Memories of My California.
I can still see it.
Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.
Drakes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, California. March 2006
Palo Alto Baylands Preserve, California. Look closely. November 2008.
Sometimes I think I like the idea of the Christmas holidays more than the holidays themselves. My ideal Christmas is very, very low key, with no stress. You do what you want in your own home. If you don’t like a tradition, you don’t do it. If you don’t care for an event, you don’t go to it. And of course there is no snow or ice or humidity or dampness. Snow or cold or ice does not mean “Christmas” to me! I miss being in my home in my California. Hawaii would be great too, for the Christmas holidays. In Hawaii the humidity would be worthwhile.
I do like seeing the Christmas lights outside, on the houses and the streets. And I shop in stores so rarely (online for me!) that when I do, seeing all the holiday “stuff” is rather festive and charming.
I am glad to be of help to my family and I’ve (mostly) accepted the fact that I’m not in California. And the job scene is looking up – it might be very soon that I have a job!
Speaking of holiday decorations, I never planned to buy this, but I saw it, and then it was in my hands and I was at the checkout station. It’s a combination night light and snow globe. It’s nicely designed. The small amount of heat from the light bulb makes the glitter in the sky move, slowly. It’s like a snow globe, but I don’t have to shake it. Isn’t it wonderful?
The Christmas nightlight snow globe combo, December 2010
I decorated my Motorola Droid, my Android OS smartphone, for Christmas, with the Christmas Tree Live Wallpaper, http://www.1473labs.com. The picture appears on all the screen displays on your phone – my phone has five screen displays. The snow falls and the lights twinkle. On one screen I added a widget, Christmas countdown. Christmas countdown displays a little image and the number of days until Christmas. There is a different image for each day of the week.
The wallpaper shows up behind all the icons you have on your phone, the apps, the bookmarks, the folders. I kept one of the screens of my phone free of icons, so I could look at the wallpaper and the Christmas countdown, all by themselves.
Christmas Tree LIve Wallpaper, Christmas Countdown on my Droid. November 2010
Before I had my Motorola Droid, I used to play fun little games on my Palm TX, a pda, personal digital assistant, like a smartphone but without the phone part and without the internet. There was a Christmas game I particularly enjoyed, a game where Santa dropped presents, and you had to catch the presents with a cart (or a sleigh, can’t tell). It was a sweet little way to pass the time. I haven’t found that game, but I found a Christmas version of a game similar to Bejeweled, called jewellust Xmas, http://www.smartpixgames.com. Like Bejeweled, you manipulate the icons to make at least three identical icons in a row. They then go away, and the icons above them roll down. In this game, your goal is to collect all the mosaic tiles on the screen. You collect them when you get them to roll off the screen. The mosaic tiles make a picture. You have a limited amount of time to collect all the tiles for each picture, but it’s not that hard. This version of jewellust is Christmasy. The icons make bell like sounds when they drop. The “three of a kind” icons look like ornaments. There are candy canes and Christmas scenes. If you play in Campaign mode, after you complete a level and fill a mosaic tile picture, a Christmas village is displayed, with a line in the snow as you go from one house to the next. It’s just a line; you have to imagine yourself in the picture! There are also simple tile puzzles to solve, displaying Christmas ornaments.
I love this game. It’s a wonderful way to give yourself a little holiday break.
Jewellust Xmas on my Motorola Droid phone, November 2010.
Happy Christmas holiday preparations, if that’s your thing.
Lately I’ve been a very intermittent online gamer. I come for the parties. My plan next year is to actually play some games. Until then, here’s my year in retrospective.
Swing party in the snow, Second Life, December 2009.
Second Life is a virtual world where you build things or go experience what other people build. This was a party given by people in the Guild of Healers, a small group of people who played Uru and have a location in Second Life where they make things. It’s a great group of people. I always have a great time at their parties. This was a swing party, as in…we swung on swings! I liked the area so much I came back later and played around and took some pictures of my character, my avatar. The people who own this piece of land in SL (yes, it’s thought of as property, as land) created this space specifically for the party.
People ask me sometimes if the parties are like parties in real life. If you know the people from your virtual life, and if the people are sociable, it feels like a gathering. Good virtual environments give you something to do, something that makes it seem like your persona is there. There’s music. There are activities such as dancing — click on something or type in a command and there you are, dancing on the screen. Some online worlds and groups support the use of microphones, where your voice is heard. This group tends to use text chat, mostly. You can text chat either to the group, or privately to a person.
I met these people when I was playing Uru. The concept of a guild, a group of people with a shared goal, is common to online games. This guild came from the idea of expanding the traditional guild structure in Uru.
I’m the figure with the cropped pants, flat shoes, and wings, because why would you not have wings? Even without wings, in Second Life you can fly.
People change their looks in Second Life a lot. It’s a costumey place. I tend to keep my look the same, now that I found something that suits me. I got some free clothes (people give things away) and paid a small amount of money to get my hair style and my wings.
Swing Party, Guild of Healers retreat, Second Life, December 2009
Swing Party. You had the option of wearing a snowman head, a fun if surreal experience. Guild of Healers retreat, Second Life, December 2009
Amarez, my avatar in Second Life, swinging by herself. Guild of Healers retreat, Second Life, December 2009
Meditation, Guild of Healers, Second Life, December 2009
I’m not much for meditation, but the group is so nice that I wanted to check this out. I could use some peace in my life. In this event, the person leading the meditation used a mike to conduct the meditation. We sat on cushions in the lovely space, and the sky changed from night to day. I enjoyed being with the people, but I got distracted. I’m still not much of a meditation person. As I stated before, this space was created by the people who own this “land” in Second Life.
Meditation during the Second Life night, Guild of Healers retreat. Second Life, December 2009.
