MuseBlog

All is in readiness. Enter!
 
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
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Yikes! Where has the time gone? We’d better start planning this right away!

As always, Muse Academy events and students must adhere to physical laws and contemporary technology. No antigravity, perpetual motion, or magic spells, please! (Wungs, however, are not only permitted but obligatory.)

Here’s last year’s ball for reference.

We’re still not 100% sure what Shadowkat has in mind for this thread, but let’s give it a whirl.

An adjunct to the May Ball, the rooftop garden features a Victorian gazebo in which small bands play light music. To start with, an ensemble is playing overtures from Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Faintly in the background, near the Academy’s music wing, a student chamber-music quartet can be heard tuning up and practicing difficult passages from its own intended program.

The weather is perfect: bright and cool and crisp under a pale, cirrus-clouded sky.

The foremost event of the Muse Academy academic year is underway.

As discussed on the planning thread, the theme in the ballroom is “Victorian ruins” — aptly enough, as wealthy Victorians were fond of ancient ruins, had plenty of them on their own island, loved to travel to see others in Greece and Rome, and often built fake ruins (known as “follies”) to enjoy. The ballroom is festooned with simulacra of ivy-twined crumbling Corinthian columns, collapsed Norman chapels, and, in the center, a bubbling fountain flanked by two Grecian urns.

Dress is formal. (If you don’t know what that means, look it up.) This being Muse Academy, all the clothes fit perfectly and look wonderful. Hats resembling those recently seen at the Royal Wedding are much in evidence.

Music, at least to begin with, consists of ballroom and/or classical works composed before or during the reign of Queen Victoria, with emphasis on lush romanticism.

For fresh air and a break from the dancing and mingling, there is, as always, a rooftop garden.

The rest is up to you.

The spring formal at Muse Academy brings a touch of class to the school and much-needed relief from end-of-term pressures.

To see how it went last year, consult the 2010 planning thread and the https://musefanpage.com/blog/?p=6873″>2010 ball.

Let’s light this candle!

Summary from the Planning Thread for easy reference:

Who: Any MuseBloggers who wish to attend. If you wish to assume the persona of a technician, astronaut, or spy or just create some sort of backstory for yourself, you’re welcome, but it’s not mandatory.

When: March 21st to April 17th, 2011.

Where: On the Yuri’s Night thread. Aboard Space Station Odyssey.

Food:

-In general: Foods that use scientific equipment for cooking, like an aspirator, gelatin… freeze-dried “astronaut” foods. (Not that we don’t have gravity, it’s just traditional.)

-Appetizers:
Fruit, Steamed dough (little soft bread things, Chinese), bread, soup, bruschetta.

-Entrees:
Pasta, Salmon/crab/veggie/whatever else puffs (little dough balls with stuffing, kind of like dumplings), puffin puffs sushi…

-Desserts:
Cookies, flavored ice, gelato, astronaut ice cream, chocolate fountain…

-Drinks:
Made by a machine featuring lots of chemical equipment and tubing.

-Miscellany:
Food and drinks served by robots. All catering courtesy of Piggy’s Happy Bottom Riding Club. (AKA the Hare and Hedgepig)

Décor: 2001: A Space Odyssey is the general reference. 2011 as seen by 1961.

– The Ballroom: A large ballroom entered through sliding doors in the Star Trek fashion. Models and framed photographs showing the highlights of spaceflight and SF in the past 50 years decorate the room. (Yes, lots of gorgeous Hubble shots) We are aboard a rotating space station, and large floor-to-ceiling “windows” will show the rest of the station, the Earth below, the moon and stars, and every now and then, shuttles and cargo ships flying up to dock with the station. Periodically, there will be announcements over a PA system to announce the “dockings”.

– The Rooftop Garden/The Pleasure Dome: Like the regular rooftop garden, only beneath an immense geodesic dome through which outer space can be seen. There are ornamental plantings, fountains containing statues of the planets, and models of rockets at various fractions of their actual size to stroll amongst. Telescopes are set up to allow guests to view various celestial objects they may find interesting- all are computer controlled, just punch in what you want to see and the scope will orient itself.

