A Post A Year in the Making

I turn one in SL tomorrow. Oh my. Being "older" in SL has given me a reason to reflect. I also promised myself that, for once, I would actually voice my opinion in this blog, rather than my usual posting of events or personal deeds of the day:

ON CREATIVITY...
For those who did not know, I started playing SL a year ago because my RL mother was very very ill with breast cancer. I was distraught and very scared and found SL to be a beautiful place of endless creative possibilities...a diversion and distraction that helped me to cope with it all. Even now, building still calms me. I found myself wandering the gardens and beautiful quiet places of SL, which led me to Caledon. My first stroll through Caledon appealed to my history background and love of architecture and left me in such awe that I returned over and over again. I think Caledon contains some of the most intelligent and creative folks on the grid and I am proud to call myself Caledonian.

ON IMAGINATION...
SL allows me to truly make my imagination come true. A tiny flying/sailing ferret? Sure! Create a replica of an 1800s lighthouse or a turn of the century building? Why not? Recreate Victorian workers' clothing? Alright! For some, tea parties and titles, and others, steampunk inventions and thrilling adventures...there is room for all of it here.

ON THEME...
"19th c. Victorian/Steampunk". Hmm...what does that mean, exactly? And to whom? Steampunk can coexist with Victoriana. A castle next to a lab next to a Georgian mansion next to a Queen Anne next to a factory next to a brick rowhome or garden might be jarring, but it is still one's interpretation of what the 19th c. was. This is an "envisioned" 19th century with--to me--a touch of fantasy, not a historical re-creation. One could argue that Regency- or Edwardian-style builds and clothing should not be here as they are they are out of the "Victorian time period", much in the same way that anything 1900s would be. Are some things close to the time period (ex. 1910) allowed due to a possible acceleration of the timeline? Who knows? But having a self-styled "theme police" is not alright. One person's gingerbreaded painted lady dream is another's nightmare. In the end, the only one who can truly deem it totally unacceptable is Caledon's owner Guvnah Desmond Shang, not you.

ON TITLES...
I will state what has been stated before elsewhere...there are few titles that are out there now that are truly Guvnah/Nation endowed, such as the Knight (or Dame) of Caledon titles, and ducal titles. There's been talk upon talk about the glut of titles now, but I've always indulged Caledon's unofficially official title RP and tried my best to use them when appropriate. I don't mind. However, I have seen rank pulled and folks corrected before. I mean, really. Pardon me for being a "nobody" *laughs*, but in the end, I hope that all of us would be treated with respect and politeness regardless of whether we are peerage or not.

ON DRAMA...
A friend of mine calls Caledon "Days of Our Victorian Lives". Another once said, "A nation of nuts". There are some folks who thrive off of drama. I most certainly do not and don't have the time for it, and have seen friends truly hurt from being caught in the crossfires of it. I do not know if it is their RP or their RL personalities truly crossing over, but it seems to be so much easier for some folks to be hurtful or ultra-critical, if only to serve their own egos, but at what cost? It is all so unnecessary. I am here because it makes me happy. I don't have time to make others unhappy and hate when it's done to me.

ON CERTAIN ABSOLUTES...
Caledon will never be a small community again. It will never be like old times again. There are lots of new people. Get over it. Wishing for the "good old days" of Caledon by complaining and griping will not bring it all back. When I first came to Caledon, you learned the proper greetings, decorum, and culture from older residents. Instead of being so disgusted by the expansion, older residents should mentor new residents by actually trying to get to know them and teach them the same way that I did--from direct example--rather than shying away.

ON FRIENDS...
I thank my friends for being there for me and supporting me and my endeavors. I find you all smart, creative, wonderful, and giving and I am glad to know you. To those of you who I have yet to meet or know better, if you see me while out and about, do say "hello" as I look forward to making your acquaintance...

These are just my two cents as I creep towards a year not just in SL, but in Caledon as well...Huzzah Caledon! Long live Guvnah Shang! Here's to many more adventures!