Things to try...

While my blue moment is still hiding around the corner, and I havn't been able to process all I'm feeling, I've recently found something brief I'd like to share with all of you. It's a YouTube video that many of you likely might have seen... just from the intro, the text was likely offered at a college graduation from 1999 by Baz Luhrmann an Australian born film director. The video will take just over seven minutes...I hope it speaks to you as it does to me. "Wear Sunscreen" http://ow.ly/1DeEX And so it goes My love always, brinda Namaste नमस्ते

a time to say...Until we meet again.

Some of my unfinished business.... I have spoken before on something here in Secondlife I call *time compression*. If you have spent more than a few weeks in Secondlife you soon see that time is distorted here, a few weeks seems like months, months turn into feeling like years. Perhaps much of that is the intensity this platform creates for some. It becomes very easy to get attached to people as well as the roles we all end up playing. I'm certainly not immune...I confess to my bit of pixel infatuation in those first few weeks/months, and if that person were to log in today..... I'm not sure how I would act. I don't want to get into the mixing of real life/secondlife and the success/horror stories that we all hear, dangerous stuff that. I do want to maybe let go of these feelings I've had now since I returned from India mid February. The rest of this post is dedicated to one of the sweetest, most endearing creatures ever.... Bubbles Muggins. Bubbles little place today...It's a daily reminder of her for me. There couldn't be two more different people...age wise, 50 years different...avatar height, a bunch! Her name was so fitting...every statement was closed with!!!!!!!!!!!!! This kid has a joy of life rarely seen in anyone of any age.

Yes she had girly avies as well...this capture from the last Halloween party we had. And yet THIS was Bubbles...I look at this picture and think, "Hi Brinda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

She could be so funny...a sense of the absurd, and a sense of humanness one doesn't often see.

She wanted a place here and insisted on working to pay for it, so I hired her to manage tier boxes...and as a benefit she became a goodwill ambassador here.

(Yes, I set up a sensor so I would know if she really was looking at tier boxes...she never missed a day without letting me know).

This picture was taken on the day her place was finished and flags she had asked about were in place.

We last spoke on February 2nd, less than 3 days before I left for India. She wished me love and said that she would also be off world for a couple weeks...I've never spoken to her again.

And Bubbles, I miss you so darned much, any family would be so blessed to have a member such as you. We were blessed to have you for a long Secondlife time and I love you child.

Your place will remain as long as there is a Benares

*** Who am I to say what is right? Or possible? Or correct?

My job?...serve...breathe...and remember with love...

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the butterfly calls paradise. And so it goes

I love you all, brinda

Namaste

नमस्ते

Thoughts and Questions

Just a couple of random thoughts, a couple of links, and a belated welcome home to Ling. Reverse order... Ling, I'm so glad to see you return from Japan, the pictures were fantastic. I want to talk to you about how you would feel about you or I posting them on Flickr so all can share. Ling sent me this YouTube link as well.... I saw this a couple weeks or so ago and promptly forgot it, believe me it's worth 7 minutes out of your life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfq_A8nXMsQ *** Something that's dear to my heart...is there a *culture* in Secondlife? Here's a link to Lalo Tellings recent post complete with links to other information. Please feel free to comment on this subject...this topic may very well be, "The Canary In The Coal Mine", for Secondlife. http://lalotelling.blogspot.com/2010/04/hey-rube.html *** I do have some personal subjects I'm going to want to share with all of you in these next few days....nothing that important...just a way for me to see in print how I feel and to get some input from the rest of you. *** Last thing today...While I was in India there was a notice from Linden Lab that homestead tier will not change until 2011 at earliest. Of course as I've said, tier here at Benares will remain the same whether the Lab increases us or not. *** Yes, this is short! I do have a few resident pictures to update soon, but today I'm out of time... And so it goes My love to all, brinda Namaste नमस्ते