Dawn, Guild of Healers retreat. Second Life, December 2009.
The meditation continues. Guild of Healers retreat, Second Life, December 2009.
Retirement party for Lord Chaos, Second Life, December 2009
Lord Chaos, also known as Ktahdn (game names) took early retirement from his job. Sometimes organizations will offer economic incentives for people to retire earlier than they had planned. It can be a very good deal for the person. The Guild of Healers had a retirement party in Second Life. We started in an indoor building in a festive space, then ended up outside. As the party progressed and we greeted the Second Life day, we got quieter, more reflective. Changes in your life will do that to you.
Retirement party. We talk and are festive. Guild of Healers retreat, Second Life, December 2009.
Retirement party. We move outside. Guild of Healers retreat, Second Life, December 2009.
Retirement party. We greet the day. Notice the whimsical elements. Guild of Healers retreat, Second Life, December 2009
Fifth anniversary radio show by Lord Chaos, Uru, June 2010
Uru is an online multiplayer game. You cannot create your own content in Uru. This means that you cannot do any customization for an event. It is, however, a beautiful space, so people have events and parties in Uru, because they want to. I’m rarely in Uru, nowadays, but I made sure to attend the fifth anniversary radio show given by Lord Chaos. Lord Chaos is his game name.
Online radio shows are a feature of the internet world. People create their own radio shows, their own playlists and private music streams for friends. Some people provide their own commentary, like a true DJ. Lord Chaos does that, a mixture of music and commentary. Since you can’t change the music in Uru, you turn the music in the game off, and then stream the radio show from an internet site.
Lord Chaos has great musical sensibilities, eclectic and melodic. Some shows are dance oriented, some are more reflective, and some are a mixture of both. It’s always a great musical experience.
Fifth anniversary radio show, Lord Chaos. The Watchers Sanctuary, Uru. June 2010
Fifth anniversary radio show, Lord Chaos. Minkata, Uru. June 2010.
Fifth anniversary radio show. Lord Chaos. At the bottom you can see we are talking, text chat. Minkata, Uru. June 2010.
Silk Road Journey, revisited, Second Life, June 2010
The Silk Road is a collection of trade routes that were used to connect China and the Mediterranean. (http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road, there are many, many other references).
In a previous post, I talked about a radio show described as musical journey along the Silk Road. https://amarez.com/2009/06/14/second-life-the-silk-road-a-virtual-journey/.
Lord Chaos has done a series of radio shows about the Silk Road. The radio show is structured as a journey, a trip. During breaks in the music, Lord Chaos talks about where we are on the journey, the time of day, the weather and how we are feeling. It’s an interesting experience, very evocative. It has the feeling of an actual journey. This was a very long radio show, eight hours, but not everyone stayed for the whole show, and we had breaks in the music for talking and (virtual) dancing. Second Life is a good venue for this – a virtual stage for the musical journey. I had a fantastic time.
The Silk Road, a musical journey. We gather around the campfire. Notice the map in the background. Second Life, Guild of Healers, July 2010.
The Silk Road, a musical journey. The setting for the journey. Second Life, July 2010.
The Silk Road, a musical journey. We start to dance. Second Life, July 2010.
The Silk Road, a musical journey. Amarez, my avatar, is dancing. Second Life, July 2010.
Ktahdn dance party, Second Life, July 2010
I went to a dance party in Second Life, at the Guild of Healers retreat. Lord Chaos/Ktahdn (game name) was the DJ. We danced from Second Life night to dawn! To be fair, the day night cycle is speedy, not a twenty four hour cycle, so that’s easy to do.
Ktahdn dance party, Guild of Healers. I’m in the front, the one with the wings. Second Life, July 2010.
Ktahdn dance party. We danced through the night! Second Life, July 2010
Ghaelen’s graduation party, Second Life, November 2010
Ghaelen (game name) completed her dissertation for her PhD. So, the Guild of Healers had a party. It was wonderfully festive.
Ghaelen’s graduation party. Ghaelen is in the back, wearing a graduation robe. Second Life, November 2010
Ghaelen’s graduation party. Dancing the night away. Second Life, November 2010
Ghaelen’s graduation party. As we dance, we float! Second Life, November 2010.
There will be another party before the end of the year, but I’ll save that for next time.
My avatar, Amarez, in the Guild of Healers retreat. I can fly! Second Life, December 2009
I only went to the ocean (or the shore, as one says here) one time this year. In August I went with a family member to Ocean City, New Jersey, for the day, to go to the Boardwalk Art Show.
Ordinarily, even during the height of summer, Ocean City is not that hot at the water’s edge. The breeze from the ocean cools you off. However, this was a hot muggy day, with the breeze blowing the wrong way, towards the ocean. Still, the sun was shining, eating at Hulu’s was great (http://www.hulasauces.com), the ocean was beautiful as always, and it was a lovely drive. I bought a nice iconic photo of the beach. And I wasn’t driving – I enjoyed being a passenger on this trip.
Entrance to the bridge to Ocean City. August 2010
Look closely. There is a bird resting on the railing. Bridge to Ocean City. August 2010.
Continuing on the bridge. View of Great Egg Harbor Bay. August 2010.
Welcome to Ocean City. August 2010.
The ocean, beautiful as always. Ocean City. August 2010.
Flags designating swimming areas. Ocean City. August 2010.
Seagull on the prowl. Ocean City. August 2010.
This seagull has places he needs to be! Ocean City. August 2010.
Going home. View of the islands of Great Egg Harbor Bay. August 2010.
On the bridge. I see construction in the distance. August 2010.
On the bridge. View of Sumers Point. August 2010.
Near the end of the bridge. Goodbye Ocean City. August 2010.
Amarez - feels like home 