Spring has truly arrived in the northern hemisphere (and I say that not just because I got a mosquito bite today).  As I was uploading these photos, it struck me that the half-dozen or so of you readers in the southern hemisphere (where exactly? why see the map to the left) are facing impending winter!  I think SL has spoiled me for timezones as well as hemispherical differences in seasons. 

As promised, I did manage to get to the park and take some pictures of spring.  Today was a quintessential spring day - 60 degrees F, cloudless blue sky, very little breeze.  The trees have all managed to sprout new green leaves.  The colors of green are so TENDER - gentle and sweet, if those adjectives can be applied to a color.  Here, see what I mean?

    

The one thing I can't impart to you here is the total experience - the breeze in your hair, the sun gently warming your face, the sounds of six or more different birds calling at once.

But the flowering trees?  Wow - they added such unexpected punches of color!  Here, take a look:

    

Spring flowers are among my absolute favorites.  The park had planted some,

    

but the wildflowers are always my favorites:

    

I love finding the unexpected on my walks through the woods.  Like  two flowers alone in the middle of a sea of grass, or a stunning fungus nearly hidden on the forest floor.

    

As always - click em to see em big - and all 41 shots (raw off the digital) are on Flickr. 

That's it today - nothing deep and insightful - just pretty pictures of spring.  I think the fungus may become my next desktop image...which is your favorite?

Today I am thankful for:

1. Spring flowers and weather!
2. burgers on the grill
3. a second life full of friends to get me through days when first life is pretty sucky

Holy crap, it's May!  Where the heck did April go?  

(Those of you that know My RL a bit know exactly what's been sucking my time and energy the last month or so.  Still no answers - but maybe soon.  HUGE thanks and hugs to all of you who keep praying - it is deeply appreciated.)

Today is a day to celebrate spring and new life - traditionally a day to celebrate fertility whether you call it May Day or Beltane.  (want more info? click here: http://www.theholidayspot.com/mayday/history.htm)  

I always feel rather blessed to live in a climate that provides such distinct seasons.  The meterological first day of spring is March 20, but for me, May 1 has always FELT like spring.  Around here, it's quite likely there will be snow on the ground come March 20, and we almost always have a day or two with snow in April.  But May...ahhh .... that 's when the trees have sprouted tiny, light green leaves, the flowers and flowering trees are in full bloom and the days grow warm enough to shed jackets and sweaters.  A time for new beginnings and fresh starts and growth.

I'll try to get out to the park this weekend and get some pictures to share.

May is a time of transition and change for me at work as well.  My 8th graders graduate and go on to high school (10 different schools this year between the 30 of them) - for them it's a time to enter into the next phase of their life - and it's my job to help guide them through it.

I've gone through a lot of changes in SL as I've noted before.  I'm feeling rather settled in my current incarnation, however.  Perhaps its time to consider what changes need to happen in my RL.  Because there are some looming and long overdue.  And I have changed in this past year - quite considerably on the inside at least. 

Today I am thankful for:

1. Spring weather and flowers
2. Support of good friends
3. A functional cell phone (finally!)

Most people I meet prefer to keep the line between SL and RL firmly drawn in the sand.  Yet even the most avowed will eventually find themselves letting little things slip through the cracks.  The more we get to know people in SL the more comfortable we feel and the more we tend to reveal of "us" - our RL selves.  

I call it "blurring the lines" between SL and RL.  I find that as much as I'd (on some level) like to keep the two very separate, I simply can't do it 100%.  There are things that make me, ME.  Just as there are things that I really don't see are relevant.    And as I stated above, the more I know you and the closer I feel to you, the more you will learn about the RL, "atomic" me.  

To each their own of course, and yes, you CAN get to know the person behind the keyboard without any RL details at all - their personality will come through no matter what.  And we have the unique opportunity in SL to only show the parts of ourselves we want others to see.   I don't judge anyone on their choices of where to draw the line - or where and how to blur it - just an observation.

On a much lighter note (yet still related!) content creators in SL often find amusing ways to blur the lines.  Case in point is this gas station draven and I stumbled across while shopping the other day.  

Now personally, I do not understand the obsession with motor vehicles in SL - it's SL people - you can FLY!  But I do like my Green Turtle Sloop, so perhaps I should not protest too loudly. (Although I don't own a boat in RL and I do miss sailing so ...um....yeah.)  However, this store was actually selling signs - neon and otherwise, not cars.  If you can't read the red and yellow signs - click the photo to make it bigger.   This place just cracked me up.  I am still chuckling.  

