The Big Bad Blogger Challenge!

So my good friend Alicia Chenaux came up with the Big Bad Blogger Challenge. I usually don't do blogger challenges for several reasons.

1. I don't really consider myself a "Blogger". I just play with toys and talk about them.

2. I usually don't have time to do them.

3. They are usually about girlie stuff, to which I usually dont have much to contribute to.

This particular challenge runs over several days, and I have seen several great entries for them. Again, I just have not had the time to keep up.

But today..for some reason, I got it into my head to do one of the themes: If there was someone you could trade places with for one day in Second Life, who would it be and why?

So here goes.



I would like to trade places with Truth Hawks for 1 whole day. Why? Let me 'splain.

1. It would be interesting to see what it would feel like to actually have talent!

2. I might get a sneak peak at his next work of amazing..and hold it over my friends heads for a little bit.

3. I might be able to influence him to make more GUY hair!

4. I would have is Avatar eat more...he is a SKINNY little dude!

5. I would upgrade his dances ...so I dont have to keep adding him to my Huddles

6. Being Truth for a day, would give me a break from my stalker.

So, as I log in as Truth, I weed through ALL the messages he gets, I scan the "in process" folders for unreleased stuff, then start to peruse down his friends list. That is when I see it! My stalker...IS ON HIS LIST TOO! *facepalms

Damn..well, 5 out of 6 ain't bad!

*thanks to Truth for indulging me with this little lark AND...thanks to the Amazing Rylan, for not only thinking I am crazy...but for helping me with the pic when I was getting frustrated!

So it's only "a game"...

I my previous post, I laid out 3 "types" of people that inhabit the world of Second Life. In the third type, I referred the the phrase "It's only a game". I have heard this phrase used about Second Life many times, and it always confused me a bit, mostly because I don't consider it "Just a game". Tonight, I had a small epiphany.

A game is a game. Poker, Chess, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Nascar, Barrel Rolling, Downhill Shovel Racing, and even Politics are all games. Some games have higher stakes than others, but when it gets right down to it, its ALL, "just a game". The difference is how much energy each player puts into whatever "game" they are playing. Heck, people make entire lives out of "games". Careers are created, maintained, and die, playing "games". People are born, live, and die..in games. It has been said, that all the world...is a game. (Actually, I believe it was "All the world is a stage", but you get what I mean..:) )

So when somebody says Second Life "is just a game", I think they really don't understand. Of COURSE it's a game. But EVERYTHING is a game.

So, here is something I want you to really think about.

Maybe it really IS not whether you win or lose...but HOW....you PLAY...."The Game"!

*smiles, and slowly turns, heading back to his favorite spot for some more playtime

Avatars are avatars..

(sung to the tune of People are People by Depeche Mode)

I have been thinking a lot about Avatars in Second Life recently. Just doing a bit of introspective study of myself and others. I don't know if its just me, or human nature to try and categorize things, but I think I have come up with something.

There is always something dramatic happening around in Second Life. It either starts in Plurk and spills over onto the Grid, or visa versa. It's usually about something that somebody did, or said, or didn't say, etc etc etc. All this Avatar interaction, which is really just an extention of human interaction, is really just different types of people...misunderstanding each other in my humble opinion.

It seems to me, that there are 3 basic types of Avatars (and the people behind them) that are in Second Life.


Type 1. The very serious Avatar

This Avatar takes everything very seriously in Second Life. As serious as they take their Real Lives I would hope, but there is nothing funny, or light hearted about this Avatar at all. Everything these Avatars do and say are done and said with complete seriousness, just as if there were interacting with you in Real Life.


Type 2. The occasional serious but usually light hearted Avatar.

This Avatar takes some things very seriously in Second Life, but also knows that much of it is just for fun. Each Avatar in this catagory has some things they take seriously in Second Life. What does this Avatar take seriously? It could be anything really, but there is something or things they they take very seriously in Second Life, while the rest of it is all for fun, or just ignored.


Type 3. The complete lack of seriousness Avatar.

