1st Life/Another sobering holiday weekend to deal with

There is a new mechanic at work named Walter who's an all-around decent guy. His mother is very near death. Today at work he was getting a lot of turmoil off his chest--impossibly hard-to-describe turmoil, which I'm sure is therapeutic. He lives with his best friend, a smart dog named Randy. He is very devoted to his dog, as well as his mother. Seeing his mother go out this way has to be the hardest experience of his life.

Another strong dog connection, this one. Another grieving situation. Another holiday weekend...

Another neighbor friend who needs strength.

1st Life/2nd Life
Turkey Talk

I logged into Battlefield 1942 for the first time today in a long time. It was a peaceful rendezvous.
The world of Second Life has been occupying my time (obviously). The re-entry into BF42 was a good experience; I loved seeing all the souls who inhabit that world. Nateos is a great server offered up by the mysterious--and generous--Frenchman "Peck." It is a place of a billion laughs.
In the SL world (like the BF42 world) you meet people from around the world. Yesterday, I met with Meri again, the designer of the community tavern I was raving about a few posts ago. She told me she is from Turkey. The woman who produced the most beautiful tavern ever is from a country I know almost nothing about! Talk about irony! Her little flourishes still amaze me...
We talked and laughed and then I did something that may have annoyed her: at the moment she announced she was from Turkey I was chewing on some turkey from the previous night's Christmas dinner. I told her this, and I don't think she thought it was funny. (Sometimes people name things strangely. For instance, the turkey. Why was this named after a country?? For the answer, I turn to Wikipedia.
In the part under "Naming": "When Europeans first encountered these species in the Americas, they incorrectly identified them with the African Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris), also known as the turkey-cock from its importation to Central Europe through Turkey, and the name of that country stuck as also the name of the American bird." So Turkey played a roundabout role in the mistaken identity of a bird that Americans feast upon during a binary holiday beginning on Thanksgiving and ending on Christmas.

First, the American "Indians" were called an incorrect name, then the food commemorating peace with the "Indians" is mistakenly called "Turkey"?! Ay-yay-yay. Thanksgiving needs a new chapter under "Irony.")

I encourage anyone in SL to check out this marvelous tavern. It is located in Watarrka Park.

Second Life/Niypi and Jace

Niypi is a girl I know from Dusty's nightclub. I invited her to see my place and before we knew it we came across a dog named Jace. Jace was down-and-out because his girlfriend--a fox--told him she was leaving SL. (!)
Here is Niypi consoling Jace with a big hug.

We then spent several minutes chasing Jace because he somehow got loose. Jace ended up underneath a furniture store, and my head kept banging into the ceiling (floor) trying to coax him back.

Finally, Jace followed us back to my house. (Here is Jace going directly for the couch.)

After a while we left my place and teleported to Niypi's cabin up north. Jace and I spent a good hour watching Niypi rearrange her furniture. Then Jace got depressed and began howling, then barking at the door for us to let him out.

Against our better judgement we let him out and Jace began running around Niypi's property, howling his head off. We heard the most gut-wrenching howls that night.
Finally there was barking at the door and we let Jace back in.
More hugs.

We went out into the yard and Niypi unveiled a surprise: a Peanuts nativity scene. Wow! (For some reason I am holding a stoner concert lighter.)

The lake reminded me of the lake in El Alamein (from the game Battlefield 1942). So I waded into it, still holding the stoner concert lighter.

Jace met me back on shore, having transformed into Snoopy. What a nice gesture. Everyone loves to come out of a winter lake seeing Snoopy on shore.

/

I took Jace for a walk in the hills. Here Jace does his business.

I couldn't get him to leave. Jake seems very proud of his business.

Standing on two legs.

Here we are at the fantastic Santa scene next door.

Second Life/Coffee Shop w/ view

Around and around we go at Charles Berlin's rotating coffee shop table.


















It is a clever piece of work, this coffee shop. It sits right by the community pool.









The cool neon signs that Charles made turn on and off.

At night when all the stars are out you get a 360-degree panorama while sipping coffee.

Second Life/DiscoUFO

I finally started work on my disco UFO.

It's gonna be sharp.

On starry nights you can sit on top of the UFO and ponder the universe.

