2008.05.05 19:00 - From the void onto a dance floor

That evening we quickly grew to quite a crowd. I had switched hair from my previous mohawk to a rather long-haired hippy look, to general acclaim :-).

Pema Pera: Hi Tara and Terri!
Tara Farmer: new look?
Pema Pera: still rezzing
Pema Pera: yes!!
Pema Pera: whaddaya think?
Terri Holrych: hello
Maxine Walden: oh, folks are outside
Terri Holrych: i like it
Tara Farmer: i can only see so far that you have fabio hair
Tara Farmer: LOL
Terri Holrych: yea great hair
Pema Pera wondering what fabio means
Tara Farmer: he he
Pema Pera feeling provincial
Terri Holrych: fab
Tara Farmer: I cannot explain
Pema Pera: thnx, Terri
Terri Holrych: lol
Pema Pera: Ah!
Pema Pera: tnx Tara, hehe
Pema Pera: Just woke up here in Kyoto, Japan in Rl
Dakini Rhode: hi :-)
Terri Holrych: wow
Tara Farmer: dakini just showed me YAGA
Pema Pera: Hi Dakini!
Tara Farmer: YOGA
Dakini Rhode: haha
Pema Pera: ah!
Pema Pera: another slang term I wondered
Tara Farmer: he he
Pema Pera: doing the YAGA
Pema Pera: yeah!
Tara Farmer: ha ha
Terri Holrych: huh
Terri Holrych: lol
Dakini Rhode: sounds like a Tibetan diety
Terri Holrych: wot
Pema Pera: we have a good reason to do the YAGA
Tara Farmer: woot
Terri Holrych: lol

I couldn’t wait to breach the news.

Pema Pera: let’s sit down
Terri Holrych: woot
Pema Pera: Dakini can summarize
Tara Farmer: LOL
Pema Pera: I’m still too sleepy
Maxine Walden: shall I come outside, am sitting inside teahouse?
Pema Pera: we’ve reached the VOID
Pema Pera: inside
Dakini Rhode: we’re joining you, Maxine
Maxine Walden: Tara, hello how beautiful you look
Tara Farmer: hello hello
Tara Farmer: thanks maxine
Tara Farmer: you look like my step mom
Tara Farmer: if she were in SL
Dakini Rhode: Terri i have a shortcut for you
Tara Farmer: that is good
Tara Farmer: she looks like my sister
Terri Holrych: i still learning to walk
Dakini Rhode: just click on one of the cushions and you’ll be in!
Maxine Walden: oh, do I ? Not very imaginative, maybe?
Tara Farmer: terri is a turnip?
Dakini Rhode: yes, and doors are hard
Tara Farmer: maxine, i can help you out after if you are newwish
Dakini Rhode: haha ya made it, Terri
Terri Holrych: thanks my puter was freezing up
Maxine Walden: you know, I am finding that as I gain comfort with SL my imaginativeness grows, so maybe it is better that I express how I am feeling by my looks…
Maxine Walden: aware that may not be the general way folks do things in SL, but it is a bit of me
Tara Farmer: maxine, that is a good way to put it
Pema Pera: Tara and Terri, you both look so festive!
Terri Holrych: i had red skin earlier
Pema Pera: and we have a lot to celebrate
Terri Holrych: thanks
Pema Pera: so this is perfect!
Tara Farmer: says fabio
Tara Farmer: :)
Maxine Walden: wondering where Pema is, have been thinking about him, now that he is in RL in Japan
Tara Farmer: celebrate?

Yes, we did have a lot to celebrate.

Pema Pera: haha
Pema Pera: Dakini,
Pema Pera: why don’t you summarize
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: hi everyone
Pema Pera: I’m drinking my first coffee
Tara Farmer: fried
Dakini Rhode: hmmm summarize?
Pema Pera: still unfocused
Pema Pera: Hi Fried!
Tara Farmer: hey
Pema Pera: just personal impressions
Pema Pera: Dakini
Dakini Rhode: hi Fried!!
Pema Pera: not complete
Pema Pera: a sketch with a few strokes ;>)
Dakini Rhode: Playasbeing in a few strokes…
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: (happy greetings!)
Dakini Rhode: It’s a way to meditate without taking much time - speed meditation
Dakini Rhode: 9 second meditation
Maxine Walden: Pema, Tara, Dakini, Fried, Sky, it would be great to see you all inside the teahouse…
Dakini Rhode: Maxine, I think we are in the teahouse
Terri Holrych: they are inside
Dakini Rhode: are we in parallel worlds?
Maxine Walden: oh, maybe I am not seeing you…
Terri Holrych: ooo
Tara Farmer: only with pema around
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: all I know is that i’ve only been gone a few days, and I barely recognize anyone!

Haha, yes, that’s SL, people can and do change appearance quite frequently.

