Northstar

Today my beloved took me to look around Northstar. This is a region set up to foster friendly relations between furries and non-furries. I find it sad that such an area is needed, but there are apparently people on both sides of the divide who are bent on accentuating differences, rather than celebrating them.

The landing zone is spacious, and contains a bulletin board where residents can post their pictures. Indeed the whole of Northstar is spacious, to allow freedom of movement to large avatars. There are also a number of ways that one can play with scale here, such as the giant empty avatars that are sat around, blinking but otherwise motionless. It is easy to try talking to one of these mannequins, thinking they are actual residents!

A large feature of Northstar is its mall, again a spacious structure to allow the larger ava's to move around easily. There are a number of stalls to catch the eye - including quite a few that sell prim breasts! Melissa did not get hers from the vendor pictured, but from a company called Rhenworks, in case anyone is interested in purchasing their own pair.

Came time to go, but we will surely return, as there is plenty more to be seen, including the micro-model village above Northstar. One thing I found is the overt sexuality present. I feel this to be part of the furry culture, but I had not come across it in my dealings with furries before. Not usually shockable, even I found some things too much. Whether this raw approach to sex is an inherent part of furry-dom I don't know. However Northstar is well worth a visit, and the perfect place to meet furries and learn their ways,

Things To Do On A Lagday

The Grid has been particularly laggy recently, which can make everyday activities such as building, TP'ing etc difficult or impossible. I am sure that the Gods are doing all they can, and I realise that this is a symptom of the phenomenal growth that SL has seen recently (4.1M users at last count), but that does not take away from the fact that it is still a nuisance.

Monday was definitely a lagday. Melissa and I decided to have a look at Cheyenne's plot in Somerset. Two crashes mid-TP later and I am able to join her. Such was the lag that day that we decided to sit it out, snuggling together in one of Chey's chairs and playing SL trivia.

As ever, my beloved displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of all things musical, and much more beside. I managed to get the easy questions, either by guessing well, or having the Chat lag work with me so that my answer was taken before Melissa's also correct answer!

We had a wonderful hour or so in the chair. I can think of no other way to spend a lagday than cuddled up with my beloved. In fact, it is one reason for me to be grateful for such lag!

If I Knew

If I knew how to write a song
I’d write one every day
It would say that I’m in love with you
And why I feel this way

It would have to say you’re pretty
And as rare as a desert rose
It would say you’re a looker
From your head down to your toes

You are funny, dainty, fragile
And as feminine as can be
You’re smart charming lovely
And everything to me

You’re my comfort when I’m lonely
You’re my peace when I need rest
Of all the women I’ve known
I must rate you the best.

You’re the orchard in the jungle,
you’re the better half of me
You’re all of this and so much more,
you mean the world to me

Still so much is left unsaid,
It would take me far too long.
I know how much I love you,
If only I could write a song.

- Billy -

Zen, and the Art of Courtesy

From the Particle Laboratory we flew to the top of a nearby lighthouse. Not before two male passers-by had seen fit to pass sleazy comment on Melissa's prim breasts. It saddens me to see such crass behaviour toward women by men, and I apologise here and now on behalf of my gender to any woman who has been the target of such unmannerly attention on the Grid. My beloved wears her breasts for her own reasons, none of which involve harassment from itinerant lechers. And anyone who says she should expect it for wearing such a bosom can meet me outside, where I shall re-educate you in the ways of a civilised person with the toe of my boot.

I feel bound to point out that these particular bigots were both Spaniards, which should come as no surprise given the appalling attitude most Spanish men have toward women. Another of their compatriots was very polite, and addressed my beloved with proper respect as he asked directions, but in my experience he is a rarity from a nation that indulges in the public torture of fellow creatures for entertainment. And before you mention fox hunting as a comparison (and if you do I suspect you are the same person that sees the wearing of prim breasts as an invitation for abuse - my boot is always ready to help you see different), take note that it has now been partly controlled by Parliament. The Hunting With Hounds bill is, in my opinion, a nonsense and totally unworkable, being nothing more than a sop to the public who are appalled by the behaviour of a tiny percentage of their countrymen. If you ain't gonna eat it, don't kill it!

Anyway, my views on the eating of meat, and respect for our fellow travellers, are a subject for another day. The view back over Cave Rua from the lighthouse is stunning, and in the other direction one can see the Zen Centre.

We had a good look round this building. It is a fantastic structure, very well built, and as near a faithful reproduction of a FL Buddhist temple as I can tell. We spent a fair while in the meditation room, enjoying the calm it imbues. There is even a copy of the Manual of Zen Buddhism available to visitors.

Three very good sims, all next to each other, and all well worth a visit. Just try and remember your manners should you come across a woman wearing prim breasts, eh? Even if you are Spanish, courtesy costs nothing, and is much better received than lechery.

Cave Rua And The Water Gardens

Once I had disposed of our holdings, Melissa took me to explore Cave Rua with her. This sim is wonderfully built, with a Vine Garden, Water Garden and many more attractions beside. My beloved said the landscape reminded her of North Arkansas, and I am more than happy to believe her.

Just over the crag is the Particle Laboratory, which stands in a very faithful reproduction of the Piazza San Marco in Venice. More on this later.

From an arcade at one corner of the square, one has a view of the seaward side of Cave Rua, and sight of the Kraken from Clash of The Titans, thankfully after it had been shown Medusa's head! This has to be one of my favourite Harryhausen models, coming not far behind his interpretation of Medusa, again from CoTT, and the statue of Kali from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

The water garden at the feet of this ossified legend is also a wonder, though I shall have to return to take some pictures of it. Do visit this area, it's PG rating means nothing as to the quality of the workmanship here.

Goodbye To Huchu

Well, it is done. Our home in the skies above Huchu is no more. Nor is the Chain, the Celebration Hall or Melissa's Rose Garden. Though it fair broke my heart to do so, I have removed them all back to Inventory, and the land has been sold.

We have been very lucky to be given rental on a private island belonging to friends of mine, so now the three of us (we are looking after my dear sister Sorcha for a while) can have all the privacy we need, and a safe Home location.

Whilst I am extremely grateful for this, I do hope not to impinge on my friends for too long. Having raised a tidy sum by selling off what amounted to half a region, I am sorely tempted to buy more land, to sell at a profit. My skills in business are, however, legendary in the negative, so for once I will leave the money safely in my account until the opportunity to own an island of my own comes along. Then I shall be able to restore both the Hall and the Rose Garden to their former glory, if not actually surpassing that next time around.

The Auction

Whilst the ball was in full swing, an auction of various exclusive luxury items was held. Compered by Phedre (my memory sadly fails me here, which is a great shame, for she did a wonderful job as hostess, managing to work the room and run the auction, and doubtless attend to a hundred and one other tasks, with no visible effort), the Messenger's Accounts Executive, the bids came thick and fast - or at least as fast as the lag would allow.

Melissa took her leave, and so I weathered the remainder of the evening on my own. I was surprised at the price some items went for, in particular a piece of work by master jeweller Random Calliope, which fetched only L7000. One of his pieces recently went for L50k, so someone did very well indeed!

The last two lots were Katt Kongo and Phoenix Psaltery. Or rather, an exclusive, personalised story written and signed by Katt ( a published author of some repute in her FL, who I would read if I knew her nom de plume), and a package of advertising by Phoenix.

I would have liked the story by Katt, and pushed the bidding as high as I could, but was eventually beaten when my bid of L40k was pipped by L2k. However it was all in a good cause, so I didn't mind. I did end up winning Phoenix for L26500, but as I don't have need of an advertising portfolio I instead bought the deal for Ms Kala Pixie (I think that is her surname), who desperately wanted this item but could not afford to match the bids it was attracting. I thus stepped in like the galante that I am, and so now Ms Pixie can grow her business nicely. And what does she do? The creation of particles, I believe. It meant very little to this dullard at the time, and even after she has explained it to me in one words of one syllable, I still can't grasp it. Not to worry, both she and the Messenger are happy that I won Phoenix, so that is okay.

I only stuck out the second half of the event to hear the raffle, for which I have purchased a dozen tickets. Without Melissa's company, there was no other reason for me to be there. Typically, the raffle will be announced in the forthcoming edition of the Messenger, so I could have gone to bed two hours earlier! Again, if it has helped ensure the continued production of this fine newspaper, that is all that counts at the end of the day. And a fine newspaper it is, so I urge you all, dear reader, to make sure of your copy each and every week. I am not just saying that because I now scribble for them - in fact I would say it is a fine newspaper despite my articles! They are a very good team to work for, both Katt and Phoenix working themselves into the ground almost daily in order to ensure each issue hits the ground as near to schedule as possible - hopefully the concert, ball, auction and raffle have raised enough for a new PC for the production team, and their lives will made that much easier from now on. Do you think I could get a fund raiser organised to pay for a new PC for this blog?

The Messenger's Ball

It was the occasion of the Formal Ball and Auction, the second half of the weekend of fund raiser's in aid of a new PC for the Messenger's production team.

The event was held at the Stardust Ballroom, and a more fabulous setting would be hard to imagine. I arrived early, and to avoid getting in the way of the set up preparations, took myself off to the bar for a couple of stiffeners. I find these sorts of functions difficult, so tend to make myself scarce if I can.

I decided to change into my tux, and then sat at the piano for a while, in the style of Liberace. Thankfully it wasn't too long before I received an IM from my beloved. On changing once more into an outfit that was more "me" I met her at the entrance to the ballroom, where she dazzled all and sundry with her radiant charm.

