Grazia Horwitz

How old are you?
almost 43…. and still no midlife crisis

Where do you live or where are you from?
I’m Dutch, living just North of Amsterdam. Close enough to the city to have the fun, far enough out to have a bit of quiet.

Care to give your personal background? Married, single, partnered, kids, etc.
I live with my long time bf. We’re not married, I don’t think we’ll ever tie the knot, but it works for us like this. Still crazy after all those years. We have no children, no pets anymore either, which I do miss. I’m a cat person and we used to have 2 Abyssinians who were like our kids. But they died a couple of years ago from old age. I’d adopt a cat today, but Mr H is not convinced yet.

When did you join SL and why?
It’s been 6 years now. I had some extra time at hand, sitting at the bed of my MIL who was slowly fading every day after work, till Mr H would come home from work to take over from me. It was the only thing we could do for her. Not that she was chatty, but she did notice us being there, and she loved it. Hated to be alone. But while she was dozing, I wanted to do something, and played some with my laptop. I had heard from SL through a TV show, I found out I had a wifi connection there… downloaded the client … and the rest is history.

Do you have a significant other/family in SL?
Yes, I have a family and a partner in SL whom I all love dearly. My partner Don Mill and my daughter Darla have become true friends over time, and I wish I could TP in real life to just go hang out with them sometimes. They are awesome people very down to earth and wise. Barbara Nicholls and GM Nikolaidis are my MommaB and Pops and they are some of the most caring people I know. My sisters Samara Barzane and Caelan Hancroft always know how to pick me up when I am down… or kick my ass when I need it (see also the frequent bat and slap emoticons in our plurks) . And then of course there are Sylvia Olivier and Ryker Beck who are Don’s sisters, but they are very dear to me, too, as much as my sisters.

What do you do in SL?

I’m a proficient procrastinator. No, really, most of the time I am in world, I’m just hanging out with my sisters, or with Don or Darla. When I decide to do something, it’s taking pics for the blog, or just for pure vanity. Otherwise you might catch me fiddling with shapes or new poses. I do have a little shop Geez, but I should finish all the poses I have made and actually put out some new stuff.

Describe your style in SL. Does it differ much from your RL? How?
Not that much actually. I like laid back clothing and elegant suits in both worlds. When I look at the feeds, sometimes I see people putting together outrageous and gorgeous outfits, and I feel some jealousy, but then again that is simply not me. Not in the least because the items they use to create the outfits with, often have issues for me that make me not want to spend money on them. Extravagant designs don’t automatically equal excellent execution, unfortunately.

How did you get into blogging?

Back in November 2006 I saw Celebrity Trollop posting on Second Style blog that she was looking for some fellow bloggers and I decided to contact her, putting my social awkwardness aside and that’s how it started. Later on, actually already mid 2007, I made my own blog. Initially I thought I would use it for stuff that didn’t really belong on Second Style, but I discovered that I liked having my own blog, and so I started to post there more and more and kinda moved away from Second Style.

What was the first thing you created/blogged etc? Will you share it with us?
I am almost happy that Second Style is no longer around, because those first posts… omg, what was I thinking!? OK.. I found my very, very first introductory post at Second Style I’m So Excited (that may very well be the earliest image of me that still exists.

Followed by Wintertime my first fashion post … très 2006, no?

What have you created/blogged etc that you are most proud of?
There are a few things actually. First thing is a team effort. Back in 2007 I was in a Relay for Life team with some pretty awesome people (I mean you, Shai Delacroix, Nicky Ree, Truth Hawks and Roslin Petion, to name but a few who are still around) and with the SLebrity Date auction we were the first single day event ever to raise over 1 million L$ for Relay for Life. To date, when I think back to that day, I am pretty proud of what we did back then!
Blogwise, gosh, that’s a difficult one. I am proud that I am still keeping up with this year’s 52 Weeks of Color challenge. Actually, I’m pretty proud of still blogging several times per week after so much time.

What is the silliest/craziest thing you’ve done in SL?
what is this silly and crazy you’re talking about? No really, if you wanted proof of my boring, here it is.

What would you like to do in SL that you’ve never tried?
Create a new character and throw myself in a crazy combat RP. But I am short on time as is with Grazia, so it likely won’t happen.

When you’re sitting at your computer playing SL, what do you usually wear? Describe your workspace.
What I wear really depends on the day of the week and the time of day. Weekdays, when I sit down after work, I might very well still be wearing my office attire, but when I have the day off, it’s most likely jeans and a sweater… and in the weekend, when I can’t be bothered to dress up, yoga pants and a shirt or a sweater. I play on a laptop and I am usually in the living room. It’s spacious, with an open kitchen. 2 comfy couches to sit on and a glass coffee table that is hopelessly out of style, but I still love it anyway. There is a corner full of books and cd’s (yes we still haz them) and a 8 persons dinner table. My favorite pieces though are the small bookcase that inherited from my grandmother and the dresser that was made by Mr H’s grandfather.

