Achariya.net: Who is that tall girl?

Shapes by Zada Goth Chic shape and "Bring me a Dream" skin

Zada Zenovka was kind enough to hand me her new "Goth Chic" character avatar. We chatted briefly about it one night.

"I love the character of Death from Sandman," Zada said, "so I'm going to make a complete skin and shape set in her honor."

Zada's Goth Chic character avatar pack is definitely complete. It has one base shape and then seven other iterations depending upon prim skirt or prim lashes, five varieties of Another Skin skin mods, prim lashes, three kinds of face lights (I'm wearing the gothique one), a few fun extras like Death's ankh, and eyes. The eyes are all dark and glittery and gorgeous, straight from the pages of Neil Gaiman.

Zada wrote something lyrical in the note within the character pack:

In Sandman, Death is a teen goth. She's full of youthful optimism and compassion, but also timeless wisdom. She knows that when the last lives in the universe dies, she'll be there to claim them, and yet she faces this knowledge with gentle humor. She's an incredibly compelling character to me, and I wanted to capture something of that in my own take on a sassy goth chick.

I do love it when creators have stories in mind when they create.


Clockwise from upper left, Shapes by Zada "Dark Empress", "Insomnia"
"Tears for the Dying", "Spider Queen"

(Other outfit credits:)
***Shape, skins, eyes, face light: Shapes by Zada Goth Chic character avatar
***Hair: Nylon Outfitters (NO) Leah
***Dress: ~silentsparrow~ spiderbaby in licorice
***Tights: *Sheer* Torn Nylons Stripes Fade Black
***shoes: Lassitude & Ennui Asuka in coal

StrechCordz Short Resistance Training Belt

The StrechCordz resistance training belt makes expensive, complex, "endless" pools obsolete. At one end of a 4-foot, black rubber tube is a nylon belt with a simple plastic snap-clip that slips around my waist. On the other end is a loop I attach to the deep-end ladder of our modest home pool. That's it... just tether up and start swimming. Swim as hard and fast as you like yet stay in place.

I'm able to do backstroke, crawl, butterfly (well, I try to butterfly), even frog-kick with no interference. Stop swimming and the belt gently pulls me back to the ladder. And, no, my legs don't get tangled in the line! The rubber tube is just stretchy enough to allow a good resistance for natural swimming feel, but I hardly notice the belt at all. Significantly, I even forget I'm wearing it. It's completely comfortable for long bouts of swimming. The one I own has been in almost daily use for one swimming season in a relatively mild salt-water home pool. Not any sign of wear at all on the belt, but I do put it away out of sunlight between uses.

I wasn't sure I'd need the belt, frankly, since our pool is big enough for actual swimming. In practice, however, even though our pool is 32 feet long, it's not really enough to be comfortable for laps. The belt is an elegant solution. There's no more constantly calculating the strokes left till the next turn. Swimming in place allows a steady, relaxed rhythm that would otherwise be impossible. I find I can swim longer on the belt and get more of a workout. Our pool is 18 feet from side to side. The short belt (4 ft.) is plenty long enough for me, but there's a longer version for larger pools.

There are other products for resistance swimming, but I haven't needed to try them. For one, the Super Swim -- a suspension apparatus -- is 10 times the price and needlessly complex. I can see the theory behind it, but it would entail major pool-side visual and actual clutter, and would be a bother to store away. With the StrechCordz it'd be easy to raise the point of the tether if necessary, but I hook it at the deck level and it's fine. At only three-times the price of the Strechcordz unit, the RipTide's a relative bargain. It's a belt with shoes you slip on. I just don't think I'd want shoes on in the water... just something funny about having my feet tethered. And then there's having a size suitable for everyone. The StrechCordz belt is easily adjustable to basically any size. It's very simple to use, safe (one snap of the belt and it's on or off), and compact enough one could easily travel with it. Packing it really is a non-issue.

My office overlooks the pool and a swim workout is a good mid-afternoon tonic for neck and shoulders after hours of computer work. Looking forward to getting back to it now that the weather's warming up!

-- Bill Womack

StrechCordz
(model: S119)
$27
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by NZ Manufacturing, Inc.

Related items previously reviewed on Cool Tools:

Total Immersion Swimming

SwiMP3

Day Trips with a Splash

SLFaces: Jarl’s Functional Elegance

Some people think that being elegant means dressing up in the most expensive suit that you can find. While that isn’t always a bad idea, We all know that elegance rarely translates into “Functional” This outfit that I have put together tries to combine both an elegant look while still maintaining the functionality for day to day living.

The first thing that your eyes are drawn to is the Black Vest and White Shirt accented with a gold Scarf from Redgrave. The textures are gorgeous and the piece is what lends the outfit its elegance. The vest wraps itself around the body like a black glove and serves to accent the shape of the body by tapering off nicely just above the waist. The piece is accented well by a beautifully textured gold scarf and sculpted prim sleeves that add to the functional part of the outfit.

Some people think that models are all dumb; while there is nothing we can do about stereotypes we can do something to blunt this criticism. Never underestimate how much a simple pair of glasses can make you look more intelligent and brainy! The glasses I chose were NeoBloc from Gudshu and I must say they make even me look smarter which isn’t that easy! The shoes are Oxford Flare Shoes from Shiny Things in black. They add a slight rugged feel to the outfit and work very well with the jeans from Iki’s Dutch touch. The pants were a group freebie from Iki’s Dutch Touch and I just fell in love with them. They can be worn with almost anything and they still look good.

