October 29th, 2010: Novalita Constantine

 

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” (John Lennon)

By my calculation I shouldn’t have been here today. My entire life I’ve made plans of where and what my life should look like according to what was expected of me and what I thought I want.

At 26 I have more regrets than anything ’cause life kept on happening and I wasn’t strong enough to face them.

I find myself lately browsing through Facebook looking at profiles of people I grew up with and people I went to school with, asking where did I go wrong? How am I different than them?

But I know the answer to that, I’ve known it all my life. I don’t discuss it much but the first time I wished I was dead was at 8 years old. It’s hard living life to its fullest when you secretly wish it to end, going everyday with a mask of a happy fun person when inside the deep black hole only becomes bigger.

I should have been something real by now; I should have been working for my country’s foreign affair agency or on the other hand having my first big photography art show. But it’s all “I should woulda” stuff that never happened and are not real anymore, I stopped looking at the past being sad and angry of what has failed on the way. If I did that I would have been angry that I spent 2 years of my life playing SL when I could have done other stuff, but the reality is that I need that time off for even 2 years, and at the end SL gave me the will again to live RL again but better, to rebuild my life and only live for myself no one else.

I am still working on changing my life to the point I’m happy with it and the past still hunts me here and there, But I have hopes and I have dreams again I already forgot how that feels.

Am I totally optimistic? Am I happy? No, but I’m working on it.

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Novalita Constantine lives in Israel.She is a SL photographer who also have worked and works with SL fashion magazines. While on SL she enjoys spending time with her friends having fun, discovering new things and following the latest SL fashion trends.

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October 28th, 2010: Daire Aeon

One of our many cats, Pudd’n, passed away on this date.  He was at least 12 years old, a feral cat that was neutered at a very young age, as all of our cats.  He was a slender cat and probably a very fast runner.   We nicknamed him the “long haul trucker” because when he was younger he would be gone for 2 to 3 weeks at a time.  Then he would show up unexpectedly and hang around with the other cats for a short while before taking off again.

A few years back we noticed he started to hang with “Papa Cat”.  Papa Cat was a tough ol’ alley fight’n cat that was getting on in age.    They were buddies. After Papa Cat passed away Pudd’n hung out with Stubby.  At times you would also see him sleeping on the bench (usually with Tex) under the awning in the rear yard.  He was a good cat who was not mischievous; kept to himself.  I think he appreciated my wife for being there and providing a safe haven for him all of these years, even though he always kept his distance.

On the day he passed away we saw him that morning in the foyer by the front door and again later in the family room.  During the afternoon, my wife heard a cat meowing in our rear yard.  She found Pudd’n laying on the patio under some plants experiencing difficulty in breathing.  She was able to put him in a cat carrier and drive him to the vet where they discovered he had cancer.  He could hardly breathe or move.  We put him to sleep.  My wife spread his remains in our back yard, his home, where he use to hang with his buddies when he wasn’t long haul truck’n.

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Daire Aeon resides in Southern California. In SL he enjoys  traveling about  meeting people, seeing different  things, dabbling in photo and abstract art, building and at times just being “innocently” mischievous. One of his favorite RL quotes is from Leo Aikman, “You can tell more about a person by what they say about others than you can by what others say about them.”

October 27th, 2010: Ayden Alchemi

I have been reading the Two Three Six Five blog for about three months now. About three weeks ago, I finally got the courage to apply to be an author. The significance of this date is that is it four days before my 19^th birthday. My days are repetitive and boring so writing this a few days before my post date is accurate for the actual day. I work, I come home, and then I log into second life.

I have been in second life since December of 2008, having went through my share of drama, and being banned (as I was 17 when I made my first account).  I made Ayden Alchemi, stayed off the radar till I turned 18, age verified, and now legally enjoy my SLife.  I have friends, family, and much more now, and cherish everyone and everything. So now…Onwards to my life currently.

My day starts off with me going to work in real life, at McDonalds, It’s the nastiest job someone my age could have, but hey it’s a job, and a paycheck. I work for eight hours, come home, relax, get a bite to eat and log into second life. After going through a ton of IM’s, notices, and note cards, I check my friends list to see who is online, and then I either work or go hang with friends.

I own a store specializing in Gothic clothing, skins, pose props, etc. It’s still in its baby stages. I love making things, being the aspiring photographer/ graphic designer I am in real life, it’s a big love of mine. I hope to one day, be a full-fledged content creator, making hairs, sculpts, everything.

If I’m not making something for my store, I’m blogging, doing photography, or just relaxing and hanging out with friends. My friends and family are the core of my life, both in world and out.  Another reason second life has been such an amazing thing for me is, I have been able to be me…A Gay male, something I can’t be in real life or at least right now. I hope I didn’t just ramble about nothing.

