I should really be in bed...

and this has the air of 'it's been too long, I should post, otherwise, what's the point of this blog?' Ha...there is no point. That is the point.

Can I just say that I'm amazingly happy, that some old and new friends have shown me tremendous kindness in the last few days, and that sometimes, maybe not often, but maybe when you need it the most, life surprises you in a way that is so uncomprehendingly good that you sort of walk with light steps, afraid to wake the gods? I think I just did.

I am not an easy person to love, and I thank the people in my life who continue to do so in spite of me.

seriously, peace

Song for the Day

(I first heard Max Kleene sing this...months before it started to get popular radio play)

I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
Now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's gonna to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

Scooch on closer dear
And I will nibble your ear

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours
So, please don't, please don't, please don't
There's no need to complicate
Cause our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

please note...

Comments are read, considered, and appreciated, but not published.

peace ;)

Musician's Spotlight: Norris Shepherd

(this is an article I wrote a few months ago for the journal that folded...did I mention yet? GO SEE A SHOW!! ;)))

Friends of mine are well-accustomed to hearing me go on-and-on about the awesome live music scene in SL. Once I discovered that first performance, I was hooked, and my SL experience transformed. Every single time I log on, I begin with "Search" --> "Events" --> "Live Music" as I hungrily scroll down for my favorites. At the top of my list of favorites (damn the 25 group maximum) is the most talented farm boy/singer/song writer/homemade wine enthusiast you are ever going to meet in any Life, and that's Norris Shepherd.

According to his bio, Shepherd is a RL New Brunswick, Canada farmer who plays "an eclectic collection of songs including folk, pop/rock, Canadian indie and alternative, and sticks in a few original songs on occasion." Such a description, however, does not capture the magic of a Norris Shepherd show. The first thing you'll notice, besides the sexy, gravely voice and easy laugh, is a very imposing avatar wearing denim overalls, but no shoes. This outfit has become Shepherd's trademark, and if you become a member of his group, "Norris Shepherd and his Sheep Dawgs," you'll get a set of overalls absolutely free! I asked Shepherd where the overalls came from. Turns out that story is closely linked to how he ended up playing music in SL in the first place.

Like most of us, Shepherd heard a story in the news about SL, and curiosity brought him to the Grid. And again, like most of us, it took him much trial and error to find his niche in SL. He tried car racing, basketball, and even the club scene. The trouble was, he didn't enjoy the clubs, "the superficiality, the shallowness really drove me nuts" especially given his profile honestly states "A simple farm boy..." Tired of the club scene, Shepherd decided, on a whim, to see if there were pub-style venues that might cater to a different crowd. In that search for a pub, he found a listing for a live musician.

Upon rezzing (arriving) at this first show, he didn't realize it was truly a live performance--as in a real human being plugged into real sound equipment playing in real time. He laughed to himself that people would pretend to play live music in SL. Then, he got his audio adjusted and experienced live music for the first time in SL. That artist was another SL great, Harper Messmer, and as Shepherd listened to him perform, he found what he'd been missing in SL.

Shepherd's real life musical background includes being a self-taught guitar player, singer/songwriter, and garage band member. His experience in front of an audience was most often playing at parties while everyone gathered round to listen and make requests. However, because of his isolated RL locale, he'd not played guitar in nine years simply because he had no audience to play for. But the more shows he attended in SL, the more his desire to perform was rekindled.

His transition from audience member to artist began a year ago this month when he played an open mic party with a rented mixer and mics. Truly, that was only the beginning. These days, you can find Shepherd playing at least two or three shows a week. Most exciting for his fans, he's just released his first recorded song online. The track, "Sidekick" can be downloaded for free at http://www.norrisshepherd.com/Sidekick/Sidekick.html As for what the future holds, Shepherd intends to concentrate on his originals, with more recordings to come.

Shepherd loves playing in SL. His set list comes from songs he likes rather than songs he thinks are popular favorites, and his assumption (quite right, by the way) is that if he's having a good time, that energy carries over to the audience. "I want to have fun, and I want people to feel at home and welcome at my shows." He said one of the greatest compliments he hears is when someone says, "I saw you were playing tonight and was glad to see that. I had a rough day, and I really enjoy going to your show." Shepherd said heartfelt words such as those are one of the reasons he loves playing in SL because it gives him the chance to play for an appreciative audience, put a smile on someone's face, and make someone's bad day a little better.

Oh, and the overalls...a gag gift from a friend who knew exactly how much Shepherd disliked the vibe in the club scene--the same club scene that sent him in search of that pub--that allowed him to hear Harper that first time. Shepherd donned those overalls in the middle of a gig one night, and he hasn't taken them off since. Lucky for us, he keeps on playing in SL.

http://www.myspace.com/norrisshepherd

Things Change

So, I guess the question is, how do you deal with it? I had a professor in college who used to say to us ‘embrace it and let it go.’ It seemed very wise to me, then, as it does now.

A new friend gave me some very good advice last night in SL. We were talking about insecurities and jealousies, and how she’s held on and made a best friend out of an ‘ex.’ She said she’s learned to hold on to the best parts of a relationship and let go of what isn’t working, couldn’t last, or wasn’t meant to be. I’ve spent the last year analyzing how to ‘live’ in SL, how to deal with the way friendships and relationships change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. The things she said were damn smart, but then, so is she.

