The guardian at this meeting was Pema Pera and the comments are his.
Soon after I entered the tea house, early in the morning at 7 am, Dakini Linda appeared, slowly rezzing. For quite a while, most of her surroundings must have seemed grey to her.
Pema Pera: Hi there DL!
Dakini Rhode: hello grey one :-)
Pema Pera: hahaha
Pema Pera: copper colored, beg your pardon! My new plumage . . .
Dakini Rhode: starting to rez
Pema Pera: slow today . . again
Dakini Rhode: i was about to plant trees, when i realized its that time again
Pema Pera: ?
Dakini Rhode: time for PaB
Pema Pera: Ah!
Pema Pera: yes
Pema Pera: I’m at JFK right now
Pema Pera: arrived early to be able to get into PaB before taking off ;>)
Dakini Rhode: what time is your flight?
Pema Pera: oh, after 12 so no rush
Dakini Rhode: my space bar is having probs today
Pema Pera: I’ll be back in August
Dakini Rhode: today is a good day to buy a new computer
Pema Pera thinking about meeting exotic aliens in a space bar
Dakini Rhode: haha
The conversation moved on to forest retreats.
Dakini Rhode: I’m not sure whether you recall, Pema, but the retreat in the forest, surrounded by my friends, is a very old dream of mine
Pema Pera: really?
Pema Pera: when did we talk about that?
Dakini Rhode: I think we talked about it some time ago
Dakini Rhode: so many conversations come and go….
Pema Pera: I don’t clearly remember, yes, sooooo many conversations . . . and so litle sleep
Pema Pera: with little sleep you can still function but memory formation seems to be challenged . . . interesting, isn’t it, the way the body economizes
Dakini Rhode: that IS interesting…
Pema Pera: how wonderful that your intuition parallels mine!
Dakini Rhode: how is that?
Dakini Rhode: how does my intuition parallel yours?
Pema Pera: retreat in the forest
Pema Pera: when Storm asked me what I would do with all that land, what vision
Pema Pera: I first said: dunno
Pema Pera: and quickly after:
Pema Pera: a guess a large forest
Pema Pera: with streams and hills and little retreat places for PaB participants
Pema Pera: I guess I was partly influenced by Storm’s landscaping abilities
Dakini Rhode: that reminds me of my desires from long ago… i even lived in communities like that when I was younger
Pema Pera: wow
Pema Pera: can you tell me more?
Dakini Rhode: I’ll need to see how common this vision is… maybe many people have this dream
At that moment I got an IM from one of the people I had approached the day before, asking them whether they wanted to sell some of their land that was more or less in a path between Rieul and the sea.
Pema Pera: can you give me 3 minutes time out? I got an interesting IM about possible sale of half a sim near the sea . . . .
Dakini Rhode: I found that by returning to the simple life in this community
Dakini Rhode: ok
Dakini Rhode: making tea… brb
Dakini Rhode: let me know when you’re back :-)
It was a useful and timely conversation, and I’m glad we made some progress in our negatiations.
Pema Pera: b!
Pema Pera: is that the right abbreviation for back?
Dakini Rhode: it works!
Pema Pera: a for surprise, k for okay, b for back, we still have 23 left!
Pema Pera: o is clear too
Pema Pera: hmmm, haha
Dakini Rhode: y
Pema Pera: !
Pema Pera: this whole texting culture really has its own charm
Dakini Rhode: i c
Pema Pera: I talked about land in Ramie.
Dakini Rhode: is that the waterfront land?
Pema Pera: getting there
Pema Pera: do you have a map up?
Dakini Rhode: dickering r u?
Dakini Rhode: y
Pema Pera tries to remember the meaning of dickering
Dakini Rhode: bargaining
Dakini Rhode: maybe a swamp yankee word
Dakini Rhode is looking at her map
Pema Pera: so roughly what does it mean, dickering?
Pema Pera: not bickering ;>)
Dakini Rhode: bargaining :-)
Dakini Rhode: dickering over the price :-)
Pema Pera: Ah!!!
