I told my OCD I am in charge.

I often need to rearrange or update my land in Second Life. Why? I suppose there are many reasons for that, it could mean my OCD that tells me to change a few things again.

I find joy in beautiful places I create

I just changed the fountain with this new fox fountain, which I love. For the longest time, I had a fountain with an angel. I always look into improving the Retreat. I guess the need to express myself with the perfect little parcel may be part of the self-care I need to get through the day or month. It can be satisfying to see your creation.

What am I looking for?

I am always looking for new things that can improve this. I know I call my blog "No Time for Real Life", it is actually all about real life. We all have struggles to overcome and some of us may do this here in a virtual world. Yes, my therapist once told me to find things that make me happy in real life. 

I do have things that make me happy. I have odd compulsions to collect and send postcards around the world. I found out there are thousands and thousands of people who do the same thing. I just don't see anything wrong with this at all. It is keeping me away from the more damaging OCD behaviors of worry and anxiety. Some say: “The only way to overcome OCD is by facing your fears.” 

Nothing is certain in life. Make the best out of what you have as long as it not harm you or others.

Woot, Help has arrived!!!

As I make these improvements at the Retreat, keep in mind that I am working on myself in the real world.

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not seek the answers that cannot be given to you because you would not be able to live them, and the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.}
- Reiner Maria Rilke

The largest wedding celebration? Or is a drinking fest?

Not all Germans celebrate Oktoberfest, just like not all Americans are from Texas. The Oktoberfest is mainly celebrated in the state of Bavaria in Germany and the most famous one is in Munich.

If you like beer, lots of food, people, and a carnival, this festival might be for you. It is the biggest wedding celebration in the world, but you need cash and lots of it. To be honest I have never been to the Oktoberfest there and I really have no desire to go and smell the beer and vomit mixture. Of course, it can be fun.

You can celebrate Oktoberfest right here in Second Life. Bay City welcomes the harvest time with Oktoberfest, a celebration and carnival at the Bay City Fairgrounds from September 21st through October 6th, culminating in a party in the Biergarten from 2-4pm SLT on the last day. Come and enjoy!

I visited the Oktoberfest and had some delicious SL sausage and a Maß Bier (1-liter beer). They did not have any Lebkuchen hearts that you normally find at a carnival but they had many games and rides.

The correct spelling would be Würste, not Wursts, LOL.

Weisswurst, which translates to "white sausage" in English, is a traditional Bavarian sausage staple of Oktoberfest. 

Wiccaphobia

We are getting closer to the month of sorcery. Nothing to fear or worry about. Many people fear witches and Halloween because of what they have read or heard. There are a few different factors that contribute to the development of this phobia. Witch hunts may have been the result of the overarching need for a scapegoat to blame illness and misfortune on. Today, genetics, social learning, media, pop culture, and traumatic experiences can all play a unique role in the fear of witches. Xenophobia, or fear of people who are different, also feeds into this particular phobia.

Don't fear being different. Embrace your uniqueness and stay weird, well in a good way.

"Wild and lovely in the night
eyes on fire burning bright.
What power unseen created her
to walk among the mortals here"

Fear is easy to do, you just follow those who are always worried and they will make sure you become a winner. Instead, be strong and be you, that is the most important thing on this planet, to be you. Second Life allows you to be unique because you are. Transfer that into your real life. Yes, there are limitations. You have to adhere to the rules. Never bestow pain onto others because it will come back to you.

I am not the best role model to tell you what to do, but I can tell you from experience that hate always loses in the end. Trust me when I say there are many times when I wanted to put a spell on someone and see them fall, but I didn't. They will fall on their own and the truth will come out. 

“An it harm none, do what thou will.”
Blessed be, everyone!

You do not have to be a witch to understand that rule.

I know people are scared of clowns or monsters and yes I believe that wiccaphobia is a real mental illness and it can cause a lot of anxiety and stress on someone. My fear is spiders, so I know it is a real thing. Get help if you need to get help. never fear that.

I am a Witch, I do not hide.

A path I follow with great pride.

Love and Light I share thee well,

with intent cast in a spell.

Devon Reggiane

I met Devon many years ago when I was drowning in the Blake Sea. He did throw a life ring towards me. He is witty, weird, and unique but the man has talent and yes he can sing. I am glad he finally got the nerves to do it here in Second Life. If you ever get a chance to see him live, you will not regret it.

I have been wanting him to perform at the Retreat and I hope he will before he becomes too famous.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that he will soon.

Orange is the new color of love!