Dakini Rhode: I can see you
Tara Farmer mutters “guru”
Dakini Rhode: have we changed or you?
Maxine Walden: oh, my point of view…sorry, another learning…yes
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: how would I know?
Dakini Rhode: not sure…
Maxine Walden: now I see you all as well, Dakini, thanks for looking after the cushion I was careless about the other day…thanks a lot
Tara Farmer: we all changed expect dakini not so much
Pema Pera: hahaha
Dakini Rhode: i need to change
Pema Pera: and I thought it was only ME with jetlag . . .
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: don’t change - stay the wonderful person you are today
Tara Farmer: except i meant
Terri Holrych: i am still creating outfits out of all my clothes
Dakini Rhode: i changed my clothes twice already today
Dakini Rhode: in SL
Pema Pera: but Dakini, if you can talk a bit about the balloons near the Void and stuff like that
Dakini Rhode: and twice in RL
Pema Pera: it is so exciting!
Terri Holrych: i have been on SL for a week
Tara Farmer: he he
Dakini Rhode: oh, the balloons!
Pema Pera: maybe we should all go over there
Maxine Walden: lots of stuff going on…
Terri Holrych: baloons?
Pema Pera: and have a ride THROUGH THE VOID
Dakini Rhode: i though you wanted to talk about playingasbeing….

I hadn’t been clear, I realized, but it was the combination of reaching the sea, discovering the void, and having a balloon to ride over it all, that I wanted to share with everybody.

Terri Holrych: oooo
Tara Farmer: i never heard the baloon thing
Dakini Rhode: lol
Dakini Rhode: ok the balloon thing
Dakini Rhode: we have acquired more land -
Dakini Rhode: rather, Pema has acquired more land, for the playasbeing group
Maxine Walden: I would like also to hear how Pema is feeling, now after such a long planeride so recently
Terri Holrych: there is a balloon near a big buddha
Dakini Rhode: yes!
Dakini Rhode: and the farthest land from here is on the SL seashore
Dakini Rhode: we have tentacles of land reaching from here to there
Tara Farmer: huh?
Maxine Walden: tentacles is such an evokative word
Terri Holrych: the big buddha is hawt
Dakini Rhode: the vision is that these will be connected, a corridor of forest from here to there
Tara Farmer: ohneat
Dakini Rhode: forest with retreat huts
Tara Farmer: for walking
Tara Farmer: treehouses?
Dakini Rhode: and I see a larger gathering space too
Terri Holrych: i went all the way from a shopping mall to the big buddha
Dakini Rhode: small gathering spaces scattered throughout, and a larger space
Dakini Rhode: and forest all the way to the sea
Terri Holrych: hawt
Tara Farmer: where is this balloon?
Dakini Rhode: There are balloon tours to the various bits of land
Tara Farmer: oh by the big gold buddha?
Dakini Rhode: there is one by the big gold buddha
Terri Holrych: the one that looks like a giant buddha from japan
Dakini Rhode: I have LMs to the 3 balloons, will get them into SL
Tara Farmer: surely i can steer by buddhas head

Sky appeared, after I teleported her in, since she had wandered rather far away last time she was logged in, and had difficulty finding her way back to the tea house.

Maxine Walden: hi, Sky
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: when did this become play as doing/acting/building? I thought we were just ‘being’ ?
Tara Farmer: one has only a little something to do with the other
Tara Farmer: I think
Terri Holrych: cute outfit sky
Dakini Rhode: hello Sky
Pema Pera: hi Sky!
Sky Szimmer: got lost, now am found. whew
Maxine Walden: nice to be found
Terri Holrych: i like getting lost
Terri Holrych: llol
Sky Szimmer: wow full house/1
Pema Pera: Hi Cal!
Dakini Rhode: hello Cal :-)
Caledonia Heron: hey there :)
Maxine Walden: here comes Cal, hi Cal
Pema Pera: come join us Sky and Cal!
Tara Farmer: pretty wings cal

Indeed a full house: with Caledonia walking in there were eight of us and we had occupied all available cushions.

Pema Pera: Dakini is summarizing some great news
Pema Pera: haha, now summary of summary?
Caledonia Heron: thank you Tara :)
Dakini Rhode: oh, my
Caledonia Heron: you too :)
Tara Farmer: ty
Pema Pera: we got land stretching to the sea and into the void and have balloons to travel into the void — how’s that for a summary?
Dakini Rhode: land, lots of land under starry skies above
Pema Pera: haha
Dakini Rhode: good one
Tara Farmer: leave a voidy spot
Pema Pera: In ten minutes we can leave for a tour
Pema Pera: better than words
Tara Farmer: for nothings sake
Sky Szimmer: i just went and saw want storm did. pretty great!
Tara Farmer: what did he do?
Sky Szimmer: landscaping I think
Dakini Rhode: Storm programmed the balloon tours
Tara Farmer: i see
Dakini Rhode: also landscaped a bit of the shore, i believe
Dakini Rhode: i haven’t seen that yet
Sky Szimmer: beach front property! very nice
Dakini Rhode: there is a LOT of work to be done once Pema sets up permissions so we can get at it
Tara Farmer: I was telling Isen before that we should get him, Storm, dakini and Pema to pose for a picture taken like the “Resevoir Dogs”
Tara Farmer: walking down the SL street with sunglasses on
Dakini Rhode: haha with our speshul hats?
Tara Farmer: as long as you were wearing sunglasses and not smiling it wouldn’t matter
Tara Farmer: LOL
Pema Pera: hehe

Fred brought up the question of impermanence.

Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i’d like to share a reaction to all the abrupt changes I am seeing around me…
Dakini Rhode: please, Fred
Maxine Walden: please, Fried
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i remember visitng vienna once, and noticing that old photographs looked exactly like the street around me
Tara Farmer: THATS AWESOME
Maxine Walden: just the same over time…
Tara Farmer: fried, that is cool
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: and thinking to myself, when I return to NYC in a few weeks, it will have likely changed…
Tara Farmer: true
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i started wondering what it must be like to live in relative persistence
Tara Farmer: where are you now?
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: in the teahouse ;-)
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: you?
Tara Farmer: ahhh a very zen answer
Tara Farmer: pfftt
Dakini Rhode: teahouse hasn’t changed

At that moment I had put on my oversized icecream cone hat, prompted by Tara’s and Dakini’s suggestions to were speshul outfits.

Tara Farmer: ohmy gosh
Tara Farmer: did i walk into a monty python skit?
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: anyway, we sometimes react to sudden changes in our freinds apperances, but rarely are they as radical (except at costume parties)
Tara Farmer: LOL
Maxine Walden: you know, I may be in a minority, but I value the space for clarity of thought and that does usually require some reliable boundaries
Terri Holrych: lol
Tara Farmer: oh sure pema
Dakini Rhode: that is very zen maxine

Next I switched to wearing a white shining halo, which I had gotten at the angel’s dance party

Tara Farmer: can i have a copy of that?
Maxine Walden: think that idea is probably not for this conversation, not as celebratory as the group may feel
Dakini Rhode: you have many insights, Maxine, I wish we could explore further
Pema Pera: did you get a copy, Tara?
Pema Pera: Or do I have to unwear first?
Maxine Walden: (just need to mention that I will need to leave for another meeting in about 5 mintues)
Dakini Rhode: i guess tonite (or this morning) silliness reigns
Tara Farmer: not yet pema
Maxine Walden: maybe so…
Tara Farmer accepted your inventory offer.
Dakini Rhode: I will need to leave soon, too
Tara Farmer: go it sweet
Pema Pera: there yo go!
Pema Pera: anyone else a halo?
Tara Farmer: what a joke
Pema Pera: holy tara!
Tara Farmer: you got some horns too?
Terri Holrych: i have a halo somewhere

Thorberg walked in, and he must have been a bit surprised seeing us all in our somewhat unusual state.

Pema Pera: Hi Thorberg!
Tara Farmer: he he
Pema Pera: hahaha
Thorberg Nordlicht: hello
Maxine Walden: hi, Thor
Thorberg Nordlicht: wow, full house
Dakini Rhode: hi Thor!
Tara Farmer: are pagans allowed to wear haolos?
Pema Pera: we need to open a bar soon!
Pema Pera: why not?
Tara Farmer: hey again thorburg
Pema Pera: pagans can do anything they like!
Tara Farmer: berg
Terri Holrych: lol holiness is universal
Thorberg Nordlicht: hello
Maxine Walden: the name for the bar?
Dakini Rhode: please take my seat, thor
Pema Pera: Be-IT Bar
Terri Holrych: HA
Maxine Walden: Oh, yeah!
Tara Farmer: is that the name?
Thorberg Nordlicht: are you leaving Dakini?
Pema Pera: Be-at IT Bar
Dakini Rhode: do you know what big I big T means to me?
Tara Farmer: Be Bar
Maxine Walden: BB
Pema Pera: Be Inn
Dakini Rhode: Information Technology!
Tara Farmer: eh
Pema Pera: DoBeDo Bar
Dakini Rhode: yay IT
Tara Farmer: yup that makes sense dakini
Terri Holrych: i don’t know i don’t understand i am not sure what the BIG IT is
Maxine Walden: with bells on
Tara Farmer: do be do be do
Terri Holrych: that’s hawt
Pema Pera: ah, Terri that is what we are here for
Maxine Walden: where there’s music…
Pema Pera: to find the IT in the void ;>)
Pema Pera: seriously

I just love these cheerful texting exchanges, with their own wit and charm, combined with the colorful presence and dynamics of all the avatars around.

Tara Farmer: IT says cheese to me
Terri Holrych: where is it not
Maxine Walden: I think Pema is serious…and voice is part of what we explore here
Terri Holrych: cheese la
Maxine Walden: void
Maxine Walden: voice and void, interesting slip on my part
Maxine Walden: have to go in about a minute
Dakini Rhode: i thought you were ready to try voice!
Pema Pera: the beautiful thing here is that, I think for the first time in my life, I feel I can be really fully playful AND serious at the very same time — thank you all for creating the space to make this possible ! ! !
Maxine Walden: had not consciously thought about that, but interesting idea…maybe, maybe not
Terri Holrych: aw
Maxine Walden: thank you, Pema, you are the major creator (pardon the phrase) here
Dakini Rhode: when we don’t have to record the chat for the blog, it would be nice to use voice
Pema Pera: we can mix
Pema Pera: I mean not at the same time
Pema Pera: but some sessions voice
Pema Pera: some text
Dakini Rhode: it would be different - push the boundaries of our experience
Sky Szimmer: I got to run too! See you later!
Pema Pera: c u Sky!
Maxine Walden: gotta go, see you all later, great group tonight..
Pema Pera: cu Max!
Terri Holrych: ja mata

which is Japanese for “see you again”. I keep being surprised at how many people passing through the tea house speak some Japanese . . . .

