have a 2 other versions that are a little slimmer, but this is what I wear when I want to be a bit bolder.

[14:35] Rusty Redfield: are they all mesh l'Uomo bodies?

[14:36] Johann Brakkus: No, one is Mesh, the 'Gary' shape, I am wearing 'Scott' now.  The other is 'standard issue.'

[14:37] Rusty Redfield: thanks -- this is the kind of thing that helps new residents make up their minds about how to look the way they want.  That's all the questions -- any comments or anything you want to get off your handsome chest? <grin>

[14:39] Johann Brakkus: Awwww, thanks for the compliment, Rusty.  I think the only thing I have to add for a newbie is to keep it light, and have fun with it!  There's enough stress in Real Life, who needs more here!

[14:39] Rusty Redfield: Beautifully put.  Okay -- I'll just switch this off. <click>

Thanks Johann! Readers, if you want to sit on my deck, let me know.