I found this post on Wendz Tempest’s blog CozeySL. Love the scene. Great photography.
They’re usually neglected, often overlooked, the corners you pass are pretty standard in my book. So give them a makeover, spruce up a space..your corners can take it, on either face!
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Ten days ago was my 10th rez day. Yay! I’m ten years old or as Seth Regan advised me, I’m now a member of The Decade Club. So how could I not go on a sentimental journey? That evening I logged in, spent some time in my home. First, I changed my hairstyle. I still haven’t changed my outfit for probably three years now, so it’s becoming kind of a thing. Then I spent time in adventure room mulling what to do next.
The area of my house where I have my adventure and blogging paraphernalia.
I attempted to go to some of my favorite nightclubs, but kept crashing. Instead, I decided to go to one of my favorite environments, Calas Galadhon’s Misty Mountains. It wasn’t the same layout or landscaping that I remember, although very similar, but it definitely rekindled the same feelings that thrilled me years ago.
That’s me, lost in the wonderful Misty Mountains.
The visit was short but it got me thinking about those amazing early days. I mean, amazing except for all the crashing and assorted weirdness. I’ve thought about the fun I had in so many roles that I played.
I really enjoyed my times exploring the Japanese themed areas, like Hosoi Ichiba–what an amazing place that was. But I also enjoyed my time as an apprentice geisha at Little Yoshiwara. I started in 2008 and prolly spent a couples years there. I even created my two of my early Zen gardens on adjacent sims. Last night I decided to drop by for a visit and was amazed at how well it had adapted to the improvements in Second Life.
This is the pavilion where I gave my cultural speech about Japanese gardens.
One of many beautiful areas in the Little Yoshiwara hanamachi.
After spending a timeless sentimental journey back to my roots, I shashayed on over to the Junkyard to catch DJ Sasha spinning some bluesy tunes.
It’s hard to imagine that I could ever hurl myself back into the virtual swing of things the way I once did, but I truly enjoyed the visit.
I spent a couple hours at Junkyard Blues last night and rang in the new year. DJ Bard Wasp was spinning some great bluesy tunes as owners Kiff & Dina ignited the fireworks. I had to tune my graphics settings way down because the place was packed–over 60 peeple–and I crashed a couple times.
There were lots of folks I didn’t know, but a lot of us old-timers were “returning home” after long absences and it made for a memorable event. One of the hostesses called me “a legend” and I had to blush. God only knows what kind of legend she’d heard about… and I didn’t dare ask. Dina reminded me of the night that the Dreamgirls had a sleepover in the motel parking lot. I’ve had a lot of fun at the Junkyard over the years.
Not my best photo ever, but it captures a lot of the scene. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It wasn’t revolutionary, but it got my attention–Linden properties have 33% more prims. I’ve continued to own my Linden Home even though I’m rarely in SL, but the extra prims drew me in. For my property gained about 60 prims (previously 117 prims), and with good Mesh furniture it that goes a long way. I had already decorated with some great Mesh furniture but now I’ve rezzed a lot of cool stuff that had been sitting in my inventory. Btw, I haven’t upgraded myself yet–no Mesh body or head. But my interest in SL has been re-ignited a bit.
My living room is unchanged, but I’m mulling some ideas.
My bedroom is pretty much the same also… unused. Heh.
I added this little cubbyhole for all my adventuring stuff.
That’s me in front of my kitchen. I don’t think I’ve changed clothes in months. Heh
It was one of those wonderful moments. Back in 2012 I was racing my speedboat from the Blake Sea toward my dock at Sailors Cove. When I’m speeding like that I have my mini-map open so I can see and avoid crashing into other boats, but I noticed something seemed to be just behind me. I looked back once but saw no one. So I finally stopped and realized that an Apache helicopter had been tracking me. I looked up and the pilot started chatting with me. He asked to come aboard and while I’m standoffish far too often, I also love that kind of spontaneity. So I said, sure. He came aboard and held on while I continued racing through the canals that lead to the docks.
His name was Antares and we had a lot of fun times together. He took me flying in his warplanes and boats. We even did air combat with me on the rocket guns. I was pretty bad shot and we got killed a lot. Once we were out in the Apache and came across a giant ship, the Titanic, out on the Blake Sea. Anyway, we boarded her and joined in the party, although I’m pretty sure we weren’t welcome cuz it was a bunch of pirates I think. Anyway, we had fun like that. Like, he was with me and my girlfriends when we traveled from SS Galaxy to go scuba driving. What a great day that was.
Anyway, I left Second Life about a year later (as I’ve long asserted) but just a few weeks ago Antares and I began chatting over Facebook. He thought it would be fun to go out dancing and that sounded great to me also. So on Sunday when met over at Junkyard Blues and spent some time dancing and catching up, but this always leads to that and we talked about planes and boats and before long he took me aboard his new yacht.
Antares taking Yordie out in new yacht.
I can’t say that I’ll be a regular in SL again, but I’m reminded me how much fun SL can be.
In less than a month I will have been virtually alive for nine years, Yordie Sands that is. This thought was on my mind today when I logged in to Second Life.
I’d been thinking a lot about my first really magic moments in SL, no not virtual romance. It was building my Zen gardens and teahouses, and ultimately the Harvest Moon Café.
I created several gardens and cafes in my first six years and there are many photo albums with pictures of each in my Flickr Photostream (check the seven “Zen Gardens” albums). Many of the photos are old school, but the magic was there.
Creating the gardens brought real joy to my spirit. None of the gardens never really lived up to the expectations I had of them, but my memories of them and the activities that revolved around them are still strong.
Anyway, I went over to one of the sandboxes and rezzed the Harvest Moon Café from Dakota Falls. The structure was created from two POST designs that I’d modified into one, created a stage area.
Harvest Moon Café (a modified POST design), rezzed again in 2016.
Below, the Café stands over the waterfall pond at Dakota Falls in 2013. And if you look really close you can see me in both photos. In the bottom one I’m Geisha Yordie preparing for a show. Memories are amazing!
As the sun fades in the sky,
the lamps are lit
and the ochaya comes to life.
I’ve been tiptoeing around, laying low in SL for a few days. I found my way to Book Island and will probably setup a cubby hole there when–well, if–I finish my novel.
I chose this storefront because it has a nice
a nice little path behind it leading to a garden.
I was also delighted that one of my old blog posts delighted a Second Lifer I’d never met, a one SecondBlood Priestly. He’s a wily wolf and was the builder of the “magnificent flying machine” I discovered while exploring, back in my early days in SL.
This is the “Magnificent Flying Machine” I discovered
on my 5th Expedition, 2008, on the Sansara Continent.
Anyway, we met at his place in Lusk, and went to a sandbox to rez the old beauty. I hadn’t had time to actually ride in it when I was exploring, so we took it for a spin. Well, not actually, although it is in the sky and held down but a “single peg” as Blood noted.
You can see SecondBlood and I aboard
his Magnificent Flying Machine.
I’ve found SL to be very much the same as when I roamed the land, but I doubt that I’ll ever lead a second life like I had in the past.
My novel continues to thrill and confound me. I’m on my fourth draft and the writing is finally going well again. I came to a monumental decision to split the third draft into two books, because the first part of the novel was one sci-fi genre and the second part was mostly a different genre. More to come.