Well, maybe not, but a lot has been written about the color orange and how it affects your mood to feel more love. Orange is also linked to autumn and the color of dying leaves and pumpkins. The color is also heavily linked to Halloween in the United States, so it can sometimes have a dark or even cartoonish association.

Love Valley Autumn in Second Life combines the color of orange and romance. Ladies if you are looking for romance I found the men for you.

Orange isn’t a color ordinarily associated with romance. That dubious, cloying honor goes to reds and pinks—think long stems, no thorns, velvety petals on silky sheets. No, orange is the color of surprise and warning: a hazard sign, a smoggy sunset, a field of California poppies waving their heavy heads on the beach.

I have this love for orange and find it in many of the art pieces that I have created, as well as my decor in real life. Orange gives me that peace and inner joy. 

Orange, is a color that ignites the soul hue that can inspire, and make us whole

For in this color lies a power untold
The power of creativity, that we can behold.

Let orange be the color that fills you with might
That helps you soar, and take that daring flight
With the confidence of orange, you can do anything
And make your dreams a reality, let your heart sing.

If you are looking for a place to explore Love Valley Autumn is a nice place to meet up or just soak in the orange vibes. Autumn is here, so why not.

Pumpkin Thief

 Stealing pumpkins is a crime because it is theft. Now my question is why would anyone steal pumpkins? What is there to gain?

I read that in some neighborhoods carved pumpkins are being stolen and then found smashed on the road. It is just sad to know that people want to destroy the beautiful decor of pumpkins. I am sure they have no clue why pumpkins are carved in the first place. 

In Ireland, people referred to Stingy Jack’s ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” which was eventually shortened to “Jack O’Lantern.” People in Ireland and Scotland started making their own versions of Stingy Jack’s lantern, carving faces into turnips or potatoes. Those carved vegetables were placed in windows and by doorways to scare Stingy Jack away ... or any other “wandering evil spirits.”

What is your tradition about pumpkins? Do you make pumpkin pie and carve a face into the pumpkin? In real life, I like to buy small pumpkins and keep them as long as possible. Some have hardened and looked really cool. I also collect the stems of the pumpkin. Never know when this witch has a spell that requires a pumpkin stem.

Have a Happy Friday the 13th today.

“I heard a pumpkin a day keeps the goblins away.”

Frank N. Stein

 

Was he a monster or just a creature who wanted to be loved? The famous novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley may indicate both. We just never know what went through her mind when she wrote the story. There are valuable lessons we can learn from the story and apply to today's time.

The Monster is referred to by words such as "wretch", "monster", "creature", "demon", "devil", "fiend", and "it". We most definitely do this in real life when somebody does not look a certain way and we even do this in Second Life. Here in Second Life, we fix our avatar to perfection and without flaws, because there may be judgments by others.

Of course, we know better not to judge anyone according to their looks. 

The story has been analyzed by many and remember it was written by a teenager, who would have wanted to be accepted in the world like everyone else. If you never read the book, why not pick it up and immerse yourself in it. Reality has been altered by how we look and how we define beauty. Don't fall for those fake miracles that will only change the appearance for a little while. Eventually, you will have to tighten those wrinkles more and lift up those breasts higher. 

What becomes of it? A Monster, just like Frankenstein who says: “There is love in me the likes of which you've never seen. There is rage in me the likes of which should never escape. If I am not satisfied in the one, I will indulge the other.”

“When falsehood can look so like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness?”

Happy Reading!!!!

UNITED WE STAND = The story of "John"

 

“We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down.”

― Winston Churchill

9/11 Memorial - Always Remember, Never Forget 

A Tribute to The Victims & Heroes Who Lost Their Lives on September 11, 2001

The story about "John" comes up every 9/11 anniversary and it still haunts me today and makes me wonder what happened and where is he.

About 13 years ago I wrote this story, which was based on real life, about what I remember when the World Trade Center came down and the events before and after it. I was really honored when it was published on Yahoo in their Yahoo contributors section about 9/11.
People like us who are in Second Life are geeks of technology and before Second Life even happened I was part of this world.

The story about John started when around 2000 a community of people played on the platform Gamespy, I was part of Starfleet Command a trendy game based on Startrek. People who played this game formed a fleet and I happened to be a fleet commander. Being one of the girls who played this game was kind of a rarity because most guys did not want to have the fleet commander be a girl and be told what to do. We met online daily just like you did here in Second Life conducted meetings and then flew our battles against other fleets. Nobody knew each other's names in real life. We revealed little about each other and only a few details, maybe where we lived or an email address to get updates for fleet meetings. 