Melissa and I had a wonderful time, and whilst no doubt my love had plenty of IMs to attend to, being the exemplar socialite that she is, I was mercifully left alone, to bask in her beauty. Once again, we seemed to be the only "real" couple there, and all the other guests looked as if they were wearing newbie skins. I am sure that is not the case, though, just me seeing through the eyes of love!

The dance balls were quite wonderful, and for an hour or so I was transported off the Grid and to a heaven that is specially set aside for those who are hopelessly in love. I hope I always remain so!

The World's Most Beautiful

I’d give anything to see the sun set on the horizon,
I’d do anything to gaze at a full moon in the night sky;
Even a rainbow would make me smile,
And I’d love to swim in crystal clear waters
Of an untouched sea;
Sometimes I’ll see a shooting star,
And try to gaze from afar,
All the diamonds in the night sky;
The mist on the mountains is breathtaking,
As is walking in rainforest;
To see cascading waterfalls I’d do anything for,
As to stand on the highest peak in the world,
And look at the sights below;
I’d love to soar on wings above the clouds,
Across the bluest skies;
I’d do anything to see
All the beautiful things in the world,
Like a red rose blooming in the Sahara,
Like a river twisting through a dusty land,
All the beautiful things in the world;

But I also know I am looking at
The world’s most beautiful creation,
Every time you smile,
And every time I look into your eyes.

- Muhammad Edwan Shaharir -

New Lox

Regular readers of my little blog will know of my penchant for dredlox, a hang over from my early days in FL. I own several sets, all the the highly talented and much renowned Booperkit Moseley.

I have now just received the fruits of my latest commission for Ms Moseley. In all she made me two bases and three attachments, all based around a rope of lox emanating from the crown. This arrangement is the closest to the actual FL lox I used to wear - I had 13 lox, each with beads of varying colours on. Oh how we were in our youth!

The combination I have settled on is Golden Loxmane Base #2, with Golden Loxmane #1 as the attachment. It looks as near as possible to the look I was after, and allows me to easily wear a hat now, should I choose.

This is a style very personal to me, but I am sure Ms Moseley would make a copy available to any resident wishing to try the "Crusty" or "Dirty Trav" look!

An Avatar's Best Friend

In my FL, I am primarily a "cat" person, but there are a few varieties of Canis that I seem to connect with, in general long-dogs, or hounds.

I have rescued and fostered, and had a share in the "ownership" of lurchers and greyhounds, and would do so again at the drop of a hat. It is their relaxed outlook on life, their simplicity and their unswerving loyalty that is so attractive about them. They are not the most biddable of creatures, but their sheer joy at being alive more than makes up for any lack of discipline.

I live now in a studio, and am not the most mobile at the moment, so a dog in my FL is out of the question. However, I was pleased indeed to find Penny's Pets, part of Annabels Emporium, who manufacture scripted companion avatars. As a steampunk gentleman, the obvious choice was a hound, and after much deliberation settled on the purchase of an Irish Wolfhound.

So, I am pleased to introduce the newest addition to the Scaggs ensemble, Monty the wolfhound. As in real life, he is a very basic creature, not possessed of the greatest of intelligence, but he is above all a stolid and faithful companion.I just need to remember to take him back into Inventory before I TP anywhere!

The Main Attraction

Third up at the M2 benefit was the fantastic Picker Apogee, who once again wowed the crowd with his instrumental virtuosity. However even his skill was eclipsed by the arrival of my beloved, looking stunning in her "Fire" dress.

As we danced a beautifully tender slow dance, Cylindrian Rutabaga took the stage. She is billed as one of the foremost live musicians on the Grid, and rightly so. It was the first time that either Melissa or myself had seen her perform, but I can tell you now it won't be the last. If Cylindrian doesn't have a record deal, she surely should.

Came time for Melissa to go, so I watched the last act as I had watched the first, on my own. The red robot is Komuso Tokugawa, otherwise known as the Boogieman, and his performance was the perfect one to end the show with, a storming set of gutsy blues boogie.

All in all, the night was thoroughly enjoyable, made all the more so by the presence for a good part of it of my love. The target that is needed for a new PC at M2 Tower is not small, but I believe that by the end of the benefit nearly half had been raised. There are still raffle tickets available before the draw tonight, so if you don't have one already, then please buy one now. And if you do have a ticket - buy another!

Sing All About It

Yesterday night was a big night for the Messenger. It was the benefit concert, entitled "Sing All About It", held to raise money for the new PC that the newspaper desperately needs. Tickets were sold as part of the sponsorship packages that were on offer, and naturally I had to support my employer and buy the top package! I looked forward to a glittering night of celebrity, enjoyed in the equally stellar company of Melissa.

The venue for the event was the breathtaking Clovers Auditorium, in Tiretta. The place was absolutely awesome! I arrived early to bag a good spot. I needn't have rushed, as opening the bill was Silas Scarborough.

Now, everybody else at the gig seemed to think Silas was wonderful, including the exceptionally talented Cylindrian Rutabaga, pictured here on a balcony waiting for the show to begin. I kept my tongue firmly between my teeth all night for fear of offending someone, but this is MY blog, so at last I can say what I thought of Scarborough.

Frankly, I thought his performance was awful. I have heard twelve-year-olds jamming in their bedrooms do a lot better. Rambling, inane, tuneless, and that was just the chat, of which there was far too much. If you like Silas's work, then fine, I don't.

Thankfully, next on the bill was Johnny99 Gumshoe, and he tore up the place good and proper! His blistering blues rock had everyone dancing in no time. A welcome antidote to the previous performance.

Forever Love

You Are My Forever Love

Your friendship and love,
And all the wonderful things
That they bring into my life,
Are like nothing else
I have ever known.

My heart is complete
With the love we share,
And our love grows more
Beautiful each day.

I love you,
And as long as we are together,
I have everything I need.

You are with me always...
In a smile, a memory, a feeling
Or a moment we share.

You will always be
My Forever Love

- Uriel Consolo -

All In A Good Cause

The Metaverse Messenger is, by any standard, the premier newspaper on the Grid. Such success, however, comes at a price - in this case, failing machinery due to age and overwork.

A sponsorship drive has therefore been launched, and I urge all my readers to put their hands in their pockets to help out. I myself have purchased the L1000 package, which gives me tickets to tonights concert, as well as entry to tomorrow nights Formal Ball and Raffle.

The Raffle, at L500 a ticket, has some wonderful prizes, including an annual subscription to Second Life! More details can be found in this weeks edition of the Messenger, or from the stand (pictured) in the lobby of the M2 Tower, Sido. Just use the SLurl in the sidebar!

Credit Where Credit Is Due

My beloved Melissa points out here that there are two articles - or rather, one article and one new column - in this weeks edition of the Messenger that have my name associated with them.

However, modest to a fault, my darling neglects to tell you that the Lovers Guide To The Grid, our new fortnightly column, also has her name attached to it, as does the accompanying photo! This is something that I cannot allow to go unnoticed, as she deserves as much of the credit for this piece as I do. After all, it takes two to poseball!

I also reproduce here some of the other wonderful shots Melissa took of the L'Utopie sim, to accompany the article, but for which there was sadly not enough room .

Moving On

The Tea House and Bath House are no more. Fear not, they are safely stored back in my Inventory, and will be reproduced again, only better, on the new land I hope to acquire soon. Traffic was down so much thanks to the interference of the neighbours that keeping them where they were was becoming more unsustainable every day. They will be back, and hopefully it won't be too long either.

Anchors Aweigh!

As I was touring the sims that make up the Independent State of Caledon, I came across this.

I love the anchor! Not as high as the Chain, this one connects to a wonderfully bizarre alchemist's workshop.

You know, I think I will like living in Caledon!

Bad Neighbour

Huchu, the region where Melissa and I have our home, has gone bad. Once a quiet neighbourhood, where everyone built and terraformed with regard for their neighbours outlook, it is now an area where the lag is so bad it makes movement nigh impossible at times. This has all come about in the last week, and the lag now extends to hamper my work even 750m at the top of the Chain!

There can only be one reason for this, and her name is Aleshanee Burnett. By bringing in a yard sale, nightclub, escort service and porn cinema, she has singlehandedly destroyed the sim. Traffic has fallen away dramatically in the Tea House and Melissa's Rose Garden. I am now debating as to whether it is worth renting a stream for the Celebration Hall, as who will come to a venue when it is sat in a black hole of lag?

I have already started selling up. Blade Garden, never one of my more successful ventures, has been removed in its entirety and the land sold. I need to look at which of my once-peaceful builds I keep - obviously the Rose Garden must stay, as will the Hall and Tea House, at least for now, but the future of the Bath House is in the balance. As for the Chain and our home atop it, what is the use of having a home when it is made unusable by lag? We are now hideously overlooked by other sky boxes now too, as our neighbours follow our example and push their homes to the edge of the allowed building zone. This too is a change in attitude, again brought about by the arrival of Burnett and her tawdry stock in trade.

I will need to keep enough land to maintain those area I shall leave, but mark my words, we are moving. Caledon is my preferred location at the moment, but it is currently full, so I shall place myself on the waiting list, for the first vacant plot that comes up.

I can only urge my readers to boycott Aleshanee Burnett's businesses, her yard sale, Blush nightclub and escorts, etc. That is the only redress I have, for the Grid is open to all, and the Mainland has no covenants to prevent such bad mannered and un-neighbourly behaviour. This is one instance when SL sadly mirrors FL, the dregs and dross of society dragging everyone else down to their level.

Meditation On Love

What I Love About You...

The sparkle in your eye,
The warmth of your skin.
Your breath on my neck,
That quivers within.

