I was at the teahouse alone for awhile, the bird and water sounds offering a soothing acoustical surround. After about 15 minutes I went outside and continued musing about the window in the teahouse, its graceful supports offering frames for smaller views, each a slightly different view of the same moment – a metaphor for the experience each mind may bring to these sessions. As I mused Solo soon came by
Solobill Laville: Hey, sorry to interrupt - are you alone?
Maxine Walden: just musing, nice to see you
Maxine Walden: alone with my thoughts, here for the session at 1pm SL
Maxine Walden: how are you?
Solo Laville: Good
Solobill Laville: A little under the weather
Maxine Walden: sorry to hear that
Solobill Laville: ty
Solobill Laville: Thanks for Friday
Then suddenly we were visited by an alien looking figure which at first I did not see, nor ‘hear’, but Solo did and after the first aggressive greeting Solo acted. Still oblivious to what had just happened I am still in a previous thought
Maxine Walden: oh, glad to help out, maybe sometime I might need the same,
Solobill Laville: Hey, I just ejected my first av!
Maxine Walden : did you, now.. Just then?
Solobill Laville: yes! lol
Solobill Laville: the green alien
Maxine Walden: wow,
Solobill Laville: Dropped an F-bomb on me
Solobill Laville: he he
Maxine Walden: LOL
Solobill Laville: I am actually laughing
Solobill Laville: in RL
Maxine Walden:yes I was laughing in RL too
Maxine Walden: sometimes that happens the laughter reaching right into RL
Seems the alien returns in the blink of an eye and Solo ejects it again
Solobill Laville: bye again
Solobill did that 3 times
Maxine Walden: did it again? WOW, not sure if we should move inside
Solobill Laville: 4…
Solobill Laville: 5…
Maxine Walden: appreciate your trigger finger as it were, fast on the draw
Solobill Laville: I think he might need to be banned
Maxine Walden: you know I agree
We pondered the idea of a ban for this occasion and then unfamiliarity staid our hand
Solobill Laville: I just need to figure out how to do it..
Solobill Laville: lol
Solobill Laville: Oh, why bother, it’s gone
Solobill Laville: So, you were musing?
Maxine Walden: I think to ban you double click on the same circle of eject…yes, better to let it go…
Solobill Laville: yes
And then that internal visitor, doubt, not always welcome comes to my mind and we then have profiled doubt vs clarity in a potentially grief-ridden situation
Maxine Walden: I am split in thought between the musing and that doubt which says…should we
Maxine Walden: have tried to talk with the av before ejecting? you know try to get to know…but I think I just need to let that go too, doubt can be erosive, and that needs ejection
Maxine Walden: back to the musing
Solobill Laville: Max, you are very forgiving, that is good
Maxine Walden I was trying to muse for the chatlog…oh, not sure if forgiving, but have had a lot of experience with doubt and its erosive nature, so try to not let it get the upper hand
Solobill Laville: Now, carrying a gun, sitting next to us, and saying &*%^ u, I don’t know, that is a bit aggresive, no?
Solobill Laville: But I should have defered to you, you are the guardian, my apologies
Maxine Walden: you know, I did not see the gun, only saw a green figure, did see the f word, but was not quite sure if he initiated it or not…actually I felt very cared for by your action…please no apologies,
Solobill Laville: I should’ve taken a snapshot!