Such a fun example of "blurring the lines" and a much appreciated bit of humor.

Today I am thankful for:

1. Finally being able to open the windows in the house for fresh air!
2. Humor
3. Love

I guess all my joking around about my life being pretty "squirrely" lately caused the universe to be a bit too literal! 

Upon arriving home from work today I was greeted by my 11 year old saying "Mom! There's a baby squirrel on our porch!"  And there was.  And she'd named it Buddy.  And fed it bread crumbs.   It was SOOOO cute!  Barely old enough to have its eyes open.  He apparently fell out of the 30 foot tall maple tree in our front yard and momma squirrel was nowhere to be found.

Luckily we have a non-profit organization nearby that takes in injured wildlife and rehabilitates it.  I called and they said to bring it out.  So one old shoebox with holes poked in the lid, one old kitchen towel, and a 40 minute drive later we safely delivered Buddy to his new home.  They'll feed him formula until he's old enough to feed himself.  They said he was about 4 weeks old and seemed to be in good health.  So good deed done for the day. :D

Yes, of course I took pictures first!  Here ya go:

    

Awwwww...isn't he cute?

Today I am thankful for:

1. The wild animal rescue place!
2. A long-overdue stretch of beautiful spring weather.
3. Seeing the first flowers and flowering trees of the season today!  (Both were pink!)

I believe this video was originally posted on the SL blog back in August 2006, approximately 10 months before I joined SL. My guess is a large majority of my friends and readers have NOT seen it - if you have, my apologies.

It's a video showing what SL looked like in its infancy - all the way back to August, 2001!

It's readily apparent that most (all?) the developers were male - the only way to terraform was to drop grenades on the ground and EVERYONE was issued a gun! LOL

There was RAIN! (But it did not discriminate between indoors and out!)

The Ators were kewl! I kinda wish those were still around to blow up. But ew....the avatars!

Anyway, as we all bitch and moan about the latest hiccups and problems with new features and new viewers and being forced to upload a newer version, maybe we should pause and see just how far we've come.  I for one am grateful to all the hours LL employees spend working on such a complex interface.

This video kinda helped put things in perspective for me. Seeing what LL has accomplished in less than 7 years is pretty amazing in my view.

Enjoy!

Today I am thankful for:

1. The past 30 days.
2. The first 70 degrees F day in what seems like FOREVER!
3. My migraine is gone! :D

I showed draven my neighbor's fishing system today.  I think he was a bit skeptical at first but like a good boy he gamely followed me across the bay and over a hill to the pond behind Blitz's place.  We spent a few hours (yes HOURS) sitting on Keme's dock fishing our hearts out.  

Blitz and his kittty stopped by to chat.  A few of the furries across the mountains shouted over some friendly comments and we got to meet the newest residents of the sim as they set up house on the other side of the pond. 

I don't think draven had experienced anything quite like it before - he commented that he never knew there could be this kind of FUN in SL (meaning I suppose non-sexual-activity-type fun)!  

The system is pretty cool - you can fish with a one-Linden rod or with a L$250 rod that lets you earn experience points as you catch fish.  And yes, you actually catch FISH! And garbage (like a bikini top or an old boot).  And special rare items like blueprints or tiny scuba-people.  The fish (and scuba people) are wearable pets.  They swim around your head or torso and emit the occasional bubble.  You can set their options and even name them (via floating text).  Too much fun!  The more experience points you rack up the higher the level you achieve.  Higher levels allow you to catch rarer fish and other items.  Apparently there are fishing contests around the grid using this system and there's even a group to join so you can find out all about it.

    

If you look closely you can see my little scuba guy and draven's manta ray swimming round our heads.  And yes that IS a replica of Stone Henge in the background - I told you Belvedere was unique! LOL

Mostly though, it was a really nice way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon - fishing on a neighbor's dock and just hanging out with friends.  

If you are one of those people who just hops around the same three or four sims and maybe hits the same few stores to go shopping, you owe it to yourself to get out there and see just what SL has to offer.  Like draven, you may just be amazed at what's out there!  

