The Dude and I have taken to ‘real life’ bike riding around our neighborhood since my Milestone birthday in September.   Enjoying ‘real life’ fresh air.  Yeah Baby!  His bike is faster than mine (of course) so I usually end up a half of football field behind him, toddling along listening to  the songs of the almost invisible birds perched high on the wires.  A far cry from the ocean floors.  While cruising along today my thoughts traveled to Mermaids and Milestones.  What the heck does that have to do with the Metaverse you say?   Well,  in my very first venture into a virtual world (good ol’ Second Life) I found out I could be a Mermaid.  Yes a real virtual mermaid with tail who can stay under water with out oxygen.  Of all the mythical creatures, a Mermaid is what I most desired to be.  Mermaids, Irish, sunken treasures, pirates, adventure.  If only my Fairy God Mother granted me that wish… and swoosh I’d be a Mermaid.   And I was via the Metaverse virtual worlds playgrounds.  Fun memories and lots of milestones were made.  Like:  my first surfing win (3rd place), standing up for my friends at their Weddings, starting my own surf team, organizing a Fashion Show, organizing a Home Builders showcase grid wide, winning my first ‘Builders’ contest, then winning  on a German grid (Global baby global \o/),  dancing with the Blues Brothers, starting my own event business, publishing my own magazine, being an avid builder and landscaper and a dozen others milestones I’d never dreamed I could do.    Then,  making the hard  decision to leave my surf-team, my friends, my busy vw activities and parties to return to the real world.  So I shelf-ed my other “self’s”, as it were. and began taking bike rides in the sun.  Another milestone.

Once in awhile  I will still log on to Second Life, or Metropolis, or Island Oasis, or 3rd Rock or other new virtual worlds as my Mermaid/Pixie self.   Alas, now my toon characters feels shy, awkward, old, out of tune with life in a virtual world. Not like her real self at all which was outspoken, a gesture freak, an organizer, a party gal, a participant, a real player .  I remember back to the times when logging on was the most important thought in my repertoire of mindless existence.  Oh don’t get me wrong, I had fun!  But I also remember the times I couldn’t sleep for wanting to be floating in a  virtual world propelling my Mermaid in the most beautiful under water scenes imagined with music tickling my ear drums.   I could sit for hours and hours  lost in a dreamworld of pixels and colors, always smiling, always happy.  I did make true friends too, because real people pilot their virtual ‘self’ in situations and conversations.  Conversations that surely will continue through emails or Skype or other means of technology always at our fingertips.

Mmmmh… Mermaids and Milestones and Metaverse.  I declare ‘M’ the letter of the day! Enjoy your M’s!

Sun