SLIKEA™

This is where the RL magic happens. ;-)

I have been very busy in Second Life lately. I am trying to build a replica of my Real Life (non-IKEA) Swedish design bed. Above, you can see a picture of my RL bed. I have had it since I was 11 years old. It was a birthday gift from my parents. I begged for it – I loved the classic style, the smooth beech wood and simple lines of the design. I wish that I could say that I had sophisticated taste even at that young age…but the first thing I did when I got it home was to throw a hot pink Valley Girl themed comforter and two stuffed toy hippos on it. So, I guess I can only say that I have moments of taste.

When I started SL, I never thought I would be interested in building. I was having the best time just shopping, meeting people, having tons of SLex, and exploring the grid. But, I realized two things - 1) being easy is exhausting and 2) I did not like the bed I had purchased.

Luckily, I have a private building tutor: the charming f00 Barbosa! I have spent lots of time watching him build a gorgeous home. Plus, when I get really tired and frustrated he does things like this:

I highly recommend getting yourself a boyfriend who gives massages.....in SL and RL.

I adore my lessons and I adore f00 – but at times the instruction reminds me of getting homework help or driving lessons from my RL father. [Basically, I spent the entire six months leading up to my 16^th birthday in tears, insisting that, yes, my dad was in fact yelling and not just talking loudly as I practiced merging and three point turns. For his part, he spent the six months with a migraine and, God bless him, never once phoned the authorities to ask if there was still time to put me up for adoption.]

I kid, of course. f00 really is amazingly awesome and patient. Even when I am really, really, stooooooopid in front of him. One of my personal challenges is that I hate to do math under pressure. I feel stupid trying to do all the little adjustments, ratios and calculations in front of super smart f00. Even though I have taken tons of math and statistics courses in my lifetime, doing math in front of people makes my brain shut off. (I attribute this to trauma suffered as a 7 year old when I realized that, after having lost first place to him, Jimmy Dougan had cheated during multiplication table races.)

I originally thought that I would build things in the space on the roof of my condo, but it turns out to be against the rules. Luckily, I find the sandboxes wonderfully fun places in which to build. This is despite lag and crowding and the occasional giant prim that gets rezzed on top of me accidentally . They are such social places! People comment on your work, offer help, share textures, etc. It is a blast. Just the other day, as I was adjusting the textures on my duvet, an adorable little old man came over, rezzed a chair, sat down and watched me build. He also got to observe me grumble, cuss and, finally, give up and make everything white.

I am still working on getting a pattern on the bedding and making the pillow shams prettier. In the end, the bed will probably turn out to be…ummmm....let me see…carry the 1….oh, somewhere north of 200 prims and it will be the only item I can keep in my condo. But, it will give me such satisfaction to be able to say that I worked on it myself (with help, of course).

Introducing the ävatår Bed.

And, yes, I have already contacted IKEA® and asked them to come to Second Life. I let them know that I would love to help run their store. Come on by for a plate of SLwedish meatballs!

**Many thanks to Alger Meads who inspired the IKEA and meatball references when I met him while working in the sandbox!.

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