And if you live in a place where you don't know a single neighbor - shame on you!  Go introduce yourself and make some new friends.  You never know - they may just put in a dock and let you fish!

Today I am thankful for:

1. Lazy Saturdays
2. Friends & Neighbors
3. draven

It continues to amaze me how SL is able to bring together diverse people from all over the world.  We join groups (ok what is up with the continued 25 group limit?  hello?) and form little communities within the larger metaverse.  I know I have met some truly amazing people that I simply never would have without SL.
 
I rent a parcel on a 4-sim estate called Belvedere.  It was the first place I ever lived in SL, thanks to a friend knowing someone else who lived there.  He thought I'd like it and fit in, and despite only knowing me a few weeks, he was right! (Thanks Tevor!)  I have moved to different parcels within the same estate, but have never left Belvedere.  It truly is my SL neighborhood.

Belvedere is unique in that it caters to creative thinkers.  The parcels are not square - they are irregularly shaped to fit in with the streams and hills scattered throughout.  There is "neutral space" between each parcel that belongs to the estate and is generally landscaped.  Natural boundaries.  Creativity is encouraged, the only limit on housing being one of height so as not to restrict others' views.  As a result, Belvedere is an amazing visual treat to explore - and it is always changing as people adapt or re-build their structures.  

Personally I have lived in a tiki hut, a giant treehouse I built with my then-partner, a windmill on a beach, and now a cave-like grotto filled with waterfalls.  I have neighbors who have lived in a giant space ship, a beanstalk that reached from the ground to above cloud level, a house anchored to the ground by a huge chain, lighthouses, a gypsy caravan, and all manner of creatively built houses and structures.  Hardly a box-house to be seen.

I used the term "neighbor" because that is what the Belvedere residents truly are.  I've lived there since last June and MANY have been there much longer.  So people actually get to KNOW their neighbors.  That was one of the goals of the owner.  The funniest part for me was learning that the sim owner (who yes, also lives on the estate) lives about an hour's drive from me in RL!  We are neighbors in both worlds lol.  He hired me a few months ago to be the Estate Manager so I try to help him deal with any issues that come up.  But those have been amazingly few - people in Belvedere are mostly just really good people!

And just like the neighborhood of my youth - people drop by each other's homes or gather from time to time at one another's places to just hang out.  Or somebody may stream music and invite some neighbors over to dance.  One night at my parcel, I looked around and realized I was chatting with neighbors who lived in Australia, France, the US, and England.  I open my home to my friends and neighbors to use when I am not there.  And they do!  Some come to snuggle in the grotto, others come to just sit on my dock and watch a sunset.  I love that!  

One neighbor put in a fishing system that lets you actually catch fish!  Another built a waterfall and beach area on some of the "public" land between plots that anyone on the sim can use.  That's the other added attraction - if it benefits the whole estate, you can beautify the public land between plots.   The other unique thing about Belvedere is the rent  - you pay per prims used - not square meters.  You can always add more prims as needed.  So the plots are smaller but the creativity is through the roof! erm...sky rather - the sky is FULL of amazing things as well.  

The people are as diverse as their homes.  There's furry and human and elf and demon.  There's gay and straight and bi.  There's vanilla and bdsm.  And there's every combination concievable.  All living together in relative harmony on the same estate!  Some pretty successful designers of various merchandise in SL also live in Belvedere - and while I'm sure at least a few could well afford a larger place or maybe their own sim, they continue to live here - and I have to believe it's due in large part to the sense of "belonging" one gets in a true neighborhood.

So for those that scoff at the idea of a metaverse, I humbly offer Belvedere as a shining example of how it can work.  How SL can bring together very diverse people from all around the world.  Living, loving, creating, appreciating, and just being together.  We're all nighbors in the metaverse, even if  half of us spell it neighbours. *wink

Today I am thankful for:

1. Belvedere!
2. Awesome neighbors!
3. having health insurance

Whew!  Busy week in both lives.  Can't believe I last posted on Monday and today is Friday (well for a few more minutes anyway).  

My school is smack in the middle of a fairly large suburb, but on wooded land.  When I look out my windows, all I see is nature - and that often includes animals.  Today we had a group of 5 white tailed deer stop by to forage after the long hard winter.  We see deer periodically, but never so many - and they came back three times during the school day!  