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Ayden Alchemi is a 19yr old southern boy livin’ in West Virginia. He blogs, does photography, and will soon be starting college to pursue a career in photography and graphic design.  Ayden is single and hoping to come out of the closet soon. Till then he will be FIERCE AND FABULOUS in second life.

October 26th, 2010: Sixx Yangtz

 

I woke up this morning like most morning. Spending at least 15-20 minutes in bed reflecting before I hit the day.

The past few months, I’ve found myself reflecting mostly on friends. I had a close friend all through elementary and up through high-school.  We did everything. It’s uncommon sometimes for guys to share feelings with each other, but we did. If guys could be soul mates, we were.  Long story short, my life changed and forced me to keep a strict schedule. My party days were over; I had to grow up fast while friends of my age were still enjoying their youth. He couldn’t understand that, we struggled and after several hurtful conversations, we went our own separate ways.  I miss him.

I think because of my strict schedule, I enjoy SL so much. It’s my fantasy world to let go.  It’s my outlet to relax and enjoy and be creative.

Along the way we make friends and sadly lose contact for whatever reason. What took most of my youth to have a friend and lose him in RL, usually happens in the span of 6 months or less in SL.  People come and go through our “list” all too quickly. Even sometimes those we think we trust and love and depend on the most.

Maybe it was just for a photo shoot and we never spoke again?  Maybe it was because we inspired each other?  Maybe we collaborated on some work and lost contact? For whatever reason, I am who I am because of the ‘friends’ I’ve met.  My only hope is that I had the same level of impact to them.

And what of those that have been removed or removed us? It hurts. Each time it’s done to me, reminds me of my HS friend, how much I’d love to talk to him again to catch up.   It’s so important to choose our words so carefully.  Sometimes we say and do things out of emotion or disappointment. Too many of us are too prideful and won’t admit to it, myself included. All I know is upon reflecting about it today, I’m going to try harder to let people know they are important.

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Sixx Yangtz is a photographer/blogger and owner of ::siXX:: Designs. He is Superman to his daughter and she is his world.  He resides somewhere in Missouri and works full time in finance.

October 25th, 2010: Airedine Poe – Cont’d

I got hired as the official illustrator of a larp rulebook and spent today working on the world and local maps. It’s a new experience for me. I usually draw… women. Pretty women. Quite honestly I don’t much deviate from that unfortunately. I often wish I did more, and I’ve been trying to really broaden my horizons. I made a repeating texture for mountains and for trees, and shaped the land around the rough sketches I was given to work from. I can’t lie, there’s a strange sense of power, essentially sculpting a world that others will be playing in. I even got to name one of the bodies of water.

I was going to write about my vampire the masquerade character that I recently had to retire and am kind of upset about, but that got me thinking about something else entirely. I don’t usually notice it at all but I’m very neurotic when it comes to acceptance from others. When I ask a question, especially on msn, and the other person takes a long time to answer it absolutely eats me up inside. There’s one guy that I met back in August that I don’t have sexual feelings for at all but we drank together and really bonded and had a fantastic time… but now I find he can’t make the time of day for me and I can’t tell if it’s my mind just eating me up and it really is just that he’s busy with school or if I’m too stupid to take a hint when it’s given. I never know how to act when I’m around him. Are we friends or aren’t we? Can I be bubbly and fun or am I overstepping? How would I even ask that? How do you look at someone who’s nice enough to you when you’re there but can’t make the time of day to even talk to you “Hey… So are we friends or aren’t we? If you don’t want to hang out or whatever just say so.”

Or maybe I’m just reading more into it than is necessary.

I still can’t tell though.

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Airedine Poe is 22, lives in Canada, is taking a year off from going to school for animation, makes things for her store Adore&Abhor in Second Life, and moonlights as a priestess of Bacchus in a live-action fantasy roleplay once a month. Sometimes she also plays a vampire in the dark ages. She enjoys drawing, designing, playing videogames, watching movies where things blow up, adding obscure English words to her vocabulary, and being awesome. True story.

Airedine’s previous post was on October 20th, 2010.

October 24th, 2010: Alicia Chenaux – Cont’d

 

October 24th has always meant something to me. If anything was going to happen to me in October, it was going to be on the 24th, which is why I chose to continue my story on this day. I had thought that this year, the 24th would have me celebrating my first charity 5K in many years.  But, life doesn’t always go quite as planned and I was stricken with “the plague” earlier last week.  I guess I wasn’t meant to do it this time around, and as much as I am upset about it, it has to be okay.  Everything happens for a reason.

