I have not posted to The Great Divide in two months because, for the most part, I haven't been in SL much at all. Troy & I moved, again, to a cheaper place yet, because we just don't log in enough to justify something expensive, but we both want a home to share. So, other than pulling everything from the old place and rezzing it at the new one, I've only managed to log on to catch the occasional Norris show.
The other reason I haven't posted here is that I've started a new blog, but not an SL blog...a RL blog. *gasps* So, that's where my writing time goes these days.
The final reason is that I'm busy as hell right now. The boy is out of preschool for the summer, and I'm doing my very first fruit & veggie garden. I had no idea how much work such a little plot of land could be, but I'm finding out.
At any rate, I'm still around and I'm doing well.
peace & have a great summer!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sagittaria Falling
The First three shots are Chiron Towers, where Troy & I lived last year. I think between the two of us, we lived on every sim in the entire estate, but mostly, we were at Nunki Kai.
This was Troy's place at Nunki Kai before the sim wipe.
And this is the exact same shot afterward. Thank goodness I didn't crash!
Fortunately for SL, Bill isn't leaving the grid entirely, just massively scaling back his time commitments. I look forward to seeing what he does if/when he finds more time to devote in-world.
This was Troy's place at Nunki Kai before the sim wipe.
And this is the exact same shot afterward. Thank goodness I didn't crash!
Fortunately for SL, Bill isn't leaving the grid entirely, just massively scaling back his time commitments. I look forward to seeing what he does if/when he finds more time to devote in-world.
Out With a Bang
As mentioned in a previous post, Bill Stirling closed Sagittaria Estates over the weekend. Not one to do a simple "Take" of the thousands of build-components in the various sims, Bill decided to do an actual demolition, and he told group members about it in advance.
I logged on very late Saturday night to find the sims of Nunki Kai engulfed in thunder & lightning. Also, for the first (I'd guess only) time, Flight was enabled. I flew around the sims to see the apartments knocked to the ground, fires smoldering, and a few dragons wreaking havoc.
After the dragons & Bill knocked down each sim's biggest structures, they did a sim wipe. In one massive stroke of the mouse, every single thing on the sim disappeared. In addition to nearly crashing SL for me each time it happened, I was struck with the tremendous sense of impermanence the command created, not that any of us need to be reminded of that, in SL or RL.
Bill left the Nunki Kai sim to the very last, as it was the first sim he created. This was the sim Troy lived on when I first met him, and fittingly, it was the sim where we were living when Bill announced the closing. I chose to go stand on Troy's old deck as they did the final sim wipe. One second it was there, and all the memories along with it, and the next, the sim was nothing but land. Of course, the memories remain.
We experience time in a linear fashion, only moving 'forward.' We remember the past but not the future, an interesting point raised by quantum physicists, science fiction writers, & theologians alike. The future is there in the same way the past is, with one important distinction. The future is filled with waves of possibility, and because our choices haven't been made...anything could happen. So, annoyingly, we can't see the future the way we see the past.
Waxing philosophical is a sure sign this entry is finished. I will be uploading a few pics from the demolition, as soon as blogger starts cooperating. They don't do justice to how cool it actually looked, though.
I logged on very late Saturday night to find the sims of Nunki Kai engulfed in thunder & lightning. Also, for the first (I'd guess only) time, Flight was enabled. I flew around the sims to see the apartments knocked to the ground, fires smoldering, and a few dragons wreaking havoc.
After the dragons & Bill knocked down each sim's biggest structures, they did a sim wipe. In one massive stroke of the mouse, every single thing on the sim disappeared. In addition to nearly crashing SL for me each time it happened, I was struck with the tremendous sense of impermanence the command created, not that any of us need to be reminded of that, in SL or RL.
Bill left the Nunki Kai sim to the very last, as it was the first sim he created. This was the sim Troy lived on when I first met him, and fittingly, it was the sim where we were living when Bill announced the closing. I chose to go stand on Troy's old deck as they did the final sim wipe. One second it was there, and all the memories along with it, and the next, the sim was nothing but land. Of course, the memories remain.
We experience time in a linear fashion, only moving 'forward.' We remember the past but not the future, an interesting point raised by quantum physicists, science fiction writers, & theologians alike. The future is there in the same way the past is, with one important distinction. The future is filled with waves of possibility, and because our choices haven't been made...anything could happen. So, annoyingly, we can't see the future the way we see the past.
