What I Learned in 2nd Life in 2 Days

I've been spending some time in Second Life, the virtual "game" where you create another self, and live out a life in virtual space. You can look and act however you want and no one knows who you really are, so you essentially can live out your private dreams and fantasies anonymously.

This isn't a new website. It's been around for a couple of years. I tried it out about a year ago with my old PC but my graphics card just couldn't cut it. Now, with my spiffy laptop I thought I'd try it again and this time it's way better.

So here's what I've learned about myself...and about Second Life. First, Second Life is a lot similar to Real Life (RL) in that there is a whole lot of sleazy stuff to be found easily. And I found it. The wholesome stuff is more difficult to find but if you look for it, it's also right there in front of you. Less people are interested in it. There's also a lot of commercialism, socializing and pretty much everything else you find in RL. In many ways, they overlap.

What I learned about myself is that like most people I want to check out the bad to make sure it's not for me...which I did on Day 1 - but then went to bed feeling pretty sleazy myself and not sure if I wanted to return. I did return Day 2 but decided to bypass the less desirable in favor of activities that uplifted me rather.

I also learned that even in Second Life, I wanted to be productive, have a secure home, and do something to help others. I'm trying to figure out how to do those things without wasting too much time, but there is service to be done in Second Life that will equate in RL also - it's hard to explain. I've also learned that my Second Life will mirror my RL pretty closely and that just reassures me that I'm living my dream. That's awesome!

Anyway, I've met some very nice LDS folks that make me want to return to SL many times. One of them is even going to show me where I can get free temporary housing.

Waste of time? Maybe...but then again so might blogging. What else am I going to do at 1am when I can't sleep?

I Need Ideas

For some reason I'm having a really hard time finding cute ideas for nursery decor. Now that I know I'm having a girl, I can press forward with decorating a little and figuring out what I want the baby's room to be like.

We'll be buying a new crib since The Marshmallow is sentimental about crib ownership (SP's crib belongs to SP FOREVER and EVER and EVER). I have a glider rocker that I picked up at a yard sale that needs re-covered and possibly painted.

But what I need area ideas of what would be cute and trendy for a girl. Trendy because I really do like some of the newer ideas for kids' rooms. I've looked at Pottery Barn and got a few cute ideas but when I search the internet, I just don't get much. Anyone have places I can go to view cute ideas or does anyone have a super duper idea for me?

Old Before Your Age - From Flylady

My sister came across the funniest little article the other day on Flylady and forwarded it out. I thought I'd share some of the points since there are several that many might be doing and not even realizing that we're categorizing ourselves.

Here is their list of things that you can try to avoid doing to make yourself not appear older than you actually are!

• Elastic-waist jeans (at least wear your shirt untucked), overalls
• Crocs as footwear
• Fanny packs (they will NEVER be a fashion statement!)
• Holiday sweaters
• Hosiery with sandals
• Fussy jewelry
• Senior-citizen pasty pastel colors
• Matchy-matchy outfits

I Don't Care Right Now

I'm sort of apathetic toward my blog right now. It happens to me from time to time. I'm struggling every day when I think of what to post and I just decided I just don't even care about it.

I'm not ending it but I might not post much for the next little while until I can become enthused about it again. For those of you who follow me on GoogleReader, it'll be easy to see when I've posted, and for the rest of you I hope you check in me every couple of days because who knows what I might put up.

Anyway, hope that's alright but I need a little break. I'll still be reading all of yours though!

Aw, Snap!

My 4:00 afternoon viewing goes to Ellen Degeneres vs. Oprah Winfrey, whom I don't really care for much. Ellen on the other hand is pure entertainment. Not only is she hilarious, but her dancing cracks me up.

Yesterday, she had the funniest game on her show and I literally peed my pants watching it. It takes a minute but if you're wanting to laugh, check it out. I'm thinking this looks like a fun baby shower, bridal shower, Christmas party or what have you game!

What The Realtor Said

Our realtor came back today with the good, the bad and the ugly. And for the most part it was good. The comp's she showed were pretty much what we expected and she's optimistic...and then so am I.

There's not nearly as much needing to be done to the house as I originally had anticipated. Actually just a few cosmetic things - oh, and DH wants to re-do the roof which the realtor told me might bring in an extra $10k (wow!). But seeing as DH can do it himself, it might not cost a whole lot so bonus!

Now comes the hard part because since DH works all day long, and I don't - I get the unenviable job of clearing our house of extraneous crap and storing it in a storage unit so the house looks "less full" and it can be staged better. The house is brimming with storage but you wouldn't know it since all the storage is currently being used nearly to capacity.

It makes me tired just thinking about it but then again, I'm reading the history of Emma Smith and all that she was able to accomplish during her myriad pregnancies and I'm humbled...I can move a few freakin' boxes! Geez!

Drum Roll.......

What's your Guess???

At my doctor's appointment today, I will hopefully be finding out what I'm having. I thought I'd take a poll and see what people are guessing.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Being a Teenager

This is me when I was 16. I was at Girl's Camp with my Young Women's Advisor, who incidentally was like my 2nd mother. In many ways, she was my mother. With young children of her own, she was always able somehow to put me first. I appreciate her.

I can still remember what it was like to be a teenager in so many ways. For the most part, I just felt misunderstood and also alone.

