Random Ranticles

Why PEI rocks: Feast your eyes.

While I fill my stomach.

I have commented long and loudly on the various aspects of PEI weather extremes, ice storms, extreme cold, 7 foot snowbanks, horrid road conditions leading to thoughts of imminent demise, red mud and potholes, lack of spring, mosquito clouds, black flies, and more.

There must be something that leads one to stay here, with 7 long months of winter, 3 months of mud and only 2 months of spring/summer.  See the picture for one of the main reasons to love living on PEI. The pleasure is brief, and long anticipated, but Damn, it works for me.

June 15th, 2008 Posted by Isle | Country Life | one comment

Second Life: My Social Experiment.

Good excuse if I ever saw one, for a trip into an immersive MMORPG.

Yes, it can stand for Mostly Making Only Really Pretty Girls, -true that, haven’t seen an ugly one yet, unless you count furries, and those are kind of cute… (if you are into them.. which I am not)(yet) -MMORPG stands for Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game, and Second Life sure fits that bill, with some notable differences. As the Second Life FAQs explain-

“Second Life provides near unlimited freedom to its Residents. This world really is whatever you make it, and your experience is what you want out of it. If you want to hang out with your friends in a garden or nightclub, you can. If you want to go shopping or fight dragons, you can. If you want to start a business, create a game or build a skyscraper you can. It’s up to you.”

My question is, if there are 50 to 60,000 people online in Second Life at any given time, where the Heck are they?  On Gor? I read all those books many years ago… John Norman was quite a guy, that’s all I can say.  I enjoyed his rich world, but can’t say I agree with his philosophy.  I still may check out Gor, just to see how it matches my memories of the books, and maybe get a chance to tame and ride a wild tarn…but that worry of getting kidnapped and collared kind of puts a damper on the exploration idea.  We’ll see.

In Second Life, I have created myself pretty much as I am in my first life, and my interests are the same, -interesting conversation, networking, good music, relaxation.  I could have used this opportunity to do as many do, and create the crazy fantasy life that I couldn’t have in reality, but this is what I like. Books, tech, music and idea exchange.

Because my interests may be boring and tame compared to the craziness available, I have to admit that it has been a bit of a challenge finding places to go, and people to hang out with.

I did get to a great lecture/book talk at the SLiterary Events Center with Emily Giffin and won her new book, which is on its way to me via snail mail.

How did I get started?

• Go to SecondLife.com and sign up, pick a name from the available last names, then download Second Life.
• Click the desktop icon, and start your Second Life. Hopefully, your computer specs agree with the program (it will let you know when you first run it)
• You appear on Orientation Island, and go through a series of tutorials to get you used to the controls and options, such as appearance modification.
• You can go to Help Island, and go through more tutorials. Note: Once you leave Help Island, there is no going back, so make sure you are good to go.

Now what?  This is the point where things can falter, unless you have a plan.

I suggest shopping. (Hey, I *am* a girl.) This can get your avatar geared up to look more typical, instead of the instantly recognizable Newbie avs. -No crime to be a newb, but it is such fun to buy hair, shoes, and accessories!

• Make use of that wonderful Search Box in the upper right corner, and type whatever kind of clothing you would like to find. Jeans, Dresses, business suits, Couture, Bling…
• If you don’t want to buy some Linden$ right off to get some really great hair and clothes ($2000 Linden costs me about $8 USD…spending $2000 in SL shopping is every bit as fun as spending that much in a mall, believe me. Not that I have ever dropped 2 grand in a mall…) you can hit the “Popular Places” tab in the search history box, and go to one of the places that advertise Freebies.
• You can also earn $L by “camping” (staying in a camping spot to increase the numbers for that place, raising the relevance for it on search results) and hitting up money trees etc.
• Note: Visit a lot of the better hair and clothing spots, you will be surprised to find quality freebies, or offerings of “freebies” that are just $1L.
• Note: Freebie places can be confusing and very CPU demanding, due to the number of avatars that are attracted, and the resources required to render it all, so don’t let that craziness and lag influence you against the rest of the world.