This Avatar is only interested in fun. Nothing about Second Life is taken seriously at all. They travel within the world of Second Life, and do anything they please, without any regard to anything really. These people can be griefers, although not all of them are. These Avatars can be judgemental, but always cover it by saying "oh, its all in fun". This Type of Avatar will usually move around the Grid in a group. Sometimes you hear them in voice, laughing at what they see, or hear. They may do different Role Plays, try different things out, but all of it is just "playing in the moment". After all, Second Life is "just a game".

(Each one of these "Types" have subcatagories, some of which are way to numerous to list. This is just a simple comparison list for pete's sake! :) )

The above catagories are not judgements, but an an attempt to illustrate a point. It would seem to me that where most of the problems that occur with Avatar interactions is when you get incompatible types of Avatars together. If you put a Type 1 Avatar together with a Type 3, I would predict that they would not get along well. Maybe for a short time...but eventually it will fall apart, usuallly involving drama of some sort. I have even seen two Type 2's have issues, because what each one took seriously was not the same thing.

Maybe the trick is to really identify what Type you are, and surround yourself with like Types?

It does remind me of the E-Harmony commercials you see on TV or hear on the radio. 39 levels of compatibility testing (or something like that) to find your perfect match, or your money back...yada yada yada.

Maybe once Linden Labs is finished moving all the "adult" stuff into a lock box (um...I mean..the ZINDRA SIM), they can come up with a way to indentify your "Type" of avatar, and then they can customize your Second Life experience THAT way too. Just a thought.

So I guess the next question is...what Type are you?

*runs

Time for a RANT! ...and a Game! (NSFW!)

The Universe is full of opposition. Plus and minus, good and evil, coke and 7-up, etc etc etc. The universe is also full of things that are neutral. Because we humans are emotional creatures, we often times attach emotional value to "things", but in reality, they are just things.

Second Life is a "thing". It does things, allows things to happen. It's an enabler, a catalyst. I would say Second Life is like money. When you have either (or both, hopefully), you have "opportunities".

It is said that your "character" is defined by what you do when nobody is looking. Second Life is a HUGE character mill, because essentially, nobody is looking (from the outside that is). So, how do you treat people...and yourself...when nobody is looking?

Griefers are easy to define. Somebody who is unhappy, who goes out of their way, spends time and effort to make sure nobody else is happy. I get that. They are honest about it. I respect that.

What I am having trouble with recently is this. People who pretend to be happy. They pretend to be your friend, or lover, or business partner, etc. They manipulate you to where they want you, then they drop the hammer on you. They ask you to do things that you would not normally do, just for thier own entertainment purposes. Or they literally rob you, whether it be of Lindens, your friends, your business, or something else that you have placed value on.

I understand Roleplay. But in roleplay, all parties involved understand the rules, and have signed onto it. The above, is not roleplay.

I understand the desire to be social. We are social creatures. I honestly believe we are not designed to be alone. But I also do not believe we are designed to be with just ANYBODY. When we decide that anybody is better than nobody, we put ourselves in a vulnerable position. We allow people to manipulate us, or we end up manipulating someone else, because we don't want to be "alone".

What does that say about us? What is it about ourselves, that we do not like? Why can we not stand to be by ourselves?

For me, if I cannot stand to be by myself, why would anybody else want to be with me? It would seem logical that in order for people to want to be around me, I should be someone that someone would WANT to be around? How would being an ass, or a jerk, or just someone who is not pleasant, draw people into my life?

I know there are people who "pretend" to be happy, easy going, and fun. I give them credit for trying, but I feel sad for those who cannot seem to make it true in all parts of thier lives. I wonder how much these people are waiting for someone to "make" them happy.

I do not expect someone to "make" me happy. I "am" happy. I have people that enhance that happiness, every day. I want these people in my life, I let them know how much they mean to me, as often as possible.

I also have people that I wish were happy. I love them, and I pray for them everyday. I pray that they will wake up one day, and realize that its up to "them" to be as happy as they can be. I pray that they will have that "aha" moment, and truly become happy. Some have been there before, and lost it, others, are just looking. I think about these people everyday, to help the universe direct the right energy to them.

I rarely get mad. There are few things in life, that really piss me off. One of these things is, however, when someone treats someone I care about, wrong. I don't know if its my protective nature (I am a Leo) or what....but I get REALLY angry, when someone treats another human being, with such a lack of basic respect, that it makes that you wonder what type of person they really are.