Passion and Truth

Keep in mind that I'm not a terribly social person...in any life. I have gotten so much better here in Secondlife but those of you that can do what I saw Porter do yesterday just blow me away. Porter has been in Secondlife a day or so over six weeks and early on I heard her say something about she was a singer. Now I've heard people tell me they were singers before...in both worlds...rarely was that true. Yes, all of us can *sing*...most all of us shouldn't! This girl can SING! She caught me in-world yesterday about noon and mentioned that she was to perform at two. I had "stuff" to do...it's not that important...she won't know if I'm there or not..(that parts true lol). Recently she had mentioned she had done a show and my comment was, "Oh I wish you had told me!". I really do try and tell the truth. So if I really wished she had told me......then go. I am so glad I went... I intend to group notice future performances and encourage all of you to take the time to hear this woman. Porter Paquot, check her out.

Here are a couple of screen shots I took of the performance...

Porters dance animations were so fitting. She has such great stage presence and the true professionals ability to draw her audience in to the show with a constant reminder that she understands that people want to be communicated with...not sang "at", or talked "at".

Seeing this kind of crowd on a Friday early afternoon is impressive.

Latest metrics show Secondlife's slowest concurrency is Friday afternoon until Tuesday early pm. ***

What's so important about Porters activities in Secondlife is that she has found a purpose...a passion here. I firmly believe that to continue in this virtual world one must find something that makes you *want* to be here. Shopping will only last so long...pixel sex won't last either...intimate relationships are what makes this platform into a world. Intimate in the true sense of the word...

***

I hope all that read this find your own passion...let's stay as long as the lights are on!

And so it goes

My love to you all, brinda

Namaste

नमस्ते

Katy Feden...the end of an era.

The end of an era at Secondlife. Over these last nearly six years new residents have all had a similar experience upon joining Secondlife. There aren't very many people left from the earliest "new user experiences", 2003/4. So most of us in world today likely came here after the second version of Orientation Island, circa 2007. If memory serves me correct, early 2008 saw the end of Orientation Island and the *mandatory tutorials*, and from then until first part of April this year, most new accounts started at the Help Islands... numbered from 201 to 240.

This was Help Island 225...

*****************************

Katy Feden entered Secondlife there May 7th 2009....

And stayed until those islands were deleted in April 2010, She logged on today to see the notice that her last location is no longer available. She was likely the last Independent Mentor left on that island.

***************************** When Katy "came home" today, she was greeted by two of the hundreds she had helped during those 300 odd days, both instantly recognized her, the first by sight...the second just by IM.

Is Katy just a throw away account? Not to Flor or Sophie...or to many more that remain nameless now.

Katy Feden wasn't my only alt that's true, and I suppose the feelings I have there are because Katy was the end of an era for Secondlife.

We all remember how we felt upon our first login...excited...and more than a little confused. Those that make the biggest impression on us tend to be our first friend, those that help us, and of course the ones that create grief.

While that era has gone...and the new one may well be better...I will always remember the times I got a chance to be the first friendly face so many saw, that chance was priceless.

Katy will remain on Benares

And so it goes

My love to all, brinda

Namaste

नमस्ते

Old Friend....(small soapbox)

I had a visitor to Benares a couple of days ago... My friend Drew. I have known Drew for sometime now, we have shared IMs from afar, but our recent meeting was our first face to face. Our connection came about because we both used to spend a lot of time volunteering on the recently deleted Help Islands. I didn't think to get an image capture of Drew when she came to visit...such a cute avatar. As you can see from the pictures below, Drews main concern wasn't self promotion, it was sincerely trying to help as many new residents as she could. While it is possible for both she and I to continue to try and improve that first hour experience one avatar at a time, it's not as easy now. We used to have ten to fifteen new residents around and no one harassing them...now we get to try and compete with mainland lag...viewer 2.0...and various "helpful" people. (continued below)...

Drew is another that's making a difference...She has no ulterior motive...She has always been kind and patient. And if you've ever spent time trying to dress a new person while answering questions from two more at the same time, that's a definition of patience. {... at the same time trying to fend off the pixel sex advances from a third!}

***

Our Benares is close to full...one mini islet out West, one 2048 West shore mainside, a couple of starter parcels on North shore, and Twinkles 1024 rental on South shore.