Pema Pera: yes
Dakini Rhode: nite, Max!
Pema Pera: Terri-san nihongo?
Tara Farmer: i wanna go on a tour in the balloon
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: thor: you’re flipping me out w/ that laptop
Thorberg Nordlicht: problem with voice for me is i’m sharing a house, only internet connection is in living room, and other folks here are doing other things
Terri Holrych: sukoshi
Pema Pera: hiragana?
Terri Holrych: headphones?
Terri Holrych: no hiragana
Terri Holrych: too rusty
Pema Pera: ima Kyoto
Thorberg Nordlicht: “flipping you out” as a good thing or a bad thing?
Dakini Rhode: i need to leave too - Namaste all
Tara Farmer: bye dakini
Terri Holrych: i want to go to kyoto
Pema Pera: thanks, Dakini!
Dakini Rhode: Namaste
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: its great. ridiculously recursive
Pema Pera: c u !
Terri Holrych: namaste
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: this is a quite a silly assembly. visually, at least.
Pema Pera: douzo, Terri-san
Terri Holrych: :)

After all the goodbyes we seemed ready for our balloon ride.

Pema Pera: shall we go have a balloon ride?
Tara Farmer: a motley crew
Thorberg Nordlicht: and in RL I’m actually using a Vaio, too
Tara Farmer: yes yes yes pema
Terri Holrych: haha
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i am wondering if this group would have ever found each other in RL…
Terri Holrych: probably not
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: pema: not enough hot air in here for you?
Pema Pera: let me get the instructions — just keep talking . . . .
Terri Holrych: i want to go on a balloon ride
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: and if we had, would we have hit it off…
Thorberg Nordlicht: no, wouldn’t have found each other because we’re in different geographic locations in RL
Terri Holrych: lol
Thorberg Nordlicht: naw, for one thing, i’m an old guy, you probably wouldn’t even want to hang out with me :-)
Terri Holrych: im old too
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i’m short.
Terri Holrych: im fat
Terri Holrych: lol
Thorberg Nordlicht: that’s one of the fun things about SL is you can have an alter ego that’s totally different than your RL self
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: so all this change, and yet somehow, essences are preserved (and recognized)
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: that’s what you think!
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: it takes very good acting skills to take on an entirely differnt self
Thorberg Nordlicht: yes, I think it’s fascinating to see what translates well into SL and what doesn’t
Terri Holrych: i think this is closer to my internal self
Caledonia Heron: bye everyone, thanks for having me :)
Thorberg Nordlicht: up until a few days ago Pema had a mohawk; i suspect he doesn’t have one in RL
Thorberg Nordlicht: good night Caledonia; oops, too late
Terri Holrych: yeah
Terri Holrych: i dont have pink hair either
Terri Holrych: lol
Thorberg Nordlicht: and when we do Zazen, my avitar can sit full lotus
Thorberg Nordlicht: if I tried that in RL, I would break my knees
Terri Holrych: stretch
Terri Holrych: hehe
Thorberg Nordlicht: yes, I’ve tried stretching, even took a yoga for sitters class

I had to dig up the coordinates for the new beach property, where Storm had built balloons and had already scripted them for a tour of that area.

Pema Pera: okay, got all the info!
Pema Pera: Storm has done so much
Pema Pera: while I was flying and sleeping
Pema Pera: I’m very curious to see it too!
Pema Pera: let me go over and tp
Terri Holrych: ok
Terri Holrych: oh
Terri Holrych: :(
Pema Pera: just a moment
Pema Pera: still struggling with computer
Thorberg Nordlicht: it’s helped a bit, but i have a long way to go to be able to sit full lotus; half lotus, aka Burmese, is the best i can do
Terri Holrych: i like burmese too
Thorberg Nordlicht: but even then the foot underneath goes to sleep sometimes
Teleport completed from http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rieul/246/209/76
Terri Holrych: hi
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: whoa. i totally zoned out
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: purty
Terri Holrych: haha
Thorberg Nordlicht: balloon!
Terri Holrych: lol
Thorberg Nordlicht: i guess since i was the first to sit down, i got the menu; it’s waiting for me to select fly
Thorberg Nordlicht: everybody on board
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: hah. there is room on each other’s laps
Pema Pera: I wonder what happened to Tara

After I had teleported myself to the balloon, I tp-ed the others over, and we were ready for a ride. It was a bit tricky to find our proper places, since we sometimes wound up sitting on each others lap. Thorberg then clicked on balloon, and Storm’s script let the balloon rise slowly gently swaying in the wind.

Friedrich Ochsenhorn: who programmed this baloon…
Balloon whispers: Welcome to the Storm’s tour balloon.
Balloon whispers: Destination East Coastal
Terri Holrych: wheeeeee
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: hope no one is afraid of heights
Terri Holrych: heheh
Thorberg Nordlicht: in RL I am, but doesn’t bother my avatar; guess it’s because in SL, I can fly anyway so i know there’s no danger
Terri Holrych: the stars are nice
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: even though i can fly, the tour is great.
Pema Pera: Storm made the balloon and programmed it
Thorberg Nordlicht: maybe you can IM tara
Pema Pera: I did
Pema Pera: but Tara is off line
Balloon whispers: Warning! Sim boundary crossing
Pema Pera: so the idea is to create a forest connecting the tea house to the sea
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: so, is there a movie on this flight?
Terri Holrych: lol
Pema Pera: haha
Pema Pera: so you can walk for hours
Pema Pera: and there will be streams and hills and waterfalls
Thorberg Nordlicht: be sure to try mouseview (”m” command) and look at the floor
Pema Pera: and many places for retreat huts
Terri Holrych: cool
Pema Pera: so we can all find places for ourselves there
Thorberg Nordlicht: very cool
Pema Pera: creating a community
Thorberg Nordlicht: fun

Most of the time we had been silent, enjoying the night view of the landscape and the sea, under starry skies. Before we knew it, the balloon landed. Since Storm had programmed several tours, I suggested to try another one. We had just taken the East Coastal ride, and we were ready for the North Coastal one.

