Kindred Spirits

Ping sent. Awaiting response.

“hey, i like your blog”
“...! You've been reading my blog? Oh wow. Um. Thank you.”
“yes, am interested in thye psychology of SL and your av aroused my curiosity”

Next.

“you know.. I was really impressed with your poetry on your blog as well”
“I mean it was kind of silly verse, but it was nice, tight, and well thought out”
... “your poetry is very fun to read”

Next.

“hey... you can actually write verse
thats not common :)” ... “your lines actually scan. :)”
What's 'scan'?
“come out properly in meter”
Oh, thanks for teaching me that. :)

Next.

"You are a talented blogger! Wow!” ... “So you are a writer?”
No, I'm not.
“well, you have talent to be one!” ... “You seem to me to be interesting.”

Next.

“Catherine, I'm reading your blog; it's beautiful and sad. Your poetry is amazing.” ...
“It [the blog] touched me.”

'Sad'? 'Touched'? At last.
Here's someone else:

“you know.........i was severely depressed for 3 months i bet
until just a week ago or so
and im not one to admit these things, which makes it worse” ...
“..........one reason i started talking to you you had some depression related issue on blog
see...........unless you have it.........cant understand it
its a real very real thing
you cant have a character w depression unless you know depression”

Did no one else notice?

Apathy

(Touch wood.)

Breaking news:
MAJOR EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO
MAGNITUDE 9.0 ON THE RICHTER SCALE
BUILDINGS DESTROYED, COMMUNICATIONS DISRUPTED

“WHY can't I log in? I want my SL back!”

“I'm paying for this, you know!”

“Stupid Lindens! Why don't they have backup servers in other places?”

“How am I going to live now? When will everything be up and running again?”

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

“What are you looking for in this world?”

• All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air, with one enormous chair. Oh, and someone warm and tender resting on my knee.

• Well, it would be nice to have a job, so that I can pay for that room somewhere. In the meantime I'll try to build a caravan for myself and my cat.

• Also, the Shelter volunteers have been incredibly kind and helpful to poor newbies like me. I would be glad for opportunities to help others in the same way.

• It would be nice to do something creative. Writing poems, playing music, perhaps building if I can get the hang of it. I'm a little shy but I might be able to do some acting.

• [RL: Opportunities to help others. Friendship. Roleplaying, literature, drama, art, music.]

“Where do you come from?”

• I come from Orientation Island, I guess. My earliest memories are of standing in front of the signboard, wondering what to do.

“Ok, but where do you actually come from in RL?”

• I'm sorry, I've promised not to give out details about my real life alter ego to strangers.

“u r a very sexy woman, i can see ur belly button. pls tell me if ur sitting on ur chair or lying in bed cos i want to imagine u.”

• I think I had better be going. * stuffs cotton wool in her ears to mute you *

What a wonderful world

[To do: take picture of prims; add link to SL web]

[Further editing pending]

What an fascinating world this is.

Isn't it wonderful how so much variety and complexity can arise from seven basic building blocks? I was amazed to learn that so much in our world is made of little blocks and balls---castles, helicopters, fountains, beds, dresses, even living creatures like my dear little cat. It seems impossible. But I'm told that that's how it is---little blocks join to form large blocks, and large ones to form enormous shopping malls.

It reminds me of that place we call "real life". From quarks, to electrons, to atoms and molecules and cells and tissues and us, new and wonderful things emerged at every level. And then there were families, villages, kingdoms, nations. And in another direction there was cognition, creativity, emotion. All emerging from a few simple rules of nature.

Praise be to the Creator(s)!