Our Daughter?

Devon, Rachel (she was AFK and had no idea) and me

I see it often when someone introduces me and says this is my daughter, son, sister, etc. When I hear that I automatically think in real life. As a German, I take things literally.

It is all about role playing and perhaps a true family is missing in real life?  I really don't know. 

A family is a group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together; all such related persons are considered members of one family.

I would just feel it is odd to call someone my daughter in second life. I am not saying that it is wrong for anyone to do this kind of role-playing, it is just not for me. Of course, then there is the Basement Club family if we want to call us a family but I do not call any of the members sister or brother. (I do not think Devon would come here if I called him my brother.)

We are family!!!

For all I know he (Devon) was brought in by the Easter Bunny or was that his brother?

In a way, we are kind of a family in the virtual world. A group of people who do the same thing. 

In a family,
We laugh,
We cry,
We love,
We share.

We may not have it all,
But together we have everything.

I am trying to learn the concept that family does not have to be the real family you know in real life but it can mean a bunch of friends who come together here in Second Life and share the same interests or even discuss opposite opinions. A family is a group, that's there for you, through thick and thin. They see you through. They laugh with you and wipe your tears, they share your dreams and calm your fears.

And no Rachel is not really our daughter.

Thank you to all who helped create memories

One thing for sure is that memories will be all we have left as things in our lives fade away. As years pass and new beginnings start, the past is what it was. 

I have fond memories of great celebrations here in Second Life.

As the Basement Club celebrates 8 years of being here, I want to thank everyone who came to the plaza at the Retreat and danced with us. Without you, it would not be anything. Your time spent here is more than any donations that have been given.

I am considering new adventures and knowledge for future events here at the Retreat, Basement Club, and Gallery. I am not sure yet what it will be. I try to live each day as it comes and not to make too many plans that I never get to because that just leads me to believe I failed.

I have boxes of memories

Well-marked and stored

And I am adding new ones

So that there are many more

Though life is not a rainbow

Nor is there sunshine all the way

I can still laugh and smile

And box a memory every day

April Fool's Day (poisson d’avril)

People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

You all know someone who has no clue what is going on. People play pranks on them because they believe just about anything. Are you a prankster?

I told this guy I wanted to kiss the flowers on his hands and he ran as fast as his second-life legs could (he could have just flown out of there or teleported somewhere else).

"The First of April some do say

Is set apart for all Fool’s Day

But why the people call it so

Nor I nor they themselves do know "

April Fool's Day can be fun of course when you are playing those pranks or maybe you are at the end of one of the pranks, just remember it has centuries of tradition behind it. Better yet, don't believe everything you hear or read and that is vital in these days. I met these two pigeons and they said: 

Pigeon flying in the sky
But baby pigeon said, "I can't make it; I'll get too tired." His mother said, "Don't worry; I'll tie a piece of string to one of your legs and the other end to mine."
The baby started to cry.
"What's wrong?" said the mother.
"I don't want to be pigeon towed!"

So don't be a poisson d'avril and get caught in a joke. It reminds me of a story I used to read to my students in the classroom: Don't let the pigeon ride the bus and this book was full of fooling the audience into something they were not supposed to do.

Even Punxsutawney Phil tries to trick you into believing the weather will be warm and sunny when it is not and that is a whole other story for another day. 

Good News, here in Second Life you can make it spring, summer, winter, or fall anytime you want and you can fly and you can even be a pigeon...it is all possible and no this is not an April's Fool, it is all true.

Easter Egg Hunt

Some theorists have traced Easter egg hunts back to the Pennsylvania Dutch (Germany) of the 1700s who believed that a hare called 'Oschter Haws' (Osterhase) laid eggs in the grass. Therefore, kids would build nests (which many symbolize today with the fake green "grass" that is placed at the bottom of the Easter basket) and search for the eggs.

This tradition is not only still celebrated today by many families, but also by entire communities. Many local organizations hold annual Easter egg hunts as a way to bring the folks living in the area together while giving children the opportunity to fill their baskets as high as possible with eggs and other Easter candies found around the grounds.