Maxine Walden: thought for a moment he was ‘f’ing because he knew he was being ejected..oh, can you do that, oh yes, see the snapshot button, what does that do? (takes a snap, of course)
Solobill Laville: No, “it” sat next to me (with a gun), and just popped out the “greeting”
Solobill Laville: that was enough for me
Maxine Walden it is interesting to think that some folk come by just to cause disruption…yes, ‘it’ came to do that…thanks for the quick response; think my response time is much slower, not much help in certain situations
Solobill Laville: It would be nice to be able to “eject” sometimes in RL!! he he
Still pondering the difference in our perceptions and reaction times I wonder
Maxine Walden: in evolutionary terms I would likely not (LOL in RL re your comment)
Maxine Walden: I would likely not have jumped out of the way of the lion or the hostile arrow
Maxine Walden: with a slow response time
Solobill Laville: he he
And then upon reflection of the recent sudden occurrence we had a chance to recognize our different states of mind, different states of awareness which entered into this unexpected experience
Maxine Walden: that ejection experience seems almost like a dream as I glance back, even tho just so recent
Solobill Laville: It must have been strange as you were here alone in the peaceful setting deep in thought
Maxine Walden: or maybe I go dreamlike…yes, maybe that is it, I was deep in a musing, very pleased to see you, but then
Maxine Walden: not expecting a hostile presence at all
Maxine Walden: maybe not ‘getting it’ for a bit
Solobill Laville: I’ve been to a few public places, doing some initial observations of avatars, and say some stuff like that before
Solobill Laville: some violent, some sexual
Maxine Walden: really!!
Solobill Laville: Yes, i think it is mostly kids, playing like this is their playground
Maxine Walden: I realize I may be very naive, oh, kids, yes, likely so…
Our thoughts turn toward Playasbeing
Maxine Walden: I come into SL primarily as a vehicle for playasbeing and the such
Maxine Walden: so I have not explored much around…actually in a way yes
Solo suggested a walk in the new forest area Storm had been creating
Solobill Laville: Shall we walk in the new forest as we chat?
Maxine Walden: I would like that; I do have to watch my time, have about 10 min before I have to go to another meeting, and would need a moment to capture the chatlog, but till then I would love to walk, would need you to lead the way
Solobill Laville: It’s close - follow me!
Solobill Laville: Just up ahead
Solobill Laville: This is it
Maxine Walden: wonderful
Solobill Laville: This is Storm’s handywork
Maxine Walden: beautiful waterfall, yes, Storm did a wonderful job
Solobill Laville: There is a magnificent tree back behind
Part of my journey to see the big tree involved getting to the waterfall!
Solobill Laville: Do you need a towel?
Solobill Laville: lol
Maxine Walden: maybe
Maxine Walden: trying to get these rocks!!
Solobill Laville: It’s okay Good thing, we’re wearing our sandals
Maxine Walden: right,
And there was this wonderful tree, looking like one of the ancient ones
Maxine Walden: yes, oh, wow, one of these ancient gnarly trees, hundreds of years old, real old growth which evoked lots of fantasy
Solobill Laville: Yes, I love some of the SL trees
Maxine Walden: really nice; huge gnarl, root, tree thing,
Maxine Walden: have about two minutes or so before I have to leave
Solobill Laville: OK
Solobill Laville: So, in two minutes, how did you get involved with PaB?
Maxine Walden: you know that root looks like the Loch Ness monster
Solobill Laville: This tree does look a bit animal-ish
Solobill Laville: he he
Maxine Walden: I was reaching for meaning beyond where I was in my RL life and PaB seemed to come on the horizon as things sometimes do when we are open to them, know what I mean?
We spoke more specifically about how we came to be interested in Playasbeing
Solobill Laville: Sure, did you seee the Blog then?
Maxine Walden:actually I met Piet, where he works in RL, and where I go twice yearly to meet colleagues;
Maxine Walden: and the PaB was just about to begin and Piet invited me to join
Solobill Laville: So you knew about the Ways of Knowing experiment then
Maxine Walden: yes, I did, I saw that on the website
Solobill Laville: me too
Maxine Walden: do you know about that too, ways ofknowing?
Solobill Laville: from following the links
Solobill Laville: I spent about 1/2 a night reading through the transcripts a few weeks ago
Solobill Laville: I think it could be a book
Maxine Walden: the links in the blog, yes lots there isn’t there;: more than one book likely
In the midst of this very pleasant conversation, amidst the gnarled tree trunk of the massive tree Storm had created I note the time and realize sadly that I must leave
Maxine Walden:…wow I had better go.
Solobill Laville: Sorry, byr
Solobill Laville: bye
Maxine Walden: Hope to see you soon. Bye
