La primera semana de mayo

That first week in May consists of several celebrations. Of course, May Day is the first day of May, celebrated mainly in European countries halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.

On the 2nd of May every year, Madrid celebrates one of its most important historical achievements – the Dos de Mayo, in remembrance of the city’s victory over Napoleon’s invasion in 1808. This is a public holiday in the Madrid community that the city's inhabitants celebrate through parades, concerts and sports.

This week we will celebrate here at the Basement Club with some Latin influences in music starting this Monday at 6PM.

Many clubs in Second Life also celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a yearly celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. This holiday is more celebrated in the United States.

Whatever holiday you celebrate during this first week of May we hope you come and fill it with music, friends, family, and good food.

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”

Rainer Maria Rilke
Let's eat some Tacos, they are not just for Tuesdays but for any day. And remember Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican Independence Day.

Latin music is known for its infectious rhythms and lively beats, making it a perfect choice for a celebration. Attending the event at The Basement Club is sure to be a fantastic experience filled with great music and good vibes. Enjoy the festivities!

Club Etiquette

Even the most successful clubs have trolls who disturb the vibes of people having a good time. My recent visit to the famous Muddy's was disappointing because of how the trolls were handled. So I raised a question to the host that night. 

[18:14] Anjelikka: Hello...I have a question...why is pushing an avatar allowed? Jude and Mike Oxfat are doing that. 

The host then answered me with this: No behavior of that kind is never allowed. It even appears in the line where the URL of the club appears. Muddy's is a very PG sim, and we pride ourselves in making sure everyone feels welcome and safe.

Nothing was really done about and the person who was being harassed stated to me that these were just a couple of drunks and they did this. I don't know with a club that has won so many awards being the best club in Second Life, this did not sit well with me. I understand a person can just teleport out and go somewhere else.

If you have rules in a club, why not follow them? I can see you can warn someone and then if they continue by all means ban them. The host might have warned them but it kept going on even after I raised the question.

I know one thing I will not go back there because they obviously do not care about their people, they only care about the amount of people they get and the Lindens they collect. It is similar to a club I worked for before and they only cared about the amount of people that came to their club. The traffic of your club will put you on a more searchable level, but really, is it worth it? 

Maybe I am more sensitive to how people behave in Clubs because of my own Club. I just don't tolerate this in mine. 

I just recently banned a person from the Basement Club because of a rude chat they had and it upset the DJ and others. Via another person that person said they were never warned. To be honest, etiquette does not need a warning. As a German, I do not gave the tolerance of someone on my land that I pay for making others feel bad. 

Our Daughter?

Devon, Rachel (she was AFK and had no idea) and me

I see it often when someone introduces me and says this is my daughter, son, sister, etc. When I hear that I automatically think in real life. As a German, I take things literally.

It is all about role playing and perhaps a true family is missing in real life?  I really don't know. 

A family is a group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together; all such related persons are considered members of one family.

I would just feel it is odd to call someone my daughter in second life. I am not saying that it is wrong for anyone to do this kind of role-playing, it is just not for me. Of course, then there is the Basement Club family if we want to call us a family but I do not call any of the members sister or brother. (I do not think Devon would come here if I called him my brother.)

We are family!!!

For all I know he (Devon) was brought in by the Easter Bunny or was that his brother?

In a way, we are kind of a family in the virtual world. A group of people who do the same thing. 

In a family,
We laugh,
We cry,
We love,
We share.

We may not have it all,
But together we have everything.

I am trying to learn the concept that family does not have to be the real family you know in real life but it can mean a bunch of friends who come together here in Second Life and share the same interests or even discuss opposite opinions. A family is a group, that's there for you, through thick and thin. They see you through. They laugh with you and wipe your tears, they share your dreams and calm your fears.

And no Rachel is not really our daughter.

Thank you to all who helped create memories

One thing for sure is that memories will be all we have left as things in our lives fade away. As years pass and new beginnings start, the past is what it was. 

I have fond memories of great celebrations here in Second Life.

As the Basement Club celebrates 8 years of being here, I want to thank everyone who came to the plaza at the Retreat and danced with us. Without you, it would not be anything. Your time spent here is more than any donations that have been given.

I am considering new adventures and knowledge for future events here at the Retreat, Basement Club, and Gallery. I am not sure yet what it will be. I try to live each day as it comes and not to make too many plans that I never get to because that just leads me to believe I failed.

I have boxes of memories

Well-marked and stored

And I am adding new ones

So that there are many more

Though life is not a rainbow

Nor is there sunshine all the way

I can still laugh and smile

And box a memory every day

April Fool's Day (poisson d’avril)

People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

You all know someone who has no clue what is going on. People play pranks on them because they believe just about anything. Are you a prankster?

I told this guy I wanted to kiss the flowers on his hands and he ran as fast as his second-life legs could (he could have just flown out of there or teleported somewhere else).

"The First of April some do say

Is set apart for all Fool’s Day

But why the people call it so

Nor I nor they themselves do know "

April Fool's Day can be fun of course when you are playing those pranks or maybe you are at the end of one of the pranks, just remember it has centuries of tradition behind it. Better yet, don't believe everything you hear or read and that is vital in these days. I met these two pigeons and they said: 

Pigeon flying in the sky
But baby pigeon said, "I can't make it; I'll get too tired." His mother said, "Don't worry; I'll tie a piece of string to one of your legs and the other end to mine."
The baby started to cry.
"What's wrong?" said the mother.
"I don't want to be pigeon towed!"

So don't be a poisson d'avril and get caught in a joke. It reminds me of a story I used to read to my students in the classroom: Don't let the pigeon ride the bus and this book was full of fooling the audience into something they were not supposed to do.

Even Punxsutawney Phil tries to trick you into believing the weather will be warm and sunny when it is not and that is a whole other story for another day. 

Good News, here in Second Life you can make it spring, summer, winter, or fall anytime you want and you can fly and you can even be a pigeon...it is all possible and no this is not an April's Fool, it is all true.