Rocky, a very good friend

My second life is richly decorated by many wonderful people. Great friends with brains, compassion, wit and patience. They are generous with their time, knowledge and laughter.

I'm quite sure I met Rocky at the reference desk. He and his dear, wonderful wife Cindy visited one night when we were all in rare form. Rocky dove right in with his own brand of humor. But, he always seemed to be at the edge of the crowd. When I asked why that was, he replied, "I'm making sure I have a quick exit handy"!

I'm so glad that he never took that exit.

One of the best things about becoming friends with people is discovering the many talents and skills they have. Some of these aspects are immediately seen. Others take time, and the right circumstances to show themselves. For example, Rocky is a thoughtful, evocative writer.

This is shown by the speech written by Rocky in the previous post. Honestly, I could hardly believe it when I read it! I should not have been surprised, it is everything that Rocky is, wise, intelligent, thoughtful, and expressive! Please scroll down and read it, it is worth your time.

Rocky, I am so proud to call you my friend!

HJ

(And, no one passes funnier notes in class than Mr. Vallejo).

"Sophia, the Lady of Light, Wisdom and the Word"...

The following was written by Rocky Vallejo for the grand opening of Illumination Island.

Among the religious and philosophical belief systems of many different peoples, Wisdom is often portrayed as a woman of purity, grace and light.

In Greek, she is known as Sophia, one of Plato's four cardinal virtues.

In the Christian/Jewish holy book, The Bible, she speaks to humanity: "Does
not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?" On the heights
beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; "beside the gates
in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud."

Sophia...her message, often unheard in a world loudly pressing on to
make one more Linden, is one of self reflection, and an understanding
of the potential within each of us to make a difference and truly enjoy
our lives and life around around us.

When I first visited Xinoxi's sim, then on the Willow sim I could hear her...
Sophia...

I could feel her presence and held her hand as she walked with me through
her land. She shown out to me brightly in the visual feast of the place
its architecture and stately grounds. She led me down hallways and rooms
set out in graceful splendor opening my mind to the other name given her...
"Logos"... "The Word."

I laughed with her at the antics of Louis Wain's cats. We fled in terror
before the Martian hordes of the War of the Worlds, winced at Elizabeth
Bennet's rebuff of Mister Darcy's initial offer of marriage, tumbled
down the rabbit hole with Alice and voyaged 20,000 leagues under the
sea with Captain Nemo.

Robert Louis Stevenson knelt with us in prayer and while our eyes were closed,
connecting with the Deity, Peter Rabbit snuck into our garden and cleared
us out of our carrots!

We passed Shakespeare deep in conversation with Sun Tzu on strategems of love and war
and tiptoed by Nietzsche brooding in a corner.

Out again into the sunlight we lost ourselves in the maze and finally stood
in awe in the midst of the Olympian temple of the gods.

On Illumination Island I could shut out the day to day din that presses in
on us in both real life and second life, and see the light, feel the grace
and hear the words that Wisdom has to offer me here.

"... for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot
compare with her."

Thank you, Xinoxi for sharing this place with us. We in the library community welcome you
and wish you all the best as the newest member of our archipelago. 

Dances with Refrigerators?

Our dear friend Leeorie bought a new house for her property. So, she decided to have a going away party for the current house. She, being the good person that she is, invited every soul in Second Life. Little did she know that they would all show up!

Can you say sim crash? Yep, Lee's party crashed the sim.

Lee had mentioned that we were to help her get ready for the big move to her new house. So, we all decided to give her a hand, by removing her furniture, to our houses. This is what friends do for one another, we help out. So, Bucky grabbed the fridge, Liz shouldered the book rack, Alacrity had a lamp, Kat hoisted a large floor pillow. Not being a greedy sort, Insouciance simply took a lampshade. Amalia having put dibs on the bed, but decided to provide musical entertainment for the movers. Lourdes and Hypatia were so concerned about the chairs they wanted, they decided the best thing to do was simply sit on them until it was time to leave.

Prior to the crash, we wondered if Lee wanted to sell the lot as well. She kept yelling GARDEN, BACK YARD, and FIREPIT! She seemed to want everyone to get a good look at the place, because she would often yell, SPREAD OUT! This might be a novel idea for realtors and folks on the move. Show the place to a couple hundred folks all at one time and tell everyone to grab a piece of furniture on their way out.

It was a great time! Thanks Lee, and good luck in the new house.

(Lee, I forgot to grab that nice easy chair...I'll be by later to pick it up).

Infomaniacs!

Hey Maniacs. I've posted another ad for the Infomaniacs television program [har] on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/srharris/2718491700/

He Never Even Doodled!

The images above provide proof positive that its never too late for a talent to be nurtured. Alacrity has returned to college to pursue a BFA! The images above are but two of his works currently on display on the second floor of the Library Art Gallery.

The paintings have a wonderful sense of whimsy! The viewer is drawn in by the shapes and colors, and enchanted by the juxtaposition of the subjects. Two jelly beans and a fork! The fork just lies there, defeated by the tiny treats! The toy bear perched on a bowl of eggs and an lemon is delightful. How often does a still life painting make you smile? I'll leave you to discover the magic of the toy ducks in person.

As charming as the images are, there is a lot of skill involved as well. Creating an evocative image from a fork and jelly beans is not easy. So, Alacrity succeeds on several fronts; pleasing images, excellent skills, and a sense of wonder. Be sure to visit the gallery, its on Info Island.

InfoGroupie v. InfoManiac

Last fall many of us felt that we wanted a group just for those of us who loved hanging out at the reference desk. The purpose was to be able to communicate with one another. Of course the first step was to come up with a name. Insane brainstorming ensued, and the InfoGroupies was chosen.

As so often happens, the next day I thought of the title Infomaniac! Now, I'd already paid the 100 Lindens, so I thought, why not have one name for the group, and another for the members! Most groups have member titlers different than the group name. So, we all became Infomaniacs. (By the way, there are some other titles available, and we can create a few more. If you have a suggestion for at group titler, let me know).

Later on the Relay for Life team came to be. When asked what our team name was, the term Infomaniac Racers popped into my head. The team needed a group, so I named it the Infomaniacs, period. The thinking was that this group could have different goals at different times as needed. Plus, I loved that name and wanted it for us! So, the group called the Infomaniacs was born.

Anyway, there is no 'special' group of folks in the Infomaniacs. No clique, no secret messages, no private events. Believe me when I say that I need as many organizational tools as possible to help keep me on track.

The InfoGroupies is my first group, my favorite group, and consists of my very best friends.

If this doesn't answer your questions, PLEASE talk with me!

HJ

I Could Have Danced All White

One small comment in IM, "I'm bored" triggered this great party! Bud said to ask Amalia to fire up the Jazz Cat and invite folks to come dressed in white! So that is what she did! Before we knew it, avs were dropping out of the sky dressed in white, mostly, the men in tuxedos, and the cat in, well, the cat was dressed in future hairballs! It was great fun!

It proves what we have said all along, the InfoGroupies are simply the best folks in the metaverse! We have a great time, wonderful conversations, and we LAUGH! A lot.

Stoli showed up in a darlin' white tux, and suggested that we have a party in hell! Bucky chimed in, suggesting flowing lava, Lena donned a glowing red 'halo', and within minutes we had a theme for our October TX950 party. The date of the last Friday in October is the 31st! Perfect!

Thanks everyone for, well, everything! We do rock!