25 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Second Life, Uncategorized, Virtual Worlds
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Pearl sometimes plans to enjoy a quiet life in 1893 for a while but as she goes wandering amongst nature as she loves to do, sometimes she discovers that things are amiss. Like an infestation of huge, bold rats.
Not being overly squeamish or one to shirk her civic duty, when she has time she deals with the rat problem. From experience she’s learned that when a zombie is dealt with, another just arises to take it’s place. She knows when to walk away.
22 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted in Second Life, Virtual Worlds
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In the virtual world of Island Oasis, I exchanged my windmill house for a log cabin on my private island.
I’ve used up all my prims. Maybe I should swap one of the plants for a rug in here.
Sitting up like I’ve had too much caffeine.
Sunset and no neighbors on the islands for as far as I can see.
“I finished your laundry. The ashes are in the fireplace.”
Expanding Time
Most of my time for virtual worlds is spent in Second Life but I’m also maintaining a home on the grid in Island Oasis. All I need to do to keep the island and home is to log in at least once a week. I check it more often but it can kind of freak me out just a little to realize how fast time goes by when I check the rental box and there’s only a day or two left, especially when it seems like I’ve just checked it.
I don’t have nearly as much control as I like to think I do but I have four things that help me stay sane with how time works.
#1. I attempt to focus on as few things as possible at one time instead of multi-tasking.
#2. I intend to really stay present in the moment and it seems to help time expand.
#3. I attempt to overlook and ignore how frequently cyclical things come around– like taxes, holidays, haircuts, logging in to Island Oasis and such–because that tends to give me a distorted sense of time.
#4 Much of the world operates on linear time and I go along with that well enough but I’m getting better at knowing when to utilize non-linear time.
Maybe what I’ve written about time doesn’t make sense so just forget about it; it helped me to write it.
18 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Second Life, Uncategorized, Virtual Worlds
…..but the sim closing in a day is sad instead of amusing.
Pearl recently visited the French sim of Arachon Atlantique for the first, and sadly last, time as it’s closing very soon. There was lots to do and not enough time to explore it all in one visit.
Pearl did some “karaoke” while I streamed some Lana Del Rey on YouTube. (Yes, I know I’m weird.)
painting a masterpiece
There are no photos here of the wine making area with spiderwebs and all the farm animals….so many different kinds. We love animals in real and virtual life.
interacting with the fishing
[20:25] Match Fishing: You STRIKE!
[20:25] Match Fishing: Well done PearlGrey! You landed a 22.1 lb Cod!
[20:25] Match Fishing: You release the fish back into the water.
[20:25] Match Fishing Trophy Stand: Congratulations PearlGrey Resident!! You got the BIGGEST FISH SO FAR!!
[20:25] Match Fishing: PearlGrey makes a good cast and is ready for the next bite!
[20:27] Match Fishing: PearlGrey wonders if the fish have gone off this bait. Might be time to switch to a different one?
[20:27] Match Fishing: You recast with LUGWORM as bait.
[20:29] Match Fishing: Quick PearlGrey, Strike!! You’re gonna lose him! Hit ‘strike’ now!
[20:29] Match Fishing: You STRIKE!
[20:29] Match Fishing: Oh dear! It must’ve been a small fish. It’s spat out your big hook and heavy line.
[20:29] Match Fishing: PearlGrey makes a good cast and is ready for the next bite!
[20:29] Match Fishing: Thanks for fishing! Hope you had a good time! Your catch will be transfered to the trophy stand.
[20:29] Match Fishing Trophy Stand: Congratulations PearlGrey Resident!! You got the GOLD TROPHY!! Lets hope you can hold on to it until the match ends.
a boat ride
an excellent French dinner
a balloon ride
There was historical and regional information offered in local chat during the balloon ride. A lot had been put into this sim and I’m glad Pearl got to visit.
Finishing the evening with a few drinks.
15 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted in Life, Second Life, Virtual Worlds
Tags
art, Chris Attwell, creativity, destinations, Grey, Photos, Placebo Gallery, RolePlay
Pearl rests after looking at art.
The cyber-grunge roleplay sim I played in last summer has reopened with some changes. After we clean up and repair from a “natural disaster”, I’ll be managing the Golden Dragon Tea House and Bath House again. Pearl will be wearing her version of a year 2070 look instead of Victorian or Medieval/Fantasy for a while.
She recently went to the mainland to visit the Placebo Gallery, curated by resident Seraphim Placebo to view the work of an artist and fellow blogger.
A lovely world where grass, wildflowers and trees can easily grow inside a gallery.
After checking the land impact of some of the pieces (only 1), Pearl purchased the one in the left of the above photo.
Really like the bone flowers.
Inworld the gallery can easily be found in search under Placebo Gallery.
The gallery is on the mainland.
Pearl rarely travels to the mainland and got distracted a little by looking around the immediate neighborhood. She was standing in the middle of the street when amazingly, several residents strolled by.
11 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Life, Second Life, Virtual Worlds
Bamboo forest path on Azuchi Island.
Million Satisfactory Resolutions
My human certainly isn’t going to change the name of our blog since she’s aware of the mess it’s caused some others who’ve done so. She had a purpose besides fun and escape when we became residents in SL, began blogging and named this blog Million Happy Endings. Recently she read this quote by way of Pinterest:
“There are no happy endings.