After you get yourself outfitted with clothes, maybe a new skin (shaded and more realistic, including..non-Barbie like colouring/parts and makeup if required) new eyes, and flexi-hair that moves when you walk, you can begin to explore the worlds.  More searching, -I check events for discussions, upcoming classes in SL design and newbie tutorial classes.

When you teleport to a world, you are usually given a TP card, so you can find it in your “Maps” directory.  There are many well known educational institutions, historic sites, and SL creations that mirror real life places to visit.  Search for whatever interests you.  I recently found the interactive virtual replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, created for those who can’t visit the real world site.

Second Life is a unique and interesting place, -after a brief orientation you will feel more at ease, and begin to enjoy the vast knowledge and scope of entertainment/history/travel that is waiting  for you.

It does take some work and commitment to stick it out and find some places and friends that you will feel comfortable with, but it is worth it.  Don’t give up. I almost did, then I found a great reggae club, a classic rock pub, and a discussion spot worth revisiting. I shall give linkage and details of my ongoing adventures in future posts.

If you would like to connect in-world, leave a comment here, and I will tp you for some shopping, dancing or sitting in on a talk.  I will certainly be glad to lend a hand.

June 8th, 2008 Posted by Isle | Second Life | 3 comments

Hey Mickey, You’re so Fine… (not)

There is a dead mouse somewhere in my kitchen cupboard, smelling very very bad.

I am thinking that tomorrow I will have to fortify myself somehow and go hunting for it.  I don’t really want to find it, but it seems the proper thing to do.

Does one go searching for a bloated rotting leaking blueish carcass, and peel it off the hidden shelf strapping and dispose of it to eliminate the horrid stink, or just move the mugs, coffee and sugar onto the counter, put yellow and black hazard tape through the handles and wait out the 3 weeks until dessication occurs with multitudes of Airwicks and Yankee candles?

Aggressive action that will lead to physical distress and illness, (but brief and final), vs. evasive non-aggressive situation control and long term monitoring.

I have done both courses of action/inaction during my term as a country dweller, and both have merits and drawbacks.

Let’s just see how feisty I feel in the morning.

June 7th, 2008 Posted by Isle | Country Life | one comment

Hitchhiker’s Guide to PEI

   Note to hitchhiker: Sorry I didn’t stop to pick you up this morning. I realize you are likely harmless, your car didn’t start, and you need to get to work, but you see, I am a woman, driving alone.  I can’t take chances on you just to assauge my feelings of guilt for leaving you standing in the dust, looking forlorn and tired in my rearview mirror.

I resent that you may have judged me as aloof or thoughtless as I sped by.  I resent that you made me mentally flash through the possible repercussions of picking you up.  I did not need to be reminded of my frailties, and my fears.  I did for a second consider pulling over, and looked at the seat beside me where you would have sat.  Beside me lay my laptop, my purse, my Treo.

I imagined pulling over, and moving these things to make room as you climbed in.  I imagined pulling away, and glancing over as you pulled out the boxcutter, and ordered me to pull back over, or to drive down the deserted dirt lane to the left. I imagined the one brief moment when I realized that my thoughtless course of action had begun a series of life altering events, and there was no undo button.

No cavalry was going to charge in, no Indy was going to swing in on a rope and pull me out of the jaws of fate that I had pulled over to admit into my life.

At the very least, I would lose my car, my money, my belongings.  At the worst, I could lose my freedom, my bubble of safety, my belief in the veneer of “all is good and fine in the world”, my life.

No ominous background music accompanied this imaginary foray into my starring role in a Steven King novella, just the benign chattering of the Sirius Hits1 morning crew.

As I drove along alone, long after you had dwindled to a barely visible speck behind me, I became angry. Angry at you for having stood at the side of the road, looking dusty and hopeful.  Angry at the society in which these thoughts aren’t merely scary fantasy but a stark reality.  Angry at my vulnerability.