Has anyone in SL inspired you? Who and in what way?
A lot of people inspire me in SL. People like Keira, Berry, Sasy, Cajsa and Gidge for their professionalism and style. My family for being caring and awesome friends. Creators like Monica Outlander for being insanely creative and always surprising me with their designs. But maybe what inspires me most is the community as a whole when coming together to help a fellow resident. Despite mandatory drama over any and every (charity) event, it’s pretty amazing to see what we are capable of. Whether it’s being the biggest Relay group, being an example for the ACS on how to raise funds successfully in teams, or to help out a single resident, the effort is tremendous and humbling.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you wish more people could know?
Not really. I think that after all, I think it’s better if people do not know I am likely to have sweaty palms and am blushing all over when I am talking to them because I’m so shy. On the other hand, if they think I’m snobby for not initiating talk often, then maybe it is good to know that I am really a shy person and likely just don’t have much to tell.  

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do when you aren’t in SL?
What is this hobby thing you are talking of?? I’m kidding. I love cooking and reading. Reading cook books, too. When it’s the season I love making marmalade from the fruit from our own garden. For reading, my latest craze is the serial fiction by Sean Platt and David Wright. Their Yesterday’s Gone was a fun read and recently I’ve started to read their For Nevermore .

If you had to choose a movie title or song to describe your life so far, what would it be?
Sinatra’s The Best Is Yet To Come. Not because I’m not happy with how my life has been so far, but because I feel like I have only started to really enjoy life since I learned to like myself a bit better. So while life up till now has been good, I am looking forward to all the awesome that is yet to come.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? 10? 15?
I’m not a very ambitious person, I think. I would just love to be leading a healthy and happy life with people I love and care for, enjoying whatever job I may be having then.

What things would you try if you had no fear?
Base jumping!! But I am way afraid of heights… so that’s not going to happen.

If you left SL today, how would you like to be remembered?
As a kind person who had a nice blog for a couple of years. Wait, Grazia who?

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I did never have sex with Strawberry Singh, or Winter Jefferson.

We’ve also asked her fellow plurkers if they had any questions and here they are!

From Strawberry Singh: Does she ever get inspired by RL fashion styles/designs/designers when putting together her amazing looks for her blog?

I do. I am a long time fan of Armani, Jill Sander and Lanvin. I love their timeless elegance and effortless chic and the impeccable execution of the designs. That’s what I usually aim for. Other than that, I just love to look at images from the latest fashion shows. And of course, Victor & Rolf! As a Dutch girl, I just have to admire their insane creativity and brilliant concepts, even if I’d never wear their designs as a whole.

From Strawberry Singh: Which look/blog post/picture of hers is her favorite or is she the most proud of?

I hate questions like this, Berry!! Don’t make me look back on 6 years of SL blogging! But ok, I am really proud of the Mujer Desnuda post I did a few days ago, because I think the picture came out really well. There have been posts that at the time that I published them I was pretty proud of, but looking back, I see a lot of things I would do differently now. So, difficult question! Lets turn it around… which one of mine do you like best, Berry?

From Sam Laszlo:  Does she thinks its difficult to blog in another language?  

No. English is the language I communicate most in, really. I work in a very international environment where English is the leading language, so it has become second nature. Sometimes it’s even easier for me to say certain things in English than it is in Dutch. Silly but true, especially after a busy day in the office. Thanks for the question, Sam!

From Keira Seerose:  Does she feel a pressure to behave in a certain way knowing that she’s a role model for so many people?

I never think of myself as a role model, so I’m not feeling that pressure, either. I am just trying to be me, which is hard enough as it is at times. However, I am humbled by the knowledge that some people consider me to be one. Thank you, Keira (who is quite a role model herself, in my opinion)!

From Chance Raynier:  Does she wear the same type of clothing in real life?

I wish!! But I’d be bankrupt before done shopping!! I’ll admit to be wearing a lot of black in real life. Eventually combined with some colorful accessoires. But with a LBD you can’t go wrong. Merci, Chance!

From Luna Jubilee:  The style she shows on her blog is always beautiful and wide ranging. What is her favorite style showcase? and what one does she associate with the most?

To be honest… my favorite is the one I published most recently. Each and every time. And it changes. I don’t consider myself as having a particular style. There is too much that I like. What I always keep going back to though is what I like to call laid back chic. No outrageous designs, but well cut/modeled items with awesome textures that you can make an appearance with every time of day without being out of line.

From Luna Jubilee:  If she could pick to be any of the four seasons, what one and why?

Autumn!!!  This season has it all! Days that are still warm like summer, beautiful colors, the first frost, that crisp feeling in the evening air, storms that make you want to cuddle up on the couch with a book and a blanket and a warming drink and maybe even snow . All of this depending on where you live of course.  But I love the versatility of the fall, and I can only hope that people will identify me with it. Thanks, Luna! I loved this question!

Thank you Grazia for your time.  We loved getting to know you better!

Grazia’s Blog

Grazia’s Flickr

Geez Poses Inworld

Geez Poses on Marketplace