Escaping the News Cycle, Shop n' Hop and Random Strangers

 

When it seems like the whole world has gone crazy and my stress levels are running high, I like to find somewhere to unwind, even if it's virtually.

I fled to Second Life after watching one too many first world press conferences. I opened the map, found a small, public island on the Blake Sea and teleported over. I sat on the sand and watched the boats go by, listened to the waves. It took me back to my 1st life hometown, I could almost smell the sea air.

There were quite a few people around, doing their own thing. I enjoyed people watching.

I got a random DM from someone, an innocent "hi." I responded politely, but I wasn't really in the mood for company. I did read his profile, because I am nosey as hell. It listed among his interests "panty sniffer" and "upskirt expert."

Just ew.

I try not to judge but at the same time, I don't necessarily want to spend quality time with a self-described panty sniffer. 

When he cruised by in his tiny prim houseboat and said "Let's child together," it was hard not to bust out laughing. I'm still not sure if "child" was supposed to be "chill" or if that was his way of inviting me to bump uglies. Either way, I politely declined, while internally I snort-laughed.

I know I should have taken pics, but I wasn't prepared. 

Anywho, early access to the Valentine's Shop n' Hop is open, so I'll probably check it out later. I'm still trying to build up a basic LaraX wardrobe, maybe I can find some deals there. I'm also on the lookout for a small, rustic kitchen set and a decent, rigged backpack. 

Reasonably priced of course *wink.*

Do you ever use Second Life as an escape? How do you feel about receiving random messages? Let me know in the comments. (I told you I was nosey!)

Mainland, Memories and Early Predictions

Click here to visit.

During the early years in Second Life my friends and I spent countless hours parked on the wall surrounding Bear Dream Lodge Infohub. We had many deep conversations about the future of the grid, while modeling the latest in freebie fashion. I don't remember any of us having any grand business plans or motivation to improve our new reality. I seem to remember telling people I already had a first life job, I was just here to live out my fantasy as a socialite, which, it turned out, was just a glorified bum. 

Our loitering was frowned upon, but it didn't matter. We'd claimed the space as our own. Looking back, as our numbers grew, our congregating on the wall did take up space that prevented new residents from arriving, so there was that. 

Teh smexiness, it hurts me. (Click to embiggen)

When Linden Labs began offering private islands for purchase, I speculated that soon our beloved Mainland would become an apocalyptic landscape, lawless and covered in slums, abandoned by the elite who'd fled to private islands, leaving those of us who were less privileged to fend for ourselves. Many of the wall dwelling crowd agreed, painting a dim view of the future.

To say our imaginations ran wild is an understatement, but there were wee bits of accuracy to our predictions. 

Most rental estates fled to islands, which at first seemed like a horrible thing, but gradually rent prices began to level out. It wasn't long before more and more residents could actually afford "luxury"  island living. Fast forward to today when even premium account holders, with the offer of a free house on Bellisseria, still opt to live on private estates.

As for Mainland, it's not the post nuclear hellscape I imagined back then, but it does feel sort of empty. There aren't the strict rules of the estates, giving you the freedom to do pretty much whatever you want. A UFO abducting a cow behind your ultra-modern beach home? Sure, go for it! Dragon breedables wading in the surf? Not a problem. As long as you're within the Linden Labs Terms of Service, you can entertain any flight of whimsy your heart desires. 

The flip side of that is, so can your neighbors.

Adding to the feeling of emptiness on Mainland are the vast rolling hills of abandoned land. Abandoned land happens a few ways. One example, someone buys up large parcels without regard to the tier they'll have to pay, intending to stack skyboxes on every square meter, only to realize no one wants to live that way, even in Second Life. With no way to make tier (virtual taxes, sort of) they usually try to sell it first, eventually giving up as they lose money and letting it go. It then becomes the property of Linden Labs. 

And that, is good for you if you're looking for land to buy. You can purchase any abandoned land for L$1 per square meter directly from the Lindens. 

There are some wild builds along the highways of Second Life, making exploring one of my favorite past times. Playing GTFO or taking part in the weekly Grid Drive will add another layer of excitement to your exploring. 

You never really know what you'll see, which is usually a good thing.

Anywho, I hope ya'll have a good week. We'll talk again soon!

How Much First Life in Your Second Life?

Not THE beach but a pretty little spot just the same. Fairweather Beach.

 It's a debate that's been heard on the grid since at least 2006, when I first created my account. How much personal information is too much in a virtual world? 

I've heard strong opinions on both sides. Some share every aspect of their first life, including their photos, information about their children, pets, spouses, etc., while others are more guarded, sharing only very basic facts.