The reaction to the deer was universally the same - an irresistable urge to watch them and and an almost instantly awed hush.  Even my principal was very excited to see them.  To many in this area of Ohio the deer are pests - there are too many and they eat bark off trees and wreck havoc in gardens.  But today everyone felt honored to be granted the opportunity to watch these creatures in their natural habitat.  I was able to walk outside and get fairly close - probably within 12-15 meters or so (definitely withing SL talking range lol).  However, my little digital camera was not really up to the task of photographing them accurately without a tripod.  I got a few halfway decent shots (you can tell they're deer anyway):

     

** Unlike most of my pics  - these do NOT look good big - they will only get grainier - sorry.

One shot turned out almost ethereal and ghost-like.  These (like 95% of my pics here and on Flickr) are unretouched other than some cropping - straight off the camera.   

In SL, I recently re-visited a site I had not been to since my first few weeks in SL.  It's a fun little zoo on a pg sim!  It's called  Escapade Zoo & Safari Park. The animals are decently done for the most part and there's lots of nice places to sit and relax.  There are also information boxes by many animals - if you click them you get information about that species!  

Toledo has a really good zoo, but it's just been too cold and damp lately to even consider going.  This virtual zoo filled the bill and even has a couple of things no RL zoo has!  I've only added a few pics here - click on the link to my Flickr page on the left and you can see them all.

    

    

Some of the animals have looped anims - the koala for example wakes up and eats a few leaves then goes back to sleep (see the zzzzzz?).  There's even a train to ride and a nicely landscaped garden area as well with a peacock roaming about, just like the RL zoo of my childhood had!  

Go visit it today: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Apollonia/66/196/22


Today I am thankful for:

1. Being able to get so close to nature at my work.
2. Buds on the trees and temperatures above 50F.
3. My students pulling off a phenomenally good musical earlier tonight!

Sometimes people who have never seen SL ask me why I am so addicted to it. Now I realize that to "get" SL one must "experience" it, but I found this video that reminds me why some people turn to SL and just why SLEX is such a draw. If the following video makes you laugh because you can relate....umm yeah....nuff said - we know why you have SL-sex!

(OK JEEZE people I am KIDDING! SLex is NOT why I come to SL! But this video just made me laugh.)

This has been called a REAL R&B song....enjoy and nope - words are not work friendly - video probably won't get ya fired but do put on your headphones or wait til you are home.

 

Today I am thankful for:

1. My tulips have poked their lil green leaves above the ground! Yay!
2. Two of my students being published in a professional science journal for their 7th grade science fair projects they did last year - AND being asked to present at a statewide professional science conference. The ONLY two students from NW Ohio to recieve that honor (out of all the best state-wide projects from last year grades 7-12)!  
3. Students (14 year old boys no less) who not only study for a science test over spring break but actually call me at home to clarify a question about it! (yeah I do love my job)

As promised in an earlier post, today I introduce you to a sim from the genius minds of the folks of Rezzable....GREENIES!  I discovered Greenies ages ago - I think fairly soon after it opened.  It's utter insanity and a complete blast!  I always assume that everyone knows about it because it has become SO popular.  But I still run into folks (and not just newbies) who have never heard of it.  Looking for a fun place for a first "date" or just to explore with friends?  Greenies is your sim!  Click here:  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Greenies%20Home%20Rezzable/187/14/24

When you land, you are in an underground tunnel of sorts - complete with trash...although the trash seems rather....large....you know something isn't quite right but luckily someone has painted large arrows to show you which way to go:

You follow the arrows and find a ragged hole in a wall....walking through it you find yourself in a nicely appointed house.  A little bland, but decently decorated:

Wandering out the front door of this house, you suddenly realize the reality you are now in... that's right....that house you were in, was a DOLL HOUSE!  You have been shrunk to a mere fraction of your normal size!

As you begin to explore the larger (real?) house...you notice strange green aliens all over the place.  (Greenies!)  They are the same size you are now and seem to have gotten into a bit of trouble around the house:

        

         

Of course they seem to get in trouble mostly because they are curious.  You'll find Greenies in all sorts of places and if you look closely, you'll often see the joke the creators' inserted into the scene:

This post probably should have followed my post on perspective.  Being shrunk to Greenie-size is an interesting experience.  Seeing the world from that perspective is a lot of fun!

If you've totally embraced Greenie culture, never fear!  There's a shop! (This is SL after all - one can buy almost anything!)