Pema Pera: ready for the second balloon flight?
Terri Holrych: cool
Pema Pera: I’ll tp again
Terri Holrych: ok
Thorberg Nordlicht: i think it’s a SL but; you were kneeling when you teleported
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: or, maybe I just need to be kissed by a frog or something
Thorberg Nordlicht: it’s best to stand up before you teleport
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: I didn’t teleport! I accepted one….
Terri Holrych: i was sitting too
Pema Pera: same thing
Terri Holrych: lol
Pema Pera: so how do we start the balloon ride?
Pema Pera: automatically?
Balloon whispers: Welcome to the Storm’s tour balloon.
Balloon whispers: Destination North Coastal
Balloon whispers: Please remain seated during the tour.
Pema Pera: clicking did it
Terri Holrych: ooooo
Pema Pera: clicking on the balloon
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i blame linden. no victim complex for me.
Balloon whispers: Warning! Sim boundary crossing
Terri Holrych: where is linden
Thorberg Nordlicht: breezy up here; my tie is fluttering in the wind
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: everywhere!
Terri Holrych: oooo
Terri Holrych: like the great OZ
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: um, there is no floor anymore
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: that’s unnerving
Terri Holrych: its transparent
Terri Holrych: u can se thru it
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: if you say so
Terri Holrych: like a glass bottom boat
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i dare you to stand on it then
Terri Holrych: seee the swirls
Terri Holrych: there is still a floor
Terri Holrych: lol
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: uh oh. Thor took the dare. Should have gone for truth.
Terri Holrych: someone left us
Terri Holrych: no it says u have to stay seated
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: grrr

Indeed: the balloon was constructed in such a way that you were supported only while seated. As soon as you would stand up, you would fall through the phantom floor. At that point it would require some expertise in flying around to catch up again with the balloon and to click once more to get back onto a seat.

Pema Pera: hi Sky!
Sky Szimmer: oh! what a surprise
Terri Holrych: lol
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: thanks. but that didn’t help at all
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i was still sitting on the other end :-(
Sky Szimmer: i came here to study my book on SL
Sky Szimmer: I was able to take off my body parts, etc.
Thorberg Nordlicht: thanks; teleported home by accident; trying to take a snapshot and hit wrong key
Sky Szimmer: haha
Terri Holrych: ooo we thought you fell thru the transparent floor

So our interpretation had been wrong, and we reunited after the end of the trip. By that time I had seen that Sky was online, and I had teleported her over. As she told us, she just happened to be in SL to practice, using a book she had acquired. There were four of us seated in the balloon, and it was not clear whetter the two benches each would seat a third person.

Pema Pera: now let us see whether it seat five
Sky Szimmer: guess this isn’t the best spot to do that!
Pema Pera: haha
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: heh. comfy?
Terri Holrych: llol
Pema Pera: can you fit Thor?
Pema Pera: haha
Sky Szimmer: cool. didn’t expect to go for a ride in the balloon.

After several tries, number five would always wind up in the seat of one of the other four, in a curious type of superposition.

Pema Pera: it may be only four
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: um… thor…
Sky Szimmer: then I’d go
Pema Pera: nonono
Thorberg Nordlicht: full house, go ahead without me
Sky Szimmer: I wasn’t planning on this any how
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i already rode. i can hang out here
Pema Pera: no let us have two groups
Pema Pera: two and three
Pema Pera: who wants to come with me
Sky Szimmer: I guess I do
Pema Pera: okay
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: have you read about that girl in india born w/ 2 faces?
Pema Pera: so sky and I take the second balloon
Terri Holrych: i will go
Pema Pera: sky you can just walk out
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: m
Pema Pera: just click on the balloon to make it go
Pema Pera: and a new balloon will appear
Pema Pera: Fried???
Thorberg Nordlicht: hey folks, i’ve got to leave now; RL dinner is calling; see you guys later

We started our third balloon trip, this time all the way into the Void!

Balloon whispers: Welcome to the Storm’s tour balloon.
Balloon whispers: Destination East Coastal
Balloon whispers: Please remain seated during the tour.
Terri Holrych: ooopp
Pema Pera: see you Thor!
Thorberg Nordlicht: good night folks;
Pema Pera: oops?
Balloon whispers: Welcome to the Storm’s tour balloon.
Balloon whispers: Destination North Coastal
Balloon whispers: Please remain seated during the tour.
Sky Szimmer: whee, let’s go!
Pema Pera: just in time Terri!
Terri Holrych: i keep sitting in laps
Pema Pera: haha
Terri Holrych: hawt
Pema Pera: well, at least you can enjoy the view
Terri Holrych: yeah
Terri Holrych: it looks like i am u
Balloon whispers: Warning! Sim boundary crossing
Pema Pera: haha
Terri Holrych: zen weirdness
Sky Szimmer: where are we going?
Terri Holrych: no where

I wondered whether she realized how true that was! The void was waiting for us. Terri and I had landed on the same seat, but we had given up trying to disentangle.