I think most people fall somewhere in between.

When I was still a doe eyed newbie, I had a friend (a Scottish biker who swore he was in Hell's Angels,) who started a group for people who looked like their avatar. To join, you had to be vetted by the owners after submitting a photo. They'd commissioned someone to create skins based on the photo (which you paid a hefty price for,) and it was all very strict.

I didn't join. 

Okay, full disclosure: I was dating the Scottish guy and the co-owner of this group was a friend of mine. They ended up together and I went full drama queen when I found out, throwing a text based screaming fit on the shores of the beach when I spotted her. I think the beach was called Amore. 

I was younger then and prone to fits of drama. 

But anyway, back on topic.

In the beginning, I was fiercely protective of my personal information, mainly because of my professional life. I enjoy the freedom my anonymity gives me as I wander around the grid. It works both ways. When I meet someone and they begin sharing pictures, it's really cringey to me. It makes me want to run away screaming "LALALALALALALA" with my fingers in my ears. 

Seriously, I don't want to know.

I have noticed that some who are okay with freely sharing also wear it like a badge of honor. They state they have nothing to hide, don't believe in keeping secrets, you get the idea. And that's cool, if that's your thing, but I kind of feel like they're missing the whole point of Second Life. To me it's the chance to experience a life that's different from your reality. 

Second Life can be different things to different people and we can coexist peacefully. 

But if you send me your "first life" photo, don't expect to get one in return.

How much first life do you want in your Second Life? Are you guarded with personal information? Let me know below!

We'll talk again soon. Ya'll have a great weekend!

Places to go in Second Life - Siren's Isle

Sunset on Siren's Isle

Over the weekend, I wanted to do some exploring, so I pulled up the map and looked for a good place to begin. I hadn't cruised the Blake Sea in a while and I love to be on the water, so I started plotting a course from the northern coast of Corsica down and around the islands to see if it was going to be doable. I think I could have made it, but it would take a while and I didn't have a lot of time.

I decided, instead, to teleport to Windlass where I knew there were rez zones. Once there, I dropped my boat in the water and made me way over to Siren's Isle.

There's always a gathering of residents at Siren's Isle, some in boats, a handful on the island itself, flying overhead and swimming underwater. You never know what you'll find when you get there. On this recent visit, I saw a woman riding a dragon, a Ninja Turtle flying a helicopter, several boats, people fishing and one man in a three piece suit, pacing back and forth in the shallow waters. 

I donned my bikini and stretched out on the deck, listening to the gulls and the waves crashing into the shore. The gentle rocking of the boat, the sunset, the two ladies quietly fishing off the back of their pink and white vessel all adding to the ambiance. 

Siren's Isle used to have a serious griefer problem, but I haven't experienced any in recent months. That's a chance you take anywhere residents gather. 

From here, you can set off in any direction to explore the open sea. Just make sure to keep your mini map open to help you navigate. I usually check the big map every once in a while to make sure I'm still on my chosen course. 

Exploring is probably my favorite pass time on the grid. What's yours? I'd love to know.

We'll talk again real soon. Keep living your best Second Life.

Cheap Land and Blessings from the Innerweb Gods

My photo with Santa looks more like a hostage situation.

Anyone who knows me personally, knows I don't stay anywhere for long. I often joke that the name of this blog should have been "I've moved again."

A few months ago I changed back to a Basic account. I was spending more money than I felt I should on virtual pursuits and decided to drastically scale back.

When I tell you I'm on a budget, know that I've been living the freebie life. 

My one SL related expense was rent. I had a little sandy beach for me and all my alts. The neighbors must have thought I was really popular. Prior to that I had leased a parcel on a fantasy, role play estate. I loved it there, but I've never gotten into rp much, my social anxiety causing me to either over compensate by coming on entirely too strong, or to going completely silent. As a result, I never felt like I fit in. Let me make it abundantly clear that it was no reflection whatsoever on the community there. Bless 'em, they tried to include me. 

When I moved to the beach estate, I made sure to do the math to ensure that I stayed within budget. About two weeks in, a first life weather event took my access to power (and a lot of other things, but I'll spare you.) It was a struggle. I was able to log on using my phone as a mobile hotspot, just enough to keep rent paid. 

During that time, the aftermath of the previously mentioned weather event caused me to re evaluate my spending again. I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to have "normal" internet back. 

When the innerweb gods did decide to smile down upon me, and a collective rejoicing echoed throughout the mountains, I did more math and realized I was paying more than what a Premium Plus account would cost me.

WTF?

