Four Years in Second Life

 

Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.

Haruki Murakami

 

          The pages have turned on the calendar and it’s been one year since I wrote my story about three years of blogging about Second Life (SL)! 

          As is my annual tradition I’ll blog about my last year inworld.  (And, not as Significant Other suggests because I can’t think of anything else to blog about!) 

          Also, I’d like to point out as Becca Kellstrom, my friend and sometime adult supervision in SL, (Much to Significant Other’s relief.) noted that I’ve actually been inworld for five years and been blogging for four.

          Unlike some writers whose muse inspires and guides them to works of sheer genius, not to mention profitability, I have to do it the old fashion way.

          In other words, I have to go out looking for my stories and then figure out how to write them. 

          Let’s start the recap!

          First, this was a tough year for me because of a close personal loss in Real Life (RL).   

          I got past it with considerable help from Significant Other and RL family and friends. 

          I took stock of where I was inworld and came back. 

          My SL friends were wonderfully supportive which reinforced my earlier belief that there are truly real and caring people behind all those pixels.  (Unlike some these days, I do believe in the overwhelming good nature of humankind.)         

          SL experienced its share of losses too in the past year.

          I had to stop my Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in SL series when many of the sims I’d either blogged about or planned to shut down. 

          Many beautiful sims were lost to us here.

          Phaze Demesnes closed and well and may be part of a trend to migrate from SL to other virtual worlds in the Metaverse.

         

Phaze Demesnes was a wonderfully, surreal place inworld and I fear we may never see its like again. 

          Utopia Naked Isle Resort closed as well and a marvelous group of people stopped meeting together on Tuesday evenings for some great parties.

          But, there were many positives this past year as well!

          I stumbled onto First UCC, the RL congregation inworld, and met some wonderful people and learned about their ministry and mission.  (And, to my and Significant Other’s surprise they didn’t ban me.  They are truly a welcoming community!)

          I met a geisha community inworld and explored the small Japanese town they resided

in. 

          In my continuing exploration of the BDSM community, I came across Devilhand and became their scribe-in-residence.

          Then there were all my new friends!

          Bec and Jerome Newstart from First UCC; kenna, Ama, and Steve from Devilhand; and Caroline Resident.

          Please forgive me if I didn’t mention you as there were so many of you!

          Of course, I can’t forget to mention some of my old friends in SL!

          Like Perry Peterson, the Mayor of Mieville, who brought us Valentine’s Day in Vegas, t

he Hobbits, and the freezing of the River Thames to name but a few of his events! 

          May O. Mingzi is still at Beau Belle Village throwing great parties on a regular basis. 

          And, I would be remiss not to mention Tera Trenchcoat, my loyal and long suffering Research Assistant (RA) who supports me in my offbeat adventures.  (Significant Other is convinced Tera sticks around just to see what trouble I get into next.) 

          There are of course many more of you and I wish time and space permitted listing all of you!

          But, I always enjoy your company and remember fondly our journeys together inworld!

As always, I have unfinished business inworld.

          There’s the boat trip to explore Mieville.  I have a crew, a boat, and all I need is a way to get everyone together at the same time. Details!  We’ll figure it out! 

          I’m still planning to interview my inspiration for exploring SL in the first place, Bunky Snowbear.

          Best of all, thanks to May O. Mingzi, I may have finally identified someone in RL who’s accessed SL from Antarctica!

          More to come on this one!

          What have I learned after blogging about SL for four years?

          SL is still a wonderful place with wonderful people who care about one another.

          There has been a great deal of change inworld since I started blogging and more seems to be just over the horizon.

          Finally, I plan to keep on exploring and blogging as long as there’s a SL!

          Thanks to all for following and reading!  

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

          Open roads and kind fires!