That’s been something I’ve lived by for a long time.  Every experience teaches something.  Every person who enters our lives is there for a purpose.  Sometimes we don’t know what that purpose is, or where it’s all going to lead to, and maybe we’re not meant to know.  It’s why I’ve had very few regrets in my life.  Oh sure, there are a few things I wish I could do over.  There are a few people I wish I could speak with again.  But for the most part, I keep believing that everything happens for a reason and one day, I might understand what that reason is.

So instead of celebrating a 5K, I spent the 24th quietly.  I talked to a few friends in Second Life, attempted to do a few things around both my SL and my physical world homes, and rested my lungs.  There will be other charity events.  There will be more time to train.  It’s okay if this October 24th was a quiet one.  There will always be another one next year.

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Alicia Chenaux still lives in Texas, still blogs like mad, and still spends too much time playing with her phone.  Since her last post here, she’s kicked the mad caffeine habit, has decided that aqua is just as good as pink, and thinks that baking is probably the best therapy in the world.

Alicia’s previous post was on April 24th, 2010.

October 23rd, 2010: Sunshine Zhangsun

 

It is mid-Autumn, a favorite time of the year…  As I look back, it was always a great time for my family – taking a drive to see the leaves change; huddling together for football; preparing for Harvest fest or Halloween; and even enjoying the less humid times outdoors.

My day today in RL has been a bit stress-filled…working tonight due to a system installation that was delayed from a previous date.  SL…well…is currently, just SL.

Today is the 13th Anniversary of the death of my father.  This is not meant to be a sad post, but because my dad was such an important part of my life, I wanted to take the opportunity to honor him and what he meant to me.

My dad lived a beautiful life.  He was a very awesome father, tremendous provider and loving husband.  He was not young when he died, and it was not totally unexpected… however, I was just plainly not ready.  My parents were together for nearly 46 years and we never heard them argue.  We had a happy family and I certainly have nothing to complain about or be dramatic over…sure we nearly lost him to heart disease when he was a young man, but we never lived with that fear through the following 27+ years.

My dad taught me so many things – to be fair, to love nature, how to find the man in the moon, about the special  moments that are just so simple.  After I moved out of their home, my dad would call me often and say “Look outside and see the moon?  Share the beauty with me…”

Apparently, I just assumed my dad would live forever – and you know what… he does!  He is alive in my heart and memories. I was blessed to have him for as many years as I did, and yes, I miss him.  But today, I honor my dad for being the man he was, and for loving my mom, my brothers and me wholeheartedly while wanting the best for us always.  Thank you, Dad…for being the gentleman you were and for being a special loving part of my life.

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Sunshine Zhangsun was born and raised near the Tennessee River and spent many days and nights with her family enjoying the river and lakes of that area, always aware of  the “man in the moon” peering down upon her. She currently lives in Delaware and is a Senior Technology Project Manager for a banking operations division of a corporation for which she has worked over 25 years.  When she isn’t working, she enjoys her Second Life with many friends and her partner who make her feel special every day.  She and her SL partner of nearly 19 months have created and live on a beautiful estate, Sol Mañanero, offering surf and a beach for all.  When not with friends or her partner, Sunshine spends her time in Second Life taking and exhibiting photos, exploring the amazing creations, shopping and occasionally blogging on her blog, Sol Existence.

October 22nd, 2010: MaxPwr Spitteler

 

Today started pretty much the same as any other.  I woke early, and headed to the office. I spent my commute hoping that today’s workday would end after 8 hours instead of 12, for a change.  It’s 5:30 pm as I finally get an opportunity to jot down some thoughts for this entry.

About four years ago, I found myself working ridiculous hours and my social life was, for all intents and purposes, non-existent.  By the time I left the office most nights, my friends were already through winding down and were headed home.   I started to feel isolated, and was craving social interaction.  I turned to the net.  I started off in one virtual community (which my friends and I now refer to lovingly as “The Utherhole”) and later, through the urging of another friend, tried SL.  I was hooked immediately.

Over the years, I’ve taken breaks from SL, but I always come back.  It’s a medium that’s allowed me experiences I’d never have had otherwise; and the opportunity to meet people that I’d never get to meet under any other circumstances.  I always respond to anyone who says that SL takes you out of the world by saying, “It didn’t take me out of the world, it brought more of the world to me.”  I’ve got a best friend in Argentina, and something I never expected: a husband, from across the pond, whom I love dearly.  Today, October 22^nd marks the third year since he awkwardly hit on me, and I awkwardly accepted his invitation to “give it a go”.  Today, our bond is as strong as any forged in the material world.  Truly a bit of my heart resides with him there, and though he may be British, he thinks “Yiddish”, letting me know I’ve touched him and his life too.  I’m off to England for my first visit with him in April, and when I sit and think about how this whole journey began, I have to laugh.  The terrible work hours I curse so often are probably most responsible for leading me to the happiness I celebrate on this day.