Pema Pera: bickering with $$ ;>)
Dakini Rhode: yes, with dollars !
Dakini Rhode: where should I look on the map?
I then quickly summarized for Dakini wat I had been discussing while she was making tea. In fact, as often happens, summarizing a vision helped me to see the vision more sharply. The potential seller had asked me the same question that I had been asked a few times now: why don’t you buy a whole island for a fraction of the price of what it will take here on the mainland? My response had been:
Pema Pera: yes, but my friends and I prefer to start from a base we already have a couple sims to the East
Pema Pera: and connect our properties by a forest
Pema Pera: sort of like the same idea as highways and railroads
Pema Pera: both of which haven’t really worked very well in SL so far . . . .
Pema Pera: instead
Pema Pera: we like to have a central forest
Pema Pera: with tentacles as paths to walk over
Having summarized that particular real estate conversation, we returned to the larger picture.
Pema Pera: so this is Pema wheeling and dealing ;>)
Dakini Rhode: interesting! this is all very workable
Dakini Rhode: i have a little adventure starting too… a fellow wants me to help build a temple
Dakini Rhode: you many know this temple… give my computer a few mins to find it
Pema Pera: so the area we are talking about is in Ramie. Now I have property in Solbim and I could go through Pogon to reach the sea. From Rieul go north to Magoja (which I now 3/4 own) then west to Chokki and next Solbim
Dakini Rhode: a i’ll do it later
Pema Pera: Or up from Magoja into Paduk and west to Koryo directly into Ramie
Pema Pera: that seems to be the thrift
Pema Pera: sorry
Pema Pera: did not mean to derail your story ;>)
Pema Pera: so this was mine
Dakini Rhode: yes will need to get thru chokki
Pema Pera: where do you want to build a temple?
Dakini Rhode: what is there?
Pema Pera: through or around Chokki
Dakini Rhode: a different platform from SL
Dakini Rhode: i’ll need to look it up later
Pema Pera: I have many options on my sleeve
Pema Pera: I’ll let you know which one works (said Pema (over?)confidently)
Dakini Rhode: :-)
Pema Pera: non-SL ? wow!
Dakini Rhode: an open - sim platform, i’m curious, will investigate
Dakini Rhode: but… the building is not so important to me as what happens here in this virtual space
I was still mulling over the latest real estate exchange.
Pema Pera: isn’t it interesting! Same pattern I’ve now seen many times: people distant and cool like whaddaya want, then warming up. It is also a great exercise for me to formulate our vision and thereby flesh it out! (leave it out — tree leaves!)
Dakini Rhode: yes! I’ve found the same
Pema Pera: summarizing for others means clarifying for yourself
Dakini Rhode: we are probably learning salesmanship
Pema Pera: yes and much more!
Dakini Rhode: why the salesman keeps his foot in the door, lol
Pema Pera: isn’t that a great idea, using a forest as an alternative for a highway or railroad? It just dawned on me bit by bit . . . .
Pema Pera: hahaha
Dakini Rhode: i think it’s more workable here than highway or Rr
Pema Pera: so now with Ramie opening up I know I can drop Nieun — was thinking to go south to reach the sea but north is better
Pema Pera: Nieun has too much weird sex — read sim lag (don’t mind the sex but do mind lag!!)
Pema Pera: couldn’t get in there yesterday
Pema Pera: just look at the piles of green dots!
Pema Pera: so no Nieun for us
Dakini Rhode: that is a LOT of weird sex lol
Pema Pera: luckely right then Ramie responded
Pema Pera: it REALLY seems the universe provides for us . . . . . .
Dakini Rhode: this universe does so rather quickly
Pema Pera: do you see the yellow in Pogon?
Pema Pera: I think we are almost at the see, when Ramie comes through!
Dakini Rhode: yes, i see it!
Pema Pera: I have quite a bit of land already in Solbim . . . .
Dakini Rhode: you HAVE been busy!
Pema Pera: Solbim was quite yellow earlier this week . . .
