St. Valentine was no lover or patron of love

Valentine’s Day, in fact, originated as a liturgical feast to celebrate the decapitation of a third-century Christian martyr, or perhaps two. Just like most stories they get twisted and turned and before you know it people feel obligated to buy flowers, cards, and candies.

The love connection probably appeared more than a thousand years after the martyrs’ death, when Geoffrey Chaucer, author of “The Canterbury Tales” decreed the February feast of St. Valentinus to the mating of birds. He wrote in his “Parlement of Foules”:

“For this was on seynt Volantynys day. Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.”

Today, shops everywhere in England and the U.S. decorate their windows with hearts and banners proclaiming the annual Day of Love. Merchants stock their shelves with candy, jewelry, and Cupid-related trinkets begging “Be My Valentine.”  I have nothing against celebrating love. In fact, it is still the one thing that keeps us going. 

And much like love itself, St. Valentine and his reputation as the patron saint of love are not matters of verifiable history, but of faith.

Want to celebrate Valentine's Day with us? Come and stop by the Basement Club for an evening of oldies but goodies that talk about love and heartaches. 

Tonight 6-8 PM SLT

Basement Club 

‘Doubt that the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move his aides,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love’

What comes next?

If UFOs were visiting our world, where were these extraterrestrials? Could they be hidden among us? Comic books and television illustrate how the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors reflected the anxieties of that era. Well, I believe these aliens are already here in Second Life. 

Are these alleged visitors from other worlds peaceful and benevolent or would they attack and destroy humanity? We do not really know if they are more advanced than us, only Hollywood shows that to instill fear into us. Do not fear.

Sure, many of us have heard of abductions by aliens. I really don't think they would be so dumb and take any of us. No, they want to see what we have in Second Life. Here we can build an entire universe of things we imagine and interact with it. Who would have thought 40 years ago that this would be possible? We were barely discovering the Pacman game on our home television sets. It was an amazing technology that soon became available to us all. More entertainment followed that was computer generated and it advanced to personal computers most of us now have. Aliens want that technology.

We now have 3D graphics that look so real you do not know if you are in a game or in reality. Reminder! Second Life of course is not a game, but a virtual world where so much is possible. I remember seeing a report about how companies were investing in real estate (virtual that is) in second life almost 20 years ago. We have come so far.

I just hope when the aliens come and take us they let us bring second life along, so we can play a game within the virtual world.

Stay vigilant out there and do not worry about balloons. Did you know that the first rubber balloon was sold as a toy in 1825? Whatever comes next will come, we cannot stop the future, but we can embrace it and go with it. 

Peace!!!

 

Who needs a date for Valentine's Day?

Who really needs a date for Valentine's Day when you are surrounded by cats? Call me the crazy cat lady but these creatures appreciate everything I do.

Cats are relatively quiet animals, they don't make constant remarks like a date might make. You feed them and they lay down somewhere and nap. The best thing is they are self-cleaning. I remember living with a partner and I always had to clean up after them. 

You can train your cat (cats), well most of them you can. Cats can be very good for your health, unlike a human who may give you stress and anxiety. I am not saying that humans should be totally out of the picture, but I do prefer cats for the most part. In real life, I have 2 cats and they love me even when I am not happy. They do not demand much of me. In second life I can have as many cats as I like. :)

Of course, you could go and sign up for THUNDR and get a date that fits your style. Just in time for Valentine's Day I have put the HUD into my inventory and see how this will work. He better likes cats as much as I do.

Want to know more about THUNDR, watch the video and maybe we will meet while swiping.

 

You can always stop by the Basement Club and meet all the lovely people here. Whatever you do, may "love" find its way into your heart and keep you smiling. If all else fails: Get a cat or two :)

Happy Chinese New Year

The year of the rabbit will hopefully bring calmness and prosperity to us. It is said people born in the year of the rabbit are seen as caring, attentive to details, and likely to follow rules. They are also said to be successful in their careers and good at making friends. I hope you will make many new friends this year and maybe they will be born under the year of the rabbit, but either way, it is time to celebrate a new year. 

I visited this sim and store in Second life: Dysfunctionality [DDD] Est. 2006. 100% original mesh furnishings focus on low prim cost Home & Garden. This is also a nice place to take some pictures.

The "Lunar New Year" is also called Spring Festival in Asian Countries, which is celebrated with food, parades, and family get-togethers. It is packed with fun activities for the entire family.

If you can't get together with families in your country due to Covid Restrictions, you can come here to Second Life and find some of the destinations that celebrate this colorful holiday. I love this about second life because you can find just about any interest group here.

Gong Xi Fa Chai, wishing you prosperity and wealth.

Love is the flower you've got to let grow

 As the new gallery is coming about, I uploaded a bunch of my "Flower Art".

All the artwork is done by me and there is even a free gift for you as well.

Flowers are not just for Valentine's Day, but for all year round. It brings people smiles and hey most smell good too.

Being able to have flowers in Second Life any time I want to is such a joy. I am amazed by the creator who can duplicate these magical blooms and bring them here into this world.

Flowers for weddings, flowers for the dinner table, and even flowers for mourning are unthinkable to go without.

My father always planted flowers on the balcony and the colors were so beautiful.

Stop by and see the flower art. Each painting can be purchased as well. I had so many people ask me if they can buy my art and I never really wanted to just let go of them, but here they are ready for you to decorate your own Second Life House.

Flowers are like love, you have to let them grow. 

The "new" Retreat Gallery

It is finally complete. The new gallery building and the landscaping are done. Just like in real life, we like to re-decorate our environment, so I wanted to make the changes to the building for some time.

We will soon have a grand opening and invite all of you to come and see it. Of course, you can come to it now and take a look. The Retreat is always open to everybody at any time.

In order to make it all work and blend together I also had to change the entry building for the Basement Club. I think it all looks good and in a few weeks, I will add some new artwork as well. Now if just real-life changes were as easy as in second life.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” – Confucius.

How is my real life going? Well, I am still working on getting better healthwise. It takes some time to recover from almost death to being alive again, but I will do it. 

It has not stopped me from doing my set as a DJ at the Basement Club. Come and stop by sometime and listen in. We do have some great music here and the other DJs are just full of knowledge when it comes to music.

Changes allow us to remember we don’t know it all and we don’t have all the answers.

What is new for 2023?

 

I am rebuilding the Retreat Gallery with a new structure and more...it takes a bit to make it all look great but stop by and see the progress. There was nothing wrong with the old building, it just had too many memories that I need to leave behind. This will be fresh and new.

There will be lots of space to sit and enjoy the landscape and meet up with your friends. I am also adding two rentals as well. 

Happy New Year and a Happy new beginning :)

Anjelikka