Friends

The Friends page…

Started out as a post, but rightly deserves it’s own page. An ode to my friends and the wonderful way in which they challenge and reward my experiences on SL….

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Friends on SL can be many, but good friends …. that is the tricky part. How do you determine who is a good friend and who isn’t?I’d like to think that I set the bar high (hope all my friends chests are puffing out right now) – but really, when it comes down to it, I want friends who are: sincere, honest, respectful, and caring. When these attributes are found within an individual, it seems logical to me that other things follow:

• They are fun to be with – I know that what I say to them is taken the way it is meant; I’m not spending my time worrying if they think what I said meant something else.
• I can be myself with them – I trust them because they do care; who I am and how I feel is okay.
• Anything and everything is okay - again, a trust issue, but I know that I can say and do anything, as long as it is respectful and they in return can do the same and at any time it is okay to say “I’m not comfortable with that.”

Alright? Which friends right now are telling me I am so naive? I can’t help it – it is who I am. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt and work from there. That is not to say that everyone starts out with my undying trust and I’ll tell you all my troubles, but everybody will get my respect and I will not be rude to anyone unless their actions require that I give a respectful “you’re being a jerk, now screw off” reaction.

So.. who are my friends? First, this is a list in progress, and as such, it will take a while to get it completed the way I want it to be done. Second, I always worry with this kind of thing if people will be offended – I hope not. I’m just trying at this point to point out some people who are playing a role in my SL life right now… influences, so to speak.

Zen Benneli – My SL brother: Zen… you big turd! Aww… come on, it is said with affection! Zen, my good friend, introduced me to SL and continues to challenge and dare me to stretch my Doodle arms and experience SL beyond my own little teeny weeny world. Zen and I are only about one week apart in age on SL, but I’m glad he hit the grid before I did because it gave him seven more days to be lost than I. Zen has become my shopping escort on SL as I have learned that I have a hard time shopping without surveyed by the opposite sex or even the same sex. Not that I mind, but I’m just a baby on SL and I need a protector. Of course, he has had a few laughs at my expense, but I don’t mind because that’s what good friends are for. Thanks Zen… and you do know there will always be payback

Duncan Rust: I’m pretty sure that Duncan was the second person I met on SL. He was a friend to Zen first, and Zen in his impeccable taste in friends, introduced me. From there, it’s been a real pleasure.  Duncan is my SL brother!  Duncan has the greatest sense of humor and he has had me literally laughing and falling off my chair, and his quick wit keeps me on my toes, knowing that at any time I might open myself up for a “You asked for it” comment. On the other end of the spectrum, though, Duncan has challenged to me think past my *surface* talk and to dig a little deeper into who Doodle is. A good exercise for me, since the niceties of life and the fluff is the easiest thing to present to the world, even in SL. Thanks Duncan. I know that in the end, I’ll figure some of it out.

Daniel Regenbogen: Daniel was introduced to me via Zen, or was it Duncan. Doesn’t really matter – the important point here is that my closest friends seem to be all interconnected and might I say they all seem to have impeccable taste. My biggest complaint about Daniel is that we live so many hours apart and this is a great tragedy because he is one hell of a great DJ! Yeah, Daniel!! When I get invited up to the “Big Dance Hall in the Sky” and the teleport function on SL isn’t working, I actually feel crushed because I don’t get to dance to the awesome music Daniel picks, but also because I don’t get to have some great chat time with Daniel. Our conversations have covered a great range of topics and every single one is one I have enjoyed. I’m also the proud owner of some furniture that Daniel has built. Talents abound in you, Daniel. I’m pleased to have you as a friend.. nope… delighted… nope… happy… nope… all of the above.

Coyote Jansen: Coyote is amongst the circle of people I like to call friends. When I first started my foray into Second Life, Coyote gave me some really cool landmarks. Holy man! The scuba ones were awesome, and the beach ones too – but that psychedelic inventor one – I’m still trying to figure it out. *shaking my head* Typically if I’m looking to have fun and raise a little shi… I mean *poop*, Coyote is right there offering to help. Thanks, Coyote – like I needed the help. He’s a heck of a lot of fun, and the teasin’ goes back and forth fast and furious and I’ll be damned if I can remember how we started a conversation, but guaranteed that somewhere along the way it went off the rails. Coyote always seems to show up in the coolest t-shirts – makes a girl like me jealous – where do you get those t-shirts, Coyote?

Shadowz Flannagan: Shadow is my SL sister. I met her through mutual friends, Duncan and Coyote. We quickly became sisters, but there is so much more there. Hehe… we comrades… out to keep the boys in line. We spend an awful lot of time yakking and laughing, and more often than not, we seem to come up with the exact same thought and type it at the exact same time… can you say GMTA? (Great Minds Think Alike!) LOL!! I love spending time talking and playing with the boys, but there are those things that only girls can do together – yup – and we do them. Too cool. Anyways, it has been and continues to be a sheer pleasure to spend my time with Shadow. You are the sister I never had in Real Life, and it sure makes me wish that I did… and if I did… I would want her to be just like you. *huggles!!*

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Yes, I have more friends to add, but I want to do so in a thoughtful manner. That’s me … gotta think it through – careful, particular and exacting. But… that’s just who I am… everyone else is going to have to wait.