Pema Pera: ;>)
Pema Pera: shall we go over?
Pema Pera: time here is late enough
Dakini Rhode: haha you are so funny
Pema Pera: so?
Dakini Rhode: sure let’s go over
Dakini Rhode: i’m becoming amused by all this land wheeling and dealing
Pema Pera: yes, isn’t it fun!
Pema Pera: would be boring just for its own sake
Pema Pera: but so exciting for the Dharma, PaB, etc!
Dakini Rhode: you have to have a vision
Pema Pera: YES
We were ready to fly West.
Pema Pera: okay
Pema Pera: here is the travel plan
Pema Pera: we will fly along the border between Rieul and Magoja
Pema Pera: and due west
Pema Pera: so from here up to the south part of Magoja
Dakini Rhode: ok
Pema Pera: then three sims west, then one and a half sim up
Dakini Rhode has her map up
Pema Pera: a horse move in chess
Dakini Rhode: got it!
Dakini Rhode: Knight
Pema Pera: do you see the yellow square in the middle of the east edge of Pogon?
Dakini Rhode: yes
Pema Pera: that I would like to buy
Pema Pera: the last full sim before the sea
Pema Pera: another historic day!
Dakini Rhode: o wait i was looking at Paduk
Pema Pera: our first land in a sea-touching full sim . . . .
Dakini Rhode: Pogon, got it
Dakini Rhode: haha let’s survey the neighborhood
Pema Pera: so to recapitulate: we will fly north a quarter sim from here
Pema Pera: then west three sims
Pema Pera: then north 1.5 sims
Pema Pera: here we go
Pema Pera: so we are over Magoja
By that time Storm had indeed already read my IM, and he would come in-world soon thereafter.
Pema Pera: we are now in Solbim
Dakini Rhode: yes i can see you have called it TBA
Pema Pera: hehe
Pema Pera: 10k
Pema Pera: not bad, hey?
Dakini Rhode: i see that at the top of my screen
Dakini Rhode: you are surely getting there :-)
Pema Pera: IMing with Storm sorry
Dakini Rhode is just sitting here enjoying her tea :-)
Pema Pera: haha
Pema Pera: idea: starting with a low hedge around all the property
Pema Pera: to see what we own!
Pema Pera: let me show my other big chunk in solbim
Dakini Rhode: i was going to show you the tocusa fence
Dakini Rhode: can’t put it here yet
Dakini Rhode: to see if you like it
Pema Pera: we are crossing a Linden highway do you see that?
Dakini Rhode: yes!
Pema Pera: so at the other side here is my other big chunk
Pema Pera: so
Pema Pera: almost 10k
We saw Storm rezzing in front of us, after I had given him a tp.
Dakini Rhode: hey Storm!
Pema Pera: hi there!
Storm Nordwind: Hi both
Pema Pera: here is a 8k+ part I bought
Dakini Rhode: surveying this land :-)
Storm Nordwind: k
Pema Pera: do you see on the map the Linden high way cutting through Solbim?
Storm Nordwind: On the map, yes
Pema Pera: I also have 10k+ on the other side of the highway
Pema Pera: and I just got an IM from someone owning part of Ramie
Storm Nordwind: Oh this is quite large
Pema Pera: so then we only need to cross Pogon!
Pema Pera: follow me!
Storm Nordwind: A few exuberant neighbours I see by the X behind me
Pema Pera: I think I’ll buy this piece right now
Storm Nordwind: This feels right Pema. On intuition
Dakini Rhode: I concur
Pema Pera: we are ONLY 200 meters from the shore here!!!
Pema Pera: okay I got it
Storm Nordwind: Yes we are - amazing!
Pema Pera: yes, we only have to fill a few holes
Pema Pera: I think we have already 3/4 of a continguous line from Rieul to the sea!
Pema Pera: amazing indeed
Dakini Rhode: lol amazing the size of the holes you’re filling compared to what I was doing in Rieul
Storm Nordwind is in wonder
Dakini Rhode: wow another blank canvas
Dakini Rhode: yes, and we really need to terraform before we do much of anything
Storm Nordwind: Yes. Plant or building before terraforming can be very embarassing!
