Do people still have Second Life weddings?

Some years back I offered weddings right here at the Retreat. It is still a beautiful place to have a wedding or pose for pictures.

I am always shocked by how much people charge for these events. Stop by and ask me if you really want to have a wedding. The most I ever charged was L$2500 for the event.

Coming here with your wedding party is free. There is a chapel and place for dancing and even a "the Basement Club" nightclub.

Need music for the event? No problem, a DJ can play the music you like. 

Even if you do not need a wedding and just want to stop by for some wonderful pictures or a place to relax, you will not be disappointed.

See you here :)

Some years back I created a website for the weddings I had here...just so you can see...mind you this is a few years ago.

The Chapel at the Retreat

 

21 years of Second Life

 It is hard to believe that 21 years have gone by and the virtual world of Second Life is still around. So many improvements to the avatars and environments but the concept of residents who create here is still the same. 

This zombie outbreak is totally harmless

The celebrations include music, art, and various groups of interests. It all comes together and is more amazing year after year.

Many years back I heard about Second Life from a TV commercial about how this virtual place had been taken over by real companies who are represented here. Virtual money, that turns into real money. Really? I didn't join right away, but eventually, I did mainly because I wanted to find something similar to an online game I was playing which was no longer here. I found out that this was not a game but in a way a real world with people who are avatars. In 2011 I was in and explored everything I could. It has been a true adventure for sure.

My 6th year DJing at this event and that is always an honor to be here. Next year I may do an art exhibit again.

Wishing Second Life a very "Happy Birthday" with many more to come.

7.1 Firestorm Viewer

 I must admit that the minute the update came out, I downloaded it and instantly regretted it. My FPS dropped so low I could barely move and everything looked weird and dark.

Just a day or two for me to DJ at the SL21B and I did not need this lag monster on my back. I went to the different stages at the SL21B to test this out and it was just plain horror. I really felt well my PC would not be able to handle this anymore and maybe after 12 1/2 years my time is up. 

Sending a message to Linden Lab. STOP making changes, we do not need mirrors in SL.

I looked at what other people were saying about this update and yes I am not alone...so many are having trouble and the same issues. The lag was so bad it took 30 minutes for me to move from one spot to the next. I quickly went back to the older version and yes things are back to somewhat normal, even the EEP settings look better. Why change a good thing????

Mr. X on Reddit had this to say:
The future? I wonder how people introducing those changes can be so detached from reality.

I've never downgraded any update before, and this time I was forced to. What's the point of introducing any of this if it literally ruins everything that existed before and once again makes your computer work harder and overheat more? This is absurd. You buy all the new high quality clothes, fancy skins and super detailed avatars. You spend thousands of lindens. You create furniture for years. You create all those beautiful windlights and what? All to trash can now for ... What exactly? A shiny floor? Mirrors? You introduce 3 new things and wreck 100 as the price. What a great job...

What is your experience so far? Like I said I had to change back and if it comes to me being forced to install the new viewer I will quit. No more spending money on these things that just give me stress. Make it better Linden Lab...

Kick off for the UEFA

You may ask what UEFA stands for, it stands for the Union of European Football Associations. In Europe, when we talk about football, we mean soccer, the number one sport in Europe.

This is when you see the national flags all over and in my case the German flag. Even in Second Life you can find soccer teams and people play this sport. The game of soccer is simple and the rules are easy to understand; this is why it makes it a sport that people love to watch. Although the USA has other sports it favors, it has become more popular since the World Cup.

This year the UEFA is held in Germany and this is good for the country, it brings Germans and Europe together, just like in the USA when the NFL football teams play. 

Of course, I will be watching my German team and you may have a favorite team or player. 

"You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it." – Lionel Messi

Follow your dreams and never give up!!!

Turbulence of Life

Life is filled with turbulence, but how you react to each event is important. Do not sweat the small stuff and stop wasting time. Walking into the unknown can be scary … but simultaneously, it can be a time of discovering love for a fresh experience. It can be a time of walking into pure joy at the miracle of life that’s just emerging in this moment.

When you first changed your avatar to a mesh body, you messed it up, but after trying so many times, it eventually got corrected. Just roll with the waves as they come. You are not alone and we all have to go through them. 

As I get older, I appreciate that I can still walk, see, hear, and think. Second Life, the virtual world turning 21 this month. I never imagined I would be part of something this great. I know many DJs in Second Life perform at the SL21B and I am honored I can participate once again.

This year it will be my 6th year that I participate. Talk about turbulence, for the past two years I DJed right after some famous performers in Second Life. You can imagine how the audience was still pumped up, and there came a little old me with little impact. Then one year my graphics card was acting up (it was actually loose) and it was difficult to maneuver around with a full sim and DJ.

I rode that wave and finished. I am sure many of you have done the same thing. You finished what you started even if it was not the perfect result you had imagined. It is ok. We are imperfect, but it takes courage to complete a job in this turbulence.

I do not know how it will go this year. I am just going to do this and trust the opportunity once again to play music and celebrate what we all enjoy. 

Radio Silence

“Hello, I hope somebody is listening... If nobody is listening, am I making any sound at all?”

When you are out there traveling you experience radio silence. Sometimes I appreciate the silence, but other times I wonder what happened. They say that silence is golden, but is it really? 

The human heart has hidden treasures, in secret kept, in silence sealed; the thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures whose charms were broken if revealed.

Second Life has many secrets kept by its avatar beholders. Not all are bad but some avatars are experts in ghosting others. I know of some who are well known in this virtual world who are secretly someone else but never reveal their real selves, especially when it comes to gender. I have never been a fan of these practices, because they speak of the person's true character. If they lie here they lie everywhere else too. I am not saying that you must reveal your true name here or even show a real-life picture of yourself, but you should be honest enough and tell someone your real gender, nobody likes a catfish.

Be good to yourself and watch out for ghosts and catfish that prowl the virtual worlds.

Dandelion field

Life is getting slowly back to normal without the constant pain. I decided to log back into Second Life and what do I see? An alien in the dandelion field. Did you know that this particular plant can be very helpful with many things? 

Though plants look obviously green to the human eye, they have another characteristic that is, in fact, more striking and I want to believe that aliens know this as well. This is mainly known as a 
weed but this plant has a healing power. Dandelion does have some positive interactions with humans — its greens are edible, and delicious in fact if eaten when young. The flowers are not only pretty but are also edible and can also be used to color foods, e.g. dandelion pancakes.

Dandelions can be used to make wine, however, the dandelions are only being used as coloring/flavoring agents — the sugars that the yeast ferment must be provided from cane sugar, honey, grape juice, etc.

Lucky here at the Retreat this plant grows wild and this may have attracted the alien. If you find yourself worrying, go outside, take three breaths, address a tree, and quietly say, 'Thank you.' If you can't find a tree, a dandelion will do... Nature is magic.

I am feeling so much better and missed logging into Second Life and soon I will be 100% myself again. 

I had an issue during the billing and had to call customer service and let me tell you, they were the nicest and most understanding people. Who says there is no customer service anymore has never spoken to an SL person who works there. Think about it who else understands that you are worried that your place might disappear? Thank you Second Life, I am so glad it all got taken care of and I had one less thing to worry about during my healing. 

Almost time to get ready for the SL21B. Twenty-one years of Second Life are remarkable, only we the Second Life residents would understand. More updates on where and what coming soon. Stay well, stay logged in :)