Endings are the saddest part,
So just give me a happy middle
and a very happy start.” —Shel Silverstein
Brilliant trees on the Asian themed sim that is said to have shops and a role play area.
We don’t always get to choose our starts. We can learn from happiness but most of our growth seems to come from challenges and finding solutions, discovering higher levels of truth, learning to make better choices and such. Finding resolution and closure.
Pearl just wanted to wander and be, instead of shopping or checking out roleplay.
Higher Awareness and Growth can be quite painful
It’s often been said that you can’t solve a problem at the level it was created. When I reach a higher level of clarity and truth, of course I appreciate it. But it takes a lot of work to get focused on the facts of what was, what was incorrect and then to choose a better way without getting freaked out with who or what to blame. Life can appear to be very unfair and I’m one of those overly ambitious souls who loaded this lifetime with extreme challenges and apparent unfairness.
Most of my fellow humans struggle with this too. Crying over spilled milk, repining, grieving over losses, betrayal, manipulations and being lied to and cheated by the institutions we’ve given power and resources to in order for all of humanity to be served. Each one of us has different skill levels at moving through this so we can get to the part where we have the equanimity to take effective action and move on. Some never make that journey in this lifetime.
It can be quite shocking to learn that much of what you’ve been taught is wrong as the illusions fall away. Not a journey for the faint of heart.
In the rush and noise of the world, I need to remember to pause and acknowledge the little healings, clearings and the satisfactory resolutions that are for right now.
08 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted in Second Life, Virtual Worlds
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Art Gallery at Miramar. Do you see the little green dragon?
Pearl had a few moments and wanted to visit a warm and sunny place to look at some art. I selected a place I’d found through Honour’s blog. She had amazing photographs of the sim. The sun on the water was beautiful, Pearl liked the art and had fun interacting with baby dragons.
A good day to visit a more tropical climate.
As with many places inworld, there are areas to hang out and talk or dance. When I was there, the Christmas tree was still up.
Available space in this gallery but Pearl is enjoying the friendly baby dragon.
There are several galleries and not all were filled yet. Pearl wants to visit again in a few months.
One of the galleries at Miramar
It’s always enjoyable to visit galleries in pretty settings. On my list is a visit to the Placebo Gallery again, to take some photos and write about it.
Admiring the art inside.
It’s been snowing in real life all day. This reminds me of when I first became interested in exploring Second Life. It may be getting smaller and I’m aware of some of the problems but there’s still much to be fascinated and intrigued by. I’ll just pay better attention and log off more quickly when my energy begins to drop for whatever reason.
04 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Life, Virtual Worlds
Lost Paradise Welcome Center
Welcome Center
Lost Paradise
Pink Floyd ~ Dark Side of the Moon area
Lost Paradise
There are changes and progress in Lost Paradise since I last entered that virtual world. Taking a tour, there were new buildings and some new shops under construction. I like the architectural details the best.
It appears to be a calm and orderly world, someone’s plan and vision that they’ve followed through on and are maintaining. My vision is quite different; I’m not planning or following through though.
Judgement and Value
Living in the culture I do and spending a fair amount of attention online it seems typical when everyone’s a critic and everyone supposedly gets to have an opinion, that I can give an automatically jaded and hurried glance over someone else’s creativity.
Lately as I’m gaining more clarity about what interests and nourishes my soul, I’ve been able to pay attention to my ego’s first response to things. Instead of censoring myself immediately, because my response is unkind, envious, disgusted or whatever, I look at it simply as information.
Does my response mean the thing or idea is something I’d like to explore further? Or that it isn’t for me although it’s fine that exists in the world? Or that it isn’t for me right now?
I actually practice considering these things and re-frame my criticism/judgement in my mind to a more inclusive and tolerant wording and feeling. How silly and human of me to look down on stuff that other people bring into the world when I’m not even doing something similar. I know for a fact that almost everything I attempt is a lot more difficult, takes longer and costs more than I’d imagined.
Hopefully I’ll be paying attention enough to wear a little groove in my new way of looking at things before this gets lost in the immensity of life’s details.
01 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted in Life, Second Life, Virtual Worlds
The sea to the right in the photo is where TornOak was last seen.
Wishing You An Awesome and Meaningful New Year
WordPress bloggers are some of the most sane and intelligent people I’ve seen online. May the new year be gentle with you and may you achieve your goals and dreams.
The State of the Blog
My break from blogging has flown by in a blur. For January my goal is to blog twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. I’ll respond to comments as I always have and continue to read the blogs of those who participate here and also a few blogs of special interest to me.
Second Life
During December I spent little time in Second Life; I logged in a few times to check messages. I found that I didn’t miss it much; it’s so much better in my imagination than my actual experience of it.
There are residents that I care about (and some I even like) but I miss them being “present” even when they’re logged in. It’s none of my business why people behave the way they do; I’m only responsible for myself.
Serenity Falls and TornOak RolePlay Sims
I’ve checked these two sims a few times during the last month and no one was ever around. TornOak is gone now. I inquired about it to the owner and builder but didn’t get a response. Someone is still paying for the Serenity Falls sim presently.
Beautiful building in Serenity Falls