You'll notice I am flying in that picture.  That's because the sheer scale of the build makes flying a heck of a lot easier!  Also helps to set your draw distance as high as your machine can handle it.  Mine was at max (512m) for all of these shots.

There's a LOT more I did not include in this post.  Some of my favorite hidden jokes I did not post -see if you can find them! (Look EVERYWHERE!)  Do check out the milk bottle in the kitchen - it's your ride up to the spaceship where there's a cool dance floor with great music a few times a week.  There's a group to join as well if you want to be kept updated on events.  Just search groups for Greenies.

If you already knew about Greenies, well - go see it again. Take someone new!  And if you haven't been there yet - GO! What are you waiting for?

Today I am thankful for:

1. My neighbor getting the burning couch out the front door before it burnt the house down at 1:30 am last night.
2. Dog-walking weather!
3. Sims like Greenies that showcase what can be done in SL with a bit of creativity.

A few recent conversations have got me thinking about connections between people.  Until very recently in human history, the sum total of human experiences said that in order to make a connection with someone (be it platonic or romantic) one needed to be in close physical proximity to that person.  Scientists have tried to quantify this (come on - who out there has NOT secretely watched those late night Discovery Channel shows on the "Science of Love"?) by saying it's eye contact, physical touch, the physical appearance, and/or pheremones that attract a person to a potential mate.  Which seems perfectly logical and rational.

However...

How many of you have developed a connection with someone in SL?  A connection so deep it feels as real as your RL connections?    My more cynical readers (yes I know who you are) are reading this thinking, "oh come on - it's all make believe in SL - it's not REAL - you are just fooling yourself, Susannah".  I don't think so.  I've talked to too many really intelligent rational people who have experienced REAL connections with people in SL.  

How then would science explain that phenomenon?  One friend of mine believes that the electricity in our bodies travels through our computers across the miles of cyberspace to emerge on someone else's computer and into their body.  Another says its more metaphysical - that there are forces and things at work we do not yet comprehend with our science.  As a teacher of science, I look for evidence.  But certain experiences have taught me that there are different forces (powers?) at work in our universe - things we do not understand.  We may one day be able to quantify them and diagram them for school children to understand, but for now, I do accept that there are things we just don't understand right now.  However, that does not make them any less REAL.

But I still look for evidence - for proof.  And lately I've been faced with some pretty startling examples in my own Second Life.  I have maintained connections with a lot of people in SL that I met nearly 10 months ago.  Some of them can IM me after months and we can pick up right where we left off and have some great conversations.  

This past week, one of those friends was talking to me and suddenly asked about another friend (and almost-boyfriend)  of mine from the time when we'd all first met.  I replied I had not heard from him in several months.  And truthfully he'd not been on my "mental radar" either.  The VERY NEXT MORNING .... I had an email from that very same guy.  And we talked in SL later that day - just like old times - very out of the blue.  Coincidence?  I don't believe it was.  Can I explain it? Nope.  The first friend (who did the mentioning) later told me that similar things happen to him all the time - both in RL and SL.  I think they happen more often than we want to admit or even recognize.

draven and I often talk about how it seems we almost "summoned" each other out of thin air - so exactly are we what the other needed at this point in time.  He had been gone from SL for 6 weeks following a break up.  Something told him to come back.  Next morning there was a talk - he had other things to do but he felt he NEEDED to go to that talk - even though the topic did not particularly interest him.  I saw him sitting alone after the talk and called him over without even knowing why - I had four ims plus open chat going plus trying to edit the transcript of the talk.  We've not looked back.  Connection?  Yup - got that in spades - and it only grows stronger.  Why? How?  Unclear.  

Perhaps the way humans connect is NOT by eye contact or touch or even pheremones.  Perhaps it truly is "all in the mind" - our brains amassing a collection of feelings and thoughts about a person that together equal "connection".

Some have told me they think it's easier to make those connections in SL precisely because the RL stuff does not get in the way - we don't get hung up on the physical appearance of a person or what car they drive or the way they slurp their soup.  We see only the essence of that person - their soul comes shining through and we connect with that.

However and whyever it works, I am glad of it.  It's a huge part of why I come back to SL every day.  Connections with so many truly great souls - all over the world.  If you're on my friends list - you are one of those I am glad I connected with.

