How Bizarre, How Bizarre

On October 19, 2009 at 12 a.m. EST, I attended my first ever Burning Life event. It was the DJ Sporty Event where avatars were invited to "chill, and enjoy some mellow tunes." Sounds fun and totally harmless right? Well it was, but when I first got there, I'm not going to lie, I was intimidated. Here is what I saw:

I was in a large tent-like structure that had an open circle in the center (see above) and a stage off to the left. I walked over to the circle and claimed the first available seat I saw. There were a few people there when I first arrived so I wasn't as nervous at the beginning. People were sitting and chatting, one girl was dancing to the bumpin' beats, and I was thinking how this wouldn't be so bad. However, when the chat changed from how awesome the tunes were to how everyone wanted to start drinking I became a little uneasy. I decided to remove myself from the situation and explore the perimeter of the tent. It was lined with intriguing pieces of art. I walked around the whole thing and took a picture of my favorite one.

It was a metallic mannequin that changed position every two seconds or so. I don't think it had any politic meaning, I just thought it looked cool. Anyways more people started to arrive so I decided to test out my chatting skills. I asked if it was alright if I took pictures and everyone said yes, but that was all I asked. I couldn't think of anything else to say. So instead I took pictures of all the avatars dancing to songs like Bad to the Bone and Balinese by ZZ Top.

I tried to take a picture of the center circle since more avatars had congregated there and had started dancing, but when I tried to take it this is what I ended up with:

I didn't realize until after I had taken the picture that there was a large keg in the corner, something I'm sure Linden Lab wouldn't want advertised on anyone's blog since minors were present.

Overall, Burning Life was a good and bizarre experience. It was my first SL experience with a lot of other avatars, and I liked it. It made it feel more like world and less like a video game. I might even attend another event before it ends, but we will see.

Burning Anticipation

Today in English 103 I learned about an event in SL called Burning Life. It is SL's version of a real life desert retreat called Burning Man. Although I cannot at this point describe exactly what it is going to be like, from Dr. Essid's description, the Burning Life retreat sounds pretty incredible. The pictures from last year's Burning Life that Dr. Essid showed in class were thought-provoking and unique. He talked about there being truly remarkable art exhibits with political pieces and beautiful portraits. He also mentioned there being events with music where the avatars mingle and dance; that is the type of event I would like to go to. There is an event on the 19th of October at 9 p.m. (aka 12 am) that I am hoping to attend. It is labeled "DJ Sporty," and it is described as basically a relaxing art exhibit with music and dancing. In other words, I'm SO there. I'll make sure to take some pictures and tell you all about it when I get back.

Note: I wrote this last thursday and waited to post it until after I went to the event.

Better Late Than Never

I am about a week overdue in posting this, but I wanted to post my findings in my second SL scavenger hunt. I was much more at ease when I began this excursion because I have become more accustomed to SL controls. Since there were less required locations to visit, I chose places that were more of my interest. I went to random places (as shown below) and practiced my flying and reclining skills.

Then, after messing around with my appearance for a little and FINALLY figuring out how to change my hair color, I decided to go to SL's version of Vassar College.



The reason I chose to transport myself there was because in the description there was mentioned a Sistine Chapel replica. Naturally, I had to see it.

I transported myself there and was absolutely amazed. It was beautiful, and although SL still does not look like real life to me I can appreciate the masterful creation made by Vassar College and whoever else worked on this. Along the walls of the Sistine Chapel replica were tapestries which I also though were gorgeous. I took pictures of both, of course.


I think that because I was the one choosing the places to go I was much more curious and interested. I feel that this second scavenger hunt was a greater learning experience for me particularly because I was on my own. I really enjoyed this scavenger hunt, and I hope you all feel some of the enjoyment I had with my pictures.

The "I'm Sorry You Feel That Way" Post

This is a special post. It is a post that I will hopefully only have to write once, and it is a post that requires a little background information. So here goes…

At the beginning of the semester my English professor, Dr. Essid, introduced us to “The Brick.” It is something feared far and wide, specifically in Essid’s English 103 classes, and it is awarded to students who make unsupported claims or glittering generalizations in their blogs or on their wikis. These students who make such careless mistakes are then to carry around The Brick until they have supported their claim or “unpacked” their generalization. That being said, Dr. Essid recently collected all the journals of my classmates and me and graded all of our blog posts and wiki projects. After about a week’s worth of anticipation, I finally received an email from Dr. Essid, the final report on my projects. I got a pretty good grade for being in ruthless Essid’s class, but as I neared the end of the email I came upon a sentence that made my stomach drop. It read: “Your claim merits the Brick for an unsupported assertion.” Thus, I became the first member of my class to receive the dreaded Brick.

The claim that Dr. Essid was referring to was the last sentence in my Ansel Adams project. The sentence reads: “A picture is most definitely worth a thousand words, but hardly one emotion.” My explanation is simply this: I cared too much for the poetic, parallel structure of my concluding statement then I did for avoiding an unsupported assertion. I sincerely apologize that my conclusion came off in that way for I did not mean to muddy the pristine waters of my class’ wiki website. Even though I am sorry you feel that way, Dr. Essid, I know that it was my lack of specification that caused this problem. For example, “This picture is most definitely worth a thousand words, but hardly one emotion” would have been sufficient because it instantly removes the broad generalization. I also could have, no should have, chosen a conclusion that was just as poetic but not as general. The best way for me to have written this sentence I think is “It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This picture is most definitely worth a thousand words, but it hardly stirs up one emotion.”

Again, I am sorry. This will hopefully be the last time I have to explain myself, and I will most definitely be more careful with my prose in future projects.