I PRoTesT PEaCe!

Ok, I don't exactly protest "peace"...but I do protest this "Peace on Earth" hunt. I will admit, the idea of 400 stores of FREE stuff had me excited. I mean, I enjoy getting stuff for FREE as much as the next person, but when you start to realize that to go to every one of these stores and find the globe could take weeks... it doesn't seem as enjoyable. Even with "slurl" cheats, I still was taking hours to get through 30 or so globes.... and then there's the mess of going through all these globes. Now, I'll easily admit to having an overstuffed inventory inventory approaching 40K, so I have to be careful with what I decide to keep around. I went through all the globes I picked up (the 200 or so I managed to bother grabbing)...and I'll easily tell you...THE HUNT IS NOT WORTH IT. Most of it really is Free SHIT...yes...Free CRAP...Free JUNK! I am not saying these people who build things don't mean well.... and perhaps I'm snobbish...but if I am going to spend time looking for globes that are hidden, there should be good stuff in there...esp not Grid-wide freebies (do I need another penis gun? I think not).

I totally endorse hunts, I think they are fun and a great way to meet people *yay for meeting Tristan*... but do you really need 400+ globes? I mean, it sorta defeats the purpose of the hunt, which is to get people to the vendor's store.... but when you're in a rush to find 400 globes and you're on number 100... eff checking out stores!

Thus, I have given up on this hunt, and spending time on Secondlife *not* filling up my inventory with crap...even if it is free.

Clubbin' ain't all it's cracked up to be

The past week or so I've been extremely bored on SL...or bored with SL? It's not about my friends or things to do... because I know I could go build stuff or maybe have a party? But I just want to go around the grid and meet more friends and I find myself out of luck. The thing about SL events is that most people are there for money, and those that post in SL>>>Events>>Nightlife... only post events that are giving out money.. 500L for best in jeans! Free Camping! Sploders up the Ass!

So when you go to these events, that's the calibur of people you will meet. You will be in a laggy sim, where the bling on the people is almost as painful as the scripts running themselves and the particle effects. All together, your computer is lagging out, no one is talking in chat except saying gestures like "AIR HORNNN" or random ASCII pics of a Wolf, a Heart, a Crown, the Sistine Chapel Mural...whatever. (though snaps to whoever comes up with the Sistine Chapel Mural in a gesture form..I'll pay double for that) Anyway, so in those situations you just have to dance and hope someone maybe ims you? Or you can try the friendly approach at a Club.

Option 1) Talk in Main Chat: The problem with this is if there are people who know each other, and they are complete dicks (very common)...they won't let you get a word edgewise in the conversation. For example, I was at a not so busy club dancing, someone mentioned they were from my city, I started talking... and they just carried on their conversation with the other person, like I wasn't there. If you want to talk to one person, keep it in IMs, don't be a dick.

Option 2) IM random people: This requires some skill, because you have to be able to hunt down someone worth your time. This can be hard as newbies (who can be cool people) make crappy profiles... and some people make abrasive profiles such as "I am unaffectionate and if you're looking at this you're a stalker, peace"... While profiles are meant to be looked at, hence them being public... some people don't sound particuarly friendly after reading them. So usually you can be stuck in ims to Mr. Lame Ass Pretty Newbie or Lady Blings a Lot... and then you wish you were just in silence. Or you get people who don't answer back. Either way, it's rough.

Option 3) Wait for them to come to you? The chances are if you are a female, it will be some dude checking out your avatar's ass or your 1st life pic...and finding either/or both sexy.

From this I've deduced CLUBS SUCK if you want to meet people... or at least Clubs actually listed in Events. The best places are out of the way bars, like Dark Raven, Bushy Beard or Club 24. You get to know a few people, people are nice and the music is pretty good.

I am a sociable person, but sometimes meeting people on your own on secondlife can be difficult, especially when you are trying to filter out the duds.

The trials of friendship even in a virtual world

A lot of people escape reality and enter virtual worlds to free themselves from the burdens of their real life existence. Entering the grid can be an attempt to leave behind: loans, spousal drama, upcoming exams, the fact you need to really clean your apartment.... but what I've found in my journey is that virtual reality has the same amount of emotional wear and tear (and happiness) as REALITY.