The touch of your hand,
The smell of your hair.
The kindness in your smile,
That strength in your stare.

Your kiss on my lips,
Your body near mine.
The stroke of your touch,
That feeling inside.

The sound of your voice,
Compassion in your embrace.
The serenity in your stride,
The power in your face.

The calming of your presence,
The beating of your heart.
The promise of tomorrow,
That we may never part.

The beauty of your kiss,
and that magic in your touch.
It is for all these reasons and more,
Why I love you so much.

- Averil Binetti -

SL Adonii

I have today started a new Flickr group, called SL Adonii. This group is devoted to a passion of mine, that of producing artistic, sensual, even erotic nudes that WOMEN (and of course, gay men) will find titillating and arousing.

For too long, men have been in the shadows when it comes to producing nude images of themselves. Any that have appeared are either many, many years old (as per Michelangelo's David) or aimed at the gay market, which has tended to go in for hardcore images, and fairly brutal fetishised ones as well.

Thanks to Second Life, that can now change. Whilst I am very happy with my First Life body, and the women in my life have been more than happy with it too, I am in no way a suitable subject for a group with the word "Adonii" in its title. My avatar, on the other hand, is both a good subject for nude photography, and also very happy to oblige.

The group only has three members at the moment (no pun intended), but as I find other Flickrites who produce good quality, artistic male nudes, that number will grow. One day, I hope we Adonii will be able to put on an exhibition of our best images, which is something I am very much looking forward to, even though it is unlikely to include any of my nudes. For now though, I think you will agree that both Raul and Arahan are well worth a second look! A link is provided in the sidebar for you, ladies.

Meet Mordicia

Astute readers may have noticed something odd about the feet used to model the shoes I made, in the previous post. Not exactly masculine, were they?

Allow me to introduce Mordicia, my new female shape. Granted, she won't win a beauty pageant, or put me at risk of having an army of suitors, but she should come in very useful when I am making clothes, shoes or even jewellery designed for women.

I could call upon my beloved Melissa for the arduous duty of fitting my creations, but how then to surprise her? At the moment any items I do make for her, she has to then modify to her own physique, which is thankfully and delightfully very different to mine. Now though, with Mordicia's help, such surprises should require less modification by my love, and she should be able to wear them straight away.

For all that I am starting to feel a certain, paternal affection for her, I don't think I will be letting Mordicia out of the workshop any day soon. Perhaps I should therefore rename her Copellia?

I was very glad to put my usual shape back on, for all that I won't win any beauty pageants either. I am just not cut out to bend my gender in a big way, and make no apologies for that. I shall keep my feminine side, inside, where it will offend a lot fewer people than if I were to walk down the street wearing it. That said, Mordicia does have a nice butt, don't you think?

Home Cobbling

I managed to renew my prescription for my Tramadol today, and as I am no longer racked with pain, nausea, fever, lethargy etc, I determined to follow Natalia's tutorial on making high-heeled shoes, as I had been unable to complete her class the night before.

I set about the task with a will, and was very happily impressed by the results of my endeavours.

At the risk of putting myself, and others, out of business, I urge my readers to try this tutorial themselves, as there is nothing better than the feeling one gets at producing something for oneself. I shall now try and work my way through the rest of Natalia's excellent tutorials, all of which can be found here.

A Load Of Cobblers

Yesterday I took a class in shoe making, delivered by the hugely talented Natalia Zelmanov. Based on one of her fantastic tutorials, which can be found in her blog, the class was given thanks to NCI, at their sky classroom, NCI South, Hammida.

I had always been very wary of trying one of Natalia's tutorials, thinking they were for the talented, and thus excluding myself from that group. Ms Zelmanov is a consummate instructor, though, and along with the rest of the class, I was soon resizing prims, and a shoe began to take shape.

Then the Grid stepped in, and we had to endure two sim crashs within half an hour. These, coupled with the fact that I had run out of my pain meds, meant that I didn't finish this particular class. I will be taking it again however, and I thoroughly recommend readers do the same, or try one of her very well written, easy to follow tutorials.

Loving Touch

Sometimes at night, when I look to the sky,
I start thinking of you and then ask myself, why?
Why do I love you? I think and smile,
because I know the list could run on for miles.
The whisper of your voice, the warmth of your touch,
so many little things that make me love you so much.
The way you support me, and help with my emotions,
the way that you care and show such devotion.
The way that your kiss, fills me with desire,
and how you hold me with the warmth of a blazing fire.
The way your eyes shine when you look at me,
lost with you forever is where I want to be.
The way that I feel when you're by my side,
a sense of completion and overflowing pride.
The dreams that I dream, that all involve you,
the possibilities I see and the things we can do.
How you finish the puzzle that lies inside my heart,
how that deep in my soul, you are the most important part.
I could go on for days, telling of what I feel,
but all you really must know is my love for you is real.

- Scotty Wright -

Daylight Dive

At the risk of boring you, dear readers, I here present some shots of a second dive I took over Cocololo, this time with the sun Forced to Noon in order to see the glorious scenery as it rushed toward me. It also enabled me to take some more illustrative shots of the pod and the descent. Whatever setting you force the Sun too, do give this wonderful freebie a try!

A Night In Freefall

After the balloon tour, I then found a sky diving platform available. Taking one of the free E-chutes on offer, I sat down on the jump pod and was swiftly transported to 2000m, whereupon myself and another brave soul (I was most remiss in not taking the gentleman's name) were catapulted into oblivion!

Skydiving at night is quite an experience, and one best viewed in Mouselook. Down I plunged, my fellow passenger quite forgotten in the thrill of free fall, until at precisely 98m off the ground, my E-chute automatically deployed, and I was returned gently to the Grid that birthed me.

I had always wondered what it would be like to sky dive, and being too much the pussy to try it in FL, I could hardly turn away the opportunity to have a go in SL, now could I? Our lives, either of them, are enriched by new experiences, and should you be running short of ideas for such, you could do a lot worse than being thrown off a pod at 2000m above a holiday resort at midnight!

Night Flight

Yesterday was a day marked by nightmarish lag. For the first time ever, our home region of Huchu was hit very badly. Whether it was the result of a neighbour running a very server-intensive process, or just that Huchu is an aging region I know not, but my love and I had to bail out to another sim just to have a quick kiss!

After said kiss, Melissa had to return to FL, and I was left to run ahead of the lag, trying to find a sim worth staying in. I ended up in Cocololo, which regular readers may remember left me cold. On this visit however, I was nicely surprised to find a range of activities available, and the first I chose was to take the Balloon tour.

This operated in much the same way as the tours in Svarga, and the Sea of Basiat off Acropolis. One climbs aboard, touches the balloon and whoosh! you are whisked off on a tour of the island. This was the prefect way to see the resort, and the default Sun setting of Midnight made the sim look magical, especially the Heart-Shaped Island lying out in the bay.

The tour is a good length, and does indeed show the island off well. Built for two, the balloon tour is a must for couples, and I shall be taking Melissa on it soon. In the meantime, I must admit to having changed my opinion of Cocololo, and can thoroughly recommend it for a visit. The place still has an empty quality to it, but the range of activities more than outweighs its unfortunate lack of ambience.

Ye Olde Worlde

As an item of interest, in the gift bag I picked up at the Concierge Valentines Party, was a map of how the Grid used to look, all those aeons ago when it was first opened. Compare this with how large the Grid is now, with a third continent about to appear!

A Love For All Time

Breathless kisses
Burning touches
Soft-spoken words of love
Urgently spoken words of passion.
A man and a woman
One complete love
Since time began
Predestined to be as one.
We've been together before
In other lifetimes
We've fought dragons
And have been torn from each others arms
Yet our love prevailed
We've walked on this earth many times together
Perhaps for a moment
Perhaps for years
But our heart is one heart
And we were meant to be.
So when our time on earth
Once again comes to a close
Have no worries my dear
For we will find each other again
And again
And again.
For our love is ageless
Eternal
A love for all time.

- Dawn Choike -

Patron Saint Of Lovers

I have a terrible confession to make. I hate St Valentines Day! It is a day of fear and woe for me, so many unpleasant things have happened on that day throughout my life. I have been dumped on it, dumped within 48 hours of it, and found a good friend dead, all on the 14th February - though not all on the same 14th Febraury!

So, in order to get over this terror, and to some extent I succeed - I throw myself into it, buying all manner of expensive gifts, to be presented during a romantically styled evening with a lover. This was not to happen in FL 2007, but as my deepest love lives on the grid, I could go further than I have ever before.

There were a number of Valentine-themed objects in the Concierge Gift Bag I had received at the party I had just attended, amongst them tall white (no mod, sadly, so no way to colour them otherwise) heart-shaped lollipops, and some heart particle emitters. So our home above the clouds was decked out with several of each of these. around the central pond, with more poofers on the gazebo, and the framed slide show that hangs there, displaying a looped series of images of Melissa, an offering to Love in the manner of a Tibetan prayer wheel.

With the Sun forced to Midnight, I think you must agree the effect is quite something. In the gazebo itself I placed my central gift giver, hand-made by me in the shape of a heart, and containing some gifts I also had created myself, along with some tried and tested Valentine's freebies. I placed a card I had made within too, all these creations of mine a product of my lust for knowledge here and the classes I have taken to satiate it. At a touch from my beloved, it will deliver these gifts to her inventory, speaking an oration of love as it does so. Do you think she will like all this?

Party's End

Everything had started so well, too. I was chatting and joking with people I knew, and people I hadn't met before, I was dancing to some stormin' toons, in short I was at a party! But as is so often the case with me, the mood soon passed.