Of course my heart says I could add another homestead and my brain asks me if I've started drinking again! Not yet!

Never say never...but first there's the coming tier increase expected in July. An increase I feel would be unfair to pass on to those residents that have places East and West so that's not going to happen.

And then there's just the time it takes to attempt to provide as much personal service as I feel our residents deserve.

***

I do have one thing to say...something that has bothered me all night last night.

I never ever publicly chat about another residents choice of life style, role play, the way they dress in Secondlife...(assuming they aren't naked)...or any other choice someone might make here. I find any personal public attacks to be repugnant and uncalled for.

Assuming their choices don't violate the Linden labs TOS, or the stability of our region. I would suggest that if one were to find anothers life style something you have a problem with...take it private...once. After that one time private chat....I guess the choice would be to either get over it or to move on.

I'll get off my little soap box now... nuff said.

***

Chase a dream here...so much is possible And so it goes

I love you all, brinda

Namaste

नमस्ते

The Music box...(Oh, and being a good person.)

We are surrounded by so much talent here in Secondlife.... Some of that talent is put to good use in so many ways... Look at the music box I found at my friend Angela's shop. The level of detail is astonishing... yes its a touch high in prims (18)... {so if you've elected to inhabit one of the Linden "assisted living" places this will be a luxury you can only look at in a sandbox}. I'll include a URL to Angela's blog at the bottom...it's worth a peek. *** Another place Angela contributes to the quality of Secondlife is her community involvement... She attends a lot of the important meetings that end up concerning us all...{and, at least for me, translates those meetings into language we can understand}. I haven't posted, "those that make a difference" in some time... she's one. ***

(I will donate a music box to the first person that can tell me how I took this image capture... you see the music box is sitting on my outstretched hand, palm up.) Now Poly knows how...{and I'll cut her out of my will if she tells!} This music box plays on touch, the gears turn, the textures are perfect. Darn her anyway, I'm so jealous ROFL.

http://blog.vrhacks.net/slmap

***

I'm so out of time this morning...later today perhaps I want to write about another person that has made a difference in Secondlife, Drew Stromfield.

Drew came to see me last evening...I think you will love the story.

Until then

And so it goes

As always my love to you, brinda

Namaste

नमस्ते

Dreams

While I've worked very hard to have Benares I've had so much help along the way. Yes, a year ago things got very tough for me here. I owe a debt of gratitude to a few close friends that I just couldn't let down. The pictures below are my reward. Marianela is new to Benares but not new to Secondlife...today she was telling me that when she logs on her neighbors IM her with "Good morning". That's what I wanted when Lala and I set that first tree over two years ago...a community. *** Some new residents...some are new to Secondlife...some aren't...I hope all stay. Sepp...new to us...older than I here in Secondlife... Sabres new place... Porters on South Shore... Marianelas out East... Ottos...center east... Our place... East sea...Today I saw Lynn and a friend riding a jetski from her place on West over here.Center right is Polys Orca...{waited a long time to catch him breeching!}

***

I did get an Email from Barbara in Germany...she's super busy with work projects as well as her degree...she told me that she will return. I do hope so, such talent is good for Secondlife.

***

I'm trying to find the time to mentor again...working with Lori reminds me of why I do all of this.

***

Our Ling is in Japan visiting her military friend...left on 6th for....2 weeks? I think. Ling, if you read this, I miss you.

Twinkle was in world recently... I took Porter up to skypad to visit. I will never tire of telling all that read this...if it wasn't for Twinkle I wouldn't have had the courage to do Benares. Her I also miss. Lastly... last evening the server that runs Benares lost a lot of data...several parcels around the Northeast corner lost easily over a thousand objects...I did a region restart to no avail...and this morning around 9am Linden lab did a rollback for me. That took us back to before we lost objects...thankfully it was so late that no one was on mainside. The danger in rollbacks is that if some one rezzes a "no copy" object in world... when the rollback occurs that object ceases to exist That's a perfect example of what I wouldn't have known how to handle two years ago...:-). I didn't sleep well last evening believe me.