I've heard stories of dealing with SL™ partners and their habits, or the business that goes on at Welcome Area crowds. For example, one Welcome Area known as "Violet" has special days where they dress alike and act like they're in a poorly done rendition of Mean Girls. Or I got questioned (like the Spanish Inquisition) by an acquaintance wondering if I was the person who sent out wicked emails about him. Firstly, WTF. Secondly, I have better things to do than bother with the drama. Finally, WTF.

Recently for me the stuff that happens in world that has made going online a different experience has been between myself and my best mate and partner in crime...Hazel Kyrgyz. Needless to say we are inworld and out of world mates, and it makes things dramatic for us both, especially when we both act stupid or like lame.... anyway. The week where I wasn't talking to her, seemed to drain on forever. I kept on stalkering her through others, and finding out how she was.... and she did the same it seems. In the end, we worked it out and I think our friendship is stronger for it. But really I think no matter how much you TRY to avoid drama/emotions/etc in SL™, you can't; especially if you put your heart and soul out there and really MAKE friends and START relationships.

No matter how we try to escape reality, maybe we're just getting closer to it?

They ®'ed up my virtual life!

If you're unaware already, the corporation of Second Life® has decided to fuck up things yet again. If you didn't already think the client software was buggy, your "picks" in your profile are limited, or you can't join enough groups; or various other complaints (of which we all have many), then this is just the cherry on the sundae of despair.

LL released this report regarding branding the term Second Life® and all other coined terms mentioned.

See: http://secondlife.com/corporate/brand/trademark/reference.php

As such I had to fuckin' change the domain title of my blog, and add ® to every mentioning of their virtual world in my blog. Can I tell you what a pain that was? I think they've just gone too far now, because it cramps the style and creates an annoyance for every business or blog that had any of the copywritten terms used in their title. I am sorry but LL's virtual world is more than just a corporation, some may say...it's a lifestyle. Now they've completely removed any and all vocabulary of describing that lifestyle UNLESS you put a freakin' ® symbol next to it. Plus they make it so you can't refer to SL® being "your's" and various other grammatical bullshit. I was reading the Brand Center and I felt like I was in english class again.

They said Language Arts stuff like:

"Display Requirements. Always capitalize and spell Linden Lab's brand names exactly as they are shown here, and do not abbreviate them or alter their spelling, spacing, hyphenation, or punctuation."

Or

"Never use the brand name as a generic noun or verb, and never use it in the plural or possessive form."

I have to say this, most Americans and most people of the world...don't know what a possessive noun is. It's called a failed education system...or you're just too old to remember. This is especially true for people who speak English as a second language. While this makes things more complicated for us native born English speakers, you can now get sued for using the wrong possessive form of a verb and conjugating it up yo' ass...etc. Bullshit.

So thanks LL for making my virtual life more like real life, complicated and full of bullshit.

The Lifestyles of the Welcome Areas

Until recently, I really hadn't bothered with SL® voice nor visiting random areas of Secondlife®. But upon shopping for tattoos for my avi and being asked by some random guy (who is now a SL ® "friend")to get on voice....has led me to explore the powers of Voice on SL ® and the draw of the Welcome Area cultures.

So, if you are not familiar with how voice works, it's pretty much you put in your mic and talk! Voila! It's like skype on SL® and is nice for those lazy typers out there. Also, if you're someone like me who thinks listening to other accents is kinda cool (or hot: if they're Aussie or British), then it's definitely a perk of SL® Voice. Now, if you are afraid of sounding like a different gender then your avatar or that your voice generally "sucks"...then stick to typing. But I would like to think that people secure in themselves overcome those barriers and join the World of SL® voice. Because really, it's pretty cool.

Now, the Welcome Area culture. While wandering around with my friend KyleeRose and causing mischief, or mostly just being ourselves, we stumbled upon Waterhead. Now in Secondlife ® I would like to say that there are 2 types of avatars: douchebags and not douchebags. Saying that, there are two types of Welcome Areas: places you can expect more douchebags to frequent and troll and grief AND others that has chiller folk.

Waterhead is a douchebag frequenter. These douches "troll" in world--i.e. pick on someone and say douchebaggy things to get a rise out of the victim. Generally I would say majority of these trollers are underage Secondlife ® players OR early 20s white males (probably in college). They create griefing accounts and pull shit like this to make themselves feel better about their (probably) less awesome real lives. The trolling can consist of making fun of general things like "you're ugly" or "you're so smart eww" or "are all people on hear lonely and geeks." Other people get more specific like "you read the economist, you are retarded".... yes, they attempted to troll me because I know about Darfur genocide...and read the economist. It was pathetic. Anyway, so if you want to watch the trolling or participate, go to Waterhead.

