I've been tagged....

I've been tagged by Joonie. Seems like a fun lil' thing to do.....

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Share 6 non-important/habits/quirks about yourself
4. Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up

1) I can eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's or Hagan Daaz without breaking a sweat. In fact, I have to force myself to NOT eat the whole damn thing in one shot. Chocolate Peanut Butter and Wavy Gravy are (were in the case of WG...no longer made) my favorites. And, NO, I do not weigh 600 lbs!

2) I was, at one time, very interested in the occult and magick and actually started studying The Golden Dawn, but didn't have enough time and energy to devote to it. And, NO, it's not devil worshipping or anything like that. :-D

3) I am somewhat obsessive in that I tend to do certain things the same way over and over again. It's nice as far as efficiency goes, as long as everything stays the same. Unfortunately, things change and then I'm thrown into a quandary of learning a new routine...lol.

4) I never really saw the reason for owning a PC until someone I knew found out about a concert that I was interested in. At that point, I realized that they could have useful purposes. After buying my first computer, I promptly joined the Sarah McLachlan internet mailing list and proceeded to meet who is now my wife, move to Omaha and start a family. Computers are a trip, huh?

5) I was a vegetarian for a very long time, until my Sarah McLachlan listening, meat-eating wife corrupted me to being a carnivore again. :-P

6) I procrastinate in way that would boggle your mind....about stupid shit. Important shit, too, I guess. There is at least fifteen other things I should be doing now. :-D

Okay...that's it. I'm going to tag bigd, Blissie, Kimala, Parker, Bradley, and Yordie!

Why So Many Pet Peeves?

I was browsing the SL forums the other day, and something struck me. There is a lot of shit that bugs people. I mean, stuff that to me seems quite unimportant that other people just do not tolerate.

*Hoo's, howling and gestures in general.
*Vampires/Bloodlines
*Unsolicited group invites
*LM/notecard givers on parcels/shops
*Alts
*Furries
*DJs that don't talk
*Djs that talk too much
*ASCI gesture spam
*Any type of RP

....and on and on and on.

Some of this stuff I do. I Hoo! I admit it. Most of my friends Hoo! Sometimes we get carried away. I guess I fail to see what is so bad about it. Same thing with howling. It's kind of a show that we're having fun and since most of this occurs at clubs, we ARE having fun. So why does this bother people? If you're in a RL club and having fun and let out a whoop or two, is that wrong? I have come to the conclusion that some people really do not want to have fun. Gestures? They can be a riot, when used properly. I love a few of my gestures, especially my Buffy gestures. :-) The one thing above that does bother me are the large ASCI gestures that take up a whole screen. I am not a fan of those, but while they may be a bit irritating, how big a deal is it really? A LM giver? Oh man, you mean I have to click Decline to not accept it? Man, what a bother. That's way too much work for me. *sighs* Same thing with group invites. I get them all the time. It's a simple decision. Do I want it, or don't I? Spam is when I get penis enlargement emails from someone I've never met before. A group invite I receive from frequenting a club or store I have visited and if I enjoy my visit, I'm happy to accept a group invite if I can fit it in my 25 groups.

All the serious stuff going on in our world today......financial upheavel, wars and death, etc....with all that, how is a vampire asking me to bite them going to be such a big deal that it would make me spout hatred and stupidity? This is SL, and it's not really a bite. If Hoo's bother you that much, mute the offender or leave the club. But remember this: If little shit like that bothers you, who's next? Because you can't make everyone behave the way you would like them to behave. Ramana Maharshi said, "Rather than cover the earth with leather to walk on, it's easier to make shoes for my feet." What that means, if little shit bugs me, maybe it's a sign I have some issues I need to work on.

Mirrors

People always ask, What is Second Life? For every person answering, there is a different answer. I suppose that this is because SL is just a different life. My answer is that Second Life is a mirror of RL. Some would argue that, "No, my SL is different. I do RP and my SL is not at all like my RL." On the surface that could be true, but I believe that we bring ourselves into SL and that if there is something that appears to be vastly different, it may be something that is within is that we have not noticed before.
I have an alt named Aeryn, and I am obviously not a female. I am not confused about my sexuality, but I created this alt and found a part of me that enjoyed it immensely. I'm a firm believer that we have aspects of male AND female within us, and it behooves us to acknowledge them both. I believe that is what meant by the Biblical passage that a man shouldn't sleep with males means that we should not stay to close to only our gender....that we should embrace the female within us, or viceversa.
I usually am more apt to be found doing something more spiritual with Aeryn than Crighton, as Crighton is usually more social. This week I was looking for Asian/oriental stuff and found my way to Buddha Art in SL. That is where the first two pics were taken. The second two were taken at a Japanese skybox that I've fallen in love with. Meditation is a big part of my spiritual life and it is reflected in many of my choices to decorate the places I've lived in. I always have meditation cushions and Buddhas and I love my tai chi balls, too!
So SL mirrors my real life. That is obvious, as you'll find me listening to live music or hanging at clubs that play the music I love. My SL work is DJing and playing the music I love for people who have found it enjoyable, also. And I also find myself drawn to anything spiritual and zen. If I had a sim, I would make it something very spiritual and would hope to have classes and groups made to join together. One of my dreams in RL and SL. Yet another mirror.

