On Hero Worship

“Living in the Limelight, the universal dream
For those who wish to seem;
But those who wish to be…”
–Rush, Limelight.

Hero worship is a strange, curious thing.

You admire someone you don’t really know, for whatever reason, and you start to build a pedestal out of what you imagine about them. And then when you do meet them, you have all these expectations of how the meeting will go and, again, what the person must be like. Inevitably there’s a let-down.

Or at least, that’s what my experiences have been like, as a hero-worshipper.

It’s also really odd being the hero-worshippee. You think, “What does this person mean they’ve always wanted to meet me? I’m just, this, person, ya know? I do what I do and like what I like and whatever.” And you get a bit of “What if I don’t live up to this person’s expectations of me?” (spoiler: see the word “inevitably” above).

So why do we do it?

Last year, around SL9B, I started to get to know people whose names I had heard before, people I called “Somebodies.” Some, I was familiar with their work and really love what they do and was very excited to meet them. Some, I got the impression were jerk-faces who really turned out not to be. OK, one. And that one said something to me that really stuck: “There are no Somebodies. Anyone who isn’t himself is Nobody.” And of all the people I met last summer, that one “jerk-face” is the one I’d most likely call a friend.

So when someone came up to me and said, “OMG Mistletoe! THE Mistletoe!” my first thought was, “WTF did I do to earn a definite article?” But then I thought, whatever the reason, something I’ve done made an impression on him, a good one, and while he doesn’t really know ME, he does know my work and THAT is what he’s complimenting. So I just said, “Thank you.”

Then later I thought, “That was weird.”

Good Night, Ladies

My poor prim Barbershop singers have been singing the same song, over and over and over, for the better part of a week.

So, last night, I sent them on a well-deserved break.

Packing up, moving on

Fond Remembrances: me with Julius Forwzy (of Faery Crossing).

This is not a post about SL9B.

OK, this is not a post entirely about SL9B.

Now that Thaddeus has made the announcement public, I feel I can safely talk about it in my blog: Antique Square is closing up. Time and money are just against Thaddeus right now, especially with his RL work and studies, and after 6 months it’s, unfortunately, time to make a hard decision.

So I’ll get right to the question I’m asked first and most often when I mention this to friends:

“Doesn’t that mean you did your SL9B build for nothing?”

Absolutely, categorically, can not say it enough, not.

The point of taking part in SL9B was not to promote Antique Square; it was, simply, to celebrate Second Life’s 9th anniversary and to have a part in a hugely successful resident-run event. It was to create, to share, to play, and to give it all an old-fashioned feel. It was to meet new people, learn new things, and– I’ll say it again– to celebrate. All of these things remain true whether or not Antique Square itself remains open. In fact, knowing throughout most of SL9B (as I did) about the upcoming close made me realize all the more how really trivial self-promotion is in an event like this, and what really is important.

Mind that won’t make me cease self-promoting. I do still have a job and I do still have to pay rent. Just, time and place.

The fun of SL9B provided a bit of a distraction from the reality of having to move house again. I mean, yeah, you can pick your whole dining room up and put it in your inventory, that’s not the tricky part. The tricky part is working out where to rez it this time, and if we can afford to, and so on.

Lelani made me an extremely generous offer. In SL– as in RL really– I tend to be very friendly to many (indeed anyone who doesn’t outright prove they’re too much of an asshole to deserve it), but I tend to be close with few. Lelani, I count among the few. She’s got a place in Steelhead (as does Thaddeus, actually) and offered to sublet some of it to me. I thought it over and finally decided against it for a ridiculous reason, but still a valid one: I want to set my own TV and radio changer. Because when I can do that, I really feel like my territory is my own.

So I ended up getting a small residential parcel back in Lionheart. I’m taking a different approach this time; instead of rezzing the farmhouse that I used to have before, I’m making multiple skyboxes. A play yard with a treehouse for Petal. A Japanese tea garden for guests. A big home theater where I put my big giant TV. A small wooded grove with a duck pond on the ground. It gives me something new to create, and thus, something to look forward to, instead of something to stress over.

Antique Square will have one last big blowout party on Sunday. I’ll play music, I’ll blow things up artfully, I’ll even cater. Hope you can stop in.

SL9B – Day 2

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our Second Lives.

My Greeting shift started just after the rolling restarts so I didn’t have to listen to the same complaints as yesterday. No, gentle reader, today’s theme was romantic love in its ugly (but endlessly amusing) form… of desperation.

Started out at the Sunken stage realizing as I heard the loud music which would have been called heavy metal in my day, that I’m old. You know the old adage, “if it’s too loud”? Yeah, I’m too old. But music, I can mute. What I can’t escape are club people and club gestures.

See, I like to actually converse when I’m in groups of people, but it’s really hard to hold up the only working end of a conversation. If all people want to say is “☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮
❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪❤♪☮❤♪☮❤♪ ” and “I love this tune HOOOOULalalala” and have multiple HOOOgasms (srsly, people still use that one?) then after a while you just stop talking to them.