Music: A live band, playing a mix of 60s classics, New Age electronica, and any other favorites requested. Any MBer who wishes to drop in and play with the band may. Some specific music featured will include Holst’s The Planets and the music from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Dress: Futuristic formal. Black suits and ties, glow-in-the-dark dresses, neatly pressed jumpsuits, shirtsleeves with pocket protectors and skinny ties, Starfleet dress uniform, and the like. Go for a 60s feel, but nothing too hippie.

The goings-on: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering spaceflight, and the completion of Space Station Odyssey, various distinguished employees from the space agencies of the world have been invited to enjoy a civilized evening of dancing, music, intelligent conversation, and Earthwatching. (Binoculars provided at windows by wungs.) But keep on your toes, as befits the anniversary of such a prominent Cold War event, espionage and intrigue are in the air…

Rumor has it that a new Paker game is forming.

To see how the last one turned out, check the previous Game Room thread.

Look carefully at the feet of this runner preparing to compete in Friday’s Tokyo Marathon.
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*Role-playing game, or possibly rocket-propelled grenade.

Not necessarily continued from Part 8.

Place your presents under or on the gift tree for the Gift Exchange.

Note: this thread is only for posting gifts. All other comments or discussion should be on the Holiday Party thread. When it’s time to reveal the contents, they will be posted here as well.

Describe the outside appearance of your gift. (Wrapping paper, size, general shape, what it sounds like when shaken…however you’d like to describe it.)

Suggestion: make sure you keep track of your gift and its description, so you don’t risk forgetting what you gave.

Winter Wonderland is the theme as we close out the first decade of the 21st century in style. Let the festivities commence!

The weather is bleak this time of year off the coast of Iceland, but as end of term approaches, Muse Academy students and faculty alike have one thing to look forward to: the annual Holiday Party and accompanying Gift Tree. Although less spectacular than the balls the Academy holds on May Day and Halloween, it’s delightful in its own spicy, coniferous way.

(For reference, here’s how the party and the tree unfolded last year.)

IBCF sent us another installment of his chilling video epic:

Follow the links below if you missed the first three episodes or if you simply want to wallow in the horror of it all:
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u291/rglasley/museblog06/BunnyInvasion.swf
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u291/rglasley/museblog06/BunnyInvasion2.swf
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u291/rglasley/museblog02/BunnyInvasion3–AfraidoftheDark.swf

You’ve planned it, and now the time has come. Let the revels begin!

Already as long as The Divine Comedy, The Lord of the Rings, and all the Harry Potter books put together, and still growing.

Continued from Part 7.

Description: A general store serving the Academy, MuseBlog, and the greater Musipolitan area.

Location: The village of New Reykjavik, Hyperborea, off the coast of Iceland; with interdimensional connections to the Oasis.

Inventory: Transfinite. Inconceivable. “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it. Trust us. You really don’t.”

Warning! What you are about to see — should you brave the jump — is extremely disturbing. (Robert especially should approach with caution.) We will not be responsible for any mental damage incurred.

Technical note: you will need a decent screen size to make it work. Handheld devices are not big enough. Click on the images for larger versions. Also, you may need to watch it closely for a moment or two to get the full effect (at your peril). Let your eyes move around.

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*Role-playing game.

Continued from Part 7.

A place to catch a little fresh air after dancing, or thread your way through this year’s specially constructed Yin-Yang Maze:

The biggest event of the academic year begins. The decorations are up, the food is ready, the musicians are practiced, rested, and in tune.

The ball lasts just a few hours in Musiverse time but unfolds over a whole month of blog time.

Formal attire required. Fortunately, all clothing is virtual, flattering in every respect, and incredibly comfortable to wear.

Note: the rooftop garden will open anon.

Organizing Muse Academy’s preeminent festive occasion, the spring formal.

(If you need a little institutional memory, here’s how the planning went last year.)

Place your presents under or on the gift tree for the Gift Exchange.

Note: this thread is only for posting gifts. All other comments or discussion should be on the Holiday Party thread. When it’s time to reveal the contents, they will be posted here as well.

Describe the outside appearance of your gift. (Wrapping paper, size, general shape, what it sounds like when shaken…however you’d like to describe it.)

Suggestion: make sure you keep track of your gift and its description, so you don’t risk forgetting what you gave.