Mackenzie's Mumblings – My (nearly) First Year In Second Life-Mackenzie Abbot reporting

Happy (nearly) birthday to me!  Happy (nearly) birth...you get the idea.

After nearly a year in Second Life, I am a changed person.  Ever since I rezzed on March the 30^th last year, I've been on a voyage of self discovery and unadulterated pleasure, as well as a smattering of misery thrown in for good measure.  In the early days, I was lost.  I had absolutely no idea of what to do, where to go or even why I was here.  I saw Second Life as a huge 3D chat room where I could make friends and pass the time.  Gentle reader, I was wrong.

For nearly 3 months, I became a 6 foot something smart-ass who frequented strip joints and, basically, horizontal rumba-ed my way around the sims.  It was easy enough to do and, initially, was great fun.  That changed when I met my first serious VGF (Virtual Girl friend).  Initially we flirted and ended up have quick dangerous fun in our workplace at the time.  This developed into a fuller relationship and we Skype'd and married in world.  As the honeymoon period wore off, as in real life, the arguments set in and life became slowly unbearable.  Both of were too strong personality wise and our relationship dissolved like an associate of “Big Tony” in an acid bath situated in a warehouse just off Route 17 in...er...it collapsed quickly. 

(For your information), I was nowhere near and my phone records prove it!)  We were on and off more times than a dockside hooker’s panties when the fleet was in, but we both knew the writing was on the wall.  I moved on and quickly went back to my old ways with a succession of dancers and strippers.  Outside of the hedonistic lifestyle, I began to feel lonely again and started Dj-ing at small clubs, glad of the attention and the circle of friends I was building up.

After one more try with the VGF, I settled on a club and began a relationship with a fellow DJ.  This was briefly interrupted by a rather sweet message from the ex VGF which read along the lines of

“He always said he wasn’t a Dom(inant) and then he give you a cute little title.  I gave 6 months of my life for some other bit*h to get his world.  Screw you!”

Thankfully, everyone laughed it off and no more was said about it, until I shared it on facebook and on my SL profile that is.

Fast forward a week or two and I met a UK avatar called Milae.  We became closer and eventually started dating, swapping cell phone numbers and talking every day. 6 months later and we're married with a Zooby Baby and a comfortable Second Life, have met a few times in real-life and are moving in together later this year.

We've tried to run an entertainment sim (which, even in Second Life terms, was a catastrophic fail).   I managed to get myself banned from a gaming area for saying that the land agency affiliated with it “was ok but there are cheaper and better agencies out there” (who knew that a personal opinion would resonate so much with people?) and we currently have a few other irons in the fire.

It might not be a definitive recollection of my (nearly) 12 months in Second Life, but it's mine.  Hardly a barrel of laughs from start to finish, but it's a journey none the less.  Yes, there are a few elements I would change and, yes, I was a total ass-cake back then (and, to a certain degree, still am) but I play the game and got played.  It's taken up a lot of time this past year and I have been both cursed and saved by Second Life, all it has to offer and the people therein.

What could be next for me and my family?  Who really knows.  Either way, I'll see you down the road somewhere...