A Second Life

This area belongs to Iyoba, my favorite avie from Second Life and me. We share our thoughts here and discuss our adventures in the metaverse. To return to the main blog page, just click here.

Anjuna Beach Photos

Every Second Life blog needs its photo show. I took these right before a pool party. Iyoba was dancing and I caught her in midmove. The shot shows her rounded shoulder. I made the cocanut tank suit for her last winter. It has tan sides and a t-back. It's a classic racing suit. She is wearing a hair piece that is "frosted cinamon."

Here Iyoba stands on a sandbar and she does not want to be photographed. She had just swam out to the sandbar. I don't control her facial expressions. I remember the first time I saw her stick out her tongue. I laughed and laughed.

I think what Iyoba really needed was that swim. I bought the Swimmer for her at Siggy's Water World. It cost about $2.50 in real world money which is 400 lindens in case you are curious. Lindens are Second Life currency. It was the best $2.50 I ever spent. Iyoba loves water. She even loves the rain. This makes sense since most of Second Life is effectively a desert.

In this picture, Iyoba has come back from the sandbar and she is ready to go to the pool party at Anjuna, a lovely, and apparently successful club for house music. I've discovered that house music soothes me, and like most avies, Iyoba loves to dance. She also enjoys getting her feet wet. The first summer I was on Second Life, I spent endless hours beach combing at the now long gone, Ilha Bella Gomorrah. I even went looking to see if there was a Sodom. It existed but it had ban lines all around it. I guess its owners were truely into the spirit of the place.

Version 2 of the viewer comes with built in dance gestures. Iyoba danced before she swam to the sandbar. I think candid shots are the best ones, and it is nice to see my avie genuinely happy. Do avies get happy? Why shouldn't they? They can smile can't they?

Eileen H. Kramer with help from Iyoba Tarantal -- 4/28/10

What is Femininity and Why Does it Matter?

It really shouldn't. Having two X chromosomes and genitals that are tucked up inside me should be enough, but I'm a human not a grarrl or a queen cat, and I have to think about what it means to live as a person with internal genetalia and my two X chromosomes, and my avie, who is a piece of me, also has two X chromosomes and remarkably similar anatomy has to come to the same conclusions. Put another way, what makes us female is easy to figure out. What makes us feminine is another matter?

Actually one question about femininity leads to another: "Is it good to be feminine or does it expletive deleted?" or are some parts good and some parts bad? I think being feminine is fine, even small and classicly feminine. I get to wear bright colors and know about tertiary ones. I can do most things a guy can do and the ones guys can do that I can't do either require some environmental modification (Ever hear of a step stool or a longer pointer?) or are not worth doing (do I really want to pee standing up or wear a ceremonial scarf to pray in a synagogue?) Being feminine is sexy. Women who are attractive to men are small and we look inoffensive except when we intimidate clueless guys with our fashion sense.

We are neat and clean and know how to get a look together. On Second Life, where clothes don't get torn or dirty, there is no need for us to wear torn or dirty things. We don't wear spiked heels to step on guys feet or carry knives, guns, or whips. We don't write threatening garbage in our profiles, and we don't stand six point something feet tall unless we were born that way.

Some of this is family of origin issues. My dad is 5'7 and three quarters and his father was 5'4" Until my brother smashed the height record at 5'11 and a half, Kramer men were never taller than 5'8". My Dad and grandpa did not want to date women who were taller than they were. My mom met my dad because a tall friend recommended my dad who had appealing qualities but who was "too short" for her.

Iyoba is clearly and classicly feminine, and I love seeing her in well tailored dresses or casual outfits or handsome, conservative swim wear. I love the confident feeling that if she should step out of the club and on to a public road or into a shopping center, she won't look out of place or if any pictures of her escape into the wild, they won't be anything you can't show anybody.

