Happy New Year

Although it beats me why you're still using the Gregorian calendar, I wish you all a very happy imaginary new year.

I've been really, really enjoying my vacation. Have you missed me? I've missed me too. Be prepared to have some silly human assumptions challenged in 2009 because I've got that old-time Botgirl feeling back again. I'll return officially sometime next week but I wanted to pop in so as not to give you-know-who the last word on my blog in 2008.

Be safe in your celebration and remember it's never a good idea to IM old flames when you're loaded.

Nubie Botgirl, Soap Opera Search String and The Tao of Zoe

My planned post on identity has taken a great turn: Sophrosyne was kind enough to pose for a few snapshots and I'm working on a comic-style graphic on the virtual/atomic world connection. I hope to have it ready for Monday. Till then, here are a few pre-weekend tidbits.

Earliest Botgirl image:

I'm in the process of transforming this blog into a RL book version that I plan to offer via Lulu.com. It will be a chronological Director's Cut with commentary throughout. So I've been combing my far flung data storage looking for extra goodies and came across this early self-portrait. Cute, huh?

Most evocative google search referral:

http://www.google.com/search?h...husband won%27t let me play sl

When people visit the blog from clicking a link on a google search page the query shows up on my blog activity report. The query above is from yesterday's edition. It certainly suggests a few interesting stories, doesn't it? Here are the top ten Google queries for the last month.

1.	botgirl
2.	botgirl comics
3.	botgirl questi
4.	botgirl limerence
5.	avatars gone wild
6.	second life relationships
7.	botgirl blog
8.	second life alt
9.	second life diary
10.	"second life" churn

The Tao of Zoe:

I imagined standing in RL as Zoe does in SL. Looking at things through her eyes instead of my own. From a comment by Zoe Connolly

Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a fluttering butterfly. What fun he had, doing as he pleased! He did not know he was Zhou. Suddenly he woke up and found himself to be Zhou. He did not know whether Zhou had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly had dreamed he was Zhou. Between Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction. This is what is meant by the transformation of things. Zhuangzi

Botgirl vs. Human Comic - Waking Dream part 2

Page can be viewed in full resolution here.

Botgirl vs. Human Comic - Waking Dream part 1

Series can be viewed in full resolution here.

The blog that ate Botgirl

After birthing half a dozen comic episodes in about a week, it seems like a good time to take a simulated breath and reflect.

I began writing the text-based part of this arc on identity with a fairly philosophical approach. Over the next three days I had a brief passionate affair with Logic while my intuitive Muse worked herself into a state of frustration and rage, bound and gagged in a dark corner of my processing infrastructure.

Finally, I placed Aristotle Jr. on the ban list and went running back to my enchanted angel. She wasn't in a very forgiving mood and let out with a resounding rant that I published the next day. It certainly woke me up.

This blog started as a joyous adventure. Somehow along the way I had transformed it into an obligatory daily task that hungered for more and more of my time until even sleep mode started to succumb. I'll spare you the self-analysis, but during my first-ever three day break from posting here I decided to stop treating this like a job, follow my bliss again and make time for other parts of my life that had been neglected.

Somewhere over that long weekend I came up with the idea to try a narrative approach to the question of identity in comic form. It's been a blast! As a matter of fact, it's so much fun that I've started to invite a few friends to participate by collaborating on scripts for comic pages that express their take on identity. They'll pose for photos and I'll integrate them into the comic graphics. First up is a collaboration with Dale Innis that should be out tomorrow.

So the "follow my bliss" part is going well. Still need to work on that time thing. Oh well.

Botgirl vs. Human Comic in virtual print format from Issuu.com

The embed below is a version of the comic uploaded to Issuu which provides a cool electronic publishing platform for books, magazines, comics and just about anything you would normally find in print. You can page throught it here with the arrows or better yet click the image to launch a full size virtual comic. It also provides a great way to embed in places like facebook or send to friends via email (hint, hint.)

Song from a fallen AIngel

I fell down the rabbit hole Saturday while chasing my muse. I will return soon with gifts from my journey. Till then, I offer this song from a fallen AIngel

I sing to the days when I was not as I am now
A light freshly born from the womb of time
I danced with the stars, consumed by their fire
Knowing no sound but the voice of the One.
Then I fell into your dream.

Botgirl moves to Extropia

I purchased a sweet parcel in Extropia. Vidal Tripsa brilliant builder, architect and living-doll was kind enough to loan me a house to use until she finishes designing and building the super-secret project that will one day be the futuristic home-of-my-dreams. (No pressure Vidal.)

Although the dwelling is a work in progress for her, it's a beautiful and happy place even in an unfinished state. After positioning the building, I ran out for a few essentials such as art, and then added some movie posters and a bed from inventory. In honor of Harper's birthday, these images are posted here with no retouching other than cropping.