I want to leave you with something to think about regarding the power of our thoughts.  Many of you may be familiar with the work of Masaru Emoto on the effects of thoughts on the formation of water crystals.  For those of you that aren't, click here for more info: http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm  Basically Mr. Emoto exposes purified water to specific thoughts - then freezes them and observes their resulting crystals under a microscope.   The pictures speak volumes.  In one experiment he taped words to bottles of pure water overnight.  Here are some examples of what he found:

        
"You make me sick I want to kill you"                     "Thank you"

He also found that distance did not matter when people "prayed over" water.  The results were the same.  

If mere words can affect water molecules and prayers can affect water over long distances, and you consider that WE are mostly made of water....the implications are astounding, yet dovetail nicely with what many have experienced in "connecting" with another person thousands of miles away via the Internet - using only words and our thoughts to communicate.

If you have a "connection story" to share, please add your comment below. I love to hear them!

Today I am thankful for:

1. My students doing SO well at District Science Day today.
2. Weather warm enough to allow me to drive around with the window down!
3. All the connections I've made in SL.

I have often said SL is my playground - I love to build, tweak scripts, and find fun and silly things to do.  SL lets you do so much you can't do in RL.  It's why I've never lived in a "house" (a round treehouse, a tiki hut, a windmill, and a cave yes - square box of a house? no).  Why simply replicate RL?  

I get a little sad and down when I see people who seem to have forgotten how to have FUN.  If you can't have fun in SL, where can you?  SL is an escape from the stresses of RL - why recreate the same stresses in-world?  Whenever I find myself getting too wrapped up in the drama swirling around and getting a bit negative (yesterday morning perhaps?) I try to seek out something new and fun.  It's why I was a goofy huge Easter Bunny avatar for an Easter-themed dance with vanni and why I rolled draven around in a giant hamster ball (and pushed him off a ledge 600m up!).  A day that I laugh so hard I have tears in my eyes is a GOOD day.  Laughter is cathartic and the best stress reliever around.  Some of the people I am closest to in SL are those that make me laugh every time.

The Rezzable folks seem to really get that - I will blog some of their sims soon (they are the folks behind Greenies among other fun things).  

Today I wanted to share some utter silliness with you.  Thanks to the group SL Things to Do, I found a REALLY COOL store that sells bizzare and abstract avatars.  Now my old friend (and fellow Mentor) Nye has always had THE BEST avatars - I do think his box and barrel of Soylent Green were some of the best memories I have from my very first "home"  -  Bear Infohub.  So today when I found this store I immediately tp'd him there.  Turns out he'd found it a few days earlier! LOL  But we both had fun laughing and oohing and ahhing, not to mention buying!  Everyone needs friends who are always up for some utter silliness at a moment's notice.  Luckily the avatars there are REALLY cheap - some as low as 20 Lindens!  AND the proceeds all go to a charity that promotes world peace!  How cool is that?  If you want to visit the store in person, here is the slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vanaheim/222/46/66  And the best part is - everyone who sees you in a silly or different avatar says "Oh cool!" and leaves with a smile on their face.

Here are some pics of the avatars I picked up today:
 
                 

 TINY SILLY AVATAR                                                     SOLAR SYSTEM (you ride in the little spaceship) 

      
 JELLYFISH (under water of course)                           MULTI-COLORED SILLY AVATAR    
               
     
GREEN SILLY AVATAR                                                 ATOM OF LITHIUM AVATAR


Today I am thankful for:

1. Silly avatars!
2. Getting a coupon in my email for 40% off all cds at Barnes and Noble (with membership discount I got 50% off! woot!)
3. The dealer agreed to fix/replace my broken sunvisor in my new (new to me) car.
 

And some days, you're Clara Bow! (I'll explain that in a moment)

Ever have one of those days when you knew you should just go back to bed and start over? Yup - that was my morning. Logging into SL did not improve things. After three negative encounters with folks - one of whom attempted to remain anonymous, I was flying over my sim and ran smack into a disembodied horse head at 114m. Message received loud and clear - I logged off for a bit and regrouped! LOL

Later, I vented to a couple of close friends who helped me feel not just better, but loved and valued. Big hugs - you know who you are.