And so it goes

Thank you all for making this dream come true

I love you all, brinda

Namaste

नमस्ते

For What it's Worth

I have touched the waters of the Ganges river at Varanasi India... may I not add to my sins as I finish this life. **********************************************************

I would like to share the text of an E-mail sent in reply to a dear friend.

I have asked their permission to print this even though I have edited any identifying details.

There always those of us that have a need to really sit down and talk from the heart...to be able to share those feelings that allow us to be human...to be vulnerable.

For what it's worth...

It's important you never feel you need to apologize to me for sharing your soul, everyone needs to have a place they can come and talk. For some it's Catholic confession, others find a place like that old TV show "Cheers". You have found your place in Secondlife. I think you might agree with me that you are not quite as naive as you were when we first met on that walkway outside of Ahern a couple years ago... With worldliness comes knowledge...not all knowledge is at first easy to understand. Children are so open at first, so loving...until the wear and tear of the simple things like playing with friends starts to close their heart. Children can be mean, often not because they're trying to be mean, but because they have no filters. Later in my life I got to the point that I felt nothing if I physically hurt people...I had lost that place in me that would allow me to feel compassion. If you're not compassionate no one can hurt you...it's safe...and a terrible way to live. I don't see you ever becoming that way. You are growing up, I know that sounds odd...to be growing up as a grandmother...but the pain you experience now is the pain of growth. I ask you to do something for me, and you. Experience that pain...and know that not everyone gets to where you are. Many around you have more than you...and haven't really earned it...many others will have less than you...and they didn't earn or deserve that either. It's a wise person that can acknowledge that their choice to help another cost them material things that they once saw as indispensable...the gift is in the giving...one must willingly give away what's important to them to appreciate that gift. Welcome to the path of enlightenment. I have found a love in SL that I can't experience RL. RL is 68...at 68 we become invisible...in SL I'm not invisible...I'm cared for and about. And so too you will always be. I plan on being in SL until they turn out the lights...its the people...not the "love affairs"...not the content creation...its the people. It's the joy of seeing you planting pixel grass ...it's the joy of helping you find a lost rug under a house...the joy of sitting quietly next to you on a fence watching the pixel sun come up over the SL water. It's the sheer joy of watching so many of you learn and grow. I have dressed over one thousand new people in SL...I base that on how many are in our group and figure that four out of five never joined us. The gift was in the giving...four of you that I've tried to help currently have a place on Benares... If tomorrow I were to lose my ability to keep Benares, we will go somewhere else... I know there are three or four of us that would continue on...until they turn out the lights. And so it goes My blessings go on My love to you all, brinda Namaste नमस्ते

Always a class act

Always a class act...even in his goodbyes

Please Send a Post Card

I will post a group notice with the link below added...

This video is so well done...and the thought behind it

is something so dear to my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGCjI1NUCFI Please don't let this wondeful experience end this way. Send a post card to Linden Lab. Linden Lab 945 Battery Street San Francisco, CA, 94111 USA

Goodbye Andor....

There are several things going on just now in my lives. I say lives because while in so many ways my first life is so separate from this secondlife, it is also intertwined. *** The pictures above and immediately below are Linden Labs new user experience. This is Welcome Island Public..there are around one hundred of these islands and they have replaced the old Help Islands. I have explored these new experiences briefly..I'm not sure..perhaps all this will work out... as you will read below, all things change here. *********************************************************** Below...The last Mentor. This is a re post of this picture...I originally took this picture on December 11th, 2009. The day Linden lab disbanded the Secondlife Mentor group. Now Blue has come home...these islands are gone.

For those that read this now and have joined Secondlife in the last six months the Mentors were a volunteer group that made strong contributions to helping not only new residents but anyone that asked.

