The Umbrella Academy and more

We are all dysfunctional, psychologically damaged heroes in a way and that is why we spend time in Second Life. You may ask "heroes"? How can people who are dysfunctional be heroes? Well let me tell you when you find ways to cope every day in one way or another without snapping, then you are a hero.

You should stop by Monday and Thursday Nights (8-10PM SLT) at the Club for some super cool tunes. Not your ordinary DJs and hosts but maybe the superheroes you can identify with. Of course, there are other DJs and hosts here at the Club, but nothing more dysfunctional as Dandy and Anjelikka (Likka)...don't believe it? Come check it out one night.

“Freaks are the much-needed escape from the humdrum. They are poetry.” 

“I'm drawn to unusual, even freakish people. Why? They are far more engaging than the ordinary, which the world has too much of.” 

Acrophobia or Philophobia?

Birds do not have fear of heights, they have been born to embrace it. Most people are wary of heights—a normal response to a potentially dangerous situation. But when the wariness turns into extreme and irrational fear, it becomes a real problem. 

Even more, people have what’s called visual height intolerance, in which the visual stimulus of a high place causes unpleasant feelings or sensations like fear of losing balance or falling. Also called height vertigo, it is a less-recognized and less-treated condition that varies in severity. 

Virtual reality therapy is a type of exposure therapy that uses computer-generated visual, auditory, and tactile sensory inputs to immerse the patient in a 3D environment that realistically simulates the feared stimulus. Advantages are that it can be done in a safe office setting, and the patient has control to turn off the stimulus as needed. However, nobody can guarantee the fear of falling into emotional feelings of stomach tingling...what is that called? 

Oh, that is called philophobia.
Philophobia isn’t social anxiety disorder, although people with philophobia may also have a social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety disorder causes extreme fear in social situations, but it’s different from philophobia because it encompasses a number of social contexts.

Teach me Tiger....Thinking out loud

Teach me, tiger, how to kiss you. wah wah wah wah wah
Show me, tiger, how to kiss you. wah wah wah wah wah
Take my lips, they belong to you.
But teach me first, teach me what to do.

Touch me, tiger, when I'm close to you. wah wah wah wah wah
Help me, tiger, I don't know what to do. wah wah wah wah wah
I know that you could love me too
But show me first, show me what to do
This is the first love, that I have ever known
What must I do to make you my very own.?
Teach me, tiger, how to tease you. wah wah wah wah wah
Tiger, tiger I wanna squeeze you. wah wah wah wah wah
All of my love I will give to you
But teach me, TIGER. or I'll teach you.

Love is an art, it starts with the He(art)

Trevor(aidanjr) and Tessa(contessadrake)

To love another with all of your heart
Can be seen as a work of art.

You brush, you stroke, you pour, you spill,
And upon each action, your heart will fill.

Hours are spent in an endless gaze
That shall remain for all your days.

With each addition to the paper,
You realize your love will never taper.

And in the end, you will finally see,
That all of your mistakes were meant to be.

“Love is a power which produces love.” 

I wonder what inspired these two young (or old) lovers to feel free and let their passions overflow in the gallery? Was it the art that inspired them? Was it lust that could not wait? Or did they secretly got away from their other lovers to meet here?

“Love is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever when my act does not involve judgment and decision.” 
― Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

The darker side of St. Valentine's Day

Flowers, candy, red hearts, and romance. That's what Valentine's day is all about, right? Well, maybe not. The origin of this holiday for the expression of love really isn't romantic at all—at least not in the traditional sense.

St. Valentine
He was a Roman Priest at a time when there was an emperor called Claudius who persecuted the church at that particular time. He also had an edict that prohibited the marriage of young people. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died.

The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery, in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be, um, coupled up for the duration of the festival — or longer, if the match was right.

The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern day of love. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.

Around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin's Day. Galatin meant "lover of women." That was likely confused with St. Valentine's Day at some point, in part because they sound alike.

And so the celebration of Valentine's Day goes on, in varied ways. Many will break the bank buying jewelry and flowers for their beloveds. Others will celebrate in a SAD (that's Single Awareness Day) way, dining alone and binging on self-gifted chocolates. A few may even be spending this day the same way the early Romans did. But let's not go there.

All because of some BIG ears....