So I didn’t mind swapping with another greeter and going over to Egypt– where I’d not been previously– but soon realized it was more of the same, only with techno instead of whatever they call heavy metal these days. And, almost immediately, some guy IMs me to compliment my outfit. HERE WE GO.

SL9B – Day 1

Day One was filled with confusion, lag, cock-ups, TPs down, and complaining.

It was also filled with beauty, music, laughter, and a great group of people who displayed patience, tenacity, and more patience.

Let’s get you some SLURLs right away; it was brought to my attention that these were a bit hard for non-staff people to find. It’s easy to forget that those of us working there could find our way around easily, but for the rest, it wasn’t as clear. So.

The Cake Stage.

The Front Gate/Welcome Area/Community Hub.

Here you can get a handy TP HUD, which can help you get around the area more quickly (provided TPs aren’t borked).

The Pod Tour.

The Lake Stage, aka Mesh Stage.

The Main Stage, aka Lotus Stage.

The Sunken Stage, aka Underwater Stage.

Negen Auditorium.

Egypt Stage.

That out of the way, here’s some other useful information, like how to not lag so damn much.

Interior of the Cake Stage. Click to visit.

I’ll sum up opening hour in Exhibitor chat:
Exhibitor: How come I can’t get to my build?
Exhibitor2: Yeah I can’t get to mine either.
Exhibitor3: OMG YOU GUYS CAN’T EVEN GET THIS SHIT RIGHT WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU.
Greeter: Hi guys, thanks for your patience while we work problems out.
Exhibitor: How come when I TP to my build I can’t get there?
Exhibitor2: OMG I just TPed to a naturalist resort.
Exhibitor: Darwin’s a naturalist. These guys are naturists. Noob.
Moderator: Hey guys, just wanted to remind you that this is moderated chat for exhibitor and performer related issues, not lag reports or chatter. Thanks for understanding.
Exhibitor3: SERIOUSLY YOU CAN’T EVEN FIND YOUR ASS WITH BOTH HANDS.
Greeter: I can try to TP people in, IM me.
Exhibitor: Penises! Scary!
Exhibitor2: So how come I can’t get to my build yet? It’s been like 60 seconds now!!
Performer: Can anyone help me get to the Cake stage, as I am on in 15 minutes?
Exhibitor4: I can’t get to my build!
Moderator: Once again, guys, this is moderated chat. Please limit your conversation here accordingly.
Exhibitor: Can I get an EA
Exhibitor Assitant: I’ll IM you
Exhibitor:…to TP me into my build?
Greeter: Guys, try to be patient. It’s SL.
Exhibitor3: YOU GUYS ALL SUCK. YOU CAN’T GET ME TO MY BUILD AND YOU CAN’T ORGANIZE… THINGS NEEDING ORGANIZING… WITH A THING THAT ORGANIZES THEM!
Exhibitor2: How come when I try to TP to my build I can’t get there?
Exhibitor: I can’t get to my build and it’s been like 5 minutes since opening now!
Exhibitor3: I’M BLOGGING THIS RIGHT NOW!
Exhibitor2: Why am I not able to TP anyplace now?
Everybody: BECAUSE TPS ARE CLEARLY NOT WORKING NOW.
Moderator: *bangs head on desk*
Exhibitor3: THAT’S BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO ORGANIZED THIS ARE REALLY SECRETLY SPIES FROM INWORLDZ WHO ARE TRYING TO SABOTAGE LL I KNOW I HAVE PROOF.
Exhibitor: How about now? I’ve waited a good seven minutes now.
Exhibitor2: Oh hey guys, I can’t TP to my build, case you haven’t heard.
Moderator: *shoots monitor*

And then, with about 15 minutes left in what must have been the easiest Greeter shift ever worked, people finally started TPing in! I said hi, I handed out swag, I helped them get TP HUDs, and then suddenly I was starting to get overwhelmed with people! I ran 15 minutes over my shift, when finally someone was able to TP in to relieve me.

I didn’t catch Saffia’s opening speech, and that’s too bad, but I found a transcript of it here. I’m told it will be available to view online sometime tomorrow.

The lady from the Church of Rosedale said to me, in IM, “Oh! Yours is the one with the barbershop quartet and the carousel! I love that build!” Insert me using this pose here. (Side note: said pose was made by the same guy who made our SL9B build video).  We talked a while about her EPIC waterslide at her build (here’s Death checking it out)! One of the more fun attractions I’ve seen yet; a total must-see.

Downside to today, besides the lag and the impatience, was that I felt like I had to be “on” any time I was logged in. Much like running a pub. Of course I found ways to combat that, not the least of which being: logging off when the work day was done.

Signed on for another 2 hour shift tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

If it’s all the same, I’ll go with Cake, thanks.

So, this is it! Opening Day is Monday. I THINK it’s all ready to go. The only thing I don’t know the status of is the balloon freebies game, and I’m going to try not to stress over it because if I’m stressing about a balloon freebies game, then I need to go find something else to stress about.

Maybe I could try to invent some stress and drama. But then I’m no Hamlet.