Four hours is a long time for anyone to socialize, but whether a diagnosis of AS is confirmed or not, I find these sorts of gatherings very hard work indeed. My upbringing demanded I learn a superficial sociability, but I have never found it easy, not understanding people the way I am supposed to. It wasn't long before the veneer of fun started to crack away, and the familiar stress and strain of dealing with other people returned. One to one, I am ok, more so in an environment like the Grid where I cannot mishear tone of voice, or miss/ be confused by visual cues and body language, but in a gathering of two or more I am flummoxed.

Had my beloved been with me, I would have had a safety net, someone infinitely more socially capable than me to hide behind. With her beauty and wit, Melissa would have been the primary focus of our pairing for people to interact with, and I could have sat back and just watched in wonder at the ease with which she handles people. I may have learnt a thing or too as well, but like as not I would have been too besotted with her to pay much attention to studying the nuances of social interaction. But my love was elsewhere, and thrown back onto my own resources for dealing with such a melange of personalities, I soon discovered them to be hopelessly inadequate.

Try as I might, I couldn't get it right. Someone would say "Hi!" I would say "Hi" back, and there the conversation would stop, as the other party walked away. I am not sure whether my ava was suffering the effects of lag, and therefore looking strange and unsightly as can happen, and I am pretty sure that body odour is not transmissible via the ether, but whatever the reason I soon found myself a solitary dancer. I tried to get Cheyenne to TP in, but whether due to lag or her not having the correct group tag, she was not permitted entry. One lady, who I merely asked to dance, very courteously and with no hint of any unsavoury motives, turned and walked quickly away - if she could have run I am sure she would have!

So as I often do, I found myself somewhere to sit away from the rest, against a nice tree that didn't seem to mind me, and settled down to listen to what was ultimately an expensive radio broadcast (certainly it was when you consider my monthly tier fees to keep my SL account active!) and miss my beloved as thoroughly as I possibly could. Whilst I love her with all my might, and know deep down in my heart that she is the truest love anyone could want, my head likes to torment me with my own lack of self worth. So I really had some fun at the end of the gathering!

Time came to go, and wearily I walked into the sunset. Lo and behold, a Concierge Gift Bag! This had all sorts of goodies in it! There were very people left now, just a handful of couples watching the sunset, hand in hand and hovering over the central spire. Would that my sunset love were with me then! Despite my own ability to spoil things for myself, it was a damn good party, and I did enjoy myself. The mystery of my invite had been cleared up too - anyone who pays at least half a sims worth of tier is considered Concierge clientele. It may be the bottom rung, but it does now feel that I am fully a part of the Grid. Now to save the pennies for my first full island!

Party Places

Some of the structures on Concierge Island.

Partygoers

A few shots illustrating some of the weird and wonderful outfits seen at the Concierge Valentines Day Party, 13th February 2007.

1) Ms Sky Goodnight, of www.slexlife.com.

2) Three relatives of Boba Fett.

3) Two lady island owners, one of them wearing the most interesting dress of the evening.

4)The King and Queen of Renn Ville.

5) The host of the event, Ms Destiny Linden.

Crash Test Party

At just past 1500SLT, I TP'd over to the site of the Concierge Valentines Day Party. Sadly I went alone, as my beloved was to be stuck on the telephone, organising the aftermath of her unexpected and frankly unwarranted redundancy. I decided to nonetheless make a go of attending, and arrived in the sim of Andersite, one of the four making up the party island.

As soon as I rezzed, I knew it was going to be a crowded night. It was as if I were wading through treacle, the lag was so heavy! At the height of arrivals, Andersite had 92 residents in it! The other 3 sims - Varnish, Abundance and Cirque - all had resident counts in the high 70s. This extreme lag was taken in good humour by the partygoers, with many references to Class 6 servers and crash test dummies.

Linux coped admirably, and I was even able to dance, at one point at the whirlwind rate of 1.6fps! The music was provided by DJ Dominic Bauer, a good mix of dance. With everyone stood around not really moving to the beat, I was transported back to the days of raves, a phenomenon that swept the UK in the early 90's, where parties were held in fields and warehouses, usually without the benefit of permission.

Although attending alone, I did have a brief mingle with a couple I know, and also a very short chat to Alliez Mysterio, in the turquoise dress behind me, the woman behind Alliez Estates. Indeed, as far as I know, I was the only person there who didn't own at least one island!

The party venue was made up of four sims forming an island created from an extinct volcano. The terraforming was exquisite, with very little in the way of structures to impede the dancing. Even the sand had been overlaid with hearts! There were rumoured to be gift bags somewhere, though I couldn't see any, and neither could anyone else!

I don't know if these sims were created for the party, or if they are a permanent venue for Concierge gatherings, but they make a lovely spot for a quiet moment either with a loved one or alone - that is, when the great and the good aren't carousing all over them!

Home Is Where The Heart Is

I had a bit of time before the Concierge Valentines Party, so I spent it making a surprise gift for Melissa. I noticed Cheyenne was on, so keen to have a woman's opinion as to whether the gift would be well-received, I IM'd her, and dropped her a copy to peruse. She came back with some very positive feedback, and then TP'd me over to her sky platform to show me the gift she had made for Sweetie.

Wow! I am not breaking any surprise here, as Sweetie has already seen it, so here I present Chey's Valentine Heart For Sweetie. What an artefact! Not only is it incredibly large, it rotates, and has a couch held within it, where Chey can enfold Sweetie in her love. I just hope Sweetie realises quite was she has in my sister.

Then Cheyenne showed me her build, a replica of her own FL house. A "shotgun" house, she is loving recreating her home down to the level of door knocker and porch lamps! A true home from home!

I had had a bit of a success today, in that I have finally got Second Life to run under Linux, OpenSuse 10.2 to be exact. The frame rate is spectacular, hitting 29fps when I was with Chey. I post the pictures of my sister looking stunning in her new red dress to hopefully demonstrate just how a high frame rate can really enhance the experience of the Grid - "scary real" as Cheyenne says.

With M$ Vista being such a paranoid OS, and expensive to boot, and also with the direction they are taking their release schedule in (see this post by my beloved), I can thoroughly recommend the move over to Linux. Not only is it free, as are all the apps you could possibly wish to run, and more secure than a M$ operating environment, if you want to really live a full Second life, live it with Linux. After all, if I can mange to get it to work, anybody can!

For The First Time

Into my world
of darkness and silence,
you brought light and music.

When you lit my candle,
I began to see and understand
the taste and texture of love.

For the first time.

- John Irvine -

Sticky Barfly

After the gig last night, and my beloved had returned to her FL, I was at my usual Sunday loose end. I had read of AOL coming to the Grid in an article in the Messenger, so I headed over to AOL Pointe to take a look.

And what a time I had! A Sticky Wall had been erected, and I had arrived on the night they were handing out special harnesses. The Wall will be a permanent feature of the Pointe, with harnesses provided, but the one's given out last night had exclusive poses in them. Talk about timing!

For those readers in the UK, a Sticky Wall is what we know as the activity called Barfly, which arrived on our shores from Down Under about a decade ago. Barflying is done by usually inebriated people in pubs and clubs, where the willing lunatics put on a velcro suit and run at a velcro target, using a trampoline to propel themselves onto it. Not something I had ever done in FL, though I have always wanted to, so I did not hesitate to fling myself at the bullseye in SL!

The scripting and animations are amazing. You walk or run toward the target, and as soon as you set foot on a large white circle emblazoned with the word "Jump!", you are shot into the air at the target, which you hopefully hit, and stick to. You are held there for a few moments, to allow you to take a photograph of yourself, and then you drop to the bouncy mat below. This is a hoot in itself! Whoever created this version of barfly, massively larger than the one's still found in FL, deserves the Grid's highest honour (whatever that is, free premium membership for the duration of their First Lives, perhaps?) for bringing this delightful silliness to SL.

I spent over an hour being propelled through the air at the target, and took many more shots than I post here. There was a competition running for the best shot of a jump, and I look forward to seeing the winning entries in the Messenger soon. I had been lucky enough to arrive at the start of the event, but as the night went on more and more people arrived, and the chat was soon filling the air with whoops and screams of delight.

If you do one thing in your Second Life, this must be it. They also have a huge skate park, which I will be posting about soon. First though, I have a lot more barflying to do.

Boing!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Splat!!!!!

Surprise Invitation

I have a dream in SL, to one day own my own island. It will remain a dream for some while, as it is not a cheap thing to maintain a private island upon the Grid, let alone buy one in the first place! When I do, though, I will enter into the heady company of the Concierge team, a group made up of the owners of islands. Until then, no matter how much land I might own, I will remain an ordinary resident.

Imagine my surprise to receive a LL Luv Globe, the pictured object, containing within it an invitation to the Concierge Valentine's Day bash.
Naturally I have RSVP'd, never being one to miss an opportunity for fun, and of course I shall be accompanied by Melissa. How long it will be before the mistake is realised and I am ejected from the company of the great and good, I hesitate to guess, but if I am escorting the Grid's most beautiful woman I might be allowed to stay!

Blissful Music

Yesterday night my beloved took me to see one of her most favourite musicians on the Grid, Jaynine Scarborough. The gig was at that most lovely of venues, Bliss Basin in Future Perfect.

From the moment we arrived the lag was heavy. For a few moments I stood alone in the Basin, until the rest of the audience started to rezz. I finally caught site of Melissa, though for a few moments more she couldn't see me. Eventually we were together in every way, and we took our seats pon a rug to enjoy the performance.