This year we will have an Easter Egg Hunt at the Retreat for the 8th anniversary of the Basement Club. The Easter Egg Hunt is now open and the festivities for the anniversary start on April 1, 2024, at 6PM. 

 

8 years have passed by so quickly and it is hard to believe we are here now 8that long. The Retreat has been around for 11 years, always in the same spot.

Come and join us soon...There will be 8 eggs with gifts inside.

What's the craic?

In the middle of all the Irish festivities in Second Life, the Basement Club is always ready to have some craic (fun). We don't really need a holiday for that. 

Fun can be described differently depending on the person. What might be fun to you, might not be fun to someone else. For example, when I show people pictures or videos about Second Life and tell them how much fun it can be, they look at me like I have lost my baloobas. 

Yes, that could be true, but only the real Second Lifers understand what we do here and why we keep logging in. I have been here for 12 and 1/2 years and that is a long time and now we are ready to celebrate the anniversary of the Basement Club.

Eight years ago, the Basement Club opened and went through many style and design changes. However, a few years ago, its final look was established. The Basement Club is relatively small, but it is a popular club for all who visit. You'll only know it if you've experienced it firsthand. This year, we're adding an Easter egg hunt, so you can also explore the Retreat. The Retreat has been around a little longer than the Basement Club, and we want to ensure that it's open to all Second Life residents. Therefore, come and explore the Retreat, take pictures, and have fun.s. Therefore, come and explore the Retreat, take pictures, and have fun.s. Therefore, come and explore the Retreat, take pictures, and have fun.

 

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!!

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig ort 

Happy Leap Year Day!!!!

Leap year happens mostly every four years and it is because of some mathematical madness most of us never even think about it. It's a correction to counter the fact that Earth's orbit isn't precisely 365 days a year. The trip takes about six hours longer than that, NASA says. The reasoning behind it is a little complicated. For example, most people believe that leap year occurs once every four years, but that’s not always the case. If you are a mad scientist you can figure it out. 

There are many traditions surrounding the day of leap day but however you want to celebrate

 Don't feed the big frog. 

you can come on down to the Basement Club and celebrate with us with some live music by our very own DJ Casey.

Jump to it! 

(This poem works once every 1,461 days)
 
Jump and prance!
Dance and sing!
Hop and caper!
Spring for spring!
 
Frolic and bound!
Vault and cheer!
It’s 29th February –
This leap year!

Sheeted Memories of the Past

 

By each spot the most unholy --
    In each nook most melancholy, --
    There the traveller meets aghast
    Sheeted Memories of the Past --
    Shrouded forms that start and sigh
    As they pass the wanderer by --
    White-robed forms of friends long given,
    In agony, to the Earth -- and Heaven. ~Edgar Allan Poe

Here at the Retreat, I like to keep things mostly the same except for changing seasons. There is a certain melancholy that I feel here and that keeps memories. The Retreat is an open place on the mainland that I purchased many years ago and expanded through the years. 

For me, it is a magical place I come and visit daily, a place of joy but also a place of sadness. All of it is a good thing, just like in real life. You must have both as a balance to experience life. 

I know Second Life is an escape from real life for many of us, but if you have been here long enough it is part of your life as well. Here at the Retreat, weddings have occurred, hunts and special events have happened, and where music is being celebrated at night. And yes, it is a place for art, whether you like to look at paintings or you like to indulge in digital photography, it is all here.

I am often amazed at how it all came about and how ideas came to life. I love the part where I can take pictures here and then reflect back and see the same tree standing at the same spot. The cemetery has been here for years with many memories of loved ones. It is a quiet place. 

The Retreat is a poem but created in the virtual world for all to enjoy. It inspires you to create something or to just sit back and take in the beauty. You do not have to be a poet or artist to enjoy it. 

Stop by and make some memories of your own. It is all here in the virtual world, in Second Life at the Retreat. If you see me there just say hello :)