Why I Left Second Life A Year Ago

Let's go ahead and get this out of the way, shall we? Right off the bat, I fully admit and acknowledge being a real human being. As a real human being, I am subject to quirky contradictions within my own personality. I acknowledge and accept the way I am. And for my blog to make sense to you, dear reader, you have to understand that too, though you of course are in no way obliged to like or respect me for this.

So...here is what happened. First off...you have to understand that I am not extremely social (in either Life). But...I have my moments. So back when I was in SL before...I decided to rent a house. Why? To entertain friends and see how my SL taste expressed itself. Yes. A not-too-social person renting space in SL for friends I really didn't have. Remember...contradictory in nature. I'm sure you have a few odd quirks too. Moving on.

So here I was happily bedecking my new house with fun sex furniture (hey, be prepared right?), art, rugs, patio furniture, hot tub....all that jazz. And I'd been assured by the landlord that in the event of my eviction, all my property would be automatically returned to my Inventory. Good to know. So I'd say I spent 15 to 20 real life American
Currency on furniture (at pre-economy crisis exchange rates...remember those?).

Then my computer conked out. Dead. I had no backup. Computer had to go in for repairs. Ultimately...I don't get my computer back for three weeks. I rez into SL....and there is strange furniture in my (former) house. I was, understandably and obviously...evicted. I quickly TPed to a sandbox (after all, I was now technically intruding in someone's home).

I open up my inventory to pull my furniture out of Lost and Found and put it in the Furniture folder....but all that was returned to me was ONE chair from my patio set, and the splashable water from my bathtub. One chair...and some water. Seriously. There were a few other things there in the L&F folder, and I thought...maybe that folder only had limited space...so I emptied it and waited a day. Nothing. I sent an IM to my former landlord...I got back a form letter notecard explaining that my furniture was returned to me. A form letter.

Let's just say...I was upset by this. I logged off. Pissed as hell.

Did I handle it properly?
No.
Did I delete all my furniture boxes because I got upset by their very existence in my inventory?
Like a dumbass, yes.
Did I attempt to get furniture replacement from the stores where I'd bought it?
No. I felt sick when I thought of my lost furniture.
Was this completely stupid?
Looking back...yeah. But at the time I thought I was just Shit Outta Luck.

Fast forward to one month ago (away a full year at least). I update SL....and log back in. After all...I was paying for a monthly membership I wasn't using. And it was time to look around again to see if I wanted to keep paying. My L$s had increased nicely in my absence...so I decided to go shopping.

So here I am again. I now have a backup computer, but I've not got up the courage to put down "permanent" SL roots yet. Though I have been considering it. A little.

News That just shouldn't be

Child Freezes To Death on 10 Mile trek.

Okay, So...I know I've made this a Second Life blog...but there are some things in 1st life that I just can't ignore. Like this tragic story.

And I admit...I tried to feel more pity for the Dad who let his kids go off trudging in knee deep snow on a 10 mile trek in weather ranging from 25 to -5 degrees F. I know I should feel more sorry than I do, but I just can't. I'm too angry at the stupidity.

When you live in a cold weather State, ignorance of weather conditions is inexcusable. And how can you be ignorant of conditions you had to get help pushing your truck out of? And you let 2 kids go off walking in that? Without calling ahead? Without driving along the route your kids were taking to pick them up and take them on to their Mom's after getting unstuck? You actually just go on back to your own home?

Hey, I was a kid once. I would have considered such a trek to be high adventure. I'm sure I would have told my Dad over and over that I'd be fine and I could handle it until he gave in and let me go off. And I'm sure being preoccupied with getting the truck unstuck probably contributed to this tragedy. I can understand to an extent how such a thing could have occurred.

But.

It is the duty of a parent to understand their kids. My Dad knew me well enough to know I had a taste for pitting myself against Nature and the Elements. He also knew I did not possess sufficient skills, or adequate equipment to do so, even if I thought I did.

Even if he did figure I'd be okay...he never would have considered letting me go at any distance over 5 miles in those conditions. And if I did not carry a fully charged cell phone, or if there was only 1 phone between us? Psh. Not a chance in hell at any distance. I'd be assigned to sitting in the truck and staying out of the way of the unsticking efforts. And if I insisted on my own ability, I'd be put to work helping to get the truck unstuck.

Sound like I've been there? Of course I have. More than once even. I live in Alaska,and right this minute it is -11 F outside. And Idaho? They have more of a wet cold. Which is actually colder, and more dangerous than the drier cold I'm used to dealing with. And this guy let his kids go off in that without a phone, a call ahead, or driving along their route to check on them?

It's news like this that makes me feel like there's an uncomfortably high number of people in the world that you can't trust to be safely alone with a ball of yarn. And then they have kids.

First Post!

Well. Here I am. Giving this blog thing a try.

And for SL to be the main focus? Well.... I guess I've been inspired by other excellent blog writers online, like Cheyenne Palisades. Her blog is a favorite of mine. She writes very well.

So...I guess the first order of business... why start a SL blog so late? After all...my rez day was a long time ago. Feb 2007.

True. And I had the standard noob experiences. Falling into a welcome area surrounded by grey non-rezzed avatars...lag,lag,lag...then when trying out how teleporting works...find myself plopped somewhere in SL with no idea how to get back to the designated noob zone. Stuck in the middle of an industrially ugly post-apocalyptic abortion (must have been somewhere on the Mainland)...I learned to fly.

I spent a LOT of time hiding on rooftops after I figured out flying. I firmly believe female members of SL have a homing device imbedded in their avatar's shape somewhere. Because at first, everywhere I wound up,there would be guys walking, climbing, and flying to wherever I was...to ask for cybersex. And I could not figure out why they wanted cybersex from a goth-tech geisha with android seamed skin (my first avatar). I
actually *thought* they cared about appearance! LOL! Yeah....I was a noob.

One would assume my being on a roof four stories from the pavement would be a hint that I'm not socializing (took me a while to find 'Busy' but that wasn't any guarantee). You know how it is...you are figuring out how the search menu works, and finally figuring out how to teleport ON PURPOSE...or you are learning how to adjust your appearance...and all of a sudden...*ding ding* "Hello".

You have to close all the menus (thus interrupting and ending what you were working on) just to see whoever has climbed to the top of Mount Nosebleed to speak to you. And there he stands. Wearing blingy chains and a fully erect happystick jutting out of his pants.

Yeah. Your intellectual understanding of SL has been disrupted by THAT GUY.....AGAIN!!!

And then...if you are lucky...someone you know or maybe that awesome stranger finds you. He or she is NEVER prancing about naked. They take you under their wing. They let you crash at their SL home for a few days (or weeks). They give you your first L$s. Maybe take you out to buy new skin, and help you make adjustments to your shape. They give you landmarks for Help Island and Orientation Stations.

Without them...you would have given up on SL entirely after a few days trying to find an appropriate place just to attempt changing clothes! You would have bailed in frustration trying to chart the course of YOUR Second Life around the obstacles screaming for your attention and acting for all the world as though they are ALL SL was about.

Many of us have been there. On some levels...I am still there because though my rez day was long ago...after a couple months in SL I too bailed for a year (more on why later). I've been back in SL for maybe a month now.

So I thought maybe I'd take a stab at sharing my experiences this time around. I am WhiteRaven Slade, and I hope you enjoy my blog.