The lag was an unfortunate side effect of Ms Scarboroughs popularity, and she is a very popular chanteuse indeed. I had briefly caught a performance of hers before, again with my love, but had only been able to enjoy it for a far too short time. This time Melissa and I took in the whole show, and I am glad we did. Ms Scarborough has a most wonderful voice, both sultry and pure by turns. She did a wide range of songs in a variety of styles, but each she made her own.

I thoroughly recommend you go see Ms Scarborough when you can - be prepared for lag though, as many other people will be doing the same!

Elusive Interlude

A few days ago, my beloved forwarded to me a group notice she had received, from the creatrix of those wonderful sims, Creative Fantasy Homes & Gardens, a Ms Julia Hathor. A new installation has just been added to the region of Shadowbrook, a piece entitled "Forest Interlude".

The name would suggest a clearing in an area of woodland, and so for the next few days my love and I searched for this new work, checking out every stand of trees we could find, but to no avail. I began to suspect a clever marketing ploy, designed to merely increase traffic to the sim. I went back and checked the description of the installation, noting that the central feature was a "log on a bed of wild fowers". Thus armed, I returned to Shadowbrook yesterday morning.

After about half and hour or so of flying back and forth across the sim, NoE as they would say in the Army Air Corps, I finally spotted it! At last the elusive installation had been found! I at once sent a LM to Melissa, who was off-grid at the time, as I knew she had been searching hard as well, with up til now the same success rate as myself - namely, none. Later on, we managed to synchronise our logins, and naturally went to test the poses!

This installation is a joy, small though it is, with birds in the bushes (some form of jay, I think?), luna moths fluttering about a tiny campfire, and two wonderful poses. As ever with Ms Hathors works, the romance and relaxation is virtually palpable. The sheep in the background are a separate installation, but placed as they are they add a nice touch to the whole piece.

Reasonably priced, Forest Interlude is available for sale from Shadowbrook, as are all Ms Hathors delightful creations, but even if you do not wish to purchase, we recommend you give this Interlude a thorough test!

Sparkle

I thought love was just a mirage of the mind,
it's an illusion, it's fake, impossible to find.
But the day I met you, I began to see,
that love is real, and exists in me.

- Chris Farmer -


(with grateful thanks to Foxbean Leibknecht for this picture)

You Know You Are Getting Old When...

...half an hour is more than enough of a band like Redzone. Now I have nothing against Dark Goth Industrial Electronica, and used to be quite a fan of the genre in my youth (well, a fan of whatever we called it back than, just Goth, or Industrial as far as I can remember) but tonight Redzone just didn't do it for me.

Admittedly I went largely out of curiosity as to what exactly Dark Goth Industrial Electronica sounded like, and because they are a UK based band. I like to support musicians from over here who take the time and effort to play live into the Grid, SL is still not the phenomenon here that it is elsewhere, and I do like fragile female vocals over a brooding backbeat. I think what really put me off was the venue.

The Old Playground in Suffugium was easy enough to find, but had the air of a venue for those in the know only. It was also very cramped despite being barely half full. This played havoc with my ability to use the Camera Controls, so my apologies for the quality of composition in these shots. The clientele were very interesting to look at, displaying futuristic armour, cyberpunk getups, even a zombie and a vampire or two. The band, playing live in London as part of their Simulant Tour (I should have guessed from the Bladerunneresque title) started well, and my interest was taken for the first twenty minutes. The background visuals were fair enough, and the use of cut ups competent, but I soon began to tire of listening to what was essentially the same song, only slightly varied each time. And I do mean only slightly varied.

All in all, I was very glad to TP home for a goodnight kiss from Melissa. I am sure that Redzone are very good at what they do, and that they will do well for themselves in their chosen genre, and that I am just too much of an old fart to appreciate them, but Dark Goth Industrial Electronica just ain't what it used to be anymore!

Magic Numbers

It seems like forever since I last took in a live gig, so being at a loose end (never a good state for me to be in) I decided to get out and see what was available for entertainment tonight. After a couple of false starts - Silas Scarborough was very good, but Old Salts was just too laggy, and I couldn't find one gig, though I could hear it - I settled on McDunnoghs Speakeasy in Samoa, where Dann "The Mann" Numbers was performing.

There was quite a crowd in, although the lag was low for a change, and it was easy to see why The Mann attracted such a large audience - he is a superlative singer and guitarist, producing a quite magical sound on his electric acoustic guitar. He delivered a scintillating set of his own work and a few covers, including an awesome reworking of "I'm On Fire"by Bruce Springsteen, and songs by Coldplay and Pearl Jam.

The venue itself was very nicely done, taking the form of an amphitheatre, the seating as stone benches. Although the vast majority of the audience did not sit down throughout the entire gig, so energising was The Mann's performance. Apparently he has been likened to Duran Duran, and there were several Durannies in the crowd, though I couldn't see the connection between the seminal UK New Romantic pop combo and Mr Numbers. Tenuous links to other musicians notwithstanding, The Mann is a musical genius in his own right, so if you get the chance, go see him! The Speakeasy is a venue I would also recommend, spacious, light and low lag.

Readers!

I discovered today, to my great surprise and delight, that is is not only my long-suffering friends and family who read this blog. Today I met two - yes two, count them! - of my loyal readers. The first picture is of Ms Maia Beltran, who I met up with at Creative Fantasy Homes & Gardens. Ms Beltran has been reading my blog for some time now, and she particularly likes the poems I post for Melissa. Sadly Ms Beltran is currently nursing something of a broken heart, which nobody deserves to do, so if there are any kind hearted, rich and handsome men who read this and need a lovely lady as a companion, I would love them to get in touch with her and put a smile back on her face.

Later on I was introduced to the delightful Foxbean Leibknecht, a long time friend of Melissa's and reader of both our blogs. Ms Leibknecht has two very appealing attributes - a ready wit and a charming manner. What did you think I meant? She is something of a rival for my beloved's affections, or at least she would like to be, but as Melissa is happy enough to be spoken for by me, Ms Leibknecht has instead become one of our foremost supporters. It is gratifying indeed to know that these two ladies are avid readers of our blogs, and surprising indeed that they read mine, when my beloved's is so much better. Still, I'll not complain, nor care why as long as they keep reading!

New Cub On The Block

It is with great pride that I can reveal that I have been accepted as a Staff Writer for the Metaverse Messenger. Admittedly it is very much a probationary appointment, and my continued employment by the foremost periodical in Second Life depends on my ability to turn out quality articles on time, but nonetheless I feel as if I have at last arrived upon the Grid. My beloved has appeared in print a number of times, as an extra and a model, my sister Cheyenne terraforms the Grid itself, my little sister Sorcha is the best hostess there is (catch her at the Bubblegum Music Factory), but up until I opened my Inbox this morning, I was still bimbling about in the undergrowth. True, celebrity and acclaim is not the point of living this Second Life, but I was beginning to feel a little left behind.

Now though, I may yet see my name in print and becoming known by a wider audience than I can ever have imagined. The process of producing articles for the Messenger is straightforward enough. One checks in to the Newsroom (first pic) at the M2 Tower, heads for the Story Assignment Board (second pic), chooses a story, then all one has to do is go away and write the story, delivering it back to the publisher, Ms Katt Kongo by the deadline, 5pm SLT on a Saturday. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well it is, up to the point where the article needs writing!

This week though was not too bad. They say one should write about what one knows, so I took the story "Valentines; New Love", a piece about, that's right, love in SL. Thankfully I have more than just my own experience to draw upon, otherwise my career with the Messenger would be very short-lived indeed! I was able to interview a number of people in both my Friends list and Melissa's, and what I found was very interesting indeed. You will have to read the article yourselves to see what I mean, if it is accepted it should appear in next weeks issue.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers for their enduring support and patience over the past few months, as I have honed my own writing style here on these pages. Fear not though, however long my career as a journalist lasts, be sure I shall still keep plugging away at this blog! Aren't you the lucky ones!

Forever & Always

When I'm with you,
eternity is a step away,
my love continues to grow,
with each passing day.

This treasure of love,
I cherish within my soul,
how much I love you...
you'll never really know.

You bring a joy to my heart,
I've never felt before,
with each touch of your hand,
I love you more and more.

Whenever we say goodbye,
whenever we part,
know I hold you dearly,
deep inside my heart.

So these seven words,
I pray you hold true,
"Forever And Always,
I Will Love You."

- Chris Engle -

Pretty In Plaid

Anyone who has read this blog over a period of time will know I am a sponge for learning in SL, and tonight was no exception. I took a fantastic class in Flexi Skirt making, delivered by the School Of Mischief, in Mischief Cove. The class was taught by Meaghan Winthorpe, resplendent in a multi-coloured flexi skirt herself, and an amazing pair of boots! The class was very well attended, and I was heartened to find there was one other male there. I had always thought that flexi clothing was hard to create, but now I know different. With the expert guidance of Ms Winthorpe, we all succeeded in creating a flexi skirt. The classroom - actually a pontoon moored out in the cove - became a veritable sea of colour as flexi generators went off everywhere. One student likened the overhead view to a garden of flowers, and indeed the skirts did take on an organic look as the panels flexed and shifted. The hard part of flexi clothing is the fitting! I persevered, and ended up with a rather fetching outfit, if I say so myself. I am no Dolce or Gabbana, but the skills I learnt tonight, when coupled with those from the UI map class, should at least allow me to produce something that passes for a dress or skirt! Now for the accessories - after all, one can never have too many clothes, dahling!