Waxing philosophical is a sure sign this entry is finished. I will be uploading a few pics from the demolition, as soon as blogger starts cooperating. They don't do justice to how cool it actually looked, though.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Waiting for Spring to, erm, "Spring"
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Wait, did someone else already say that? Perhaps. At any rate, that's been my 2010 so far.
Though I'm still recovering from some personal losses, I did manage to pull myself up out of my funk to organize a surprise birthday for my mom, who hit a milestone year in February. I have never thrown a surprise party for anyone, and now I know why! I organized twenty-some guests, secured a restaurant, picked hors d'oeuvres, ordered a gourmet cake, chose flowers, purchased decorations, hid/entertained surprise guests in my home until party time, and decorated the restaurant. All would have been for nothing, except that I also managed to lie, rather spectacularly, to my mom, so that when I led her into the room and everyone yelled 'surprise' the look on her face was infinitely worth the time, effort, and worry that someone would accidentally spoil the whole thing. It went off without a hitch!
Of course, the tears she, her sister, and an old friend she hadn't seen in years all shed confirmed to me it was a huge hit! That, and her continued threats to kick my ass. hehehe It was easily one of the nicest things I've ever done for anyone, and though the party was weeks ago, there is still a happier tone in her voice than I've heard in a long time. She later told her sister that we couldn't have any idea what that evening meant to her, and that means everything to me.
So, turns out, doing something truly nice for someone else makes you feel pretty damn good. I guess you could file that one under 'no shit.'
In other, actually related to SL news, Bill Stirling is closing Sagittaria Estates, where Troy and I have lived off and on (currently on) for over 3 years. Unlike when Xavier Hathaway closed St. Lucia Properties, Bill gave us two-plus weeks notice, will be refunding our rent, and is helping residents find new places to live. He's a class-act, a brilliant estate developer, and I look forward to the return of Sagittaria Estates someday when his RL allows it.
We did manage to find a very nice place in one of Bill's smaller sims that he's keeping, and as Troy knows, decorating a new place is one of my favorite SL pastimes!
So, Spring is teasing us, and all I want is to sit on the deck with a beer in hand, watching my husband grill lots of very-bad-for-you meat on the grill, while the kiddo runs around the yard.
C'mon Spring, quit being such a bitch.
Though I'm still recovering from some personal losses, I did manage to pull myself up out of my funk to organize a surprise birthday for my mom, who hit a milestone year in February. I have never thrown a surprise party for anyone, and now I know why! I organized twenty-some guests, secured a restaurant, picked hors d'oeuvres, ordered a gourmet cake, chose flowers, purchased decorations, hid/entertained surprise guests in my home until party time, and decorated the restaurant. All would have been for nothing, except that I also managed to lie, rather spectacularly, to my mom, so that when I led her into the room and everyone yelled 'surprise' the look on her face was infinitely worth the time, effort, and worry that someone would accidentally spoil the whole thing. It went off without a hitch!
Of course, the tears she, her sister, and an old friend she hadn't seen in years all shed confirmed to me it was a huge hit! That, and her continued threats to kick my ass. hehehe It was easily one of the nicest things I've ever done for anyone, and though the party was weeks ago, there is still a happier tone in her voice than I've heard in a long time. She later told her sister that we couldn't have any idea what that evening meant to her, and that means everything to me.
So, turns out, doing something truly nice for someone else makes you feel pretty damn good. I guess you could file that one under 'no shit.'
In other, actually related to SL news, Bill Stirling is closing Sagittaria Estates, where Troy and I have lived off and on (currently on) for over 3 years. Unlike when Xavier Hathaway closed St. Lucia Properties, Bill gave us two-plus weeks notice, will be refunding our rent, and is helping residents find new places to live. He's a class-act, a brilliant estate developer, and I look forward to the return of Sagittaria Estates someday when his RL allows it.
We did manage to find a very nice place in one of Bill's smaller sims that he's keeping, and as Troy knows, decorating a new place is one of my favorite SL pastimes!
So, Spring is teasing us, and all I want is to sit on the deck with a beer in hand, watching my husband grill lots of very-bad-for-you meat on the grill, while the kiddo runs around the yard.
