merry christmas

to all my friends and readers who celebrate it, I wish a very Merry Christmas. To those who celebrate other festivals of the season, please accept my best wishes to you.

To some very special friends in the virtual world, I especially send my hugs and wishes for a wonderful new year:

Parker, a friend with whom I've shared both my frustrations and my counsel, and most of all my love.

Esteban, one of my very first and very best friends in SL, and a wonderful guy.

Danni, whose life I have added spice too (Cajun, specifically).

Chandlr, a guy who has an incredible talent with sculpties.

Effie, somebody I have shared both fun and frustration with.

KayCee, a very creative woman who has given me lots of helpful advice.

Darcy, a fellow bookworm.

Julianna, my favourite mermaid.

NightMorrisey, a recently made friend, who shared her frustrations, and listened to mine, and who has a beautiful place.

Chestnut, another new friend who appreciates and shares beauty.

And most of all, Pauline. I've known you for three of the four months you've been in SL, and have cherished all of the time with you. You are something special, my peapod sister.

so many more that I can't list you all.

To all of you, may the new year be a good one, full of joy, blessings, and friendship.

XO

this I believe

Chestnut Rau, in her blog entry from the 28th of July, This I Believe, had some very good thoughts that sparked some things I've been noodling with. So, in my usually belated fashion, here are my own thoughts, over a month later.

I am a real person in both physical life and the metaverse. I am the same person, the same self, but embodied in different ways in the different worlds. My avatars in the various worlds are me just as much as my physical body is me. And, yet, there are differences because of the differences between the worlds.

I do not choose to share everything about my physical life in the metaverse, and the reverse is also true. This does not make me any less real or honest in either place. I have no obligation to share "real world" information about myself with you, and I ask that you respect that. I accept that others make different choices, and I respect those choices. If you share things with me in confidence, I will keep that confidence, and I expect you to do the same for me.

If you cannot agree with what I have said, that's fine, but in that case, we will remain only passing acquaintances. I am far from perfect, I know, but it is not your role to "fix" me.

Finally, I believe in the Golden Rule, treat others as well as you wish to be treated. I don't always follow it perfectly, but I do try.

Surprise

Expecting new tech,
I rezzed in SL last Fall;
Instead I found friends.