First Look

Readers may know of the First Look viewer, an optional client that hopes to improve the Render Pipeline of the Grid - in other words give a better performance where graphics are concerned. At least, that is my understanding of it!

In order to improve upon the performance of this sort-of-beta client (it connects to the real Grid), the Gods have set aside a special area of the grid called First Look Isle, where residents using First Look can go to evaluate the performance of this client, and send their findings off for collation, and thus make a contribution to the development of a better client for all.

Ever the one to help where improving the overall experience of SL is concerned, once I had downloaded the latest release of First Look, I went to the Isle, and took the tests myself. These consisted of viewing four different areas, in Mouselook, and noting the fps (frames per second) at a particular bandwidth, in this case under 30 kbps. The four viewpoints look out at different areas of form and colour, any one of which is a masterpiece of surrealist art in itself. I duly noted the fps at each viewpoint, first under the usual client, and then using First Look. This was to give a fair comparison of the performance of the two clients, as loaded upon my machine. I saw a very minor increase in performance using First look, but my hardware is a good couple of years old now, so those residents with more up to date PCs (or Macs) may well get better results.

The tests were all detailed in a very comprehensive, and easy to follow, notecard, which explained the test requirements in standard english, and I put my results in the collection box at viewpoint 4. I urge all my readers to download the First Look viewer and conduct these tests on their computers, as the more people who do so, the quicker any improvements to the client can be made, and more comprehensively too. Whilst it is Linden Labs who devised SL originally, and upon whose servers it resides, ultimately the Grid belongs to its residents, and it is up to us to make it the place of wonders that is has become, and will continue to be, Gods willing. If you think the lag is a nuisance, help reduce it with this viewer and these tests!

Artist In Residence

One of Melissa's friends, and now one of mine too, is the artist AuroraSky Ashton. Knowing that she is a very talented artist, working in the field of fractal images, and having a venue that needs an exhibition, I asked Aurora to come over to the Celebration Hall and see if it was the sort of place she would consider using to display her artworks.

Once she had seen our Hall, Aurora said she would be very happy to exhibit here. We discussed the logistics, and then she gave me a sample of her pictures. I decided to have a go at framing it, mainly to make sure I could remember how to do it! Aurora asked if I could show her how to do a frame, as she has not been that long upon the Grid. Naturally I agreed, and we had an impromptu class there and then in basic prim work and texturing.

Aurora took no time at all to get the hang of this, and it was lovely to see her face light up at her achievement, indeed it reminded me of my joy at first discovering that I could build, however basically. We parted then, as my FL required my presence, but with any luck I shall be seeing AuroraSky again, when she brings some works to the Hall for their hanging.

At The Basin Of Content

Love Is ...

Love is the greatest feeling,
Love is like a play,
Love is what I feel for you,
Each and every day,
Love is like a smile,
Love is like a song,
Love is a great emotion,
That keeps us going strong,
I love you with my heart,
My body and my soul,
I love the way I keep loving,
Like a love I can't control,
So remember when your eyes meet mine,
I love you with all my heart,
And I have poured my entire soul into you,
Right from the very start.

- Meghan

Dragonfly

When checking through Search>Events>Education yesterday, I saw a class listed that would teach you how to build a ridable dragonfly! This was a class I just had to take!

Held at Mystical Mastery's Sky Classroom, with instruction for RodneyLee Jessop, this class was very well attended, which led to problems for some, but generally speaking everyone was successful in creating their arthropoid steed. I managed to crash out during the class, but my return was swift so I didn't miss too much.

Unfortunately I didn't quite get the hang of setting up the riders pose, but that was my fault, not the instructors. I was more successful when I tried again at home, taking my time to read the class notes thoroughly. The sense of achievement from successfully creating my own ridable Dragonfly was great indeed, even if the colour scheme left something to be desired!

Like the other educational establishments I have used, I can thoroughly recommend Mystical Mastery. RodneyLee is building a Wasp in a couple of weeks time, so you can bet I will be attending that class too! Why don't you join me?

Melissa

Your Name

I wrote your name in the sky,
but the wind blew it away.
I wrote your name in the sand,
but the waves washed it away.
I wrote your name in my heart,
and forever it will stay.

- Jessica Blade

Hidden Romance

The island of Cocololo is not all white sands and beach huts. Melissa and I are very much in love, and anywhere we go we like to see couples poses that we can embrace, kiss and/ or cuddle with. Seeing we would get no satisfaction in the resort area, my love took us off into the adjoining mountains. There is bound to be a cuddle pose or too amongst all this scenic beauty, right?

Well, almost. The mountains are beautiful, lush and green with all the foliage upon them, but again we could see no poses. There is a log flume, which looks great fun, and an eagle flying about its nest, but the mountains are cramped, with very few places to land that don't take you underwater.

I lost sight of my love as I tried to fly, type and take pictures all at the same time - it is true that men, or rather this man, struggle to multitask - but shortly after I lost her she sent me a teleport offer. I took it straightway, a TP from Melissa being something I will never refuse, and found myself squeezed alongside her in a cleft in the mountainside. There was a set of poseballs, possibly the only one in the whole sim! I was most impressed by my love's eyesight, the pose was tucked away so tightly into the mountain.

It turned out to be a lovely pose, two people relaxing into each other and losing themselves to the world around them. Just as well, for whilst this pose seems designed to be placed to look out over a stunning vista, there is nothing stunning about looking at a blank wall of rock only a few feet away! Such was the feeling of relaxation that the pose engendered though I did not really care, the view could have been of the rings of Saturn and I would not have paid it much heed, gazing as I was into Melissa's eyes. As we sat together, I did not feel the hard rock beneath me or the cold wind around me. This was a truly effective pose, transporting one to a place of love, warmth and safety.

In keeping with the whole of Cocololo, this pose seemed out of place, no view to look out over, hard to spot from the air, and with what appeared to be a tiki torch placed with it for no apparent purpose. Almost as if someone had been flying over and the pose set fell out of their pocket unnoticed, dropping into this cleft by pure good fortune and happenstance.

Had I not been with Melissa, the whole place would have left me feeling cold and low despite its beauty. It is she though who warms my heart and sets my troubled brow at ease, wherever we are together I am left with such feelings of peace and love inside me.

For all that I found this sim empty, I do encourage readers to visit it and try it out for themselves. A different set of eyes will see things very differently, and I would love to hear of your feelings on this place.

Empty Beauty

Last night my love took me to see the island resort of Cocololo. This sim has beaches, a wedding chapel, holiday lets etc. Just off from the main island is a smaller, heart-shaped one. The first two pictures show the amazing structure that stands there, all feathery crystalline columns and sparkling light showers.

This is a place that truly takes the breath away, so brilliantly radiant is it. We walked around the structure, but could find no clue as to its purpose. Melissa suggested it is a venue of some sort, which seems most likely, but where one would expect to find dance balls or couples poses, there was nothing. The whole place had a cold, empty feel to its beauty, an ambience of soullessness which seemed very out of kilter with the obvious amount of work that the creators have put in to it.

The main island resort also left me feeling cold, again an amazing amount of work has gone into the construction of this island, but with no facilities for avas to interact with either each other or the structures here, it seemed like a lot of work to no purpose. It was almost as if someone had stepped out of a room, leaving the door open and fully intending to return, but never actually doing so, leaving a sense of abandonment behind them. There can be no doubt that this place is beautiful, but ultimately it left me feeling cold. Had my love not been with me, I would have had trouble shaking the ennui that swept over me. But Melissa's beauty is full of warmth, her radiance filling all the empty spaces within me and chasing the feelings of loss that Cocololo engendered far away.

Perhaps readers will feel differently about this place. I am sure that, full of people gathered in celebration of a marriage the atmosphere is very different. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has thoughts on this. Do visit this place, though, for it is a visual treat, if nothing else.

Deliberate Mistake?

Oh dear, do you think they have noticed? Or perhaps it is a way of getting people to talk about this particular "shoping" centre?

The L Word Is "Learning"

I am sure I am not the only male ava on the Grid to bemoan the parlous state of clothing available to us. Whilst women/ females have an almost infinite choice of styles, we men have to put up with a very limited range. This causes me no great surprise and some consternation. In a world where practically anything is possible, and one is limited only by one's imagination, why then are we left to make do with suits, or jeans etc? True, there are a few designers working very hard to change this situation with some wonderful creations, but in general male attire here is as lacklustre as it is in FL.

There are two ways to approach this situation; either keep moaning about it and wait for someone else to do something, or alternatively get off one's backside and do something about it one's self. I tend to favour the second option, so I took myself off to a fantastic class in Intermediate level clothing design. Delivered by Ms Rainbow Drake, this was provided under the auspices of New Citizens Inc., and was held in the amphitheatre of the L Word sim.

The class was very well attended, and this could have led to problems for those of us whose graphics cards are more than 10 minutes old, but Ms Drake was very much ahead of the game, providing comprehensive notecards, and screen shots of the various stages of the design process. I was introduced to the concept and use of UV maps and templates, something I had not heard of before, so my desire to learn was more than satisfied.

Ms Drake covered the four main packages that people are likely to use for clothing design and creation, my choice being the free graphics editor the Gimp. Never have used anything more complex than MS Paint, I have a steep learning curve ahead of me, but with the tutors and mentors of the calibre of Ms Drake and the others teachers within NCI, I feel very confident that the Grid will see the preview of the Scaggs Collection before too much longer!

Whether you are new to the Grid, or a seasoned ava of many months standing, everyone can benefit from the instruction provided by NCI. Check out their headquarters in New Citizens Plaza, Kuula, where you find details of their classes in all manner of things Grid related, as well as a wide range of freebies for your Inventory.