C'mon Spring, quit being such a bitch.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
touch of grey
It's hard to NOT talk about something that has so profoundly affected my life, something that has completely broken my heart twice now in ten months, something that most of the people in my RL don't even know about. I have tried to keep a strong distinction between what Lissa talks about here and what Melissa experiences in her life. I've tried to relate everything back to SL.
The trouble is, this blog is the closest thing I have to a journal, and I've always felt that it was a sort of online journal. Funnily, I've kept a diary since I was eight years old, but I stopped journaling when my son was born (almost four years ago!). So, this blog has been where a lot of my philosophical ramblings have come to roost. Except, sometimes, life takes my philosophy and incinerates it.
How much more vague can I get? Suffice to say that even the most charmed life, which I certainly lead, can be laced, sometimes fully submerged, in a grief so deep that it isn't even considered appropriate to talk about. I've hoped for good news to proudly post here. I've had none to post.
As they say, third time's a charm. I hope like hell that 'they' are right.
The trouble is, this blog is the closest thing I have to a journal, and I've always felt that it was a sort of online journal. Funnily, I've kept a diary since I was eight years old, but I stopped journaling when my son was born (almost four years ago!). So, this blog has been where a lot of my philosophical ramblings have come to roost. Except, sometimes, life takes my philosophy and incinerates it.
How much more vague can I get? Suffice to say that even the most charmed life, which I certainly lead, can be laced, sometimes fully submerged, in a grief so deep that it isn't even considered appropriate to talk about. I've hoped for good news to proudly post here. I've had none to post.
As they say, third time's a charm. I hope like hell that 'they' are right.
Friday, January 8, 2010
newbie, newbie...oh no, you gotta go now....
Another cool idea swiped from Guen's blog...a sort of Then & Now...Evolution of an Avatar...
And here is the current look I'm sporting. I don't change clothes very often now that I'm no longer Hosting. Hair from Cross, skin from Tuli, shape from Platinum World, top from UK Couture, jewelry from JCNY, tats from Collisions (unseen ;), bangles from Snatch, boots from Reboot, and LX jeans.
If I were feeling really brave, I'd post the pic of what Lissa looked like before she found the freebie skin, but if you've ever seen a kid's drawing of a very pale, blond lady, you have the idea. ;)
Stay warm out there...baby, it's cold outside.
This look is entirely made up of freebies, save for the 10L hair (Heather from Calico Creations)that a friend lent me the Lindens for...otherwise, it's all freebies baby, can ya tell? There's a huge freebie mall called The Freebie Store, and that's where old SL designers (and wannabe designers) go to die. I got a lot of items from that place. This is how I looked the night Troy & I met at a live music show at LINC island, which was less than a month after I came to SL.
And here is the current look I'm sporting. I don't change clothes very often now that I'm no longer Hosting. Hair from Cross, skin from Tuli, shape from Platinum World, top from UK Couture, jewelry from JCNY, tats from Collisions (unseen ;), bangles from Snatch, boots from Reboot, and LX jeans.
If I were feeling really brave, I'd post the pic of what Lissa looked like before she found the freebie skin, but if you've ever seen a kid's drawing of a very pale, blond lady, you have the idea. ;)
Stay warm out there...baby, it's cold outside.
Monday, January 4, 2010
I Have...I Have Never...
Another great idea for a blog taken from Guen's, who in turn got it from another blog I'm not that familiar with...it's a list of things you either have done or have never done in SL. I have no idea where this one is going to go. I'm quite sure I can't do all 20 one way or the other, so I'm going to go back and forth as things come to me.
1). I have learned more about Gor than I ever wanted to know.
2). I have discovered some completely amazing live music in SL.
3). I have built a few things, not good, not marketable, but fun & challenging nonetheless.
4). I have been an editor for an in-world journal that just barely failed to see the light of day.
5). I have been lied to.
6). I have lied.
7). I have taken eight SL friendships into RL with no regrets.
8). I have been briefly employed IRL as a writer/editor due to a friendship that began in SL.
9). I have worked as a host & dancer at four SL clubs.
10). I have lived alone on my own island.
11). I have lived with Troy on our own island.
12). I have lived in apartments & houses on land, but I can't stand skyboxes.
13). I have never, and I will never 'own' property in SL.
