Fifteen years is a long time and in the time distortion field that surrounds a virtual world it seems even longer. Many things have changed in that period of time, nightclubs have come and gone, people have come and gone, friends have passed away. Maybe it’s no more amazing than real life, but the fact is, almost everything in a virtual world is a product of a massive network of computers; everything except the people behind the avatars that live there.

On Sunday evening, people came to SL to celebrate 15 Years of Junkyard Blues and it’s owners, Kiff Klutterbuck and Dina Petty. In fact, people who hadn’t been around for many years showed up for the event. In fact, I spent five straight hours inworld and enjoyed every minute from an early set with DJ Seven and through the full show of the longtime DJ Fiery Otaared. And there were nearly 60 people at the JY when I left at midnight; that’s a big crowd on a Sunday night. I was so engaged with old friends that I only snapped a couple photos, so I hope they capture some flavor of the gathering.

I was a regular in Second Life for about seven years. I did so many things but I found it too addictive for me and faded away for another seven years. Last night reminded me of many of the wonderful qualities of this virtual world. It’s hard to grasp why I feel so much love for the people that all are part of the experience. Several people were surprised to see me show up but hey, I spent many of my Saturday nights at JYB and was a JYB hostess for a couple years. I was also a REAL JYB Dreamgirl even longer. And I wrote many blog posts about the goings on at the JY. So, how could I have NOT been there.

Great love and appreciation to Kiff and Dina, and Fiery and all the other great bluesy DJs that bring us the music that we love.