Never Have I Fallen

Your lips speak soft sweetness
Your touch a cool caress
I am lost in your magic
My heart beats within your chest

I think of you each morning
And dream of you each night
I think of your arms being around me
And cannot express my delight

Never have I fallen
But I am quickly on my way
You hold a heart in your hands
That has never before been given away

- Rex A. Williams -

Remodelling

I have just finished re-jigging the Yeuxdoux Celebration Hall, our acoustic music venue, performance and artspace. Sadly, due to FL finances being virtually (no pun intended) non-existent, I have been unable to rent a stream, so the only music to heard there is that which plays across the whole of the Estate, the Magnatune classical stream. Still, apparently a fair number of people like to visit for the peace and calm within the Hall, which is very heartening.


During Don's visit yesterday, he gave me some invaluable tips in building more primficiently, particularly in respect of the columns, of which there are quite a few in the structure. Using this newly learnt method, by replacing all the columns for 2 prim versions, I have been able to free up 300! This illustrates quite how basic my skills in building are, but with the help of such a superlative mentor as Don, I feel confident I can only get more able in my application of the little knowledge I have so far picked up.

Whilst the prospect of live performances at the Hall is still some way off, I do hope to host a poetry slam soon, and even to get some art on the walls if I can engage with the artistic community on the Grid. Not being known for my tact or diplomacy, perhaps I had better leave this side of things to my beloved, Melissa being definitely more socially able than I am!

Oldest Friend

The first person on the Grid that I really connected with, some 5 months ago now, was Don Duke. I had been very remiss in keeping in touch, so after Melissa had returned to FL, I IM'd him, not without some trepidation. Would he still want to see me, after my unmannerly silence?

Of course. Don is nothing if not the consummate gentleman. He TP'd me over to Moulin Rouge Island, where I was as ever awestruck by his talents. Don is, to me, the builder on the Grid. Obviously other people think so too, for he is always in demand, and able to charge a high FL hourly rate, which means you would have to rich indeed in Lindens in order just to speak to him!

Luckily he asks no such fee from me, and we caught up on our respective Second lives. Don has been working out, and is now more handsome than ever. I was saddened to gere that yet another SL partnership was over, as Don told me that he and Victoria had dissolved their union. Tis the Grid's gain, though, now that Don is back in the market, so lock up your wives and daughters! Even I had a pang of anxiety when we met up with Melissa during a tour I gave him of my work, for he is able to charm the pants off a Mother Superior. Plus he is so very accomplished at what he does, what woman wouldn't give her right arm to be seen on his? Melissa gently reassured me, but there is no doubt Don is a man to make husbands jealous!

Don is also achieving a high profile in his native Holland, where SL has really taken off. With an MTV documentary about SL under his belt, filmed entirely on the Grid, he has also spoken at conferences on re-engaging young people with politics. Also be sure to check out SLEX, a free market site where residents can buy, sell and trade goods they make inworld. Will this man's talents never cease?

Bliss Dancing

This morning my love and I went to the wonderful Bliss Basin. This gem of a garden is also a music venue, often so popular that it fills up almost immediately, but at this time is empty, so we danced The Dip to a 60's music radio stream.



We spoke of how samplers struggle to recreate the sounds of such wonderful instruments as the Hammond and the Mellotron. Rather, I listened to Melissa, as she explained as to why this is, for my love is so knowledgeable on all things musical.

Time passed all too quickly, and came time for Melissa to go FLwards. If you get a chance to visit Bliss Gardens, do so, even if there is not a concert in progress, it is a wonderful place to just sit (or dance) and talk, relaxing in its tranquil ambience.

Love In Lavender

If I could have just one wish,
I would wish to wake up everyday
to the sound of your breath on my neck,
the warmth of your lips on my cheek,
the touch of your fingers on my skin,
and the feel of your heart beating with mine...

Knowing that I could never find that feeling
with anyone other than you.


- Courtney Kuchta -

Castle Of The Angels

After the troubles of my two sisters, I needed to reassure myself that the Scaggs family was not about to suffer a third heartbreak. Luckily my beloved gave me just such reassurance, and to make ourselves feel happier after all the bad news we had heard, Melissaand I headed off to another of the LMs I had been given by Lachemal. This one was for the Angelic Castle Harbour, in Grant.



Readers really must go and see this place for themselves, it is beyond adequate description in its majesty and scope. Huge beyond belief, the castle at first seems the least likely place for romance, but appearances can be deceptive. The ground floor does have an air of formality about it, but once in the upper levels, the ambience is much softer. Decorated in lavender throughout, with huge piles of cushions pon which couples can enjoy their mutual affection for each other, this place is awe-inspiring, from the tips of its turrets to the ship docked at the jetty.




Another sim for couples, the castle and its grounds will bear many more visits than this first exploration.

Sisters Pt. 2

Whilst I was trying to help my middle sister, dear sweet Sorcha IM'd me with a true tale of woe. As so often happens in life, be it First or Second, older married men abuse the emotions of sweet, vulnerable young girls, as a sop to their own inflated ego's and a miserable attempt to affirm their masculinity, and my own baby sister had now fallen victim to this phenomenon.















When Sweetie arrived on Pele, I returned home and straightway TP'd my sister over. I held her for a while till she felt stronger, then took her down to the Scaggs-Yeuxdoux estate lands, and gave her a 512m plot to call her own for as long as she needs to. After I had added her to the estate group, she installed her trailer and set about making herself at home.



Sorcha wanted a stream to listen to, so I took her to the Magnatune presence in SL, where we took in some rock. I had a go at getting the broadcast to happen on her plot, but the tides of the ether blew widdershins that night and I was unsuccessful. Hopefully she has got it sorted now, and with the amazing number of male friends who suddenly appeared to rally round and help out, I am sure she has. Methinks my lil sis will not be too single for long!

Pele And All Her Works

I will take this opportunity to show just how good my sister, CheyennePele, is as a builder and terraformer.



The first picture is of the island of Pele, and in particular the volcanic home of the Goddess herself which Chey has created. All the terraforming, buildings, and scripts which control Mount Pele's eruption, were done by Cheyenne herself. I hope soon to see it in SOTW, for it surely it deserves to be recognised for the wonder it is, and brought to the notice of the Grid. It is Chey's best advert for her work as a terraformer/builder/textureslut/all round wonderwoman.



The next picture shows the tower Chey built as a memorial to her Sweetie. 100m tall, with a solar and meditation pose at the top, this wonder took Cheyenne all of half an hour to "throw together". The real beauty of this structure is that it has now become a celebration of the love between them.



The last, but by no means least, shot is of a Torri gate Chey "cobbled" together, again as a diversion from the heartache she was feeling. All her own work, it is one of the best I have seen on the Grid - and there are many out there - so it is no wonder her wealthy neighbour has paid a high, but deserved price for it.

My sister is not one to rest on her laurels, so watch this space for more examples of her superlative talents.

Sisters, Pt. 1

Readers will know that through my time on the Grid, this only child now has the sweetest of baby sisters, Sorcha. And a great joy to me she is, too. Well now my dear friend Cheyenne has adopted me for the role of big brother too. To say this has touched me very deeply, and that it is a great honour and a privilege to be so thought of by a woman such as she, would be a gross understatement.

My powers of bigbrotherliness were called upon last night, after Melissa alerted me to this post in Chey's blog.

Now I was somewhat thrown by this, as I had been chatting to both Chey and Sweetie together on the evening of the day they took their epic flight. So I straightway IM'd my newest sister, and she TP'd me over to her home on the island of Pele. Cheyenne was distraught, so we donned headsets and Skyped for well over an hour, as she told me things a sister can only tell her brother, and I did my best to console her. To hear my sister sound so beaten and hollow was heartbreaking, and we cried together for a while.














After a while, Chey began to look to the future, however bleak she felt it to be at the time, and we talked - rather I encouraged her to talk - of our plans for the future. Cheyenne is an extraordinary woman, her skills far outreaching many other builders I know, and now that she is turning her thoughts to scripting, I cannot wait to see the marvels she will produce.





Speaking as we were of marvels, I mentioned that the Official Guide To Second Life, published by Wiley and readily available, speaks of residents as being demi-gods, of the Hindu minor variety, with the power of flight, able to move from one place to another in the blink of an eye, and with the power to change the face of the land they stand upon. Sitting there as we were, beneath her volcano, dressed in hawaiian garb, Chey looked the very personification of Pele, the goddess whom she serves, and after whom she has dedicated her island.



As if to prove this, CheyennePele produced her Mysti-Tool, and I was given a demonstration of its abilities, which include it being able to point to a named avatar within chat range! The resulting lightshow was very reminiscent of divine abilities!



Cheyenne's Sweetie arrived soon after, so I took my leave and left these two star-crossed lovers to work through their issues in their own time and space. I understand now that things were resolved very positively, so I wish my dear, divine, sister all the love in the world as she moves into a future made that much brighter now.

An Entrapment, by Anthony Kolos

My love, I have tried with all my being
to grasp a form comparable to thine own,
but nothing seems worthy;



I know now why Shakespeare could not
compare his love to a summer’s day.
It would be a crime to denounce the beauty
of such a creature as thee,
to simply cast away the precision
God had placed in forging you.



Each facet of your being
whether it physical or spiritual
is an ensnarement
from which there is no release.
But I do not wish release.
I wish to stay entrapped forever.
With you for all eternity.
Our hearts, always as one.