Iyoba and I have a minority view. We are also a bit more militant than I counted on. Most human female avatarot in Second Life are at least six feet tall, closer to seven feet. They often wear spiked heels and as little as they can get away with. Weapons, wings, tails, and fangs can be part of the gear. Yeah, this is scarey stuff, but to each their own taste. Of course when someone questions my taste, all bets are off, and someone asked me: "Why do you have such a little avie." I replied: "I'm 5'3" in real life and I don't want to be a giantesse on Second Life."

I made the word, "giantesse" glow for a reason. It's an odd word. Who uses it? It means female giant, not male giant. Like Amazon or harridan, it means a woman who has something wrong with her. It's a borderline epithet. I need to watch my language and so too does Iyoba.

Eileen H. Kramer with help from Iyoba Tarantal -- 4/28/10

Everybody Needs a "Local"

That's what they call it in England, a pub where everybody hangs out. Iyoba and I have a couple of "locals" in Second Life. One of them is the Arare Cafe. The Japanese who hang out there think it is strange that a gajin like me wants to hang out there. I point out that at the time I like to visit, not much else is open or going. Having odd hours gives the place the allure. The Arare Cafe located in Akiba is also extremely civilized. The Japanese like to sit around and talk. Machine translation gets on their nerves. Their telegraphic English gets on my nerves, but hey when two languages don't share a common alphabet, and when English has a weird grammar, what can you expect?

I haven't been back to the Arare Cafe in ages. It is not that it is a bad place. I am even keeping the right sort of hours to pay a visit, but I have another local. If you look back at the old blog, you'll see a post about shadenfreude. Well, I've been hanging out a lot at Pacha House. I wish I knew what pacha meant in English. I think it means cherry. Cherry has sexual connotations, but it's a very subtle double entendre. The club isn't anything you couldn't show your eight year old child. Yes, some of the ladies wear fig leaves, but unless you are in the habit of hiding the Penney's or Hanes catalog from your little ones, your kid wouldn't see anything worse. In fact, dancing to music and listening to a good DJ is one of the most absolutely, normal activities that happens in Second Life. Pacha is also English speaking though there is often not much conversation. Late at night, I'm not fully social anyway so again no problem.

And the DJ's are terrific. I'm getting used to the same familiar faces. The place still has its drawbacks. The sky could be set up to give more light on the ground even if the management want to keep it dark overhead. This would make but the residential rentals and stores more attractive. Keeping Pacha solvent in the long haul, is to say the least, a sore spot. I will miss it when it goes. I did not think I would say that, but it is true. I'd like to help those running the place improve their build. I don't know much. I've never built on a huge scale. I can't afford it, but I can make something more original and I can tame the flat ugliness. I should do a scale model just for fun and get it out of my system. Oh well....Zizo and his friends know I can build. Zizo and his friends want no part of my talent. I'm too abnormal. In the end, I go home alone.

And in the end, I'll go home alone permanently because I still don't think Pacha has a long term future. I watch the stores to see if they get tennants. Rents are what is going to pay the bills. I should see if folks are renting out the houses. I can check for security orbs and private furniture. I don't have to disturb anybody at home. I guess I have my work cut out for me.

Eileen H. Kramer and Iyoba Tarantal -- 4/16/10

Out of Imagination

I did not think graphic writer's block would happen, but it has. I'm out of ideas for another dress. I could make hair. I could work on a scale model for a low primage, high attractiveness mall and dance floor, but it's all a "case of the gonnas," and not even that when you think about it. Iyoba all ready has a wardrobe more than worthy of the late, great Imelda Marcos. Clothes are what you can build. Clothes are what you can take turns rezzing. Your avie is the cheapest display space there is in Second Life and yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm running out of spring flowers. Sometimes I'm thinking food. Sometimes I'm thinking African or Asian textiles. I'm just going to browse and see what comes back to my poor, beleaguered imagination. Something has to come along sooner or later. Ideas are like trains. They pull in, and you get on them.

Eileen H. Kramer -- 4/16/10