The story of Little Red Riding Hood is no doubt one of the most popular childhood stories of all time. We’ve all heard it, read it, or had it read to us numerous times as children. Here is the wolf's version:
The forest was my home, I took care of it. One day, I saw a little girl coming down the trail. I was suspicious of her because she was dressed strangely - all in red. Naturally, I asked who she was and where she was going. She told me she was going to her grandmother’s house and walked off. As she went she threw a sweet wrapper on the ground. Imagine that! First, she was rude to me, and now throwing rubbish! I decided to teach her a lesson.

I ran to her grandmother’s house. When I saw the grandmother, I explained what had happened, and she agreed to help me. The grandmother hid under the bed and I got into the bed, dressed in her clothes. The girl arrived and immediately started to insult me, making nasty comments about my big ears, and my big eyes.

‘Oh grandmother,’ said Little Red Riding Hood, ‘what big ears you have!’ ‘All the better to hear you with, my child,’ was the reply. ‘But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!’ she said. ‘All the better to see you with, my dear.’

I tried to stay calm, but she wouldn’t stop and insulted my big teeth next. By then, I couldn’t control my anger any longer. I jumped up from the bed and growled at her, ‘All the better to eat you with!’ 

No wolf would ever eat a little girl, that red cloak would taste bad anyway. I just wanted to scare her. But she started running around screaming. I jumped after her, to calm her down. But a big lumberjack barged in with an ax. That meant trouble, so I jumped out the window to escape. 

But that’s not the end of it. The grandmother never told my side of the story. Word got around that I was mean and nasty. Now everyone avoids me. Maybe Little Red Riding Hood lived happily ever after, but I didn’t.

Locus of control

Research has shown that those with an internal locus of control—that is, they feel that they control their own destiny, rather than their fate being largely determined by external forces—tend to be happier, less depressed, and less stressed. That is not as easy as it sounds. In fact many things we do not have control over at all no matter what we do. However we can take control over those things that are important to us.

Phase out phrases like, ‘I have no choice’, and, ‘I can’t…” You can replace them with, ‘I choose not to,’ or, ‘I don’t like my choices, but I will…’ Realizing and acknowledging that you always have a choice (even if the choices aren’t ideal) can help you to change your situation, or accept it more easily if it really is the best of all available options.

When you tell yourself you can’t handle something (or some other self-limiting thought), you tend to stop looking for solutions. For example, notice the difference between telling yourself you can’t handle something and asking yourself how you will handle something. Doesn’t the second thought feel more hopeful and produce more creativity? Negative self-talk tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Stopping negative thoughts and creating habitually positive internal dialogue can reduce stress and empower you. 

1. Friends can be a great inspiration to help you with stress, self-control and any negative you may have at the moment. Let them help you and focus your locus.

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The little Red Riding Hood Exhibit

Please mark your calendar to experience the exhibit and walk through the forest with little Red Riding Hood while enjoying some art.

Get a sneak-peak...and tell your friends. Little Red Riding Hood Exhibit is open from Feb 16 through March 31, 2019.

An Imposter

One winter night
The wind blows with its might
She walks alone through the wood
Her name’s Little Red Riding Hood
The willow trees along the forest trail
Sway their empty branches and wail
And afar, the white bright moon
Tries hard to shine like it were noon
“I will eat you”, the whisper sounded near
Sending her into a state of fear
Holding her basket she spun around
Only to see darkness from the sky to the ground
Awake and alert, she waited a moment
Her fast beating heart giving her a torment
To go on or to go back, she couldn’t decide
How she wished her mother by her side

The wolf couldn’t wait to claim his food

So he started to plan how he could

For he knew which way she’s heading to

It’s probably the route earlier too

The wolf figured out a plan

He wouldn’t share this to his clan

So he ran and ran and wait for her at her granny’s place

But here comes the twist in this tale

For Riding Hood is a modern child

And the wolf is still traditional and wild

Riding Hood reached for her cellphone, and placed a call

Calling her granny in no time at all

“I'm scared, I'm going home”, she cried

It was a failed effort, but she tried

A wise decision, granny couldn't agree more

Soon, there was a knock on the door

“Who's that?”, Granny asked

“Red Riding Hood”, his voice was masked

What an impostor

Posing as her granddaughter 

Granny picked up her whistle and blew it hard

Down came running the guard

Before he knew it, he was put in a sack

What a pity, the wolf became a catch 

In a mere mobile phone

He found his match.

~pam