Inside my neighbor's (Charles and Susan Berlin's) house: A fireplace, hearth, TV screen and picture adorn the wall.

Beyond this wall is the disco UFO.

I made this swirling pillar-type object in the name of peace.

It lights up at night.

The top picture says:

Second Life/Neighbors pt. 3

This house overlooks a magnficent view of the ocean.

It is still a work in progress (as you can see).

I believe this house belongs to the lady who designs all Prize Pyle's holdings. She is an excellent architect/designer.

[I will edit this later and put her name here.]

You can expect great things from a person with tastes like hers.
Her little garden patio.

The breathtaking flowers.

1st Life/A dog died at work today

A dog died at work today. It wasn't my dog. It was my neighbor's dog.
It had to be put to sleep.
The owner is a kind man; he runs the frame shop next door. He has two German Shepherds. He shares them with his wife.
I forget their names but I know they are the love of his life. He takes them for rides in his car. The seats fold down and are always covered in dog hair. He calls it the 'dog car.' His wife drives the human car.
I remember seeing a photo of his dogs. They were in full fur regalia, posed in front of the family's couch. Smiling. How proud their papa was.
They are brother and sister, those two. Never have they been spanked, or even yelled at. He calls them "perfect dogs."

The frame shop owner won't cuss in front of his dogs. Once, he'd accidentally let a curse word slip out, and before he knew it both dogs were following him around, acting mortified: What is wrong, Daddy? You never cuss.

A few months ago they rode to work in the 'dog car' and I got to see them in person. They were beautiful dogs. I tried getting their attention but they would have nothing to do with me. They paced back and forth. Daddy was inside.

A week ago the owner stopped by to tell me he had taken the female (the sister) to the vet because she had collided with her brother and was sore. The vet said the soreness would persist until she had an operation. This operation would cost thousands of dollars (dollars the shop owner didn't have). The injury was manageable, though, with massage. He would massage her every night. She wouldn't get better, but she wouldn't get any worse.

The sister is the smarter one. Her brother is dumber than "a box of rocks"--as the owner likes to joke. The brother is probably twice the size of his sister. Happy-go-lucky. His sister is more refined. More ladylike. And smarter. She is the oldest by a few minutes and guides her younger, dumber brother through life.
Driving into work today I saw the frame shop owner walk by so I flashed my high beams at him. No response. I flashed again. Nothing. He kept on walking (shuffling).
Later I found out the frame shop owner had stopped by to tell my manager that he was having one of his dogs put to sleep that day (today). Dear God. Which one? I asked. And why? My manager didn't know.
Outside, the shop owner's car was gone. The 'dog car' was missing.
He is a good man.
Keep him in your thoughts.

Second Life/nood neighbor

A new neighbor. He acquired a nice piece of property, southwest of my place.

Should I introduce myself?

He is naked. (?) (!)

What the--?

Omg.

He hasn't unpacked and already he's trying out his pecker!

A discolored pecker at that.

He must be getting the appropriate angle for the woman who lives in the glass house.

Outrageous.

Second Life/New Neighbors

I went to my beach property but my phone rang in rl so I sat on my rooftop to finish the conversation.

When I came to, I discovered the beach had grown quickly in the past twenty-four hours; new houses had sprung up overnight. Just yesterday the beach was completely empty (it was just me and the pool). Now it was a genuine 'thriving beach community.' I have neighbors left and right!

Time to show up with some housewarming gifts, I guess.
Except I have no housewarming gifts.
Someone should open up a business that sells housewarming gifts on SL.


My new neighbor Juko Tempel didn't take long to introduce herself. She was astonishingly beautiful and invited me over to her futuristic house. I was impressed with her furniture.







I told her it was very rude of me as a gentleman to sit down without her. I asked if I should stand up again so we could do it properly. She demurred. What a lady!

I told her I appreciated that her door made the same "shoooooop" sound as the one in Star Trek. No response. She changed outfits in front of me (sorry, no pictures) and we discussed the neighborhood pool. I told her I thought it was coming along beautifully. We chatted some more.

Finally she announced that she had to leave. I could find my own way out, I told her.

She told me to click on the door in order to shut it.

I told her I would.





Then I forgot to.







Then I had to go back to shut it.