Late last night I stole this idea from the Mermaid Diaries blog (link in the sidebar). It was too much fun! Basically you upload a picture of your face and they scan it and compare it to scans of famous people to see how much you match. Your top 8 matches are then displayed for you! (And I think that everyone must look like Mother Theresa a bit - just sayin'.) Mermaid Diaries took a unique twist by plugging in an SL face. Try it with YOUR avatar and see what you get! (http://www.myheritage.com)  Here is whom I most resemble:

 

I'm Clara Bow!  Who knew?

Oddly enough, changing only my hairstyle and color gave COMPLETELY different results - Susannah with lighter hair resembles a bunch of people I have neve heard of.  shrug 

I have a neat sim to share with you tomorrow - I am taking another page from Mermaid Diaries and have decided to share cool sims I know about.  Not overly original, but hopefully someone will find them interesting enough to go visit in-world. 

Today I am thankful for:

1. Good friends
2. A sense of humor that allowed me to laugh at the floating horse head (among other things)
3. Celebrex (never so much appreciated as the day after running out - I did not realize my hands were that bad without it!)

per·spec·tive      /pərˈspɛktɪv/ –noun

1.	a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on a flat surface.

2.	a picture employing this technique, esp. one in which it is prominent.

3.	a visible scene, esp. one extending to a distance; vista.

4.	the state of existing in space before the eye.

5.	the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship.

6.	the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship.

7.	a mental view or prospect.

perspective. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved March 25, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perspective

Obviously, the word perspective has multiple meanings.  I've highlighted ones I think of most often when I hear the word "perspective".  I think a lot about perspective.  While everyone sees their world from their own unique perspective, I've found that my perspective on things tends to be a bit....different....than many if not most other people.  It's one reason I like to share my pictures on Flickr  - that's how I see my world, and maybe by sharing that, it will help you know me better.

Today I took my daughter and her friend up to Ann Arbor Michigan (about a 40 min drive for me) to a really neat store called The ScrapBox.  The idea behind this store is sheer genius - they solicit donations from local companies and individuals for recyclable materials that would otherwise be thrown out.  They then sort the materials and offer them for sale - ridiculously cheaply!  They offer kids craft sessions and the walls are filled with cool ideas for re-using everything.  A brown paper grocery sack is only $6.50 for all you can stuff into it.  They even have  a room of free stuff!  Needless to say, for an 11 year old girl as creative as mine, the place is heaven!  She saved her allowance and purchased two bulging bags.  I don't think I'll hear "I'm bored" for the rest of Spring Break! :D 

Ok, what does that have to do with perspective?  Well, I know a lot of people would look at the bins and barrels of materials and think "junk!".  Kids look at it (ok and teachers too) and think "Cool! I can make something with this!".  And today I looked and saw the most awesome patterns and textures and colors.  I took pictures to show you! (surprised?)  They are all on Flickr as usual, but here are some cool ones:
     

   


I love WindLight for a very similar reason - it allows me to see SL from a different perspective. And omg if you haven't downloaded Torley's presets for water and sky - do it now!  (https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/WindLight  scroll down to Torley's presets and follow directions - just change the path to SL RC viewer as it replaced the WindLight viewer)  If you ever wanted to get inside Torley's head and see SL from HIS perspective, well those presets are a really good start!  I've been playing with some of the settings and taking pictures (duh!).  Now that I bit the bullet and upgraded my Flickr account to "Pro" I'll start putting some of my experiments there.  I'll also try to organize all the pics better now that I can create more than three "sets" lol.

The other reason perspective is on my mind today is because of recent conversations I've had with folks both within and without the SL bdsm community.  Many of the disagreements and bad feelings (and yes, DRAMA) often stem from a difference in perspective.  What you perceive a "submissive" or a "dominant" or a "slave"  should be and act and look like, may be very different from someone else's.  In bdsm (as in many areas of life) there is no one "right" or "wrong" way to be.  Every bdsm relationship, like every "vanilla" one operates on its own set of rules, and it works because the participants share the same perspective.  

I try very hard to not judge others - to be aware that there are other perspectives I may not be aware of.  I also try to be open to new perspectives - new ways of looking at things.  I may not adopt another's perspective after hearing it, but at least I have a much better understanding of where he or she is coming from and how he or she sees the world.

Ultimately, a blog is nothing more than a sharing of one person's perspective.  Ideally, people chime in with their own perspectives in the comments section and a dialogue can happen.  Communication is critical in getting along with others.  And because it's so hard for me to do sometimes (I hardly ever shut up - RL or SL), I try to remember the axiom that you learn a lot more by listening than by talking.  