Lissa’s tip of the day: try peace, try moving on, try seeing things for what they are rather than what you wish they could be.

:)

As the bard (another brit I'm quite fond of) might say:

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel.

There are days that you wait for, days you can't even let yourself hope for, and days that make all the difference. Sometimes, they happen all at once.

Random Bits of BS

--->Things that annoy me...fake, unwarranted, or just plain mean attitude in SL annoys me to no end. You read these profile messages, and it's like they are competing for Bitch/Asshole of the year. I suppose being nice is just too lame--it's so much more cool to have an attitude. I'm well aware of the manipulative games people play there, so some of that attitude is understandable, say, if you've been lied to and betrayed. Well, if you have, it begs the question why do you keep logging on in the first place, and why are you determined to become the very type of person who's hurt you so? When I see a particularly unpleasant profile, I also wonder what kind of doormat that person is in RL, to have such a need to be 'tough' in SL. Eye contact keeps a good many closet jerks in check in RL, and it's just too bad that you don't need actual courage to be a prick in SL.

--->I bet you've got at least one person on your friendslist who is currently 'taking a leave' from SL. I've got several. Heartbreak and/or friendship betrayal are probably the biggest reasons, but many of us have left...only to return...including me. When I was early into SL, I met someone who told me (upon hearing I was a married housewife) to 'get out...get out now.' He seemed to imply that SL might at some point occupy too much of my time and energy...that it was filled with (unknown by me at the time) pitfalls and perils. 'haha' I responded. haha indeeed

--->In the past few weeks, I've made the transition from dancer to host, working two clubs currently. It's funny how hectic it seems, running contests, inviting folks to join the group, and my personal goal, making Local Chat something other than gesture spam and LOL (and yes, I can LOL with the best of 'em). It is not easy. Maybe I'll get better. :P

peace

Family Affair

Yesterday, after a little urging, I got my RL sister signed up to SL. I've spent the last two days seeing SL through the noobie perspective I thought I'd cast off long ago. I didn't realize how much I've learned, how much seems natural to me, until I started trying to explain things to her.

This brings me to something I've noticed for some time in SL...the overt and arrogant noobism that experienced residents display towards new residents. There are groups that are anti-noob, and many a profile has some quip criticizing the noobie ways. I've seen veteran residents belittle noobs in Local Chat simply because they didn't understand some 'basic' concept of SL.

Unless you relish the small-town, gossip-rich environment, you should welcome new blood and be as helpful as possible to new residents. Without new residents (who actually keep coming back and become contributing members of SL) the platform cannot thrive, and it will sink further into the high-school drama dynamic already much too present (except, of course, the sex in high school is real).

There are two kinds of noob: authentic, ruthed out, walking into walls, and generally bewildered, lonely, and often abused by veteran citizens. The second kind is only a few days old, already has payment info on file, is perfectly dressed, sporting costly skin and polished hair. Yes, the Alt...not a noob at all. Be as nice as you can to the former...very wary of the latter...and that's a discussion for another day. ;))

peace

Doing Business in SL

As soon as LL went with the decision to incorporate a currency and means of producing goods and services into SL, they altered the experience from a "game" where people expect to pour money with no dividend except pleasure into a "virtual environment" in which residents can and do make real money. LL now markets the platform to businesses and universities as a means of positively influencing the bottom line.

My experiences working in SL have involved two jobs. My first was as chief editor of an in-world journal that completely failed to see the light of pixels. Over the course of about a month, I watched the owner pour thousands of linden into properties and equipment and office goods to produce the journal. We hired a staff. We made assignments. The staff did great work. When I gave the owner the word counts of the stories so he could pay the staff, he fired everyone (via group posting sent in the middle of the night) folded the journal, moved into an alt, and never paid anyone for their work. In the real world, he'd be facing legal action, but in SL, other than us filing abuse reports (about which nothing was done) he faced no legal penalties.

My second and current job is as a dancer at Sanctuary Rock. Here, I essentially donate my time to the club, and my income is entirely dependent on the kindness of the customers, if they choose to tip me. My job is to be friendly and have a good time in local chat, thereby creating a positive environment to which residents might want to return.

I've friends who DJ, design, build, script, own venues or stores, play live music, and buy, sell, and rent virtual property. These hobbies become a means of self-expression, sometimes help them 'break even' in SL, and on rare occasion, translate to RL income. However, they also do LL a tremendous service by creating a world that induces those with "No Payment Info on File" to join the ranks of "Payment Info Used."

I'm not happy about the latest LL policy change regarding OS sims. You can read the forum's several thousand responses and get the scoop. I don't need to go into that here. The point is, if LL wants residents to keep pouring the sometimes thousands of RL dollars into the virtual environment, they would be served in the long run to remember the RL adage "the customer is always right." To institute fee hikes without warning, on either OS, mainland, or private ownership, is to fail to grasp the essence of what keeps SL going...the ones willing to invest substantially in time and money for this so called 'hobby' or 'game.'