14). I have spent more money than I would like to know on clothes, boots, jewelry, hair...
15). I have never understood how some people can be in SL 24/7, even at the height of my SL addiction.
16). I have been blogging about SL for more than a year, despite never having anything to say.
17). I have never been impressed with or drawn to people who act like bitches and/or assholes in SL. They are, in my opinion, the most profoundly insecure of them all.
18). I have gotten a bit more computer savvy as a result of my time in SL...but just a bit.
19). I have never, ever run SL on anything other than a laptop.
20). I have never friended an SL avatar on my RL facebook page(lissa does not have a facebook or myspace page, nor will she)...except for one person who should feel deeply honored. :P
Well, that didn't take as long as I thought. Interesting what occurs to you when it's off the cuff.
peace
1). I have learned more about Gor than I ever wanted to know.
2). I have discovered some completely amazing live music in SL.
3). I have built a few things, not good, not marketable, but fun & challenging nonetheless.
4). I have been an editor for an in-world journal that just barely failed to see the light of day.
5). I have been lied to.
6). I have lied.
7). I have taken eight SL friendships into RL with no regrets.
8). I have been briefly employed IRL as a writer/editor due to a friendship that began in SL.
9). I have worked as a host & dancer at four SL clubs.
10). I have lived alone on my own island.
11). I have lived with Troy on our own island.
12). I have lived in apartments & houses on land, but I can't stand skyboxes.
13). I have never, and I will never 'own' property in SL.
14). I have spent more money than I would like to know on clothes, boots, jewelry, hair...
15). I have never understood how some people can be in SL 24/7, even at the height of my SL addiction.
16). I have been blogging about SL for more than a year, despite never having anything to say.
17). I have never been impressed with or drawn to people who act like bitches and/or assholes in SL. They are, in my opinion, the most profoundly insecure of them all.
18). I have gotten a bit more computer savvy as a result of my time in SL...but just a bit.
19). I have never, ever run SL on anything other than a laptop.
20). I have never friended an SL avatar on my RL facebook page(lissa does not have a facebook or myspace page, nor will she)...except for one person who should feel deeply honored. :P
Well, that didn't take as long as I thought. Interesting what occurs to you when it's off the cuff.
peace
Saturday, January 2, 2010
hell's bells
Just popped over to Guen's blog to read her latest, only to see she's taking down her main store at the Freakheim sim. Though I don't have the creative investment, nor the many hours working at that sim that Guen does, I'm still filled with a tinge of sadness that it is closing. Rykk & Co. gave me one of my first hosting jobs at Freakheim, and that's where Troy got his start DJing. I always felt welcome there, and local chat was not something to ignore!
Kaedy has such an amazing eye for design, and I always loved the sim, but never more so than a little over a year ago when she decorated the club for the reception Troy & I held after we partnered. Troy dedicated a DJ set to me (with the songs starting sweet & romantic but gradually becoming more...hmmm, well, those who know Troy won't have trouble figuring out the direction he took the songs...lmao) and then Norris Shepherd took the stage. Troy and I danced, friends snapped pics and sent them to us, friends stopped by to wish us well...it was my favorite day in SL.
So, let's see, the first home Troy & I shared no longer exists, nor does that entire rental/ownership group. We've moved three times since we were forced to leave that estate, and we've found ourselves back in a cozy (aka inexpensive) little home on the water's edge at Nunki Kai. We've both quit all our jobs in SL, and we've yet to manage any quality time there since our last shift together before the end of November! Why, you might be asking, am I whining? Do I have a point? No, not really. :P It's sort of leading up to something, though, and here it is. Try to keep up with my digressions...in my fuzzy mind, it all comes together nicely.
As a general rule, I can't stand those CSI-type shows. I think as a culture, we've become so desensitized to suffering, violence, and death that the crimes depicted (the dead bodies nothing more than props--distraught family members quickly ushered into another room) become ever more disgustingly horrific to keep watchers interested. Criminal Minds is one of the most intensely disturbing of the genre. I used to love it, but the criminals, the crimes, the level of degradation the writers seem compelled to show for 'entertainment'-- I just can't stomach it anymore. At any rate, I caught the last ten minutes of an episode last week waiting for the nightly news. One character always does a voice-over at the end, oftentimes quoting something from politics, science, or literature that relates to the case. I'd never heard this quotation before, but I've since slapped it on my facebook profile and lissa's as well. As the new year is upon us, as we reflect on the past and look forward to the future, I am drawn to this quotation not because it scares me, but because it challenges me. I hope it does the same for you.
