Keep it real, celebrate lunacy and hold on to your heart

During the past few days, I've had three -- count 'em, THREE -- friends in crisis because they all found out that the men in their SL relationships actually were "happily" married family men in real life.

They were men with no intention of ever leaving their wives. They were men who were just using SL to create fantasy relationships with no bills to pay, no "routine" sex, no demanding kids, no leaky faucets or anything else that real couples struggle with.

My friends were crushed. Some were in tears. One canceled her SL account. (Over a man??? What? Are you kidding me? They're not worth it! No offense, men.)

As such, I was all set to RANT THE HELL out of this topic. Ladies: Be careful. Men: JUST QUIT IT! (And yes, I realize the genders in this scenario could easily be swapped.)

Fortunately for you I'm too tired. I'd rather keep this post light, particularly since I'm currently trying to perform CPR on this blog.

Instead, you're just going have to settle for bad photojournalism.

I've tried really hard to step outside my comfort zone during this past week:

1. I took a bath in chocolate -- a longtime RL fantasy of mine -- at Eshi Otawara's Chambre du Chocolat:

(Hey, I never promised you great photos.)

I didn't care if her store was full of people gaping at her new Hibiscus Dream gown.

(Yes, it's a work of stunning fashion art, but how do we WALK in it without taking out everyone in the room??? I felt the same way about the Fishhook Gown. Girl, ouch!!!!)

2. I participated in the SHEER MADNESS that was the ongoing lucky chair "stalk party" at Rockberry. I will say that these women were not as lighthearted and carefree as some of the other people I meet at lucky chairs. These women are on a mission, SO FOR GOD'S SAKE, DO NOT SPEAK TO THEM!!!



Note the numbers on some of the lucky boards. What the hell? I knew I should have picked a name that started with 4.

That picture does not even begin to capture the masses of people who were there. To her credit, owner Heather Beebe often hung out there herself and mingled with the masses. And yes, I spent way too much time being part of the masses.

(Hey Heather, I'm still trying to win that freckly skin -- the chick with the long hair and the bangs swept to the side, not the one on the board. Would, um, a bunch of lindens count as a "win" for you?)

Oh no, you did not just see (read) my attempt to bribe Heather!!

3. I got my hands on some Guinness Book of World Records-breaking "eye sparkles" (thank you, Ali!):



Ha haaaa! Kidding. Like many people, I get annoyed by flashing shoes, jewelry, belly buttons, private parts and anything else that looks like a walking laser-light show. I'm worried that they'll induce a seizure. I don't have epilepsy, but what if I do and I don't know it??? I don't want some blinged-out chick to be the one to open my bling-blinded eyes to a new medical challenge.

That Nastassja dress, BTW, is from the now-closed and much-mourned Last Call. The "I had a wild night out on the town and broke my favorite pearl necklace" is really called Broken Long Strand Black Pearl Necklace (also available in white) at Caroline's Jewelry.

4. I went to a great Rat Pack show at Dean's Vegas Club. I'd never been there and it's not my usual type of hangout, but my friend Bella was performing and I wanted to show her some audience love:



That's her in the slinky blue dress. Shake it, Bella! Woooo!

The club is a classy joint. People are pretty glammed-up there. I saw a lot of impressive gowns. I also caught a glimpse of this tummy-baring Tinkerbell ball gown:



WOW! That's a little too much Tinkerbell for me. Sorry I couldn't cam in closer. We're not in Disneyland anymore, Toto! I don't think she got the memo. Props to her for giving it a shot though. I'm too lazy to even change my shoes, let alone change into a gown of this . . . magnitude.

5. I went to a party!!! (laugh) I'm not that great at parties these days, so as a rule I avoid them. I did, however, crawl out of my hermit crab shell for a recent get-together with a few friends. It was exciting because I got to see my friend CeN dressed like a potted flower for a while, which also has been a longtime fantasy of mine:



That's HAWT, CeN!

Later, we pulled ourselves together for a group photo which started out fine:



But then somehow evolved into this:



And then further evolved into a Box Bot "flash mob" at the Glamour Expo at Vanity Universe (runs through Oct. 25 -- do check it out). You can all find this, um, AV in your system folder, BTW. It's one of the exciting built-in options for new residents and yet another reason to feel bad for them and help them whenever we can.



I couldn't get everyone in this bad pic -- a few of them were shopping. Bad little Box Bots, bad! In our defense, we picked a time when the expo was not that crowded. (3 a.m. MST in the States, to be exact)

6. Hey, it's finally October (my favorite month) and I've decided to try to wear a Halloween-oriented outfit every day:



I took it easy for Day 1 of this wardrobe experiment. This cute hair is called Wish Hair by katat0nik. (Hey katat0nik, where's my group invite? I spent a fortune at your store yesterday!!) It comes with that cute little witch hat and includes little stars sprinkled in the hair -- which you cannot see in my crappy photo. The hair, stars, hat ribbon, headband and hat lace are all tintable.

The goth Hello Kitty shirt is a freebie at Blue Blood. The jeans are the new Zaara jeans in charcoal (jeweled version). And YES, those are Stiletto Moody Tall Boots in Black Patent. Leave me alone. I'm not showing off. My shoe folder in my inventory is a jumbled mess, so my SM shoes are the only ones I can count on right now.

Anyhoo . . . 

Maybe this was a random blog but it all ties to my original point: Second Life is a place for fun, for friends, for new experiences, for creativity and for SHOPPING! (kidding, sort of) 

But I recently watched a BBC documentary on how relationships in SL can ruin real-life relationships . . . and vice versa. Firsthand, I've seen a lot of my friends get hurt during the past couple of months. So be careful who you give your heart to -- you have no idea who's really on the other end of your broadband connection.

If you're interested in watching the BBC show, you can watch it in four parts on YouTube at the links below. It's pretty balanced, as it profiles two people who met each other on SL, then took the leap and met and married in RL; and an RL marriage that's falling apart because the wife is obsessed with her SL romance.

Part One (it's a link! Click it!)

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Have fun, seek joy, try new things, celebrate your friendships . . . and treat your heart like the precious commodity it is. Someone wants it? Take your time and make 'em earn it. :)