Sky Szimmer: you guys look weird
Terri Holrych: he says we look weird
Pema Pera: like a four-armed deiy
Terri Holrych: haha
Sky Szimmer: i feel like i can see what your kids would look like
Terri Holrych: chenrezig
Pema Pera: haha
Pema Pera: lol
Terri Holrych: haha
Terri Holrych: how come we have dots above our heads
Pema Pera: that means we can speak using voice
Sky Szimmer: where are we headed?
Pema Pera: just a tour around the land
Balloon whispers: Warning! Sim boundary crossing
Balloon whispers: Into the VOID!
Terri Holrych: ooo
Pema Pera: yeah, VOID!
Terri Holrych: the void
Terri Holrych: ?
Pema Pera: beyond the coast
Pema Pera: once we get into a sim
Terri Holrych: what is the void…
Terri Holrych: ooo
Balloon whispers: Warning! Sim boundary crossing
Terri Holrych: what is the red thing down there
Pema Pera: sorry
Pema Pera: once we get away from the coast
Terri Holrych: for wot
Pema Pera: into the open see
Terri Holrych: ooo
Pema Pera: then a fully sea sim
Pema Pera: is called a void
Terri Holrych: a sea sim
Pema Pera: since there are no objects three
Pema Pera: on land
Terri Holrych: kool
Pema Pera: what happened to Sky?
Terri Holrych: i dunno
Terri Holrych: :(

Somehow Sky has disappeared, perhaps a crash? Both Terri and I had relatively long hair, that was moving up all around us when we were descending to touch down on the ground, at the end of the ride.

Pema Pera: we were letting our hair down
Pema Pera: when we arrived ;>)
Terri Holrych: heehee
Terri Holrych: so are u japanese
Pema Pera: no Dutch
Terri Holrych: oh there is sky
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: actually, its fred
Pema Pera: to get up
Terri Holrych: fred is here too
Pema Pera: Terri
Pema Pera: Hi Fred!
Terri Holrych: yea
Pema Pera: try fly
Terri Holrych: wot
Pema Pera: and stop flying
Pema Pera: fly
Pema Pera: on the bottom bar
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: kneeling sickness
Pema Pera: yes
Pema Pera: then stop flying
Pema Pera: same button
Pema Pera: oops
Pema Pera: still no cure

The problem was that sometimes after a balloon ride, some of us would still remain in the seating position. My suggestion to try flying did not cure the sitting, so I decide to try something else, using the rendez-vous tool I had recently acquired, a way to walk or fly in tandem.

Pema Pera: let me try something else Terri
Pema Pera: just come here
Terri Holrych: i dont have kneeling sickness do i
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i’m more and more convinced it was a spelll
Rendezvous Couples 2.000: Resetting Rendezvous …
Rendezvous Couples 2.000: Reset Done
Terri Holrych: whats in the box
Pema Pera: Terri if you right click the red cube and “sit”
Pema Pera: the cube near me
Pema Pera: then we can fly in formation
Pema Pera: a new tool
Terri Holrych: oooo
Sky Szimmer: what’s with the canadian flag? is that the neighbor
Pema Pera: I have shown it to Sky
Pema Pera: then after that
Pema Pera: I hope you are cured!
Terri Holrych: hot
Terri Holrych: hehe
Pema Pera: isn’t that nice?
Pema Pera: like a fairy tale!
Terri Holrych: that is nice
Terri Holrych: lol
Terri Holrych: it would be hot if i was in the princess outfit
Terri Holrych: lol
Terri Holrych: wheeeeeee
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: its very comfortable
Terri Holrych: tht was fun
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: hey terri! you’re walking
Sky Szimmer: naw. got to run really. just came to change m look.
Terri Holrych: yeah
Sky Szimmer: see you all!
Pema Pera: cu !
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: see ya

After our pairwise flight, it seemed that Terri could stand up and walk, but alas, soon thereafter she returned to a sitting position.

Pema Pera: no cure still Terri
Pema Pera: sorry guys
Terri Holrych: i am doing it too?
Pema Pera: couldn’t find you both back
Pema Pera: after started to fly
Pema Pera: hard to orient!
Pema Pera: well, I have to leave now too.
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: snicker.
Terri Holrych: ok peace out
Pema Pera: good seeing you all!
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: good deal - see you around
Terri Holrych: ttyl
Terri Holrych: nice meeting u
Pema Pera: oh, Terri
Terri Holrych: see u soon
Pema Pera: by the way
Terri Holrych: ok
Pema Pera: this is your first visit to our play as being group, right?
Terri Holrych: yeah
Terri Holrych: i stumbled it
Pema Pera: How did you hear about us?
Terri Holrych: i joined all the buddhist groups
Terri Holrych: and got the im for zazen
Terri Holrych: then my puter froze
Terri Holrych: so i started walking toward the teahouse
Terri Holrych: and everyone was der
Terri Holrych: so i was der
Pema Pera: great, well, welcome!
Terri Holrych: and it was hawt
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: geez, i hope I don’t wake up w/ this kneeling disorder
Pema Pera: hahaha, Fred
Terri Holrych: lol
Pema Pera: there must be a way
Terri Holrych: thank you
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: cinco de mayo caught up w/ me
Pema Pera: in general standing up before tp should do it
Terri Holrych: like quit and restart
Pema Pera: and that too, Terri
Pema Pera: yes
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: _now_ you tell me…

Fred left SL and logged back in again.