Just for today, try to LISTEN and be open to someone else's PERSPECTIVE on something.  You just may be surprised at what you learn.

Today I am thankful for:

1. The ScrapBox (see above!)
2. Songs that my 11 year old and I both love! (New Soul, anything by Jack Johnson)
3. Windlight! (and a kick-ass graphics card that can render it in all its glory)

No I am NOT making that up!  Today really IS Dyngus Day!   It is a holiday celebrated on Easter Monday in Poland and parts thereabouts as well as in areas of the US that have large Polish populations.  While Toledo does have a large Polish population, Dyngus Day has not caught on here.  I suspect it may be because its rituals do not involve food.  We like our food in Toledo.  At the other end of lent - Fat Tuesday  - this city goes INSANE for paczki (pronounced poonch-key) - donut like things made with real LARD and filled with custard or fruit flavored fillings.  Yum!

A good friend of mine who lives in Buffalo (where there is ALSO a large Polish population) told me about this holiday!  It is a huge thing there.  Buffalo uses it more as a tourist attraction and to fill the city coffers (read more here: http://www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com/).

However I dug a little deeper and found out the origins of Dyngus Day - apparently involved whipping eligible young girls about the legs and dousing them with water!  Read all about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Monday.  

I don't really have any commentary on Dyngus Day - I just found it amusing to learn there was a holiday I was unaware of.

So yes, another short post today, but hey - I'm on vacation! :P

Today I am thankful for:

1. Being able to sleep in.
2. Friends who love me even though they don't understand some of my choices.
3. Finding gas at less than $3 US/gallon! woot!

Rather short post today because I am absolutely stuffed to the gills with all the good comfort food I normally don't let myself eat! (Not to mention chocolate..mmmmm.)

I have quite a few friends who simply don't "get" bdsm.  They can't quite wrap their heads around what it's all about and why it appeals to me.  I've attempted to explain to a few who've asked, but I'm simply not very eloquent when it comes to something so complex.  Leave it to Vanni to post a most-excellent post yesterday on her blog about just that.  She also includes a link to a great site that does a fantastic job of answering  just the type of comments and questions I seem to get.  Read all about it here: 
http://vannesh.livejournal.com/10210.html

THANKS VANNI!!  

I also have a lot of RL friends and family members (well, ok ALL my family members) who don't "get" SL.  Leave it to Torley (yes THAT Torley) to have some great comebacks for those really annoying questions from people who only have one life.  Read his comments here:  http://torley.com/second-life-simple-answers-to-curious-remarks  WATERMELON HUGS TORLEY!!

Today I am thankful for:

1. Comfort food (cheesy potato casserole anyone?)
2. Finding a parking spot AND a decent seat at 12:00 Mass on Easter Sunday
3. Friends who blog, which allowed me to have something interesting for you to read today! :D

 I went for another walk in the woods today.  We got six inches of snow last night and the trees were amazingly beautiful.  I had a lot of response to yesterday's post about the FISH philosophy (not that anyone posted here - AHEM!).  Most people seemed to get hung up on the "choose your attitude" part.  I thought about that today as I walked in the park and saw I was only the second person to walk today based on the footprints.  A dog and a deer had been through, but only one other person.  When it began to snow, everyone grumbled and complained.  We've had a LOT of snow this winter and most people are simply ready for spring!  

I could have chosen to grumble right along with them.  I could have chosen to bitch about the sloppy roads as I did my Saturday errands.  Instead I pulled into the park, grabbed my camera and went for a walk.  I chose to notice the beauty that nature provided and smile at the sun glinting off branches frosted with great swoops and mounds of pristine snow.  What a gift to see things like this in March:

           

I left the park in an exceptionally positive and upbeat mood.  How awesome is that?  (All 30 pics from today are on my flickr page - they are best viewed BIG!)

As I do most of my best thinking and meditating in the woods (ok, ok, in the shower too), I got to thinking about why I've been so happy lately.  And I realized it was because I've been given the gift of LOVE by some pretty amazing people.

Like most people in SL, I was pretty love-starved for a while.  And like most people, I entered into relationships hoping to find that love.  Hoping to find someone to love me for who I am.  And every relationship disintegrated for one reason or another.