A Samurai In Time

One of the good people I have had the fortune to meet and become friends with is Ianto Hudson, a samurai of Clan Vanguard. Ianto is also a big fan of the cult sci-fi series Doctor Who. He dropped into the Blade Garden for a duel (though for a samurai of his calibre I hardly present much of a challenge!), but sadly the lag was such that we didn't bother drawing our blades.



Instead, Ianto took a trip up to the home I share with Melissa, arriving in his very own TARDIS! This craft is a very faithful recreation of the Doctor's original, except that Ianto's version is as small on the inside as it is on the outside. We sat and chatted all things Gallifreyan, and then Melissa arrived, and the conversation turned to a discussion of the career of the best-loved Doctor, Tom Baker. It was agreed by all that Mr Baker is one of the UK's last remaining national treasures, and it will be a great loss when he goes. Unless of course, he really is from Gallifrey - I wonder what his new body will look like?

Job Hunting

Readers will have heard me write in glowing terms of the Metaverse Messenger, the foremost weekly publication for all things SL. They are currently advertising for a variety of positions, so I took myself off to their imposing HQ, and duly filled out an application for the position of Staff Writer. Whether my application will be well received remains to be seen, but working for this esteemed organ would indeed be another dream come true!

Love And Linux

If you read my beloved's blog, you will have seen her post about how the evil corporate monster that is Microsoft is set to become even more evil. One way of avoiding having your soul taken by them in eternal bondage is to not use their products. When it comes to all things computational. there is no one I trust more than Melissa. With her help and advice, I hope to make the migration to a Linux system before too long, HDD space allowing.














I can think of no more wonderful way to discuss operating systems, than in the arms of the woman I love. We had a good hour talking Linux, hardware, and other such romantic subjects, whilst using the wonderful pose Just Us, created by and available from Sexy Jesse. Whilst I have not yet moved over to Linux, one immediate effect of my tutorial with my love is that I now use Mozilla's Firefox as a browser, and Thunderbird as my email client, also from Mozilla. These two packages will dramatically improve the security of my PC, and have already led to great improvements in performance, as IE7 is no longer slowing my system down by being integrated throughout XP. To make these changes yourself - and I can thoroughly recommend you do, go straight to Mozilla.org.

Melissa soon had to depart, slipping from my arms like a dream upon waking, and I walked out to greet the sunrise, full of love and admiration for my beloved, and fired with enthusiasm for a new FL project, that should lead to benefits in my work pon the Grid.

A Special World

A special world for you and me
A special bond one cannot see
It wraps us up in its cocoon
And holds us fiercely in its womb.

Its fingers spread like fine spun gold
Gently nestling us to the fold
Like silken thread it holds us fast
Bonds like this are meant to last.

And though at times a thread may break
A new one forms in its wake
To bind us closer and keep us strong
In a special world, where we belong.

Sheelah Lennon





I don't have Sorcha's memory or ability to choose the right song lyrics, and this may well not be the most accomplished poem ever, but the sentiment contained within these lines is exactly what I want to express. Thank you, Ms Lennon.

Butterfly Walk

One of the LMs that Lachenal gave me was to La Promenade des Papillions, in Intrigue. I took Melissa to have a looksee, and am very glad we did. Set leading off the beach in a sim modelled rather on the FL island of Mystique, this is a veitable cornucopia of romantic opportunities.


There are dances and poseballs aplenty. The creators of this place have added a very nice touch - instead of the standard balls, the poses here are contained in butterflies, coloured appropriate to the gender of the posee. We took in the view, and then danced a skyduet to the strains of the Skydotcom Radio stream. Melissa was wearing a beautiful flexi-panelled dress with a lovely rose-covered hair grip, and with me in my lace-up red shirt, we fitted the music very nicely, sounding as it did very spanish as it streamed in. We ended our time together with a nice cuddle on a bench, and then my love returned to her FL. I remained briefly to take a couple more shots for this post.

Readers may be aware that the butterfly is a symbol of transformation - fairly obvious given its life cycle. I am a great believer in the symbolism of animals (a relic of my time as a practising shaman and apprenticeship with a hereditary Saxon witch - yes, really, my FL has been rather varied to say the least!), so much so that I carry a tattoo of a Swallowtail butterfly on my shoulderblade, a permanent memorial to a time of great personal transformation some years ago. As an aside, that is a time in my life I am very careful about whom I share it with, and not a subject for this blog, but I will say it has nothing to do with gender reaffirmation, as it might suggest - I am most asuredly male, and always have been. No, one day I may share that particular darkish secret with you, dear readers, but that time is not now.

I digress. Readers may have noticed a distinct downbeat tone to some of my posts recently. If not, then I am obviously more able to cover my sadness than I thought. Anyway, I have been afflicted more than usual by my black dog, to the point that I wondered whether, should I lose Melissa as I feared I would, my SL would then be worth living. That is the extent to which various crises in my FL had affected me. I felt that I was being left behind by all the people I valued the most here, as they progressed and evolved and I did not. Today, in the aftermath of a particularly nasty 48 hours in my FL, I had what might be described as an epiphany, when the scales fell from my eyes and I was granted some small measure of insight into just how far I have progressed since I have been a resident of the Grid. As we danced our light fandango, I became aware of how the skins of those around us looked plastic and obviously CGI, as we all do when we first enter here. By contrast, Melissa and I looked, well, not real, but certainly a lot more defined and detailed than anyone else in the vicinity. As we should, considering how much our respective skins cost, and the length of time we took to choose them!

We also looked like we were a couple, two people who were meant to be together. I felt a great weight lifting from me, and I internally stepped from the shadows and back into the light, taking my rightful place once more amongst the other long term, dare I say the true, residents of the Grid. This probably sounds like a cartload of contrived nonsense to anyone outside of myself and Melissa, and those few others who have seen me floundering and morose, but for me it was another of those moments when the Grid seemed to shine with light, and Melissa the brightset light of all. Maybe it was due to the fact that today is Candlemas, a time of purification - take it from me, recently I have been shriven to the bone in my FL as people whom I considered friends for life, and whom I had known for many years (nearly two decades in one case) revealed themselves to be no friends at all and the sort of personal baggage most definitely not wanted on voyage - or maybe it was due to the presence of the myriad butterflies that flittered about as we danced, each dispensing a little bit of their transformational magic as they passed, that I should experience such a much-needed moment of clarity. Certainly it was because, as we danced, Melissa and I entered a place where only we existed, the rest of the Grid fading into the background, until a point was reached when the divinity I associate with her presence reached into my soul and turned my vision 180 degrees about, realigning it to a future bright with possibilities and filled with love, a future where we are together for a long time to come, a future where every day is a shared adventure once more. Undoubtedly a future very much more positive than the dark emptiness that was all I could see for the last few weeks.

Whether you will have such a metaphysical experience when you visit this gem of a place I cannot say, but you will never know if you don't go there, and I fully recommend that you do. As ever, I also recommend that this promenade is visited with a loved one, for it cannot be denied that an experience shared is an experience more than doubled, and with luck you too may be given a vision of a future filled with light and love.

Bathers

The landscaping and dressing-in of the Yeuxdoux Bath House continues, slowly but surely. A nice picture has been added, "Lovers" by Sherry Case, a tree that screens the building until you approach it along the path (that will be there), and a self-built, very basic waterfall feature. A lot of work still needs to be done, but it is a start.

When I arrived this morning to carry on with the tweaking, I found a young man there. Lachenal Lubezki is a very pleasant young man, and we had quite a chat. Apparently he and his Grid fiance come to the bath house quite a bit, having found it somehow. We discussed the logistics of SL/ FL relationships, and then swapped a few LMs of romantic hideaways. From this conversation, I got the idea of producing a list of the best romantic spots for couples to visit, made up of our estate places (here, garden, tea house), our personal faves (Apollo, Wales, etc) and then maybe any others that we are given, either by people who use them or by the sim owners themselves.

Lachenal went back to FL, and as I was getting on with my work, a young lady from Germany called Chrissy01 Wunderlich (who I had met at Magnatune's site one day whilst chatting there with Magnatune's co-founder Janford Flax and then friended out of a sense of duty to help newbies) IM'd me in a panic, as she couldn't stop the dance anim she had started at a beach disco somewhere. The ensuing conversation that followed was difficult to say the least, as I have given up on Babbler/ De-babbler due to its tendency to fall over after the first couple of lines in a conversation, and Ms Wunderlich's english is about as good as my german, that is to say non-existent.

I ended up TP'ing her to the bath house, where I suggested a few things she could try. Another gentleman called Gio passed by, and I enlisted his aid, but in the end the young lady had to rebake. When she returned, in an attempt to move her gently along so that I could get on with my work, I suggested that Gio might like to show her around a bit. You can see from the last photo that he did just that! (actually it was her idea to roadtest the poseballs) so I gave up on getting anything done and left them to it.

Not before unfriending Ms Wunderlich - I tend to accept friendship offers from newbs as a matter of course, but usually end up unfriending them, as they tend to want one's undivided attention every second they are Gridside. Call me newb-unfriendly (you would be wrong if you did) but I have a SL to lead of my own, thanks - I will help people where I can, at the time, but I really do not like being pestered by people who want to be spoonfed their experience of the Grid. I bimbled about as a newb back in the day, and am very grateful for all the help I was given, but asking for help from an older resident was generally a last resort, preferring to work things out for myself, even going as far as to READ THE MANUAL!!! Never did I hound another resident for their constant advice and attention. I guess I should start doing some volunteering on Help Island in order to fulfil my admittedly limited paternal instinct, and thus avoid the uncomfortable need to unfriend anyone.