On that note, I retract my beginning statement. No, I am not sorry. I am a woman, and I drive alone. Call a buddy, or wait for a farmer in a pickup to drive by. Keep your thumb to yourself.

May 28th, 2008 Posted by Isle | Random Reactions | 7 comments

WordPress n00b 2.0

Finally getting some theme work done.  Once things get smoothed out, I am hoping to blog everyday, however mundane or brief.

Ok, hopefully *never* mundane. For your sake, hopefully occasionally brief. 

May 28th, 2008 Posted by Isle | Uncategorized | no comments

Broom of Doom

Import from past blog.  I can’t auto-import, so now and then (to fill the neglected spaces) I will move a blog over by hand.  

This is two different observations, set months apart, spurred on by the sweeping of my floor a moment ago, which itself was spurred on by the fact that my girlfriend is coming over with a coffee and the place looks like a nuclear shit explosion. I swept the kitchen floor.

While I was sweeping, (call me Martha and die a painful death) I realized that I hate it when my dirt pile crawls away. How annoying is that…sweep, sweep……reach out, sweep, sweep…..

Something made me stop reaching out to corral the little spider who kept tumbling, shaking himself off and running away yet again.

There’s me, universal giant, Broom of Doom, gathering it up mindlessly, dragging it from its course, because I could.

Because the urge struck me to sweep, and its existance didn’t suit me.

I stopped, set the broom against the counter and watched the dizzy skinny little spider wobble about, find its bearings and scurry off back under the edge of the cupboard.

Story number 2, set back at the end of the summer.

I had a glass of water set on my bedside table. I always put a card or some covering on top, so flies wouldn’t fall in during the night, as I didn’t really need the surprise protein at 2 am.

I suppose I forgot to put the cover back on at some point, and when I awoke and was getting dressed I noticed a fly floating in the water. Damn, I hate flies.

I went about my day. That night when I was going to bed, I realized I had forgotten to bring the glass down and dump it.  I looked in, and there was the fly, on its back, still buzzing, floating little circles.  Still surviving, trapped in that sea of tap water. 18 hours later, and this poor fly bastard was still spinning and buzzing and trying.

I put my finger in the water, lifted up the fly, waited until it dried off enough and then set it on the window sill to crawl away.

Part of me thought I was nuts, it’s a fly- it will probably buzz around the room and annoy me when I try to sleep, but the main part of my mind said no, it deserved another chance.

Perseverance isn’t always logical or calculated. Sometimes little lessons are bigger lessons.

A spider, and a fly, creatures I could snuff in an instant without thinking, both naturally exhibiting perseverance and strength, no matter the size or reason.

Sometimes it’s good to step back and watch. Maybe we are as the spider or the fly. Wouldn’t it be nice, on some random day, if the Broom of Doom just stood back and let us crawl away?  If the giant Digit of Freedom dipped down and lifted us out of the pool of our demise, just on a whim?

Neither miracle however, could happen, if we did not keep crawling away from the dirt pile, or keep buzzing and swimming in our glass of entrapment.

That’s my thought of the day. Now I have a floor to finish sweeping.

May 26th, 2008 Posted by Isle | Uncategorized | no comments

Welcoming pre-blog blog.

Sorry for the flatness, just getting the hang of WordPress.
Importing from www.frisket.ca didn’t work, so I will start fresh here.  I might hand-transfer a few of my favourite posts, just to get things started.

Welcome to my newness,  and thanks for visiting. Put your business card in the hat by the door on your way out, I will be drawing for door prizes at the end of the show. Special of the Day at Shirley’s Diner in Tignish is the coveted prize.  Unless it is “macaroni and cheese with a biscuit day”, then you are S.O.L, and sorry… but thanks for the card.

May 7th, 2008 Posted by Isle | Uncategorized | 2 comments