First Life vs. Second Life

First Life was not so kind to me today. It was a bumpy, crazy, emotional ride. I came home from work and thought, if I go in the house and sit down I will probably cry, so I tucked my little bird in my coat and went shopping at Costco. I bought fruits, veggies, and Valdosta, and while I did not eat any Valdosta, I somehow felt comforted by having my comfort food at hand. I desperately needed to study, but when your head is all full of crappy stuff, you can't very well program, you know. I did the dishes, cleaned out the fridge, de-boned a cooked chicken (because you just never eat it if the bones are there), and made an impromptu whole wheat pasta dish with mushrooms, onions, diced tomatoes, frozen corn, and a few other ingredients, including a splash of Splenda.

It was experimental. I tossed an entire box of whole wheat elbow mac in a cake pan, tossed in a bag of frozen mushrooms, corn, tomatoes, a little cheese - it was a pretend version of a goulash, I suppose, which is why the sugar substitute was necessary. I know if something is good or not when C eats it. I know, how picky can the guy be? Nevertheless, he still won't eat what he doesn't like. I wasn't sure the pasta would cook, but foiled at 400 for an hour did the trick, and how's that for simplicity?

I ran this morning while I watched the latest Grey's episode on my laptop. I think for years I have had trouble enjoying exercise because my endorphins never kicked in, but what a great feeling to have that happen now! How I ever made it through my marathon, I'll never know. I think it was the thrill of the achievement.

In my Second Life yesterday, I explored my professional world via an avatar. I am doing some community research at work and considering that there is this group of professionals in my profession who meet online, I needed to understand this space. May I first say that I cannot in good conscience recommend Second Life to anyone for any reason. It is so riddled with questionable and red-light district material, that I was a bit shell-shocked. Of course I had a specific reason to be there, and had objectives to meet, but just the same, something as simple as dressing your avatar is certainly an adventure.

Scenario:

Show up as girl next door, but since I am letting my fellow professionals know who I am, I want to look professional and not like a teeny bopper.

Go to a mall to "buy" hair. While there I edit my person and in an attempt to change my shirt, I accidentally take off my shirt. I am now looking at a bare-breasted, life-like avatar. EEEK! And to make matters worse, I can't figure out how to put a shirt back on because apparently I don't have one, don't know how to find one, don't have any money to purchase one, and while I am sure there are those who stroll around SL with no clothing, it is not my thing.

You see what I mean? Not something I can recommend to anyone. After a few shocking moments I remembered that someone gave me a shirt when I arrived, and so I was safe. I showed up to my meetings on time, and how cool is this: they had a live PowerPoint presentation! Well, I still have no money in SL. I can't eat Valdosta in SL. I can't run in Vibram Five Fingers in SL.

What is it with this anonymity piece, anyhow? This punk showed up to our professional meeting to sexually harass the group and just solidify that fact that I absolutely COULD NOT recommend to my organization that we should have a presence there. The disparity between the risks and benefits are just too great. The benefits are oh, so minimal at this point, and even if you aren't looking for bleak and black things, they so easily find themselves to you.

Well, I do apologize if some of you are SL fans. Before I went to bed after my first day in SL, my good husband asked me if I liked my Second Life better than my First. Not a chance, babe! Fascinating place, I must confess, but even with a crappy day like today, I will take my First Life, thank you very much.