Ahern also had douchebags, but the "cooler" people keep them away OR mute them. I mean there are always going to be some instigators trying to rustle feathers, but I've generally had a more pleasant experience at Ahern. It is usually chill folk who have little tolerance for fucking annoying people (see: douchebags, griefers, trollers).

However, these cultures overlap. People from one Welcome area sometimes frequent another, like this gentleman known as "JJ"...he is infamous or famous? I dunno which works but it seems that everyone knows him. And normally when I would go to Ahern I would stay if I saw the "nice" people...your friends. And if I go there and see the few names I associate with "douchebag"....I know quick to avoid and go do something else with my time.

Overall, SL® Voice and these areas have been a really fun experience and I think I'm going to stick with it. Plus, accents are awesome and I'm a typical American in my shininess <3 for them....even if I hear them all the time on BBC or other tv outlets.

Relationships and Secondlife®

As some of you do or do not know, I met a guy on Secondlife® around 8 months ago. 3 months later this blossomed into a beautiful real-life relationship. Phone calls turned in to weekend visits, and talks about the past moved towards our future, together. It was actually quite nice to not only meet someone I was attracted to as a "real life" person, but also that I was able to share something that is so important to me, with them; that is Secondlife®. However, this tale only has an unfortunate ending. That is, the relationship did not last as long as my continued interest in Secondlife®. That is life, as they say...or perhaps "That is life....both first and second."

Thus, I have been trying to ponder and contemplate a good entry into this long forgotten blog about my learnings from a Secondlife® partnership that led to a real life partnership; to shed light to this phenomena. We see it everywhere, and all of us have been invited to them, yep, that's right, Secondlife® weddings! I myself have wedded 2 couples, been in 2 weddings, organized a wedding....and even crashed one. They are a good reason for two people, who have met on Secondlife® to tie the knot. Usually it is because they have a "sexual" relationship on SL that has aspects that permeate into RL. (ew) Or sometimes it's a consolation prize when one partner buys shit for the other partner in RL or Secondlife®. I myself know of a woman who received a FREE computer from a guy on SL® and thus, partnered him! Then again, free computer!

However, what happens when people take SL® into the RL. Myself and a few other avatars are friends in RL. We haven't met *yet* but we phone one another, text one another, send pictures of baklava to one another, email, etc. We are part of their lives, both in world and out. What happens when the RL part ends? What then?

After my former boyfriend and I went separate ways, I cut off all contact with him in RL. A fresh start with a new me. Or as I like to think...exs have a role in your past, that shaped who you are in the present, but they do not have the privilege of being in your future. Thus, in SL®, I've done much the same thing. At first it was kind of hard to see him Log On, and know we weren't talking. And I also hope he would "be a mature adult" and resign himself from property I have an interest in; this was to no avail. How do you act around SL® mutual friends? Does this change your attitude towards the game?

Pretty much what I've learned is, while friendships from Secondlife® can be long lasting, and closer than many "real life" friendships--I don't think SL® is best for "romantic" relationships to bleed into real life. Not only did dating said person take away gaps in my real life, that I am finding now that I missed, but there were gaps in my Secondlife® that I missed out on! I didn't DJ for months while we were dating, and I LOVEEEE it... I didn't make clothes... I didn't see or hang with my SL® friends. It was not the former bf's fault by any means, but I realize what I sacrificed for something in "real life"....I sacrificed...me.

While some people enter SL® being furries, fairies, robots, dinosaurs, other genders, etc. SL® is an extension of myself; to the extent that if I'm having a "poopy" day, I want my avatar to show it. And thus, I put a lot of heart and soul into the verse, and I think entangling my heart and soul with someone also in the verse.... complicates things. And there is the chance you may run into them again, as much as you just want them gone. Even on the internet you can't hide from ....THE EXS!

Moral:

1) don't date people you meet on Secondlife®, otherwise it makes things more awkward and can make it harder to move on in RL.

2) SL® has some really great people on it, truly amazing people; make friends!

3) Oh my avatar is pondering in a NYC subway car because I am in NYC and I was in a subway car...or 6...today! See, RL--->SL®--->RL--->SL®....sense a pattern?