The entire outfit is topped off with Hair from Naughty,  and Skin from the Abyss.

Eyes - Tuli - Blue Eyes Smaller

Skin - <The Abyss> Scorpio Origin 1[A] Smooth

Top - Black Vest with White Shirt - Redgrave

Jeans - Unisex - Iki’s Dutch Touch (group Freebie)

Shoes - Shiny Things - Oxford Flare - Black

Glasses - Gudshu Glasses - NeoBloc

Hair - naughty - “Modern Edge” - Pearl Black 

[2] Etsy :: 3dots :: Asymmetric wood necklace cherry red

akuba saved 6 minutes ago at 03:48 PM PDT on Apr 8, 2008

Description:

Stand out of the crowd with this wonderful asymmetric necklace with wood pieces and a cherry red crackled glass bead disposed in an unusual way. Very unique! Pendant size: 2 3/8" X 2". Necklace length: Can be worn from 17 1/2" to 19 1/4". ( you can ask for length adjustment ) *** I cut, pierce, sand and polish every piece of wood by hand. For more information, contact me or see my profile.

Price: 29.00 USD Tag: necklace

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[3] Etsy :: Mikiye :: Pearl Silk Camellia Floral Hair Pin with Freshwater Pearls, Swarovski Crystal on Sterling SIlver Wire

mikiyecreations saved 13 minutes ago at 03:42 PM PDT on Apr 8, 2008

Description:

Pearl Camellia This is a perfect Bridal piece. Delicate silky off white petals surround a center filled with Freshwater and glass pearls, Swarovski crystals all strung on Sterling Silver wire. Truly stunning in person. Approximately 4 inches around. Double prong clip secures this piece in any hair style. This looks amazing alone as well as a lovely accent to your veil. Perfect for a classic beauty.

Tag: indie

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Final farewell for Pasco soldier

[Will Vragovic | Times]

Tara Nelson kisses the gravestone of her fiance, Spc. Patrick Joseph (P.J) Miller, after the burial service Monday morning at Florida National Cemetery. The New Port Richey soldier died March 29, at age 23, in Baghdad.

FLORIDA NATIONAL CEMETERY, Bushnell -- More than 200 people gathered midday today to lay to rest Patrick Joseph Miller, the 23-year-old New Port Richey solider who was killed in Iraq on March 29.

Miller was buried among the 90,000 American veterans and their spouses at Florida National Cemetery, which was carved two decades ago out of the Withlacoochee State Forest. Rifle shots and the faint playing of taps at Miller's service jarred the quiet from the other funerals at the cemetery, which averages about 35 burials a day.

Miller graduated from J.W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey and attained a biology degree from the University of South Florida. He enlisted in the Army last spring, as he felt a duty to protect American freedoms, and he also saw it as a way to help pay for medical school. He wanted to be a surgeon. He was engaged and planned on marrying his high school sweetheart, Tara Nelson, 26, a student at the University of Florida, in a surprise wedding aboard a cruise this month. He was supposed to be home last Friday for a 30-day leave.

Miller leaves behind his mother, Kim Miller; his father, Patrick James Miller; his brother, Michael Miller, 17; and his half-brother, Taylor, 4.

Michael idolized his older brother and wants to enlist. His mother does not want him to. Michael also is engaged.

"He was perfect," Michael said after his brother's burial.

-- Erin Sullivan, Times staff writer

Previous coverage:

She was at home with Spc. P.J. Miller

Special report: Our Casualties of War

Sign the guestbook

[7] Etsy :: bluevalentinepress :: ON YOUR LEFT Screen Printed Notebook

BarenakedChef saved 47 minutes ago at 03:08 PM PDT on Apr 8, 2008

Description:

CALL OUT ... ON YOUR LEFT. The cover of this little notebook was first drawn and then screen printed with love by me. Each notebook has 20 interior pages (10 sheets = 20 pages) of bright white, 24#, acid free paper, and measures 4" x 5.5" when closed, about the size and shape of a US passport, but with more pages. They are saddle staple bound. Perfect for any frantic note taker, or writer or collector of notebooks. And just the right size to shove in your bag or pocket. Don't get caught in the coffee shop without a place to doodle! Because each notebook was lovingly cut, folded, bound, and trimmed by hand you may encounter the slightest variations in size, like an 1/8 of an inch or so at most.

Tag: printed

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[10] Etsy :: dsbrennan :: Beach Cartwheels

ditribal saved 1 hour ago at 02:32 PM PDT on Apr 8, 2008

Description:

8x8 color fine art photograph printed on crystal archive paper. All prints are signed and dated. SOLD IN HONOR OF SWAN DAY! What is SWAN Day? Check it out: http://www.womenarts.org/swan/ During March, 10% of proceeds from the sale of this image will be donated to The Fund for Women Artists. Taken on a warm summer day at Scarborough Beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The model is my best friend, and she's wearing the bridesmaids dress she wore to my wedding. We were having a "Trash the Dress" event, and she spontaneously decided to do some cartwheels. I love the orange dress against the blue water, and just the free-wheeling feeling of doing cartwheels on the sand in a formal gown.

Tag: beach

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