Friedrich Ochsenhorn: I’m free!
Terri Holrych: hes liberated
Terri Holrych: awesome
Pema Pera: congratulations, Fred!

At that point, someone in the neighboring building shouted to us:

neighbor: HEY FRIED HEY PEM HEY TERR
Pema Pera shouts: HI Addyson
Terri Holrych: hi neighbor
Pema Pera: you have to shout Fred
Pema Pera: sorry Terri
neighbor shouts: COME DANCE AND PARTY WITH US WERE HAVING A PJ PATY 600Ls ON THE BAORDS
Pema Pera: they are too far
Terri Holrych: oh
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: spin class?
Terri Holrych: lol
Terri Holrych: looking for her
You shout: okay!
Terri Holrych: w.e.
Pema Pera: well I think we should greet the neighbors
Pema Pera: since we are new
Terri Holrych: so u are a web designer
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: HELLO, HELLO, HELLO
Pema Pera: do you have five minutes?
Terri Holrych: ok
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: that’s not a shout, is it
neighbor shouts: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Buyeo/93/38/21
Terri Holrych: yup

At that moment Genesis dropped out of the Sky, after she had logged in and asked me for a tp.

Pema Pera: Hi Gen!
Pema Pera: Have you met Fred?
Terri Holrych: hey
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: hi there. i don’t think so
Pema Pera: Terri is a new participant as of today
Pema Pera: Terri do you want to log out and log in again, to lose your seated position?
Terri Holrych: oops
genesis Zhangsun: Hi Pema no I haven’t met Fred. Hi Fred!
Pema Pera: I can tp you
Terri Holrych: ok
Pema Pera: can’t dance that way
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: i heard the invitation to dance, i think
genesis Zhangsun: What is this place, is this yours Pema?
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: telepathic avatars?
Pema Pera: this is near the void
Pema Pera: the void is in the sea
Pema Pera: when you get out to the next sim
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: you’ve been busy.
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: place looks great. congrats.
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: welcome back, teri

This time Terri, too, was finally able to stand again.

Terri Holrych: hello
Terri Holrych: hi
Pema Pera: Hi terri
Terri Holrych: what i miss
Terri Holrych: farting?
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: fireworks and aligators
Terri Holrych: wait i am getting ims
Terri Holrych: lol someone was iming in a group
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: folks, i think i need to bid you all farewell
Pema Pera: okay, Fred
Terri Holrych: and i was like wot??
Pema Pera: thanks for coming over!
Friedrich Ochsenhorn: best regards.
Terri Holrych: bye Fried
Terri Holrych: peace
Terri Holrych: so i am still getting used to this program
Terri Holrych: i was never a gamer
Terri Holrych: unless zelda counts when i was in jr high
Pema Pera: me neither
Pema Pera: it takes a long time
Terri Holrych: on an ancient nintendo
Terri Holrych: lol
Pema Pera: shall we go see the neighbors?
Terri Holrych: okee
Pema Pera: Gen, the neighbors just shouted
Pema Pera: they have a dance party
Pema Pera: shall we go over?
Pema Pera: I have not met them yet
Terri Holrych: which neighbors
Terri Holrych: that canadian one
Terri Holrych: ?
Pema Pera: nearby
Pema Pera: follow me
Pema Pera: okay Gen?
Terri Holrych: ill try
Pema Pera: I will tp you both if you get lost
Terri Holrych: ok

With the three of us who remained, we jumped into the dance hall next door.

Pema Pera: the trick is to look for the green dots on the mini-map
Pema Pera: that way you spot people
Pema Pera: Gen?
Terri Holrych: ooo
Terri Holrych: i see
Pema Pera: crashed?
Terri Holrych: maybe
Pema Pera: wb
Terri Holrych: there is a lot of green dots in one spot
genesis Zhangsun: Hi I’m back my program crashed
Terri Holrych: hi welcome back
genesis Zhangsun: Hi Terri nice to meet you
Terri Holrych: hi
Terri Holrych: :)
genesis Zhangsun: are you new to SL too?
Terri Holrych: yes
Terri Holrych: a week old
Terri Holrych: lol
genesis Zhangsun: just a baby!
neighbor: HEY PEMA HUN!
Pema Pera: hi there!
neighbor: HOW IS EVERYONEN
genesis Zhangsun: Hi wow lets boogie
neighbor: THANK U FOR COMIN
Pema Pera: thanks for inviting!
neighbor: WELCOME HUN
neighbor: =)
Terri Holrych: hi
Terri Holrych: thanks for inviting us

Seeing everyone dancing, Genesis quickly did our chocolate disco gig:

genesis Zhangsun: チョコレイト・ディスコ ♪
neighbor: UR SO WELCOME
Pema Pera: haha, Gen, great!
Pema Pera: Japanese disco!
Terri Holrych: fun
Terri Holrych: lol
genesis Zhangsun: Unfortunately or fortunately those are the only moves I’ve got
Terri Holrych: i love her cat slippers
genesis Zhangsun: at the moment
Terri Holrych: haha
genesis Zhangsun: me too
genesis Zhangsun: wow I have to get a pair

From that point on we greeted a lot of other people, and joined various dances, voted for best dancers, and finally tipped the DJ before we left. We had gotten yet more of a flavor of what is going on in the rest of SL, beyond the horizon of the tea house :-).