Well look at that.  It’s 6 pm, and I can leave.

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MaxPwr Spitteler is 36.  He was born in, and spent most of his life in the great Borough of Brooklyn, New York City.  He currently resides in Queens with a psychotic cat and about 1 ton of electronic equipment he keeps breaking and never gets around to fixing.  Accountant in RL, raconteur and general slacker in SL. Unapologetically gay. Unapologetically Jewish. Unapologetically a ginormous Beyonce’ fan.  He enjoys long pointless conversations, snow, days off from work and re-runs of Buffy.

October 21st, 2010: Terrie Dreadlow

This isn’t easy for me. I have a hard enough time opening up to people I’ve known for a long time. So for me to write words for a blog that anyone can see does not come easily. I know I am supposed to write about today, what this day has been in RL and SL. Today was me watching the rain, drinking coffee and trying to gather thoughts that were all over the place. I spent 20 minutes on SL and all I wanted was to go back to my coffee and thoughts.

I could blame the way I am on shyness or being an introvert, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a wall I put around myself that keeps me on the outside looking in. Wanting to jump in, always stopping myself.  Expressing myself and hitting back space, or hitting enter and wishing I could take it back. I watched my son today wishing I could be more like him. He is a fearless, outgoing, friendly little extrovert.  He loves being the center of attention, and having people around him all the time. I have my moments when I am like him, then I freeze up and just want to run.  Today was one long moment of wanting to run.

When I picked this date three weeks ago, I was planning on today being a good day. Didn’t really work out that way, and my head is not where I wanted it to be when I wrote this. Today I spent a lot of  time trying to figure out what I would be okay writing about. How much I could let go, open up, say something personal.  It didn’t turn out to be much.

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Terrie Dreadlow was born and raised in Los Angeles, but is ready to get out.  She has worked in fashion and architecture, neither one turned out to be as glamorous as she thought they would be. What is glamorous and exciting is being a stay at home mom for her 10-year-old son, and not missing a minute of his life.  In SL she owns Has Been, a vintage and alternative inspired clothing shop.  When she’s on SL she spends most of her time hiding in her skybox working.  Every once in while she go on a tangent of silliness and fun with her partner.

October 20th, 2010: Airedine Poe

I am a sixth level cleric.

No, I don’t frequent RP sims in Second Life.

Once a month myself and a large group of my friends (as well as a few people I don’t much care for at all) drive up to a local group camping ground and stay there for the weekend. Yes. I larp. (Live Action Role Play)

Now hold on- try to stay with me as some part of your mind recoils at the thought of sweaty overweight socially awkward and sexually deprived nerds with lisps and retainers traipsing around the forest in plate mail. It’s not like that. Ok, it’s not ALL like that.

Once a month I don a personality that is not entirely my own. I can do what I want- be who I want to be. Fear of death and undeath aside- it’s a lot simpler. I know what my skills are, and how to use them. I don’t have bills to pay and as long as I’ve paid for my meal plan, I don’t have to worry about whether or not I’ll have three square meals a day. For one weekend a month I’m surrounded by family. By people who love me and protect me against the forces of evil. Forces of evil- may I add- who are easily recognizable by their lack of flesh, horns or sinewy tendrils.

Before I started all this, I had no real group of friends. I was in a string of really shitty relationships. I was in a staggering amount of debt. I was seeing a therapist. I was having daily anxiety attacks.

So beating your friends as they dress up as monsters with a weapon you made from foam and PVC piping may not be your ideal way to spend a weekend, and that’s fine.

Since I’ve started I’ve lost weight, I don’t have anxiety attacks, I have a cool roommate (larper), I have awesome friends (larpers), and the guy I’m dating (larper) is the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.

I’m a nerd- there’s no doubt. I’d be offended if you said I wasn’t.

I’m also the happiest I’ve been in a very long time.

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Airedine Poe is 22, lives in Canada, is taking a year off from going to school for animation, makes things for her store Adore&Abhor in Second Life, and moonlights as a priestess of Bacchus in a live-action fantasy roleplay once a month. Sometimes she also plays a vampire in the dark ages. She enjoys drawing, designing, playing videogames, watching movies where things blow up, adding obscure English words to her vocabulary, and being awesome. True story.