One night John revealed to us how happy and excited he was to get a job at the World Trade Center. He worked in finance and this was his dream job that finally came true. He would tell us how beautiful the view from up there was and how cool it would be to maybe one day have a reunion of all of us meet at the World Trade Center Windows of the World. You could tell how much he wanted that and we all thought how very cool this would be if we all could meet there.

Then it happened, 9/11 and suddenly the World Trade Center was gone. That night we met in our group on GameSpy and talked about the horrors and shock we all experienced. John wasn't there. We figured since he lived there he may not have power or internet services to give him a day or two. One of the guys who lived in New Jersey across from Manhattan would tell us how he could see the smoke go on for days. We heard nothing from John. 

It deeply hurt many of us, because we never knew to this day what happened to John. All we knew was he worked there and now he was gone. All I hope for if he did perish is that he is fighting for the Federation along with Mr. Spock and the others. Live long and Prosper, John!!!
John would absolutely love Second Life where he could explore and fly into space.

We did not have each other's real names, phone numbers or addresses. We did not know if he perished, but he would have been there and would have told us what was happening and he did not. May he and all the people who perished this day rest in peace. We shall ver forget and united we stand.

53 Days before Halloween

Lotions and Potions and books of spells, I have to get busy and cast a spell.

Do You Want a Relationship To Fail? You know sooner or later it will break up anyway if it is not true love. People always say oh this is my soulmate and then it turns out to be the worst person ever.

I do not necessarily want a relationship to fail, but why not speed up the process if you can.

So MOTE it be!!!

Be careful what you wish for because anything you cast that could hurt someone can come back to you threefold. 

I found the easiest spell ever. Write down his and her name on a piece of paper. Roll it around any candle and then light the candle and watch it burn down. The spell has been cast. These two will not stand a chance and are starting to dislike each other and eventually break up. Now there is one drawback to this, if they are soulmates, you will not be able to tear them apart, even witchcraft has no power of true love.

Do not let anyone grab you from behind!

Visiting my Neighbors

 Across from the Retreat and Basement Club, I heard some howling, so I wanted to check it out. I thought they must have a new pup and he is upset because the owner is not logged in.

What I discovered was something a bit bigger than a regular dog. Wolves howl to other members of their pack and howl to neighboring packs and lone wolves. This helps them alert outsiders that a territory is occupied.

I was not gonna argue with this big guy, but I wanted to check out the place. There was a sign private property and I saw a security orb in the house. 

  It is ok, I should not be snooping around anyway.

My neighbor's dog is a big wolf, 

Its eyes are so large and green

its tail is almost endless

the longest I have seen.

This is located on Route 12 across from the Retreat, come and say hello to Wolfgang, because he told me his name.

Can you describe your dream man's looks?

I am sure every woman and even man knows what their dream guy might look like. Sometimes it is not even the looks but his soul in general. When you have those butterflies, you feel it inside and nothing else matters.

I found out he is a celebrity and starred in films and poems.

I fainted when I saw him. He was glowing a neon green. Perfectly dressed in a potato sack, and who doesn't LOVE potatoes? 
His lair is lit with blacklights in the style of a funhouse. The glow reminds me of going to a Disco; that may be why he calls himself the Boogieman. 

I just love his look, nobody loves a skinny dude. The Oogie Boogie is shaped nice and round and imagine a great big pillow you can just cuddle up with.

I know he smiled at me and said come here. :)

He also has that everlasting smile and I know it was for me when he first set eyes on me. However, I could not tell what color his eyes were because you can tell a lot about eye color. His seemed to be black, but then again it was dark.

I heard that a Halloween Party featured trick-or-treat trails where Oogie helped oversee the candy gathering. There was also a huge release of merchandise based on Oogie, including an Oogie Boogie Bash Sipper, Oogie-inspired funnel cakes, and more.

He told me his family Lock, Shock, and Barrel were resting in peace (or did he say they were not resting in peace?) He also wanted to steal my heart, but I think he wanted to show me I was his heart. 

But then he became a bit weird and he said he loves to eat bugs. Yes, juicy bugs that have a lot of meat on them, and demonstrated and showed me how he crunched one up. For me, that was the deal breaker because I did not want to have any bug juice hitting my face. I politely and demurely excused myself got on my broom and flew off. 

Some things appear pretty but they are not.

Hello September

The Retreat in Second Life awaits your visit...and September is here, meaning Fall and Halloween are also almost here, meaning Fall and Halloween are also almost here.