Pema Pera: haha
Pema Pera: and I suggested a low hedge around all the land
Pema Pera: so that we can at least recognize what is ours;>)
I then walked over to a large number of very small plots, mostly 16 sq m, which seems to be about the minimum size in SL.
Pema Pera: I should do that for all my disconnected pieces before getting into the airplane!
Storm Nordwind: There is a matrix of 16 such plots here
Dakini Rhode: i see you’re buying this 16m at a time
After a lot of clicking, I had acquired all the tiny plots, and combined them into one.
Pema Pera: 2720 in total now — I joined it all
Storm Nordwind: Cool!
Pema Pera: 2720 sqm not bad!
Storm Nordwind: Yes!
Pema Pera: just a sec
Dakini Rhode: I seem to lag really bad when that happens
Dakini Rhode: wb Pema
Pema Pera: okay y’all!
Pema Pera: I have to pack my stuff now soon
Pema Pera: off to Japan
Dakini Rhode: happy trails, Pema!
Pema Pera: but we are NEARLY at the shore!!ah just a sec
Pema Pera: Do you see the big piece in Mugunghwa?
Dakini Rhode: haha getting there!
Pema Pera: north of here?
Pema Pera: let us check just curious
Pema Pera: here
Pema Pera: haha
Pema Pera: our first shoreline property!
Pema Pera: a bit expensive but . . .
Pema Pera: symbolic!
Dakini Rhode: we could buy them
Pema Pera: yes
Pema Pera: I think I’ll just do it
Dakini Rhode: so we’ll need to work on the route to here
Dakini Rhode: is this the place?
Pema Pera: yes
Pema Pera: this is not a lake
Pema Pera: an inlet
Pema Pera: bay
Pema Pera: !!
Dakini Rhode: it can be terraformed
Dakini Rhode: but now it’s a bay i think
Dakini Rhode: we could widen it or narrow it
Pema Pera: great!
Dakini Rhode: when you’re buying land your avatar looks like he’s thinking very hard
Pema Pera: well, he is hahaha
Dakini Rhode: lol
Pema Pera: pensive pema plodding plots
Dakini Rhode: haha
Given the importance of the decision to buy shoreline property, as the farthest part of our forest, I had IM-ed Storm and he quickly responded by coming into SL.
Dakini Rhode: hi Storm!
Dakini Rhode: I told Pema we can terraform this - hope I’m right about that
Storm Nordwind: I have 3 second lag
Pema Pera: well storm
Pema Pera: shall I buy?
Pema Pera: Like the symbolism of it
Pema Pera: reaching the shore!
Dakini Rhode: yes, let us consult the Storm oracle
Pema Pera: haha
Dakini Rhode: ah, gone, gone, gone beyond
Pema Pera: have only five minutes left though
Dakini Rhode: good timing for me actually Pema
Pema Pera: the worst what can happen is that I lose $100
Pema Pera: which is not the end of the world
Dakini Rhode: why would you lose it?
Pema Pera: and just give it back
Pema Pera: oh, if we cannot connect
Pema Pera: with the rest
Storm Nordwind: 100,000 L$ is $400
Pema Pera: AH!
Dakini Rhode: lack of sleep affects math
Pema Pera: I thought this was one piece
Pema Pera: looked at the smaller one
Pema Pera: just a sec
Pema Pera: how many pieces do we have here?
Dakini Rhode: i’m only seeing one piece?
Storm Nordwind: Me too
Pema Pera: how strange
Pema Pera: I saw another one
Pema Pera: where?
Pema Pera: hmmm
Storm Nordwind: To the north
Pema Pera: this is unbelievably cheap!
Pema Pera: ah no
Pema Pera: sorry
Pema Pera: missed a zero
Pema Pera: ahh lack of sleep haha
Dakini Rhode: when i was in India they said it affects math
Dakini Rhode: jet lag does, same thing
It turned out that there were several pieces for sale, and I had just confused the first piece I had seen with the current one we were standing on. In my attempt to find the first one back, I actually found a third one, significantly cheaper.
