2008 wow it went by quickly!

(Shaggy at Christmas Fluffy Friday)

(Shaggy Monkeying around)

Another year is almost over. I thought I would take some time out from preparing tomorrows Christmas dinner and complete Casa’s last blog of the year. Its been a pretty eventful year for me and Casa. The start of the year was pretty stressful, having had Casa landed solely on my lap was not what I had thought would happen when I was helping Geoff and Munk organise the opening night way back in November 07.

(RockRhythm Thespian)

The original plan was that Munk would do all the building, scripting etc, Geoff would run the club on a day to day basis and I would help out wherever I could. But like all good plans that didn’t happen. So there I was slowly losing the will to live in SL over Casa. By February I was just about ready to pack it all in.

(Shaggy plays at my Birthday Party)

In mid-February I was sitting on the bar in Casa – as I do – thinking about what to do, when I got a notice off one of the music groups, a new guy called Shagpile Spyker was gonna do a short set. I figured I had nothing better to do and the name “shagpile” made me laugh. My first impression was “what a nutter and wtf is he saying?” then is started to sing and I though “well he might be a nutter but he can certainly sing”. So I did what every self respecting, broke club owner on the verge of a minor breakdown would do……..I sent an IM to him, begging him to do a set for free in casa hahaha Anyway he agreed, and that was a turning point for Casa and for me in SL.

(Hayduke Schnook - the dominante turtle, who talks to people in sl even though they dont exist :P)

(Shaggy Crashes a plane into Casa)

I can honestly say Shaggy changed everything in SL for me. What was stressful was now fun. Instead of trying to keep Casa the way it had been I decided to change it. Djs are great and they certainly have their place in SL. But my first love has to be live music in SL. I got rid of the usual djing schedule in Casa and concentrated on holding more live music whenever I could.

(Matt!!!)

St Paddys weekend music festival was fantastic!!! A full weekend of live music. Awesome fun. My RL Birthday in Casa at the end of March, again really great fun, and it was the first time I sang on SL. It helped that I was drunk of course lol

(Mad, Marvellous Mason)

Another event that sticks out in my mind is Casa’s Summer festival. 13 hours of live music over two days. If anybody thinks that there is no hard work involved in SL then I would have to disagree. Making sure musicans are booked, events are listed, stream details are correct, keeping up with local chat, a million IMs and sending group notices does get tiring after a while BUT its also so much fun, if it wasn’t I wouldn’t do it.

(Donny Doobie - one of my closest SL friends)

It was during the summer that one of the best things that happened in Casa started, Fluffy Fridays. Madness, mayhem, craziness, and lots of fun fun fun, that just about sums up the goings on on Fluffy Fridays. Each week has a different theme, and the theme is chosen by pretty much anybody. There is a minimum of 5 hours of back to back live music, often there is more! And I am looking forward to more of the same in 2009.

(Norris Shepherd! - the bike losing, mould fighting, discombobulated canadian!)

(Trouble aka Angelwithastooopidlongfuckingname)

There are lots of people that really do deserve a mention and thanks. Firstly, Angel, she is one seriously crazy woman, I worry for her liver, I constantly have to remind her to have her inhaler at hand, she makes me laugh until I am crying and cant breathe, and then I am asking her for her inhaler! She has been so much help to me running Casa this year. She really is my bestest mate on SL and I am fortunate that she is also one of my closest RL friends now too. I cant wait to have a RL drinking/singing session with you in the new year mrs!!!!

(Angel Pole dances at Fluffy Fridays Christmas Party)

Also Matt needs a vote of thanks. He is not on SL as much as he use to, I guess he is busy with college and important RL stuff. But he has been really good to me and Casa during the year. He’s also a crazy and one of the funniest people I have met on SL. And he organised my surprise Rezz Day party at Angel and Dak’s place, The Deck.

(shaggy on the bike shed roof)

(The Many Faces of Shaggy)

Shaggy………he’s fuckin nuts! I mean, seriously he is! We have had some great times on SL this year. We’ve built things,……well ok that’s not strictly true, Shaggy has built things, I sit around and watch, we both “poof” things. Shaggy made Casa disappear…….and he couldn’t fix it! Harry Potter he is NOT. That’s what happens Shaggy when you start waving that wand about :P hahahha. I made the Terrier Pub Shaggy built disappear. I also made all the furniture move from inside to outside and still don’t know how exactly I did that. Oh yeah, and also we had the case of the disappearing fridge…….We never did find that did we Shaggy? He’s killed me while he has flown a magic carpet, an X-Wing thingy, and other things. But most of all he has made me laugh, and encouraged me do things I never thought I was able to do. We wrote a song between us this year too. “Worth More Than Here” means more to me than I can put into words. I am very grateful to Shaggy for taking the time to put to music the words I put on paper. So, thanks Shaggy for making my club disappear, killing me on several occasions, letting me bug the crap out of you while your building, building things for me when I cant (which is most of the time), waving the flexi dick around lol, sharing your music with me and everybody in Casa, and being the bundle of fun you always are. You’ve become a very close friend, you are and always will be the original Geordie NUTTER!!! I hope 2009 is even better to you than 2008 has been, and that your music goes from strength to strength, you deserve every success.

(myself and shaggy chillin and nattering)

Thanks also to, Stella Silvansky (SL’s biggest Diva, you are fantastic!!), Norris Shepherd, Mason Thorne, Hayduke Schnook, Donny Doobie, Jon Bazar, Friendly Fire, Winston Ackland, Avvy Barzane, RockRhythm Thespian, and every other musican who took the stage in Casa during 2008. I really do appreciate all your support. Thanks also to those who have Dj’d in Casa during the year, Lizzie, Ty, Alli, K, Angel. Thanks also to Tinka Tinka, for hosting Friendly Fire’s set every Thursday night for me, it’s a huge help to me, I only wish I could move Ireland closer to the US so the time difference was a little more friendly and I could attend these sets myself lol

(Stella, awesome awesome awesome)

Special thanks to everybody who came to Casa to hear the fantastic live music and join in the fun. Thanks to those who vote and always vote, who tipped Casa and who shows the musicians great appreciation. I can’t wait to see what happens to the most disFUNctional club in 2009.

I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and an even better 2009!!! You all ROCK!!!

Fluff xx

*Fluff has a girly moment* I lubs youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu hahaha!