So after some hand wringing, I upgraded my account. The same day, I went in search of a 2048m piece of mainland, which I quickly realized I couldn't afford. (For real, what's up with these land prices?) Bellisseria was an option, but I've lived there in the past and it's not really my first choice. 

For the record, Bellisseria has a very vibrant and active community, it's just not my thing.

Since old habits die hard, I went in search of a piece of abandoned land. I wanted roadside, quiet area, not TOO many ginormous prims to derender and a place to rez my boat nearby. I spent some hours over the course of a few days looking for the right parcel. 

I think I've found just the one. It's two regions away from an infohub, just in case I get nostalgic for my early years and decide to go n00b watching. 

I filled out a ticket, which is no longer a form, but a friendly little chat with the chatbot. I figure with the holidays it'll probably be next week before I hear anything.  Any earlier than that I'll consider to be a Christmas miracle. I'd like to think all the Lindens are at home, enjoying festivities with their families anyway.

I hope everyone has a safe and peaceful holiday! 

Until next time :)

Second Norway: A Thriving Second Life Community

 

One of the many roadways running through Second Norway

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently packed up my mainland parcel and relocated to Second Norway. 

I had looked at several options. While I continue to root for mainland to thrive, I couldn't afford the parcels that had all the bells and whistles I wanted. I've leased homesteads before, but I didn't like being cut off from the Blake Sea, not having neighbors, etc. 

Exploring by horseback, speedboat or auto are how I spend my slack time in SL. After weighing all the options available, I finally found a solution.

Second Norway is the best of all worlds. 

The medium sized island I chose is close to the open sea and easy for me to navigate. I only ran into someone's pier once. 

I'm not a great driver on land or sea, but boats are way easier.

In addition to residential islands, Second Norway has a network of roads on larger islands, connected by a series of ferries and bridges. One boasts a large airport, and others have airfields, a golf course, diners, marinas and other opportunities for role play. 

I stumbled upon a clinic yesterday, with a full list of services ranging from OB/GYN to psychiatric services.

I read back through some old forum posts created around two years ago, when Second Norway announced it had gone bankrupt. There seemed to be some confusion about the actual ownership of the area and whether Linden Labs actually controlled the property. 

I kept digging and found this article by Stex Auer on Medium featuring an interview with the new owner, Vanity Bonetto.  In the article, there is a good explanation of the future intentions of the new management team. I'm happy to see that it's still successful. 

I have been a little disappointed by one aspect of life here. There don't seem to be any active groups or regular events. I could be wrong, maybe I've missed something. I searched public groups and joined a few, but it's been crickets so far. I wouldn't mind hosting the occasional discussion or get together, I'm just not sure how I'd go about it.

I am open to suggestions.

Maybe I could organize a horseback tour? 

I don't know, we'll see.

In the meantime, I've enjoyed meeting a few of the neighbors, they all seem pretty friendly. I love sitting on our dock, watching boats go by or seaplanes flying overhead. It all reminds me of the coastal Virginia community where I grew up and my heart still sometimes aches for.

That's what Second Life is all about isn't it? Creating a virtual space to visit and remember those things you can't do in first life.

And the weekend sales. We can't forget the shopping.

Until next time, keep living your best Second Life!

Starting Over... Again

 

Hey Ya'll! It's been a while, hasn't it? Let's catch up.

The strip club was short lived. I stand by what I've said all along. Don't open a strip club in Second Life. The market is too saturated. Why, then, did I open one? I'm not sure. I guess the best answer is, after years of working in the industry, I wanted to try it my way. I leased a homestead, threw my heart (and money, lots of money) into it and gave it a shot. 

So, that's closed. 

After shutting down the homestead, I grabbed a couple of parcels on the water until I could figure out what I wanted to do. In the mean time, I kept my eye out for some good abandoned land where I could rebuild, start over and rethink my SL. 

If only it were this easy in the flesh and bones world.

I settled on this 4096. The reasons it was abandoned were apparent. It's a corner parcel with limited terra forming. It's on an older continent so although it's partially beach, the sand texture is that greyish brown color. I was able to cover it with some land form mesh, add some beachy vibes and create a nice little home. It doesn't technically have ocean access, but I have one neighbor without ban lines, giving me access to open sea for my boating adventures. 

I think I'm finally settled. For now.

There Be Giants

Tired. I'm probably not moving from this spot for a while.

What have ya'll been up to? I've been suffering from a house building obsession for about a month now. During that time, I learned some new skills, remembered some old ones and found out a few things about myself. 

First, I do not have the patience nor the brain cells required to texture and shadow each and every wall, floor and tiny little window trim. Second, and most important, I suck at building houses. The one thing I am good at, apparently, is buying houses.

