On Second Thoughts

I'm not actually being paid to write this, though I probably ought to be. Maybe word will get back to some store owner and I'll get a free sample or two by way of thanks (hint, hint). I have to confess, first of all, that I do my part to keep the American economy strong. Yes, I do like to buy things. And while I wouldn't consider myself a shopaholic--compared to some women (and men!) I know I'm practically an ascetic--I do like to trade my wealth for shiny (and sometimes not so shiny) things. There's something exciting in the search and discovery. Something indulgently daring in the transaction. And when the price and item are right, the moment can be (I admit) fleetingly orgasmic. I don't expect you to understand. I don't understand it. I hate waste, and so much of what is out there is simply waste. I hate shopping malls for this reason. Department stores are only a lesser evil. Mostly, it's the wastefulness, but I deplore crowds and parking ...

February has been a crazy month for me in that other game we call life. As a result I'm going to be away for a few days to recharge my spirit, without computer access, if I can help it. It just dawned on me that the SL world is flat. Columbus would have been screwed.

I visited The Lost Gardens of Apollo upon the recommendation of a friend, and it is another delightful find. It's exquisitely constructed in a sort of Persian style natural garden rather than Hellenistic as the name would imply (but it's not an important detail). The craftsmanship here is top notch and is definitely a place you could relax, reflect, or carry on a quiet conversation. There's a good mix of public and semi-private spaces, which leaves open the possibility (or not) for interactions with other people. Wandering around the island, I began to wonder about the notion of personal space as it exists here in SL. I encountered others, and unless I was talking to them, I noticed that I kept my distance, as much out of social habit, I guess, as anything else. But how close is too close, I wonder? Does our need for personal space derive from our need for emotional spaces? There seems to be a connection. I know that when I want mental quiet, I gravitate towards th...

We can't replace our real lives with our second ones yet. It seems obvious, but I became aware of this in the past few weeks as RL work, RL deadlines, RL people, RL play, and RL drama kept me out of their SL counterparts. Even if I wanted to submerge into the virtual sea, I couldn't. SL doesn't put food in my mouth. The heat from the laptop isn't the same as the warmth of a lover's touch. I can't smell the rain or diesel exhaust. A laggy sim and a nagging mother are about an even trade, however. Anyway, the primary has taken over the secondary, and so I've been absent. Subsequently, my initial quest has ground to a halt, but it hasn't been fruitless. Just the other day, while sitting in a sim thinking about what to write for this blog I met another person on her own mission: she was photographing birds she found. I can't tell you how excited I was by this. It's not that I'm interested in birds at all. In RL as well as SL, they ar...