What is my point here? Well, other than an observation, my point is that I have always wanted to use SL as a catalyst to do some things in RL that I either have not been able to achieve, or that maybe I didn't realize were within the realm of possibility, until I saw that possibility arise in SL. A RL career in music and/or healing? Being more social and a better friend? Creating my own reality, and by this I mean CREATING my life anew. These are all thoughts that arose from past training and learning, and also from seeds that seem to have been fertilized by SL itself. Mirrors, indeed.

Alts And The Games They Play

First off, yes, I do have an alt. There was a time that Aeryn was pretty much a secret to most everyone. The reason for this I've mentioned in a previous blog entry, but, short and sweet, I wanted an alt to help find some quiet time on the grid due to various reasons. Also, to be honest, I created a female alt, because I had changed gender as Crighton and found it oddly fascinating. When my alt was pretty much a secret, I rarely brought her around to places and people I knew, because it felt uncomfortable to me. I felt like I was being dishonest and sneaky. It especially felt funny to me when I had male friends get "friendly" with Aeryn. I placed myself in their shoes and didn't like it one bit. So I kept away. Over a period of months, I let more and more friends in on my eccentric little "secret" and finally outed Aeryn on this blog. I also pretty much let all my close friends know about her, and didn't make much of an effort to keep it secret anymore. When I go somewhere, as Aeryn, that Crighton frequents, most people there know me. If someone gets friendly and I know them as Crighton, I tell them who I am, apologize for any weirdness and move on from there. In other words, I try to be honest.

Last night, at two of my gigs, we had a visitor at each one and the "alt radar" in some of us went off. I'm not paranoid about alts, as I have one and use her often and understand why some people do this. I have no problem with it as long as it's innocent and not manipulative. One of these "visitors" seemed to know more than I thought possible on a first meet and a flag went up. On one hand, I was amused, thinking, "who is this and what are they up to?" On the other hand, their was some tame flirting and I was wondering, if this is an alt of someone I know, what is their motivation? I understand that there is a possibility that the person was not an alt and maybe more perceptive than the average person, but what if...?

I'm not a fan of any type of manipulation, although I have to admit that being human, I've engaged in the behavior myself. I love alts, I really do. I know people on SL with multiple alts and used correctly they can be a lot of fun. I know that Aeryn has taught me a lot about myself, both good and bad. I have mad fashion skills that I never knew I had, and I, at one time, engaged in spying using Aeryn before she was "known." I'm not proud of that, so it is with amusement that I raise some of these questions, knowing I'm not lily white and innocent. You're shocked, aren't you? :-)

Wow!!

Short post and I may add to it later, but Nina Brandenburg sang live for the FIRST damn time at The Savoy Jazz Club today and she just blew us all away. What an amazing performance....first time out of the gate. Technically near perfect, and great phrasing and style, and she has a great feel for jazz and blues....improving and embellishing to match the songs. Oh, and her song selection was fantastic, too. She sang Ella Ticket-A-Tasket, Diana Krall Peel Me A Grape and Frim Fram Sauce, I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan and Stay by Sugarland. Her finale was the best I've heard with two Eva Cassidy styled versions of Imagine by John Lennon and Somewhere Over The Rainbow, which actually choked me up and brought on tears. Amazing performance and I'm sure that it's a matter of time before she hits it big in SL.

God, I was just speechless, and that NEVER happens!! ;-)

I'm getting ready....

....to get back into SL again, I think. This has been a very strange week. I have not done a very good job of getting caught up around the house in RL, and I have been on SL very rarely other than to DJ and attend a couple other events with friends. I have, however, been feeling that pull of doing some things in SL that I have not felt for a while. Nothing concrete, but I think I feel a project coming on. Don't ask me what, I'll let you know when I know. :-)

Oh, and I have an entry on my other blog too, today. It might explain me starting to emerge from my funk. I love Synchronicity, don't you? ;-)