There is something to be said for the anonymity of Second Life that is freeing. I have known, and know, several people that have had VERY positive life changing things happen to them because of Second Life. I also know people, that seem to think that Second Life gives them a license to just be the biggest ass they can, for reasons I cannot understand. It would seem to me, that given the freedom of Second Life to be ANYTHING you want...why would you be something you are not proud of...in any world?

We have the ability to choose the type of person we want to be, in both worlds. Second Life is a perfect opportunity to test out a new outlook, maybe even a new life...to see how it works, before moving these new ideas into the real world. I see soo many people just wasting this fabulous opportunity, it really makes me sad.

The point of all this? Outside of this being a way from me to vent my frustration and anger, I hope that the idea I put forth, will spark something in somebody...to wake up, and really begin to think about what you have gotten yourself into, and at what expense. Is it really worth it?

Ok...rant over.

And now..for a brand new thing I am starting. I have been having SOOOO much fun recently, I want to give a bit back.

But before I do, let me say this. The people that have come into my Second Life, some recently, some not so recent, have been so amazingly nice, and make me laugh so hard, every single day. I cannot thank them enough, for just being them, and for letting me be part of THEIR lives.

So, here is my new little game, or contest if you will.

Its called, Name those Bewbs!

I will post a picture of a pair of bewbs on my blog, and on plurk. I will collect the names of the people who make a guess at the owner of the bewbs in question. At the end of 2 days, the actual owner, will pick a name out of the list of people who submitted a guess, and that person will get a $1,000 linden gift card, or its equivalent, to thier favorite store in SL.

The actual owner of the bewbs will not be revealed, unless the owner gives the ok..:)

So..here is our first official "Name those Bewbs" entry!





(I will give a hint..its NOT who you think it is!)

Now, all official guesses must be email to me at aldwynzanz@gmail.com, no later than 48 hours after this is posted.

One guess per person please, so make it count!

Ok everybody..let the guessing BEGIN!

*fires his starting gun!

Love Thursday!

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are gonna get!

The only thing that never changes in life is that there will always be change.

Ok, enough of the “quotes”. Second Life, as in Real Life, is constantly changing whether we like it or not. Sometimes we accept the changes willingly, other times we fight them tooth and nail.

One of the biggest things to change is when people come into, or out of our lives. New people, or even just a change with someone you already know, is very exciting. It opens up that exciting realm of possibilities, and the excitement of a new journey.

It is especially hard though, when someone leaves your life. They leave for all sorts of reasons, some that you never fully understand, but you must accept that it’s for the best. You never want them to go, because they are a part of you, but you cannot force them to stay either. It has to be…something that they want, otherwise…nobody is happy.

I am a big believer that things happen for a reason. I believe the forces of the universe are always at work, and while it’s important to work hard to “make” things happen, there are also things that “just” happen, and in my experience, these “just happenings” are a very good thing.

I have friends, who are of the mindset that their lives are already laid out for them, and really don’t do much to “make” things happen, because it’s already done for them. I also have friends, some very good ones, which seem to say one thing, but do another. I accept this about them, because I love them, but I am not sure I understand it.

I have discovered that people who are not consistent with their words and their deeds, generally speaking are not very happy people. I think it has to do with the internal conflict inside, because they KNOW they are not consistent, but cannot seem to rectify it. I am guessing at this, because I know I am not happy when I cannot walk the walk. Granted things are rarely as simple as black and white, but I do try very hard, to be consistent in my word, and my deed.

Anyway, as stated above, change is inevitable. There have been some changes for me recently, some sad, some fun, some amazingly great! I have had very close friends, who have decided to fade out of my life, and I have had new friends enter, to my extreme benefit.

For the friends that have faded, I love you all, I miss you, and I hope you find all that you are looking for. I hope the universe finds it in their wisdom to bring you back around someday, just as they found the wisdom to bring you into my life in the first place. I will be here, as I always am.

As for the people that have recently been unwittingly added to my universe, welcome! Padded rooms are down the hall, cookies are on the table, and try not to make a mess, it’s hard enough to clean up after myself. Oh, and btw, if you ever need ANYTHING, do not hesitate to ask, you know how to reach me.

