I’m back from a few days of rest, traveling with the husband and son to DH’s medical convention in Destin, Florida. That break delayed me in getting things done and taking pictures that I’d planned to share with you, and so I have An Important Announcement.
I’m now renting an entire Homestead.
I still wonder (and shudder) at times over this move; the rent is double what I was paying for the half-sim I was on, and 10 times what I paid for an apartment when I first started out. I never thought I’d be owning this much land and airspace. But I saw an entire island up for grabs just two or three grid segments over from where I was living, and the chance to almost double my prim allowance and do things I’ve never been able to do before was too great to resist. The landlord was the same — Marina Xi of GlenXi Estates — and she worked through my occasional straining of her patience to mostly finish the landscaping in terms of terraforming and some planting. There’s more planting needed, I think, and I’m gradually working on that, so look for future home/garden updates, especially with this year’s Expo coming in a few months.
Incidentally, if you’re looking for a place to live, check out what they have available at their blog, or travel to their office in world. They have not only the half-sim I was living on — not released yet, but soon — but many other excellent properties, at what I think are very reasonable prices. I haven’t had much dealings with Philip Glenbrook, but Marina, his business partner, is great to work with.
I’m waiting to take pictures of the ground until I finish the planting of trees and other stuff; but for now, I can show you the main reason I took the plunge. It’s fairly obvious by now that I’ve went starbase happy, and about half of my 3,000 prims are going into building a base to be proud of. In fact, I tend to live on the base more than my house dirtside! Here’s a photo of the current configuration, subject to change:
As you can see, this is a combination of modules from two companies, Exosphere and Black Bishop. There are things that are hidden, or details that just won’t show at this angle and size. There’s also plenty of room to expand, and the layout can change as my ideas clarify more into what I want. I’m seeing this as a setting for photography for my short novels when they take place off Earth for one reason or another. When I get a free moment or two, I’ll create a map of what I have now for publication, as well as for reference for future plans/changes. I can tell you right now that the forward-facing half circle in the foreground center is the Ops Main Mission, and the tall tower in the background is the station administrator’s quarters and office. Provisions are being made for sleeping quarters for other personnel as needed, and there is a full transport tram service across the wide central square of the main level, as well as down to “planetary surface.” Airlocks and escape pods are placed at several points, including a large cargo airlock for bulk deliveries to Support Services. (As more modules are added on by Exosphere, I’ll probably add more areas, and build up and down. I may have to put up a second starfield bubble and transport those new departments!)
A little shameless promotion here: if anyone would like to rent a starbase for photo shoots or machinima, contact me in world by notecard or IM. I’ll even be willing to lay on temporary modules for your use at strategic points, such as alien research and cryogenics labs. (Hey, I gotta pay the tier somehow!)
