The Voices in My Head

Lately I have been thinking about coincidences, the weird happenings that are stranger than fiction.  Such as, my husband and I took a cruise.  Prior to the cruise I made connections with others on the cruise on the Cruise Critic web site.  Through this I met a lady who was traveling with her elderly father.  This man had worked with my husband’s father back in the early 1950’s.

Ok, I want to connect this to Second Life.  I figured that for many of us that there is someone on Second Life who we knew in real life at some time or other.  But, we have no idea that this person is involved in Second Life.  The real life profiles for most people say little or nothing.  Visual clues are not helpful.  I do not look like a rat in real life.  So whether or not you meet anyone from real life in second life, it is possible, but is it probable?

I pushed the computer switch. Nothing happened. No sound, not a grunt or a groan or a whir. Nothing. I did get the extended warranty on it. But, I had not backed it up in a long time. I am the type of person who doesn’t care to know anything except that the computer I have does what I want it to do. I had a hunch that it was electrical, like juice wasn’t getting to it. I checked the cords and found all were plugged in.

Winston looked at it. Winston, for those who don’t know him, is my partner both in SL and RL. “The switch,” he declared, and he got it working. “Just don’t turn it off.”

I dreaded the thought of taking it into be repaired. He was afraid that they just might replace it and that there was the issue of the graphics card. I have two of those, the original doesn’t handle SL.

After work he opened the computer up and got it going. He found the broken piece, a small piece of plastic almost small enough to use as a toothpick. The only problem, he said, is to remember before we take it in for repairs; we need to remove the chopstick he used to make the temporary fix.

So, if in a pinch, if duct tape won’t work, try a chop stick.

I like desk calendars that you pull off one page each day. Being, cheap, I will wait to get one after the beginning of the year when the price has dropped significantly. Yesterday I finally got my calendar for the year. I ended up with a Zen one that has “surprising sayings, parables, koans, and Haiku. While catching up I found some pages that can easily be brought into SL.

“The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” (Zen saying)

Second Life is considered a game and some people wonder how you “win.” How about this as an answer? The game of Second Life is not a problem to be solved, but a virtual reality to be experienced.

“Without leaving my house, I know the whole universe.” (Lao-Tsu)

Second Life: Without leaving my house I have friends from all over the world.

Rat

I have a piece of artwork at Dreams in their art show. Last night the artists talked about their works. As I listened to others talk, I felt totally out of my league. They talked about symbolism and the techniques that they used. They referred to artists that they admired. I wanted to tuck my tail and hide under my cape. How can I compete against these passionate people whose skills and natural talents ooze from their very being?

What would I say when it was my turn? My throat got dried, I coughed. Damn, it is the fingers that talk here. I hear Soj; she asked a question. “Yes,” I replied. “I took the picture to the right. I used an older version of Photoshop to come up with the line drawing to the left. I have no idea what I did to get it, but stopped when I got the effect.”

It was easier from then on. I no longer worried about capabilities but shared a little of my experience in Israel and the archeological dig. I talked about the subject of the piece, the Cardo in the Jewish Quarter of Old Jerusalem.

I no longer felt in competition with the others. Instead, it was a moment of sharing my world. I realized that they had done the same, but in their own way.

I am the most famous rat in SL. But, as fame goes, it might not last long. My fame comes from surviving 34 days in the Big Brother House, caged like a lab rat. Prior to that whole experience I ran around SL as a part time human and part time rat.

Dorie Bernstein told me about SL. It sound wierd. She talked about islands and being paid to sit in chairs. None of this made any sense. I caved in and started in SL April of 2006. I was hooked. I enjoyed exploring and shopping. Somehow I got interested in the furry population and did some research. And that is how I ended up being a part time rat.

August I somehow got roped into participating in a building contest at Dreams. My prior building experience was next to nothing. Building was the next thing that I got hooked on.

I accidently fell upon the information about Big Brother and decided to go for it. I figured that building with others would increase my building skills. I figured I would survive the first cut, but not make it into the game. And then on Thursday, I was one of three finalists. Maybe I didn’t win the island, but I was the winner. I won friends, new skills and new experiences.