I met a girl a while ago that I recognized. She reminded me so much of myself when I was her age. And with a clarity that only comes from hindsight, I realized that I've known many girls like the teenaged Amy, and most of them were missing a key ingredient to normal development, and sadly that's a the solid influence of a grown-up parent.

I hate all that I did to replace the influence of my parents. And when I see other girls doing the same things, I want to scream at their parents. They don't realize that they are the single biggest reason for their child's "activities".

It took me so long to outgrow the thought processes that lead me down the roads I walked. I wish so much that I'd been given a better opportunity; that somehow my parents could know what they know now so that I could have avoided a lot of trouble, literally.

My single greatest hope is that I can help my daughter avoid those back allies. I also wish I could help the girls who are already there.

Got Nothing

In light of the fact that I have no useful or otherwise interesting fodder for a post tonight, I thought I'd just share with you what I ate today mainly because I always find that interesting (really!)

Breakfast: egg bagel and cream cheese

Snack: about 15 Cheez-its during church

Lunch: 1 1/2 bowls of Lucky Charms, a cup of watermelon

Dinner: grilled tuna and cheese (mmmmm), and another cup of watermelon

Night snack: still contemplating but maybe I'll just go to bed

Yeah, pretty uninspiring but hey, it's all I've got tonight! G'night!

Crazy Day

Yesterday I woke up with about a million things to get done before the sun went down. And since I'd only gotten about 4 hours of sleep, I didn't know how I'd get it all done AND take a nap. I'm a little bit ashamed to admit that only yesterday evening as I lay down to sleep did I realize that the Lord blesses us even when we're too proud or selfish to ask for help.

SP started preschool yesterday for the first time. We kept her out when she was 3 because since we thought she'd be our only one, we just couldn't bear her growing up so fast. I regret it a little bit she's very ready now. And, she had a terrific time.
While she was gone, I had a therapy appointment down in the city and then had the daunting task of cleaning up after the hurricane that hit my house.

We've been thinking for sometime that putting our house on the market might be a good idea so that perhaps we can liquidate and buy some property while it's still a buyer's market. I had to get the whole house in shape for her to come over and I swear, it took me like 3 hours.

The realtor had good news for us and I'm not as worried about all of the stuff I thought needed to be done. Plus, it's possible we can list it in the range of what we were thinking. Phew! We've done a lot to this house and it worried me it would be all for nothing.

Following the realtor, I had my Mix n Fix meals to make. I made Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup and Bacon Bit Burgers with Smoked Ghouda. Both of these meals turned out awesome and of course, neither of them were my recipes. They were both actually from episodes of 30-Minute Meals. This morning I received a lot of terrific meals which have filled my freezer nicely with food that can be fixed at a moment's notice.

After the cooking, I headed to Costco to pick up the drinks for our church activity. I'm on the committee for these activities so I had to be there early to set-up and then hung out there until 10pm when the movie was over.

When I got home, I had to finish getting all of the meals finished because I met with the Mix n Fix group early this morning and had to have it all together. It took another hour and I was literally exhausted when I finally laid down.

Like I said, I never asked for extra blessings to get through the day without 1) taking a nap, and 2)getting a headache - but the Lord knew what I needed and was merciful enough to bestow them upon me anyway. I wasn't too tired to express my gratitude before I slept.

Cats Love Marshmallows

It's been 6 weeks and Mickey (the cat - remember, the one I'm allergic to) has finally decided that our bed is the best place in the house to sleep. Keep in mind that our bed is one of 4 beds in the house. But evidently it's the coziest.

And, not only does he sleep there the entire night, it is snuggled right up tight next to The Marshmallow (the official change of name for DH, because no doubt, he deserves it), who doesn't seem to mind one little bit. The Marshmallow has even been heard to admit in soft tones that he sort of likes "the little feller". So sweet.

Evidently Mickey doesn't mind The Marshmallow's strident snoring.

Computer Backup Time!

I have a monthly reminder on my computer to do a back-up and I'm pretty faithful about it because of so MANY horror stories about lost (or stolen) information.

I use an external hard drive, which isn't totally infallible but is better than nothing.

I'm sure you can count at least 5 reasons why you should go NOW and back up your own computer!

Have a great day!

How Much Do YOU Spend on Jeans?

Perhaps it's because I don't think that my hiney DESERVES $100 jeans, or that I don't think I look that good anyway that $40 jeans will do - but I'm confused about this spending huge amounts of money on a pair of frickin' pants!

What I do know is that I WILL NOT spend $100 on jeans. I've seriously only spent that much on shoes 2 times in my life and that's because I got credit card happy.

What I want to know is - Do $100 jeans really make you look that much better? Seriously? Or are you just justifying the money by saying that they make you look better. I don't get it.

I know I'm always asking for enlightenment, but I'm asking for it again. Help me understand this way of thinking (and spending money).

Very Nice Blog Award

I've been away for the weekend and didn't get time to post I'd be gone. I hate doing that and I'm sorry.

But while I was away, a really nice blog award was bestowed upon me - probably the nicest one I've ever received. A really beautiful write-up was written about my last post about the little old lady down the street on The Rising Blogger. After reading the post, I was just so flattered. I wanted to share it with you.

In keeping with the tradition of her nomination system, I was asked to nominate another blog post that I think is worthy of the Post of the Day award, which I have done anonymously and if you visit her blog in the next few days I'm sure you'll be able to figure out which one I nominated.