Just when we were about to disbandon, Terri suggested to make a brief visit to Bodhi Island. Before we knew it, we would stay there for another hour. Time sometimes seems to be almost infinitely stretchable in SL :-). It was a chance for me to mean Spiritnoname, who had visited the tea house for the first time while I was in the air in RL.

Pema Pera: hi Spirit!
Spiritnoname Saphir: Hiya
genesis Zhangsun: Hey Spirit
Spiritnoname Saphir: Terri, right in front of you now :p
Terri Holrych: hi this is my friend Spiritnoname
Terri Holrych: this is bodhi island spirit no name
Pema Pera: nice meeting you Spirit!
Terri Holrych: that’s pema and genesis
Pema Pera: Gen, you may want to log out and in again
Pema Pera: simplest
Terri Holrych: they are possessed by a dancing ghost
Pema Pera: hahaha
Spiritnoname Saphir: :p
genesis Zhangsun: Oh ok am I still dancing too?
Terri Holrych: so who wants to see my vajrayogini outfit
Pema Pera: sure!
Terri Holrych: yes u are still dancing
Spiritnoname Saphir: I would like to see it :p
Terri Holrych: ok hold on
genesis Zhangsun: I can’t see that ok I will log out
Pema Pera: I’ll tp you
Spiritnoname Saphir: omg lol cool
Terri Holrych: tada
Pema Pera: beautiful necklace!

Indeed, Terri looked lovely in her Vajrayogini dress.

Terri Holrych: thanks
Terri Holrych: lol
Pema Pera: you’re looking more quiet now, Gen!
Terri Holrych: so i was hella bored
Terri Holrych: so i got dressed up
Terri Holrych: if you take the sky life it takes you to the mandala
genesis Zhangsun: Great but Pema I think you are still dancing
Terri Holrych: its awesome
Pema Pera: do you come here ofen Terri?
Spiritnoname Saphir: hmm,… I think I’ll try it :p
Pema Pera: I am dancing?
Pema Pera: not for me
Lift: Lift ready. Sit to start ascending by non-physics to 310 meters.
genesis Zhangsun: Yes you are still dancing in my screen
Terri Holrych: have u guys been to the mandala
genesis Zhangsun: when you told I was still dancing I didn’t know
Pema Pera: sorry terri which tp?
genesis Zhangsun: LOL
Terri Holrych: did you type the stop command
Pema Pera: am I dancing for you Terri?
Terri Holrych: yes you are still dancing
genesis Zhangsun: LOL
Pema Pera: odd
Pema Pera: just a sec
genesis Zhangsun: you are really working it Pema
Terri Holrych: you click on the box over there
Pema Pera: that was /99stop?
genesis Zhangsun: in front of this beautiful bridge
Terri Holrych: yes
Terri Holrych: type /99stop
Pema Pera: am I still dancin now?
Terri Holrych: you click on the box
Terri Holrych: yes you are still dancing
Terri Holrych: lol
genesis Zhangsun: wow Terri did you chance outfit?
Terri Holrych: i made it
Terri Holrych: did you find the mandala

I logged out and in again, and finally got rid of my dancing behavior which had been invisible to me but visible to the others.

Terri Holrych: it will take u
Pema Pera: out of dance now?
Terri Holrych: hold on
genesis Zhangsun: Yes you are out of dance
Terri Holrych: yes
genesis Zhangsun: it was great fun though to watch you!
genesis Zhangsun: ;)
Lift: Lift ready. Sit to start ascending by non-physics to 310 meters.
Pema Pera: love the vajrayogini dress Terri
Pema Pera: have you practiced with vajrayogini?
Pema Pera: haha, Gen, thanks!
Terri Holrych: no i dont have an empowerment but my friend is all gaga over her
Terri Holrych: lol
Pema Pera: she’s pretty special!
Terri Holrych: wait i think its not this lift
Pema Pera: do you know about vajrayogini Gen?
Terri Holrych: its the one by the stupa
Terri Holrych: follow me
Spiritnoname Saphir: k
genesis Zhangsun: no I don’t what it?
Terri Holrych: follow me
Spiritnoname Saphir: (nods)
Terri Holrych: touch it and choose mandala
Spiritnoname Saphir: k
Terri Holrych: then you click it again and select get on
Spiritnoname Saphir: Okay
Terri Holrych: make sure you set it to mandala
Terri Holrych: ok
Terri Holrych: lol
Terri Holrych: i didnt know there was only 1
Pema Pera: vajrayogini is one of the most powerful dakinis
Pema Pera: Gen
Terri Holrych: i am usually here by myself
Terri Holrych: ok get on it
Pema Pera: Tibetan dakini
Pema Pera: nice stupa!
Pema Pera: I had a poster of vajrayogini for many years
Pema Pera: in my kitchen ;>)
Pema Pera: after you !

One by one we took the elevator to the mandala, constructed in blazing primary colors. We walked around there, on the several levels of the building there, and continued our discussion. Since the current blog entry is already unusually long, I will not include all that here.