Upon Returning

Between RL obligations and a computer that refuses to allow me to stay inworld longer than 10 minutes, I don't get to come in that often. But when I do, I've found that I love catching up with my friends, including some that are my oldest in SL like Hy above.

Lunar recently asked me is it hard to return, as I've been away for a while now. My answer? Yes and no. I feel redefined, as I now have no house, no businesses, and no obligations. SL feels more like a getaway and I can be free to enjoy myself more. It's like being new again, but the thing is, the relationships I've made inworld still feel the same in a good way. 

I have made wonderful friends in SL, and although I'm not able to come in and see you all as often as I'd like, I want you to know that I'm thinking about you!

Sharknado & Shanghai

Only in Steelhead would there be a Sharknado themed party...

Last night I braved the crashiness of my computer to come inworld and support my friends Lunar and Tensai, as they made the difficult decision to close Steelhead Shanghai...

I've spoken a lot about the ephemerality and challenges of SL. One of those challenges is knowing when to make decisions that are truly painful, but necessary...

I know how much hard work went into this sim's creation. I helped create projects for it myself and will be sad to see it go away...

But Steelhead is a strong community and being able to continue to maintain that community is what is most important. That's life in SL. We have projects and places we love and lose. I know that feeling firsthand myself. It will be missed, but we move forward.

You can read all of my former posts about Steelhead Shanghai here.

Goodbye Neighbor

Gryffin contacted me yesterday to tell me that Nix Sands, our former Caledon Regency neighbor and one of the Steamlands' greatest creatives, passed away. He had been ill for quite some time.

When I first met him back in 2007, I never knew in what form I'd see him in next as he considered himself a noncorporeal time traveller. Yes, he is the glowing lights beside me.

Once, he even showed up at my big birthday bash as my most fave entertainer, the Purple One himself...

 

But what I remember the most was how nice he was to me, how he was always one of the first to greet me in Caledon chat, and of course, his prodigious creativity.

When I think of him, I think of this skating pond he made with snow and sparkling trees. I loved it so much and skated there every day that he had it up...

We can go through our SL lives never knowing the real names of the friends we make in there. What we do know is what they have meant to us through the beauty they have brought to our lives, whether real or virtual. My condolences to his family. He will be missed.

Memory Lane

I was going through my Flickr account today. I've always taken lots of pic in SL since the beginning. Going through them was like a blast from the past. Steampunk and Neo-Victoriana is still what I identify with the most (maybe it's the dresses?) I was reminded of so many firsts, so many friends, so many places explored...like the first time I discovered Caledon and the Steamlands.

 Or visited an art exhibit...

 Or owned my first house...

 Or built my house for the first time...

 

 Discovering that being a tiny was incredibly fun...

 

And so was being a shopkeeper...

So many things shaped the person that I was in SL as I often stumbled my way through. There were friends I fought with, friends I've parted from, and friends that I still consider close today and miss talking to more regularly. Being in SL has been one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Getting to explore not only its world and cultures--but aspects of myself. I know I am not in as much anymore, but it's looking through photos that reminds me of what made it so inviting in the first place.

How SL Helped Me Get Into Grad School

When I first started out in SL, the first thing I did was learn to build. I remember trying to build at the public sandbox at the Ivory Tower of Primitives (wow, is that still there?!) and it was griefed constantly. All I wanted to do was build--not get caged or tossed into the air over and over again. So annoying. So I discovered a quiet, unmolested sandbox at NCI (New Citizens Int'l) and practiced, practiced, practiced. I was more of a homeless explorer then, and spent a lot of time visiting the wonderful sims and builds of the SL world. I also spent time attending events thrown by the SL School of Architecture and visiting Architecture Island and the Wikitecture project.

Sure, I made clothes for a long time inworld, but building was always my first love. Anyone who has had to struggle for lindens knows the limitations of one's available space to build structures inworld though. To me, the clothes just funded the other. Also, lucky for me, I found the Steamlands of Caledon and Steelhead--places that appreciated great builds at a time when SL still had a LOT of tacky about it.

Recently, I decided to apply to grad school for a MA in Historic Preservation. It just felt right. I had to write a long essay as part of the admission process and with much hesitation I seriously debated mentioning one of the more recent influences on my love of preservation: Second Life.

Involvement in virtual worlds is still so often dismissed or looked upon with derision, so I wasn't sure about mentioning it at first. I took a chance. A big one. I talked about how there is a community of architects (such as the ARCH Virtual project) who use SL, Unity 3D and OpenSim as platforms to convert their CAD drawings, 3D models and blueprints to create virtual prototypes of RL projects that clients can actually walk through. I also mentioned the community of builders inworld who re-create historic buildings and how after I did so myself--with the Antelope Church in OR that I re-created and turned into the "Steelhead Museum of Historic Preservation"--I went on to join the National Trust  for Historic Preservation as a result. I felt my inworld involvement made me more aware of historic preservation efforts in RL and I hope it inspired others as well. I wasn't sure what the committee would think of those few paragraphs in what was an essay of over 8 pages, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

All I know is that I will be going back to school this summer and I couldn't be more excited! A friend once asked me if I felt I wasted my time in here. As I have said in a previous post, this quote from the artist Rodin still applies: "Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."

Thanks SL!

Happy 5th Rez Day to Me!

Today is my Rez Day. I am 5.

1st noobtastic pic of me, 2007:

 2008:

 2009:

 2010:

 2011:

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.