I did complete a lovely home. When it was almost finished, I invited a friend over for a visit and made yet another earth shattering discovery about myself.

You see, when you spend most of your time alone, you never realize that you're A FREAKING GIANT.

So I took a short break from aligning and texturing to venture out to the club scene where I casually slid up behind other avatars and gauged my height against theirs.

Yeah, I was a creeper. You do what you have to do.

Adjustments were made. Finally satisfied that I wouldn't look like Godzilla stomping through the village when I did go out, I returned to my build, which I then realized was BUILT FOR A FREAKING GIANT.

Disgusted, I deleted it all, including the little island it sat upon, which hadn't done a thing wrong. I decided to set up house on the actual coast, which has enough actual land for a rusted out hippie van and not much else. So I needed something on stilts, beachy, but not shacky yet with a touch of class.

I'm not picky. Much.

I shopped ya'll. I am reasonably sure that I visited every purveyor of houses on the grid. I looked at ultra modern, concrete and steel constructions, fishing shacks and even bought one of those furnished monstrosities with nine hundred and eleventy billion scripts.

That one lasted a hour.

But now? I'm done. If you fly over Faravari in the near future, you'll be able to find me floating in the pool, eyes glazed over and scarcely moving.

That is, until I get another wild hair and decide I need a new house.

There Goes The Neighborhood

Yes it's another house. Don't judge me.

My neighbors are disappearing. The lot to the south is still for sale, but with new owners. It's still pretty cheap, the buyer only raised the price by L$1000. If they don't sell it fast, they're going to spend more in fees than they'll make. It'll be a deal for someone.

I thought about buying it, it's much larger than what I have, but I'm content with my little plot (and my monthly bill) for now. I'm holding out for the 1024m between me and protected water. I'm hoping it gets abandoned eventually. 

Plus, I've finally sorted out my wandering horse falling in the water. It was a little disturbing to log on and find him chilling on the ocean floor.

The one friendly neighbor I had abandoned her land for a Linden houseboat. I'm happy for her, but I  miss seeing her over there.

There were brief border wars between folks on adjacent parcels. One eventually packed up and left, after the angry returning of property invading prims and ugly border markers, then put their parcel up for rent. It went fast, but the new tenant was even worse. She invaded on everyone's lines, even partially blocking protected waterways.

It's fun sitting back on my deck and watching uglier and uglier markers, signs and obnoxious builds going up between angry neighbors, until someone gets a cob up their ass, packs up and leaves.

As I've said before, I'm easily entertained. It's what I love about living on the mainland.

The property behind me is abandoned too. I can probably lower my cliffs for now, I can't remove them or Coal will try going for a swim. He thinks he's a Kelpie, apparently. I was amazed the first time I saw him actually swimming. Who knew? Second Life horses have evolved by leaps and bounds since the early days.

So for now, I'm enjoying the peace and solitude with the sound of waves rolling up on the shore, reading a bit and relaxing.

My second life, is a good life.

Seeking Paradise

Wanderlust Lagoon

I've gone through a few houses since I last posted and in the process, I learned a few things about myself. The most prevalent lesson is: Sometimes you don't know what you want until you've tried everything else.

I loved my little white cottage, but after fiddling around with different island sizes (I now have a lifetime supply in my inventory,) waves and ginormous cliffs (to block the neighbor's day glow border marker,) I realized I wanted more water, less land. For that, I'd need a smaller house. I bought a boat house and a boat, but it was still just too big. I spend most of my time outside anyway. I didn't need that much house and the thoughts of buying furniture to fill it up made my stomach churn.

I hate buying furniture. That's an entire post in itself.

The bed I'd bought for the cottage wouldn't fit in the tiny attic of the boathouse, and after about a day, the constant use of the same basic texture for EVERY surface started to get on my nerves.

The Boathouse

I set out to find a nice little house, with few rooms. I don't have roommates or a partner. To be honest, I really don't even need a bedroom.

For now.

I wanted something on stilts or a treehouse that wouldn't take up much room.

Just because a builder says a house will fit on a 1024m doesn't mean it will, nor does it mean it's a good fit for what you're trying to do.

Lesson learned.

I found that I kept going back to Tiki huts and little tropical houses. There are three major builders that fit that description. The first I went to, I'd bought my little Gypsy wagon from and knew the animations were screwed up. I went back there, hoping that after time they'd fixed their problems, but nope. I ended up sitting on my head.

The next one had beautiful furnished houses, but their house rezzing area was a clusterfuck. It looked like someone had rezzed every house, some were turned upside down and on their side. Due to past experience, I wasn't buying another furnished house if I couldn't test the animations first. I went back a few times, hoping I'd find it cleared, but to no avail.