Kaedy has such an amazing eye for design, and I always loved the sim, but never more so than a little over a year ago when she decorated the club for the reception Troy & I held after we partnered. Troy dedicated a DJ set to me (with the songs starting sweet & romantic but gradually becoming more...hmmm, well, those who know Troy won't have trouble figuring out the direction he took the songs...lmao) and then Norris Shepherd took the stage. Troy and I danced, friends snapped pics and sent them to us, friends stopped by to wish us well...it was my favorite day in SL.
So, let's see, the first home Troy & I shared no longer exists, nor does that entire rental/ownership group. We've moved three times since we were forced to leave that estate, and we've found ourselves back in a cozy (aka inexpensive) little home on the water's edge at Nunki Kai. We've both quit all our jobs in SL, and we've yet to manage any quality time there since our last shift together before the end of November! Why, you might be asking, am I whining? Do I have a point? No, not really. :P It's sort of leading up to something, though, and here it is. Try to keep up with my digressions...in my fuzzy mind, it all comes together nicely.
As a general rule, I can't stand those CSI-type shows. I think as a culture, we've become so desensitized to suffering, violence, and death that the crimes depicted (the dead bodies nothing more than props--distraught family members quickly ushered into another room) become ever more disgustingly horrific to keep watchers interested. Criminal Minds is one of the most intensely disturbing of the genre. I used to love it, but the criminals, the crimes, the level of degradation the writers seem compelled to show for 'entertainment'-- I just can't stomach it anymore. At any rate, I caught the last ten minutes of an episode last week waiting for the nightly news. One character always does a voice-over at the end, oftentimes quoting something from politics, science, or literature that relates to the case. I'd never heard this quotation before, but I've since slapped it on my facebook profile and lissa's as well. As the new year is upon us, as we reflect on the past and look forward to the future, I am drawn to this quotation not because it scares me, but because it challenges me. I hope it does the same for you.
"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
~Helen Keller
~Helen Keller
Friday, January 1, 2010
16,653 down to 3
I caught this cool blog idea off some friends' blogs, and I did not have to think for three seconds to choose my items...despite the impressive size (we all know size DOES matter) of my inventory, my beloved hair from Cross, my kickass tats from Guen, my bitchin' boots from Reboot & Whittenton's, nothing compares to these three items.
One of the very first gifts Troy ever gave me was a menu-driven necklace and matching earring set from JCNY. It's a sweet set, and you can customize the metal and the stones (not to mention turn off that asinine bling).
The second item is the invitation Troy made for our partnering reception. He did it 100% on his own, and when he showed it to me that first time, I must admit my eyes welled with tears (but don't tell him, that...wouldn't want him to get a big head). ;)
And, finally, the ring Troy gave me when we bought our matching set for our partnering. Given the somewhat non-traditional aspect of our entire relationship (for example, his rl wife and I are fb friends and love to send each other stuff from all those time-wasting apps!), I was actually really surprised that he wanted the ring...but, of course, so did I. :D
So, almost 17K items (neatly sorted into folders and sub-folders, thank you very much), only three matter, only three make my SL worthwhile, and only three cannot be replaced.
Happy New Year, again! :P
One of the very first gifts Troy ever gave me was a menu-driven necklace and matching earring set from JCNY. It's a sweet set, and you can customize the metal and the stones (not to mention turn off that asinine bling).
The second item is the invitation Troy made for our partnering reception. He did it 100% on his own, and when he showed it to me that first time, I must admit my eyes welled with tears (but don't tell him, that...wouldn't want him to get a big head). ;)
And, finally, the ring Troy gave me when we bought our matching set for our partnering. Given the somewhat non-traditional aspect of our entire relationship (for example, his rl wife and I are fb friends and love to send each other stuff from all those time-wasting apps!), I was actually really surprised that he wanted the ring...but, of course, so did I. :D
So, almost 17K items (neatly sorted into folders and sub-folders, thank you very much), only three matter, only three make my SL worthwhile, and only three cannot be replaced.
Happy New Year, again! :P
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