An Update From Eladrienne

 This is what I saw when I logged into SL a few days ago...

 

My lighthouse was gone. My bunnehs, my roses, my little tiny stump, my home. And yet, what did I expect? It was my own fault. Time had slipped by me and I hadn't realized how long it had been since I had been in SL last. All of my properties--from my shops in Regency and Raglan to my museum to my place in Taloo. All gone. I felt a little heartbroken in a way, as I had worked so hard for all of those things inworld. While I really missed my friends, I had become discouraged about SL. Between not being able to keep up with designing and definitely not being able to compete with learning how to do sculpties and now mesh, I watched my lindens dwindle and dwindle. Logging in was starting to make me sad, and that's not what I wanted from my virtual life. I do apologize to Lunar, Tensai, Des and Gabi for not being more proactive about my properties, but a certain someone genuinely had me distracted...

Yup, that's him!!!! Around this time last year I was about to enter the hospital and experience the most harrowing and nervewracking ordeal of my life so far, but he has been worth every single moment. He is now 20 lbs (after starting out at 2 lbs! Wow!) and is 9 months old. He is one of the happiest, sweetest babies you will ever meet and I am so thankful for him every day.

My husband has suggested that perhaps there is a certain measure of freedom to being propertyless in SL now. "Maybe you can go on a walkabout," he said. "Explore its world again and what you used to love about it."

See you on the Grid.

An Update for my SL Friends

Yes...those are his little feet...

Those who know me very well know I am a private person--especially when it comes to my real life, but I wanted to update you all on what has happened since the last post. The day I found out via ultrasound at 19 weeks that I was having a little boy was also the same day I was admitted to the hospital to be on strict bedrest. I went in on a Wednesday at the end of December. My docs thought I'd be home by that weekend--without a baby. I proved them all wrong. It was a very scary time for us, but I refused to believe that would be my reality.

I went on for another month to week 24--when docs consider a baby truly viable and able to survive. It was like a celebration by everyone that day. And then my water broke a few days later. Despite that, I went on for yet another month in the hospital like that and at almost 28 weeks and 3 months early, I had my son Alex two weeks ago. The staff and my docs call us a "miracle". I agree. We are a testament to positivity and what it can do.

He is doing very well in the NICU. He is strong, healthy, loud and feisty and almost 3 lbs now. He just needs to get bigger and master a few things like breathing air correctly before he can go home with us--hopefully next month. I am so thankful and happy that things worked out as they did.

I want to thank all of you so much for your support and well-wishes and good thoughts. My husband, family and I were truly touched and want you to know how much we have appreciated it. Hope to see you on the Grid again sometime. :-)

To My SL Friends

For those of you wondering where I have been lately, RL has truly had my focus...

In RL I am 5 months pregnant and recently found out I have a complication. The above pic is the view I usually see from my window as I'm writing this from the hospital. I've been here for over a week so far on bedrest and do not know when I am going home from as it depends upon how much longer I can continue to carry my baby. This has been a shock to my husband and family as it could be weeks or it could be months...I don't know. We are staying positive as being negative serves no purpose.

What I do know is that all of my SL-related activities are currently suspended. Perhaps someday I'll be back, and I hope that at least my little lighthouse home and bunnies in Steelhead will still be there, but right now my concerns are with the health of my baby and my family. They have to be.

Please think good thoughts for us...I miss you all.

Holy Jeebus, Where Did the Time Go?

To say that this has been a busy summer/autumn would be an understatement. Between travel, an illness in the family and changes in my own life, SL and posting have kind of fallen to the wayside. I mean, I still come in to attend town meetings, chat/visit with friends and tend to my shops and Lunar's requests regarding Steelhead, but I haven't been in as much as I used to be.

I'm starting to feel creative again, which is a good thing. I'll start posting my thoughts on the world again too. I've kinda missed doing so.

RFL Day 2: Dancing at Alice

I missed the closing ceremonies in the morning, but came in later on to a post-relay celebration at Lunar and Tensai's stunning Alice sim, which has great things like this sculpted neon dragon...
Like an Asian Steampunk surrealist painting, Alice is filled with mindbending imagery such as windmill blades and floating tiles and, of course...flying trout!
And even a mecha-caterpillar smoking an electro-hookah...I spent most of my time dancing with my very good friend, creator and builder Eclectric Breitman, catching up as we talked about creativity and life...
But of course, I always have a dance saved for my favorite elf...
A lot of Alice's build will be incorporated into Steelhead's sims. If you haven't seen Alice, go ASAP as it has to come down on Wednesday.

RFL Day 1

From 4pm to 5am EST I ran the SL Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society. My RL husband actually suggested Pinocchio as the theme for what became Steelhead's fun "Pinocchio the Automaton"-themed campsite...You can see my "Island of Lost Clanks" in the foreground of the pic above, but I also created this whale airship surrounded by flying trout...So many old friends came back just for today, like Lapin and Darkle, who I talked to for at least a half hour before hitting the track!
We always try to have someone at the campsite to cheer folks on as they go around--like Hawc here in his "Purple Cancer Eater" avatar...I think the organizers did a wonderful job with the track's design this year--a simple oval--and they had great TP stations and sim status markers so you could jump to the next one easily. Sure, there was lag, but nowhere near as bad to me as the past 3 times I've run this...I ran most of the track alone. While I actually enjoyed the group chats for the "company", I use the time to reflect. I will not deny that by the time of the luminaria ceremony I was feeling a bit emotional. I sat down by my Uncle Jack's luminaria at Lunar & Tensai's beautiful Alice sim and they played some pretty song on the main RFL stream and I cried...I got back on the track afterwards and when I finally made it back around to the Salmons campsite, I joined Lunar, Tensai and Denny Kozlov in some walk and talk laps...I love the walk n talk as you don't need to direct yourself (Lunar was the puller) and the conversations as we walked were fun. We made it back and was greeted by Softpaw...80731.7m and 13 hours later I needed to stop. We all raised over $200K USD and should be so proud of that. There is purpose for this as so many of us have been touched in some form by this disease. For those who are currently going through treatment...have hope. For survivors and their loved ones...stay strong. I love you Mom, Denise and Robert. I miss you Uncle John, Uncle Jack and Aunt Rose...

A Waste of Time?

A RL friend recently asked me "Don't you feel you are wasting your time playing video games in lieu of doing something creative instead?"

In addition to SL, I play Aion and also love console games (I have a 360 and a PS3) that I enjoy playing with my sister. I'll admit that we even wear matching headbands and have an absolute blast together! Call it family bonding with controllers in hand. That's not a waste of time to me.

My answer to my friend was that I enjoy it, it makes me happy and I'm good at it. I also told him that I suppose the time he spends watching lots of TV shows and movies and dissecting them to death online is time he could spend doing something creative as well, such as his own artwork. How is gaming different than any other hobby? Some folks like to read or scrapbook or make duck decoys. I like to wield a sword or run amok as a tiny bunny sometimes. Big deal. To each their own. I'm sure as hell not going to knock what brings someone joy.

If I wasn't doing anything creative at all in RL I could see the problem, but the funny thing is that I find inspiration from my gaming instead. It fires up my imagination and can help with a story or something I wish to draw. And my SL friends, for instance, have been just as supportive and encouraging of my RL creative endeavors and get on me if I slack.

Besides, as the artist Auguste Rodin once said: "Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."