Dakini Rhode: would you allow Storm and I to scout around a bit?
Pema Pera: sure of course
Storm Nordwind: This $200 US
Dakini Rhode: we can see what we can dig up
Dakini Rhode: Storm if we want this for the group, i could buy it too
Pema Pera: just a sec I am still curious
Pema Pera: no Dakini not to worry, thanks though!
Pema Pera: now this IS CHEAP
Storm Nordwind: Yes. But it’s not linkable to the rest if the map is correct
Dakini Rhode goes to take a dip in the lake
Pema Pera: we need boats!
Pema Pera: You know
Dakini Rhode: hmmm can’t go in the lake
Storm Nordwind: The lake is own by the mansion owner as a 1/4 sim
Pema Pera: hmmm
Pema Pera: no way to link anywhere?
Pema Pera: we can go out to sea with a boat and land elsewhere?
Dakini Rhode: wow we’re near the void
Pema Pera: my intuition tells me to get all three of these pieces and then see
Pema Pera: less than $1000 still
Dakini Rhode: the land sea says Void - owned by gov. linden
Pema Pera: void means you can’t swim/take boat?
Dakini Rhode: not sure
Storm Nordwind: I have to say I’ve not tried
Storm Nordwind: Let’s see if we can fly there
Dakini Rhode: i have a little inner tube, but I can’t rez it in this sea
Storm Nordwind: It allows object entry not creation
This was a historic moment for us, our first contact with the void. How symbolic, as Storm would comment, and Dakini and I would immediately agree with!
Pema Pera: my intuition tells me to get all three of these pieces and then see
Dakini Rhode: so if we owned the land, would we be able to get from here to there?
Pema Pera: if no strong objections I’ll do that now
Dakini Rhode wants a reality check
Pema Pera: then we have our see base!
Storm Nordwind: We may be able to program vehicles to get between them
Pema Pera: sea base
Pema Pera: funny: see base
Pema Pera: okay seer
Pema Pera: I
Pema Pera: will buy this
Pema Pera: that was too much fun
Dakini Rhode: near the Void
Pema Pera: YES!!!!
Dakini Rhode: gone beyond to the Void
Storm Nordwind: The Void is rather symbolic, yes?
Dakini Rhode: yes it is
Pema Pera: yes!
Dakini Rhode: red!
Storm Nordwind: Emptiness
At that point the color of the land changed, since I had just clicked and bought that property (there is an option to show landownership by color, an option all three of us had switched on since we were in scouting mode).
Dakini Rhode: that shocked me
Dakini Rhode: quickdraw Pera
Dakini Rhode: good think you’re not a cowboy
Dakini Rhode: thing
Storm Nordwind: I’d have him on my side! :)
Dakini Rhode: lol definitely
Dakini Rhode: would be a successful cowboy
Dakini Rhode: in the Wild, Wild West
What a fun pun that was! We were at the Western edge of our forest-to-be, and yes, the whole idea was quite wild . . . and so was the landscape. It needed a lot of terraforming.
Storm Nordwind: You need to go to the other two?
Pema Pera: yes
Dakini Rhode: Storm, we can get tropical as we go out here
I quickly jumped to the other two plots, and clicked on them to buy those as well.
Pema Pera: okay now have to run!!!!!
Pema Pera: c u
Storm Nordwind: run and cu v soon
Dakini Rhode: happy trails Pema
Pema Pera: wonderful to be together the three of us while approaching the VOID
Dakini Rhode: yes!!!
Storm Nordwind: bon voyage
Pema Pera: ;>)
Dakini Rhode: Namaste
Pema Pera: bfn
Pema Pera: namaste
Storm Nordwind: Namaste
Back in RL, I quickly put my laptop in my backpack and ran off to the gate, where I was still just in time to board my plane to fly West as well, across the Pacific to Japan.