Were there those that lost sight of the original mission? Probably, but not all. The picture above spoke to me so strongly on that morning in December... my blog post the following day was titled "Sadness Personified"...the picture still speaks to me.

Last week Blue was the last Secondlife Mentor to leave the old Help Islands... She stayed until she and a few independent mentors were teleported to the mainland on login as the old help islands no longer existed.

As a Secondlife Mentor she had the ability to teleport to and from those islands...until that day in December...on that day she stayed, for to leave meant she could never return to help those that were seconds old. She was the last.

She's not forgotten...I know she's still helping...

Blue...Thank you

***********************************************************

Another story now...for some of us a rather sad story.

I received a note from my dear friend Andor today...He's informed me that he's leaving Secondlife.

First, I take that message with sadness...Andy and I only sat a couple of times and had deep conversations, but I found that we shared so much in our attitude towards many esoteric ideas.

Second, I need to stop making everything about me and rejoice in Andys new adventure.

I hope many of you had a chance to explore Andors creations while we had him with us.

Benares wasn't the first home in Secondlife for him... but I believe it was the longest.

His note to me said that while the day will come that he can no longer remember with clarity what his place looked like here... he will never forget the people he met.

Andy, I can only hope you return someday. You will be missed.

A parcel named Bliss. ***

And so it goes

I love and care for so many here, brinda Namaste

नमस्ते

Happy Easter to all

Benares today...looking Southeast from the corner of mainside and West

Club Attitudes parcel is bare...more below

Benares East...It's small, private, and wonderful neighbors

Porters place! (yes, UI and all) ***

Bottom to top... Porter joined us a couple weeks ago, then last week decided to make a commitment to make Benares her home in deed as well as word. This girl is another of those that continue to amaze me...at three weeks I had finally figured out my hair...at three weeks she's making beds, pools, water curtain bed headboards! (And doing it with viewer 2.0)

Getting the opportunity to watch people grow in any life is one of my great joys. In our first lives that growth is spread over years and because it's slow it's difficult to sometimes see until I get those "quantum leaps" of recognition. With the apparent time compression of Secondlife it can be and almost daily thing. Btw, a very big thank you to Mucaro for, as always, making her walking rounds of mainside and welcoming all she sees. Over and over for us it's about community.

***

On that community note... I guess our resident Frenchman, Bernard, has left us again.

I haven't seen a login in a three weeks...and his former parcel out East is for sale again now.

I know as a real life artist and photographer his business often must take precedence over Secondlife, it's also a little more difficult to be an active member of this community where there is a language barrier, yes there are good translators but I suspect it's not the same.

***

Our group out West that has the Club Attitude parcel may well be leaving us. I saw a few days ago that what little was left on the sand was gone...further examination showed just a very few objects left according to prim usage.

Sadly they didn't spend too much time at beach level...I saw several skyboxes, I also think there was a cultural/age difference there as well. That's too bad, while I didn't get a chance to make contact with most of them...I did with Belize, the original person to move in. Gosh, I do wish them all well where ever they go if they are in truth leaving, and it was my pleasure at having them here.

***

Our girl that is in charge of the tier boxes, Lita, had asked me for a current promo screen shot of Benares... As I look at it I marvel at the changes...good changes I think.

A friend of mine has said, documenting our history in Secondlife can be fascinating and rewarding. I do wish I had taken more pictures. Those I have taken show just how far we've come...as well as bring back memories of where we were.

***

I sent out a group notice last evening wishing all a happy Easter. While I know it's a religious celebration at heart...it's come to be a time for a celebration of life as well... just watch the children.

I also sent out a tiny Easter gift, probably the first thing I ever created in Secondlife... Bunny ears... ala Playboy...for those not in the Benares group I will try and send them out by friends list. And don't tell me that you boys can't wear them! Come on...make an effort! =^..^=

***

And so it goes

Happy Easter to all

Please know that I love you all, brinda

Namaste

नमस्ते