The Cake is FRIGGIN’ AMAZING. You may or may not recall from SL8B last year, the very popular and widely acclaimed “Together” exhibit by Mikati Slade. Well I’m very excited to see her work as this year’s Cake Stage. It spans 4 whole sims and it’s in-friggin’-credible. The photo doesn’t do it justice. WAIT TIL YOU SEE IT.

Speaking of things I can’t wait for you to see: this.

Oh wait I’m doing this wrong. Um… CONTROVERSY. DRAMA. STUFF.

Look, Hammie, I know you want SL9B to be a drama-and-lag fest, just like you say SL8B was. You’ll even go so far as to mention a build that most of the other builders/staff/participants never even saw. I notice, though, that if not for (invented) controversy, there really isn’t much mention from your blog about SL9B at all. Perhaps you don’t find it newsworthy that residents, and not a single Labbie, ponied up land, donated their time and work, and did everything all on their own. Perhaps you don’t find it newsworthy that there were more applicants to build at this expo than at any of the previous ones. Perhaps you don’t find the beautiful Cake Stage, the underwater exhibits, the giant airborne stage made entirely out of mesh, worth mentioning in your news blog.

But I do. I’m fucking well impressed. No, awed. I call myself an event planner but bitches I can’t even BEGIN to fathom what went into making this whole thing come together. I consider myself truly lucky to be just a tiny little cog in this whole mechanism, and I will never, for as long as I live or rez, forget this event.

Tonight the gates close. Tomorrow, to de-stress, Petal and friends are going pillaging. Then, Monday, bring on the cake and the Death. I am so ready.

Cake And/Or Death

The mascot of SL9B may leave something to be desired in the way of cute & cuddly, but hey, he does know how to make an impression and get a message across. He can really knock ’em dead.

Well today I was RL grocery shopping and damned if our mascot isn’t really getting around! He was featured on a balloon near the birthday cards:

So as soon as I got home I decided to see what else we could find in the way of the Prim Reaper helping people celebrate birthdays.

Well OK first I went to Greeter class for SL9B. But then I got to looking.

And finally:

Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me.

SL9B Teasers

Hello… (Hello… Hello… HELLO!) Avatar!

Badges? I don’t need to show you no… well I got one right here, actually.

It’s official! Antique Square’s application for SL9B has been approved, and Thaddeus and I have been busily getting the build site ready for our exhibit, which we call “In the Good Old Summertime”. Not only have we been planning and building, but our good friends Teleny and Derren Macarthur have been helping us with photos and video for showing the place off!

So if you’d like to see a few tidbits of what we’re planning to do to celebrate SL’s 9th birthday, then by all means, read on!

Mistletoe wants YOU!

Hey, in case you haven’t heard, SL9B is looking for people! People to exhibit, people to perform shows, people to work as greeters, people to make SL9B freebies, people to spread the word!

Consider this your official call to duty! Go to http://sl9b.wordpress.com right now. And the next time you’re inworld, make sure you join the SL9B group: The SLB Community. Yes I know I hate it when group names start with “the”. But it does. And your mission is to join up and help us make SL9B the best yet!

Why should you bother, you ask? Because this is our chance to prove that we residents can throw a bigger, funner, more organized party than Linden “we’re making it all about you so fuck off” Lab could ever dream of throwing. This celebration is done by us, for us. And “us” includes you!

Hey, want to make your own poster like mine? Download this template from Dropbox, open it in Photoshop or Gimp, and put your own menacing mug in there! And spread the word!

Edit May 28 to add:
I had too much fun. Some of my pictures I shot for this poster came out better than others. Here’s a parody poster I made with one of the “other”s.

Sort it out.

So, did I tell you guys the one about the time I was offered multiple free regions in a new up-and-coming grid?

It started on the Tweety Tweets when I was asked what I’d do if I had my very own free Hypergrid-enabled region.

As I go on about this, let’s play a fun game together.  Any time this grid does something like LL has done in the past 4 or 5 years, take a drink.  Just a heads-up: little sips.

The Carrot.

Curious, I got to tweeting back and forth with him and as it turns out the guy runs a social website for things SL and OS related, and said if I were willing to blog for said website, I’d get my own free region (“or two or three or four”) in this new grid.

Well blogging is hardly what I’d call work.  If Dire Straits had written the song Money For Nothing twenty years later, and if by Dire Straits I mean me, then it would have been about blogging.  I write about anything and everything because I enjoy it, because it’s fun, and because I get to hear myself talk. So I figured, what the heck, let’s give it a try.  I’d keep the rule that the second he asked me for a dime, I pull up stakes and walk.

Sure enough, within a few days, I was shown my very own first region.  And the guy said to me, I can have as many as I’m willing to develop.  So the next day, plan firmly in mind, I asked for two or three more and described what I had planned.

The Stick.

That was when I was told, oh, well, turns out we don’t know how we’re going to make revenue on this yet(!) so you can still have the one region you were promised (just no more of the ones you were promised) for free. But if you want some more, they’ll be $12 a month.