This is my Love Thursday contribution, because as hard as change can be, I love it, and would not have it any other way!

Do you know....

...who you really are?

Do you have a vision of yourself? Do you run scenarios in your head such as "if this were to happen, how would I react"?

I do this a lot. I will look at what I will be doing on any particular day and let my head run through scenarios on how I will handle certain things, if they were to happen.

When I was younger, I would do this with school, girls, work, family, just about anything. I would have scenarios running through my head all the time. Was not alway great for the attention span, but I have this fear of being in a situation, and having NO idea what to do.

I think the fear of being helpless is probably one of my greatest fears, next to my fear of being misunderstood. I have never wanted to be in a situation where I would just...give up. I cannot even fathom that.

Before I joined Second Life, I had a pretty good idea about who I was. What type of person I was. One the things that just intrigued the hell out of me about our little world here is that I could try out different things that I had never tried before, see if I liked it. With all the role playing, and abilities to become anything I want, I did find it interesting to discover, that heck, I really like ME, I like who I am.

This experience has really reinforced the person that I am. I have found a world where the current rules of our societies do not exist in the same form. Many of the limitations of our Real Life existance do not exist in Second Life. What type of person would I be in that world?

How wierd is it to discover that the person I am is actually the person I would CHOOSE to be, give the opportunity to be ANYTHING, or ANYONE, I want?!

Now I will admit..there are times, where I see a result that someone gets, that I was not able to achieve, and think.."damn, I should look at how that was done, cause I would like some of that". But more often than not, I find that what that person did to achieve that goal, was not only not the type of person I am or wanted to be, but the results that I thought were attractive, was only temporary.

So I run scenarios. If I do this, what will the outcome be. Will it be temporary? or permanent. How much energy will be required to get said desired result. Is that result actually worth the energy? How much energy will be requried to maintain the desired result? Is it worth it?

This all makes for some very interesting conversations in my head. I ask myself questions. What does "this" really mean. Why did I react THAT way, in this particular circumstance. Why did that action make me (sad, mad, happy, etc). What was it about that, that really triggered that emotion.

Some might say that I think TOO much. There are times when I would agree with that. But most of the time, it's all of these thoughts, and conversations, and scenarios, that have helped me be who I am. Helped me be able to NOT react in certain ways, because I know, or at least have a pretty good idea, why I MIGHT react that way, and can look at myself, and say "hmm..well, that sucks, but...I can handle it".

I truly wonder, how much of a freak this all makes me. Do other people do this? Do other people...think about who they are? What kind of person they currently are, and what kind of person they truly want to be?

Do YOU know?

I Don't Get It!

Why is it that people have such a hard time admitting they were wrong or made a mistake?

I have been dealing with customers all day long, and many of them are really just being wierd.

It is painfully obvious that they were completely wrong, or assumed something they should not have, but are getting angry at ME. I really want to ask them "if YOU made an incorrect assumption, why are you talking it out on me?"

This is something I have noticed over the years. I have really tried to understand this phenomena. I am still not there.

What is SOOOO bad about saying "man, was I wrong on that", or "boy, I sure made a wrong decision there, didn't I". Are people afraid of ridicule? When was the last time you ridiculed, outside of friendly ribbing, someone who admitted making a mistake?

I know I am not perfect, as I know nobody else is also. We learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes, so I would think that admitting to them, would be a something to not necessarily be afraid of.

But it seems that more often than not, people will stand by a decision, no matter HOW bad, just to keep from admitting that they were wrong. I guess I just don't see the reason being RIGHT is soo important that they will keep the bad decision going.

Why?

Do people think it will make them look weak? That they will lose respect if they admit to being wrong? Do they even THINK about it that much? or is it just a reaction, with no thought at all.

I know that if somebody comes to me with a problem, and they take responsibility for thier own mistake, or misunderstanding, and don't try and blame me for it, that I am more than happy to help them as much as I can. But if a person is getting angry with me, because of something THEY failed to do, I have zero modivation to do anything to help them, and I am usually tempted, to tell them what a compelete moron they are. But I never do because 1) they won't get it, and 2) it just brings me down to thier level, which I refuse to do.

So I let it go, but I am truly interested in understanding this mindset. Any hints? clues?

Please let me know.