The third Tiki house builder had three areas for looking at houses. The first one had a big clump of bushes in the middle of the rez area, so you couldn't really tell what the hell you were looking at. In retrospect, I suppose the smart thing to do would have been to derender the bushes, but by then I was so annoyed, I guess I wasn't thinking straight.

But then? I noticed that the sign in front of the third clearing said "Islands." Some were houses on islands, houses built into caverns. I wouldn't have to keep fiddle farting around with island prims and landscaping. It was all included. I found a small house with a living room and a bedroom, fully furnished, on it's own island AND landscaped.

I was sold.

When I got it set up, I found a bonus cave hidden in one of the rocks on the foundation. The perfect space for my altar. Also, there were little butterflies already flying around the flowers on the rocks.

Setting up a new house meant I'd have to rearrange the landscape a bit. I've discovered that while I DESPISE big, flat privacy screens, I do enjoy my solitude. I didn't want to create an eyesore for my neighbors, yet I wanted a clearly defined border and somewhere to put a few plants.

I started with a cheap pack of rocks that I recolored to match the pitted lava rocks at my house's foundation, but that turned out to be... tacky.

While out looking at different parcels for sale, I happened upon some natural looking cliff faces that weren't too huge. I sought out the designer's store (they weren't on MP) and ended up buying those as well as some more natural looking waterfalls.

I may add more plants or some underwater landscaping, but as you can see by the first picture above, my perfect little 1024m lagoon is complete. There's plenty of outside room, privacy and lots of places for visitors to sit and chat by the fire. I think I'm happy now.

And the cave. I love the cave.

Feel free to drop me an IM for more information on the houses and landscaping in the photos. This isn't a sponsored post, nor do I want to upset anyone by posting negative opinions about their products.

~*~

Looking for your own little island paradise? I currently have a nice little 1024m water parcel for sale. 

The Bramant Island parcel is a quiet, 1024m square water lot. To the east and west are tasteful builds. To the south is a large vacant parcel, with a smaller one to the north. Just beyond the northeastern border is a protected waterway, perfect for boating. This serene, low-lag island is just L$4700. L$3900

See it inworld here:

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bramant/77/192/21/

When Neighbors Harsh Your Mellow

When I logged off the other night, I stopped and gazed around my parcel, feeling satisfied. I was content. I had everything just so and I was feeling a little proud of myself. After my early struggles with my new mesh avatar (so many HUDs, seriously) I was no longer paranoid that my head was out of proportion to my body, that I was too thin, too muscular and too short. 

Virtual nirvana. 

I signed on the following day and as everything slowly came in to focus, I noticed a glow, yellow like a highlighter. 

Is the sun brighter than usual? Aliens landed? Minion infestation? I glanced toward the window and found the source. My neighbor, who's ginormous 4592m parcel dwarfs my little 1024, had put some crime scene looking monstrosity around her plot, right butt up against the line. If I'd put something like that up, I'd at least add a floating corpse. I mean, if you're going to be that tacky, you may as well own it.

Nirvana crushed.

I know people can do whatever they want with their own parcel, but why would you want to make it ugly for everyone else? 

I de-rendered the line closest to me, but that wasn't going to help if I had guests over. I'm still debating hosting discussions. I thought about it for a bit. I despise big ass screens blocking everyone's view but I didn't know what else to do. I went in search for something with a natural look. I settled on some rock cliffs, which cut into my splashy rock's spinny prim, so I had to take it up. So no more sea lion (for now.) I changed the islands from three to two, creating more usable land space and I added a waterfall. I'm not done tinkering with it, the construction is using more prims that I'd like. I might play with the size some or add more waterfalls. 

I've only seen the neighbor in question maybe three times. I don't know what the border marker fuss is about, I looked and I couldn't find where anyone was over the line.

Speaking of neighbors, I've made attempts to meet a few of mine. I talked to two who were super friendly and one that seemed woefully uninterested.

I guess two out of three isn't bad.

How do you deal with parcel boundaries and unfriendly neighbors? Let me know in the comments below!

Making Friends for Anti-Social People

I went shopping for a splashy rock and found a new friend! He needs a name. Suggestions are welcome.

I'm so obsessive when I'm shopping. I think I looked at every rock out there. Some were too big, some were too dry, some looked like a tsunami rolling in. I was concerned none of these would fit, but I think it works.

Plus.. bonus sea lion.

Now when I'm sitting on the beach, talking to myself, I can at least pretend I'm talking to my new bud.

I'm planning to go back for a crow and/or a seagull.

Maybe.